Takeover Imminent?

[red macca]

To be honest I dont see how the "feeder club" arguemnt might work based on the invlovement of portugese agents. I'd understand it a lot more if it were the OWNERS of a portugese club.

Even so I dont see how it would differ too much to the way STFC has always been. We get players cheap, if they turn out to be good we sell them on to a profit to a bigger club who have more cash. This has always been the case and always will because we are not going to turn into a european superpower anytime soon.

If we do get a few portugese players coming over to put themsleves in the shop window for a bigger club, dont you think it suits everyone concerned if they were actually quite good. No-one is going to make any money if they are shite are they?

And why would they replace a manager who has one of the best reputations in lower league football with a no-mark like Brevett? again, not the greatest plan to make money if you are investing several million in a football club.

[RobertT]

I think the fear is of an agreement in place like the club that was owned in Belgium by a company Wenger was involved in.  To be fair part of that was to get around EU passport controls, but essentially it's the arrangement that is the fear:

Basically, a company (in this instance it was agents and Managers who were shareholders) purchased a football club in Belgium.  They then used this club to funnel Ivorian players through in the main, but also other Africans.  The financial contracts were held by the company who then loaned the players to the club they also owned in Belgium.  If they turned out to be good then a clubs in Europe were alerted and got the player at a decent rate, the company keeping the profits.  While the club got decent players from time to time, they had to suffer the misses as well, and ended up getting no real money from the deal.  When the company moved on the club, I think, went bust, as fans were treated to what became a shit team with no money of their own but operating costs they couldn't afford.

I'm sure there is a more in depth fact filled version, I'll have a look.

[RobertT]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/programmes/newsnight/5036342.stm

here we go, ignore the stuff about passports and Arsenal to some extent and just consider the way the club were used instead.  That is the sort of thing people mean by feeder club, not the relationship that exists between Liverpool and Crewe.

If that happened to my team, I;d have to say it was no longer STFC.

[glos_robin]

bye then

Would you support the club then if it was purely used as a feeder club and the new owners were not worried about promotion/relegation, got rid of sturrock and put someone else in charge like brevett or some other person who has no experience.

Would you still go to watch STFC knowing all that was happening? I know alot of people wouldn't!

yes i would support themn still as it stands it is the only fucking option we got

No, you'd have the option not to be part of it. If we became in effect somebody elses reserve team or a showcase club for agents we wouldn't be STFC anymore, just like we wouldn't be STFC any more if we went to Chippenham.
Rob's post highlight how shit such a deal would be for fans and hopefully it remains just a rumour.
I wouldn't do 80 mile round trips every other week for home games just help people with get rich quick schemes. The club would lose its own identity and have no ambition of its own.

[Barry Scott]

Fucking hell, some people ain't half starting to twist this fucking "takeover" bollocks out of all recognition.

I ain't read it all and don't intend too, but jesus? Talk about old women gossiping themselves into a self-induced state of paranoia.

Si Pi's post makes sense and will be the one i consider the winner.

That does of course depend on whether anyone should have a competition on most sensible post within a extremely speculative thread. And whether i get to decide the winner. My head says it will be the mods. My heart says it would be destroyed by speculation about the posts yet to appear which could in fact win, or, could just be copying Si's post and claiming he edited his own to look like theirs as he himself is a mod...

:shhh

[Colin Todd]

I think the fear is of an agreement in place like the club that was owned in Belgium by a company Wenger was involved in.  To be fair part of that was to get around EU passport controls, but essentially it's the arrangement that is the fear:

Basically, a company (in this instance it was agents and Managers who were shareholders) purchased a football club in Belgium.  They then used this club to funnel Ivorian players through in the main, but also other Africans.  The financial contracts were held by the company who then loaned the players to the club they also owned in Belgium.  If they turned out to be good then a clubs in Europe were alerted and got the player at a decent rate, the company keeping the profits.  While the club got decent players from time to time, they had to suffer the misses as well, and ended up getting no real money from the deal.  When the company moved on the club, I think, went bust, as fans were treated to what became a shit team with no money of their own but operating costs they couldn't afford.

I'm sure there is a more in depth fact filled version, I'll have a look.

But there would be no point in doing that other than to get round EU citezenship. As our work permit laws are (thankfully) pretty harsh what would be the point in doing it for players who already have EU nationality?  

It'd be a whole lot cheaper to get some DVD's of you clients best footballing momnets burnt to DVD and mailed to every club in eurpoe and would propably have more effect if you wanted people put in the "shop window" We're only in league 1 for fucks sake

[RobertT]

I'm not passing judgement on whether it would or wouldn't happen.  I'm merely giving the details of how such a system works.  I think people are debating two different things - Feeder clubs and affiliate clubs.  The latter would not be an issue - Crewe work that way with Liverpool.  People would have an issue with being used as in the example shown.


To be honest, I have no idea on there intentions with us though.

[Red81]

All I have to say is... "Swindon til I die!"

[Phil_S]

I don't know about feeder clubs etc. All I do know is that the new investors have been dealing with Mikey D & Co.  
Mikey D would not deal with the fans consortium, because it had supporters involved. (My conclusion)
They also want to keep things under wraps, until it's a done deal.
There has to be money involved. At least 5 million, for the first season.
So..................... WHY ?
Bill P is/ was a white knight who gave us all an erxceptional opportunity. .. Some input into how our club is run. (probably why Mikey D & Wills wouldn't deal.
The answer has to lie with MIkey D, & Wills making money AND the new investors thinking they can. Probably due to ground development.

[red macca]

bye then

Would you support the club then if it was purely used as a feeder club and the new owners were not worried about promotion/relegation, got rid of sturrock and put someone else in charge like brevett or some other person who has no experience.

Would you still go to watch STFC knowing all that was happening? I know alot of people wouldn't!

yes i would support themn still as it stands it is the only fucking option we got

No, you'd have the option not to be part of it. If we became in effect somebody elses reserve team or a showcase club for agents we wouldn't be STFC anymore, just like we wouldn't be STFC any more if we went to Chippenham.
Rob's post highlight how shit such a deal would be for fans and hopefully it remains just a rumour.
I wouldn't do 80 mile round trips every other week for home games just help people with get rich quick schemes. The club would lose its own identity and have no ambition of its own.

But not supporting this club is not a option

[SwindonTartanArmy]

bye then

Would you support the club then if it was purely used as a feeder club and the new owners were not worried about promotion/relegation, got rid of sturrock and put someone else in charge like brevett or some other person who has no experience.

Would you still go to watch STFC knowing all that was happening? I know alot of people wouldn't!

yes i would support themn still as it stands it is the only fucking option we got

No, you'd have the option not to be part of it. If we became in effect somebody elses reserve team or a showcase club for agents we wouldn't be STFC anymore, just like we wouldn't be STFC any more if we went to Chippenham.
Rob's post highlight how shit such a deal would be for fans and hopefully it remains just a rumour.
I wouldn't do 80 mile round trips every other week for home games just help people with get rich quick schemes. The club would lose its own identity and have no ambition of its own.

But not supporting this club is not a option

It wouldnt be the same club any more though. The heart would be ripped out of the club if any of these scenarios played out.