New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[welshred]

I see Carlisle are the latest club to be in line for a takeover from an American company. If they can manage it you'd have thought we could.

[JoeMezz]

I see Carlisle are the latest club to be in line for a takeover from an American company. If they can manage it you'd have thought we could.

Able would have been an American company - doesn't mean it's a good takeover

[welshred]

True. 98% of the fans voted for them though, so they must have at least talked a good game.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

I notice a few of the owners from the Far East are having ongoing funding problems.

[Bob's Orange]

It does appear that the consortiums involved in buying football clubs is shifting from asia/middle east towards North America, certainly in the lower leagues with recent takeovers at Gillingham, Walsall, Wycombe I think having yank owners. It won't all be down to what Reynolds and McElhanny have done at Wrexham but I imagine it has woken up quite a lot of American sports investors who have seen what is possible with a football club over here. Tom Brady at Birmingham I guess is the next highest profile investor.

As for us, I think it's evident that we need a clean break from Morfuni and the rest of the gang. I'm unsure whether that's likely until these (seemingly never ending) court cases are done and all the various people that have fingers in the STFC pie have had their pay off. If I had 15-20million to invest in a football club, there are so many pros (ironically i'm not talking about footballers on the payroll here) that you could list about the place - big town, big loyal fanbase, good community ties, big local businesses, good part of the country geographically etc etc.

Sadly the cons, appear to be exactly that, the cons that are behind the scenes doing god only knows what. In my mind, the squad we have and the transfer deadline happenings prove that Clem isn't playing ball anymore. The days of him putting a bucket hat on and pulling pints in the local hostelries are over. I really hope whoever the next incumbent of the football club are, we have a totally clean break. When that might be, fuck only knows.

[horlock07]

On reading the case summary and decision in the Power vs Standing Fortification request, there is a fantastic conspiracy theory I hadn't properly considered.

Clem provided text messages to the Court in his case against Power that were used in the Power vs Standing one, where Power is befuddled by people talking about Able being on the scene to buy the club.  Power also submitted as evidence, initially, that he'd not seen the letter of intent.

Got me thinking, wonder if someone, like Zav, got pissed off with Power and stitched him up (pretending to be a buyer from overseas).  Knowing that any potential sale would trigger events to enable Clem to step in - all Clem had to do was go to Court to confirm he was a 15% shareholder and therefore would have the right to bid on the remaining shares.

Would explain Zav having a visit to A&E.

The delights of our club ownership!

However it came about, Clem chucked some money in and Power ran off with it and Clem ended up with the club and having to pay a Debenture that had twice been claimed as paid off or purchased.

I am not sure whether you are joking or not, but the opportunities for back stabbing are enormous and I have had similar thoughts for quite some time.

What’s good ‘ol Lee up to these days. Wasn’t he supposed to buying a club in Albania or Bulgaria.

A friend of mine is presently doing some work for a close associate of Mr Power, I believe the phrase used is 'biding his time'. 

[horlock07]

True. 98% of the fans voted for them though, so they must have at least talked a good game.

So did Clem who a large proportion of our fan base now want rid of.

[STFC_Manc]

So did Clem who a large proportion of our fan base now want rid of.

A large part of our fan base, or a large part of thetownend - they aren't the same thing.  We wouldn't be still getting very high gates, higher YTD than the previous two seasons if this was the case.

[UTR]

A large part of our fan base, or a large part of thetownend - they aren't the same thing.  We wouldn't be still getting very high gates, higher YTD than the previous two seasons if this was the case.

Not that the people I speak to cover the whole fanbase but they’re multiple different groups of people across multiple age groups and for once this is the first time that everyone’s been on the same page when we talk (fed up entirely). The grumblings around me in the DRS are also for once all saying the same thing, fed up.

Again, that’s obviously not proportionate to the whole fanbase but it’s the first time (other than the end of Power) that everyone’s been on the same page and that page is not good.

A lot are locked into ST’s now based on the end of seasons comments about competitive budgets etc and feel conned, be interesting to see how next season stands on that front.

[Batch]

...doesn't mean it's a good takeover

That's true of any takeover, ever!

[Batch]

A large part of our fan base, or a large part of thetownend - they aren't the same thing.  We wouldn't be still getting very high gates, higher YTD than the previous two seasons if this was the case.

Maybe. But I'd go to football regardless.

Have we got to the point of wanting Clem out? Not sure that's quite been the underlying current - high degrees of skepticism, derision and worry for the future yes. No arguments there.

[UTR]

Maybe. But I'd go to football regardless.

Have we got to the point of wanting Clem out? Not sure that's quite been the underlying current - high degrees of skepticism, derision and worry for the future yes. No arguments there.

Yeah I think that’s accurate. Most with criticism aren’t “Clem out” they’re more “Clem sort it out”

[Bob's Orange]

A large part of our fan base, or a large part of thetownend - they aren't the same thing.  We wouldn't be still getting very high gates, higher YTD than the previous two seasons if this was the case.

This is true, but don't forget the loyalty of a football fan runs much deeper than a 'normal' person. I'd say the number of fans that aren't currently going because of Clem is probably a tiny number. People only really stopped going because of Lee Power quite a way into his tenure.

I know this competitive budget thing is difficult to measure and has been discussed vehemently over the past weekend, but it appears that a number of fans are now looking at where we are currently, with a solid first 14/15 players, but not a huge lot else beyond that. Selling our 4th choice striker without a viable replacement come the end of the transfer window I think also made people sit up and think - hang on, are we actually going to try and get a decent squad now we can only sign free agents?

The next few months are going to be crucial, particularly come the end of January. That cry of 'come and support us and we'll put out a team capable of promotion' isn't going to wash next season if this season falls flat on it's face. It may not, it's too early to tell, but if we continue to trend downwards as we did in October then it doesn't look great. I'm still hopeful, but as I get older I wonder if that's just senility.

[horlock07]

A large part of our fan base, or a large part of thetownend - they aren't the same thing.  We wouldn't be still getting very high gates, higher YTD than the previous two seasons if this was the case.

Possibly so, as I don't attend games very often I get much of a steer from here and mainly Twitter and in both cases it is frankly depressing reading a  heck of a lot of posts.

Again, that’s obviously not proportionate to the whole fanbase but it’s the first time (other than the end of Power) that everyone’s been on the same page and that page is not good.

A lot are locked into ST’s now based on the end of seasons comments about competitive budgets etc and feel conned, be interesting to see how next season stands on that front.

Jesus, is it even worse than the Diamandis days where for long periods of time it wasn't clear if the club would last the week, doesn't bode well?

I 'pose its all swings and roundabouts, if the club came out and said we don't have the money to have a 'competitive budget' then would fans bother, which would make the budget even smaller, give and take between fan base and owners?

Yeah I think that’s accurate. Most with criticism aren’t “Clem out” they’re more “Clem sort it out”

Not sure how Clem can 'sort it out' to the satisfaction of many, some on here often refer to him as a crook and even if he has a massive clear out in the background not sure how that opinion changes?

[Trashbat?]

Yeah I think that’s accurate. Most with criticism aren’t “Clem out” they’re more “Clem sort it out”

I think most people I know feel like that, he massively blundered over the summer over the lies about ownership.