New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[Nemo]

Ah, I guess we could just recruit sub standard players - that kind of thing

How would we ever tell the difference?

[Audrey]

Just. Employ. Sheridactyl.

[RobertT]

Never thought of that.

I'd say it would be pretty tricky to convince players to throw a game en mass. But the potential is there I suppose.

Ah, I guess we could just recruit sub standard players - that kind of thing

The potential seasons in question were terrible to mediocre, at best.  Certainly looks like the four signings from Chelsea in January 2017 must have been to do with this.  Why Chelsea would want to see our books is a question though, maybe to understand better details on what to charge for lower league loans?  Given the larger sums going around, that seems a weird thing to worry about, but you never know.

[Power to people]

Wow, with stfc expect the unexpected

[Power to people]

Its odd to think that the Russian would want to loan money to a L2 club - what was the link in the first place to even be able to approach him for money, very odd he would be just willing to write it off rather than have it listed as a charge against the club

[Nemo]

Its odd to think that the Russian would want to loan money to a L2 club - what was the link in the first place to even be able to approach him for money, very odd he would be just willing to write it off rather than have it listed as a charge against the club

Listing it as a charge against the club would make it a matter of public record though, which clearly nobody involved would have wanted it to be.

[RobertT]

Actually, those signings, three on loan plus an undisclosed fee for Conroy, may raise some questions.  Did Power take the money, got asked to funnel it as a loan to Swindon himself (creating distance) and then they found ways to charge back via deals with the club, cleaning said money back into Chelsea as income?  The fact the loans were forgiven certainly suggests they were not ever meant to be directly repaid, given how shit we were in L1 at the time.

Oh well, at least Clem gets some breathing space for a few days.

[Mooneyraker]

What concerns me is why would anyone buy a club with this much baggage coupled with the convoluted stadium ownership? How many court cases will there be? How many FA charges pending?

God it is depressing. I'm getting towards giving up until the Augean Stables are cleaned once and for all, whether that be via liquidation or not.

[Audrey]

So how will anyone ever really determine if the £1.25m went into the club or Fat Lee’s back pocket?

[RobertT]

Given Powers Domicile status in Switzerland at the time, I'd wager it is not an insignificant fact.  Maybe getting a few quid himself to oil other deals/discussions away from prying eyes.  Now for someone to find the Russian links.

[Audrey]

If there was supposed not to be any paper trail, how has this all come out?

[Bob's Orange]

Is this just a dodgy very wealthy football club owner looking to launder money using another football club then?

It sounds like Chelsea are in for some serious investigation, but have we broken rules as well? Is this where the points deduction chat has come from?

[RobertT]

If there was supposed not to be any paper trail, how has this all come out?

People fall out with people all the time, and leak information they may have insight to - e-mails, phone calls, documents etc.

[Audrey]

Is Abramovich giving Lee Power some dosh breaking any footballing rules?

God knows.

[Mooneyraker]

Standing leaking ahead of the court case...?