New beginnings - 25% Truth, 80% Bollocks

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

The Trust has limited power but you come into a lot of detail to what is happening behind the scenes. Do you share every snippet publicly that has been shared in confidence meaning no more info, Orr do you listen keep you mouth shut and use the information to your advantage in conversation to hold the owner and co accountable? Going public with info is always a Hail Mary that impact wanes if used too frequently.

The Trust is the only fan representative group working in the interest of the fans against a wall of pro-Clem supporters. The amount of abuse the Trust got behind the scenes after the letter of no confidence was quite literally insane but it came to that point from information the Trust obtained and used to its advantage when it was strategically the right time to play that card. Don’t blame the Trust, it’s a pink polar bear living in a pink tank. In an ideal world, we’d have competent leadership that understands how to run a football club… THEN maybe it would reasonable to ask “what is the Trust up to these days?”

Lee Power ran the club better than Clem and his “friends” do.

 

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

That great but honestly I’m not sure how much ‘due course’ this football club has left?
Now really doesn’t seem like the time for patience.

Trust should be looking for investment parties who want to buy the club. Trust should then do their due diligence & before going public with these people - assuming they exist.

Only thing that will speed up Clem selling is another, better, richer, more knowledgeable grounded owner literally right there publicly saying he wants to the buy the club.

This is fair. We're kind of getting to hail mary stage, aren't we? Or we'll be Morecambe or worse Bury.

[RobertT]

Plus, a lot of the Clem supporters argument is ‘what’s the alternative?’ & they’re absolutely right (although completely misguided) because there is no alternative.

I will give the Trust some partial due - they are a useful resource for those that are interested in purchasing the club, able to provide information, insight and connections.  I know this, because I have first hand experience - having spent several months trying to see if any connections I have, or a close friend, could lead to anything.  There was one solid prospect, financially able to proceed (with investments in MLS), who would not take any forward steps once it became clear that the clubs ownership/liabilities was a likely hornets nest of risk.  Through that process, I was also aware of at least two other parties developing proposals around gaining ownership, one of which was still working on obtaining funds, the other able to proceed but not getting the right signals from Clem.  These individuals or groups are never keen to be made public at the early stages, where they are not yet seeking "support" but are trying to gather as much insight as possible to make decisions on whether or not to begin applying pressure if it is needed.

Now, I said partial credit.  I think the Trust should be working on two large projects and drop everything else they get involved in to focus time and energy.  Those should be public.  They are the redevelopment of the County Ground and new ownership of the Club (with fan ownership being planned for as one option).  I am still not convinced Clem ever really wanted to commence a project, but the Trust should be seeking to take the public lead on driving a Master Plan.  Forget who owns the lease, apply pressure.  Then on the ownership, they should publicly say they are working on what comes next, include fans being full or partial owners alongside full external new owners and provide regular updates on what those plans could look like, what they require and (without names until possible) give updates on progress.

[TheDukeOfBanbury]

We don’t need to be the next Morecambe.
At least 2 bids on the table I know of and all it needs is for one of them to get accepted by Morfuni and the nightmare ends.

As for silence not surprised.
Sick to death of him and his hangers on like most of us and what is stopping him from letting it all go.

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

Not expecting anyone to out the potential bidders, but any idea on the nationalities or the two current interested parties/consortiums?

[Boy About Town]

Not expecting anyone to out the potential bidders, but any idea on the nationalities or the two current interested parties/consortiums?

Yes do give us some idea 

[JoeMezz]

Not expecting anyone to out the potential bidders, but any idea on the nationalities or the two current interested parties/consortiums?

Anything to do with the two men in suits in the DR a couple years back?

[Bob's Orange]

It's Chansiri and Whittingham isn't it?

[RobertT]

Not expecting anyone to out the potential bidders, but any idea on the nationalities or the two current interested parties/consortiums?

The one who did not proceed was American (first hand knowledge on this one), I believe an American is on the table and the one still looking to build a consortium was localish.

[No Longer Posh Red]

The ownership group (let’s be honest it’s not just the Aussie Plumber) won’t sell up while they are able to make (or clean) money out of owning the club.

[DV]

We don’t need to be the next Morecambe.
At least 2 bids on the table I know of and all it needs is for one of them to get accepted by Morfuni and the nightmare ends.

As for silence not surprised.
Sick to death of him and his hangers on like most of us and what is stopping him from letting it all go.

See, this is my point. This information helps absolutely no one.

2 bids on the table - proof it, you can’t obviously.

Cynical, sceptical, me? - of course.

…but…this is my point this post feels like nothing more than a ‘I know something you don’t know’ name drop.

I get it’s more complicated than I am making out but if the people who have allegedly bid genuinely want to buy the football club then come out & say it….start rolling with some fan backing - which ironically is exactly what Clem did to get the club off of Power.

[Ƭ̵̬̊: The Artist Formerly Known as CWIG]

Why would this bother you? Its when people say they know stuff and then don't spill that gets on my tits.

This is fine.

As for them not wanting to be made public, I get the same frustration.

[DV]

….because they have spilled absolutely nothing.
It’s just rumour.

I’ve heard Vince McMahon has put a bid in. Just because I’ve said it do you believe it to be true?

[UTR]

….because they have spilled absolutely nothing.
It’s just rumour.

I’ve heard Vince McMahon has put a bid in. Just because I’ve said it do you believe it to be true?

To be honest, as funny as it sounds, I’d be sceptical of a new ownership group who were out in the media/public pre sale agreement as much as I would be of a silent ownership group post sale.

Seeing how these genuine consortiums/owners work, it’s rarely the done thing to be public before there’s an agreement in place.

If as rumoured there are genuinely interested parties and they’re the right people then we won’t hear anything until it’s close to being done or done.

[RobertT]

My knowledge, first hand, is only of prospects, so there is no chance they will want any degree of public scrutiny at that stage.

Why?

Because they are not singularly looking at STFC.  They do not want people to be aware of where they are putting their gaze before it has reached any sort of stage around detailed negotiations.

As an example.  I spoke directly to an ex Player and Manager who now resides in the USA.  He part owns and runs a large Academy (4k+ paying players).  He is looking to engage in investment partnerships to expand the USA side and wants the kudos of being partnered with an English club.  That initially was just some sort of sponsorship and being able to use the branding, but as the expansion continues, it turns to wanting an investment relationship so they can leverage that to get real estate $'s this side.  They have subsequently got involved in a deal with a Premier League club, but STFC did interest them.  Not because of the model they have ended up with, which is using a Premier League club to sort of look like a parent club, but in the STFC view it would have been the other way around.  The USA side being able to leverage ownership of STFC for player development and English pathways for players, plus the option for development on the CG site.

In the end, the deal wasn't going to be sweet enough once valuations were known and the complexity of negotiating the handover of ownership and being aware of liabilities. This did not get far down the road at all, and the individual is still in private negotiations with the other club, so they have no desire to be outed, especially locally in the USA (a real estate deal here is tied into their model).

The other USA party I had experience (MLS investor with $100m+ personal wealth) with got no further than believing the investment proposal to be solid, but the ownership and liability risk to be too great to even talk to STFC.  I think Bathford has alluded to this on his personal level in the past as well.