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Charlton back up for sale - Guardian article comment from Gavin Carter p18

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  • gringo
    gringo Posts: 1,333
    redbuttle said:
    Croydon said:
    The club isn't for sale. They just leaked this story to soften the blown of TC signing for Preston
    I don't think a lot of our fans would see that as a blow.
    WHAAT! Campbells going!
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 86,827
    Reading Cawley's piece I suspect the club's stance would be that this is the same as before ie they are still looking for additional investment, as they said months ago (remember the "we've got £20m to spend" myth that came from the Athletic story), but the last agency didn't find anyone so they've gone with a new one. 

    Now, we can choose to believe that or not. We all have varying degrees of PTSD as a result of previous ownerships so I'm not surprised by the reaction to the Guardian story.

    Whatever the real story is, the club "declining to comment" has only fuelled the flames and again highlights the need, IMHO, for an on the ground CEO and for the club to get ahead of the narrative. 

    Not having permanant staff at the top could be read as leaving the decks clear for new owners to appoint their own staff.  It may be nothing of the sort and much more mundane recruitment issues but the delay/vacuum invites speculation.

    There is also a question as to why the original agency failed and if the new one can do any better?  Are we an unattractive deal, is the price too high or does the lack of physical assets put investors off?

    Someone pointed out the Bolton owners sold a minority stake in their club this summer but why were they able to make a deal but not, so far at least, us?

    Over to you GFP 
    Perhaps the new agency gave this to the Guardian, to save them time in working behind the scenes and a wider reach?
    I did think that it is a quick and cheap way to spread the news but I doubt many clients would be impressed by an agency that did that.
  • TeeC
    TeeC Posts: 327
    Owning a football ground is a waste of capital, especially in an era of higher interest rates. Not owning our ground does have an impact of prestige I guess, but I’m not sure any owner would rather tie up capital in a stadium. Interested to hear others views but I imagine Charlton’s lease agreement, an operation expense, is probably preferable. 
  • TheHerminator
    TheHerminator Posts: 1,330
    Reading Cawley's piece I suspect the club's stance would be that this is the same as before ie they are still looking for additional investment, as they said months ago (remember the "we've got £20m to spend" myth that came from the Athletic story), but the last agency didn't find anyone so they've gone with a new one. 

    Now, we can choose to believe that or not. We all have varying degrees of PTSD as a result of previous ownerships so I'm not surprised by the reaction to the Guardian story.

    Whatever the real story is, the club "declining to comment" has only fuelled the flames and again highlights the need, IMHO, for an on the ground CEO and for the club to get ahead of the narrative. 

    Not having permanant staff at the top could be read as leaving the decks clear for new owners to appoint their own staff.  It may be nothing of the sort and much more mundane recruitment issues but the delay/vacuum invites speculation.

    There is also a question as to why the original agency failed and if the new one can do any better?  Are we an unattractive deal, is the price too high or does the lack of physical assets put investors off?

    Someone pointed out the Bolton owners sold a minority stake in their club this summer but why were they able to make a deal but not, so far at least, us?

    Over to you GFP 
    Perhaps the new agency gave this to the Guardian, to save them time in working behind the scenes and a wider reach?
    I did think that it is a quick and cheap way to spread the news but I doubt many clients would be impressed by an agency that did that.
    Yea doesn't suggest they can do business quietly does it!
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 9,348
    Reading Cawley's piece I suspect the club's stance would be that this is the same as before ie they are still looking for additional investment, as they said months ago (remember the "we've got £20m to spend" myth that came from the Athletic story), but the last agency didn't find anyone so they've gone with a new one. 

    Now, we can choose to believe that or not. We all have varying degrees of PTSD as a result of previous ownerships so I'm not surprised by the reaction to the Guardian story.

    Whatever the real story is, the club "declining to comment" has only fuelled the flames and again highlights the need, IMHO, for an on the ground CEO and for the club to get ahead of the narrative. 

    Not having permanant staff at the top could be read as leaving the decks clear for new owners to appoint their own staff.  It may be nothing of the sort and much more mundane recruitment issues but the delay/vacuum invites speculation.

    There is also a question as to why the original agency failed and if the new one can do any better?  Are we an unattractive deal, is the price too high or does the lack of physical assets put investors off?

    Someone pointed out the Bolton owners sold a minority stake in their club this summer but why were they able to make a deal but not, so far at least, us?

    Over to you GFP 
    Perhaps the new agency gave this to the Guardian, to save them time in working behind the scenes and a wider reach?
    I did think that it is a quick and cheap way to spread the news but I doubt many clients would be impressed by an agency that did that.
    No, if they wanted to impress their clients, they'd leak it to The Mail, The Express and The Sun
  • ajmrally
    ajmrally Posts: 11
    Attracting additional investment would hopefully be a positive for the club. However, if Oakwell work with the likes of the 777 group that they've openly stated as a success story then that could end up with extremely negative consequences.
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 86,827
    edited August 4

    Charlton Fan Advocates
    ·
    2h
    No direct quotes but Rich was briefed by the club for this story


    ______
    Confirms that Cawley was briefed by the club as suspected which is fine but the club does also have its own press team and media outlets it could, and IMHO still should, use.
  • _MrDick
    _MrDick Posts: 13,327
    Calm down guys 

    Looks like the paper headline of a sale was incorrect and misleading 

    South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition has reached out to the club this evening to ask for comment on The Guardian’s article.

    Early indications from the club have been that nothing has changed since Slater’s story about them seeking investment, except that it is now a different company doing it.

    Charlton have since managed to consolidate their place in the Championship, avoiding an instant return to League One, with their women’s side promoted to the WSL, returning to the top flight for the first time since 2007, although staying there is likely to be costly.

    There is also an insistence that it would be counter-intuitive for GFP not to progress the club when looking for investment, that the focus remains on driving it forward, that their spend this summer is in line with long-term planning and will see an increase in wages spent on players.
    How are you finding CoPilot? 
  • roseandcrown
    roseandcrown Posts: 7,636
    Talksport are gonna cover it on the show with Alex crook 
  • letthegoodtimesroll
    letthegoodtimesroll Posts: 11,518
    edited August 4
    Talksport are gonna cover it on the show with Alex crook 
    As I was driving home just now I heard them mention it with the comment for discussion that sounded like  ‘why has the club become so unstable at the top’ . 

    Someone might want to give them a call and calm this down before Nathan finds it almost impossible to sign anyone 

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  • TeeC said:
    Owning a football ground is a waste of capital, especially in an era of higher interest rates. Not owning our ground does have an impact of prestige I guess, but I’m not sure any owner would rather tie up capital in a stadium. Interested to hear others views but I imagine Charlton’s lease agreement, an operation expense, is probably preferable. 
    I suppose it does exclude the chancers who are looking for a club that can be bought for a £1 and then its assets stripped. It's a way to ensure your buyer has serious financial backing and intent.
  • L0rd_M0ntagu3
    L0rd_M0ntagu3 Posts: 346
    Talksport are gonna cover it on the show with Alex crook 
    As I was driving home just now I heard them mention it with the comment for discussion that sounded like  ‘why has the club become so unstable at the top’ . 

    Someone might want to give them a call and calm this down before Nathan finds it almost impossible to sign anyone 
    Crook is mates with Dean Holden, and no doubt still has an axe to grind with the current leadership owners 
  • msomerton
    msomerton Posts: 3,567
    Why would any one put capital into a club if they do not have the say in how it is run, just look at the Staveley  issues with Westham at the moment.
  • Gribbo
    Gribbo Posts: 9,348
    TeeC said:

    James,

    Hope you're well.

    All good here thanks, and I hope you are too.

    Yes, no problem at all. Is it okay if I get everything over to you over the weekend? I'm away at the moment, but I'll make sure it's all sent across then.

    Thanks again, and speak soon.

    Agree. My concern has shifted quite dramatically from worrying that the club and the ground aren't as one, to only worrying about who actually owns it.

    If we were ever put up for sale, I think any prospective owner would simply see it as buying the football club. They'd obviously want to know the rent, the lease terms and any other commitments, but they wouldn't necessarily see the current ownership structure as unusual because it's all they'd have known.

    As I've said before, I would personally love to see the club own both The Valley and Sparrows Lane. At this stage though, it feels more like a romantic ideal than a realistic expectation. Maybe in years to come if we had a decent run in the Prem, the personal circumstances at Chateau Duchatelet changed and the club owners thought they could maybe increase the value of the club itself by bringing it all back together, there might eventually be enough turnover to make something like that possible.

  • roseandcrown
    roseandcrown Posts: 7,636
    Peterborough owner saying we are a good prospect for an owner with massive potential. 

    He also said he thinks if true it’s a positive for Charlton fans 
  • se9addick
    se9addick Posts: 33,122
    I wonder if the new efl spending rules have contributed to our owners ‘going cold’. We were low down on the list of Championship spenders anyway and the new rules have just exacerbated that position further. Our owners could have looked at this and thought ‘even if we spend to the max we cannot hope to compete for promotion so what’s the point. Let’s cut our losses.’

    I’m not sure I’ve ever bought that they were in it for the long term. For a medium size club we were relatively cheap to buy as there are no property assets (ground/training ground) which makes us very attractive to even shorter term investors than football normally attracts. Jones and the players have done a great job in getting us up to the Championship and keeping us there but the lack of ownership of the property is always going to be a significant weakness which comes home to roost every 3 years or so when owners realise there is no fast buck.

    The article may be exaggerated somewhat and hopefully Jones has a bit more money to spend to at least give us a chance of being competitive in holding our place in the division. But, no smoke without fire, the warning signs are there - we’ve seen them several times. I’m bracing myself for a very tough ride.
    Great point! Not owning any property assets means we’re open to crooks buying us on the cheap and asset stripping. We’ve already been there before. We’ve been relatively lucky to have these owners. I also think the pink trousered one sold them a pup by claiming we were badly run (true) and could be run for £1-2m losses a year (fantasy). I see Charlie is on a podcast now, claiming to be an expert about the business of football.
    Given that you’ve highlighted that the clubs key asset is not actually owned by the club, what assets could be stripped? How would this even offset the cost required to purchase the club, let alone run a profit for the envisaged asset stripper? 
  • Bedsaddick
    Bedsaddick Posts: 25,617
    Rothko said:
    To be fair to the Guardian, they couldn’t just use the same headline the Athletic used in January. Got to make the story seem different. 
    Why ? . What would be the point in that . We are hardly likely to be very newsworthy unless someone has asked for the story to be leaked/Repeated  . The timing is what worries me
  • se9addick
    se9addick Posts: 33,122
    msomerton said:
    Why would any one put capital into a club if they do not have the say in how it is run, just look at the Staveley  issues with Westham at the moment.
    Why would anyone buy shares in any company?
  • RonnieMoore
    RonnieMoore Posts: 5,422

    From The Football Economy 

    Reports about Charlton sale exaggerated

  • MarcusH26
    MarcusH26 Posts: 10,558
    Peterborough owner saying we are a good prospect for an owner with massive potential. 

    He also said he thinks if true it’s a positive for Charlton fans 
    Everyone outside the club says this whenever we come up for sale and yet we never seem to get that type of owner. 

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  • Bedsaddick
    Bedsaddick Posts: 25,617

    Charlton Fan Advocates
    ·
    2h
    No direct quotes but Rich was briefed by the club for this story


    ______
    Confirms that Cawley was briefed by the club as suspected which is fine but the club does also have its own press team and media outlets it could, and IMHO still should, use.
    The club briefed the press just after 10,000 people bought season tickets. Are they really that malicious ? 
  • TelMc32
    TelMc32 Posts: 9,526
    I’m not sure there’s an awful lot of difference between looking for additional investment/investors and a full sale. It’s quite conceivable that achieving the first is a step on the road to the second, which is what it seems Kretinsky intended at WHam until he let his options lapse on both Gold and Sullivan’s stakes and now finds himself having to pay millions more to stave off a new investor.

    I am surprised at the choice of advisor though. If your only previous experience in football is with 777 Partners as a client, then you probably should be given a wide berth.
  • DOUCHER
    DOUCHER Posts: 8,943
    Masterful collaboration by AFKA and the club - just as the rumours thread could regurgitate the holsgrove/ 532/4231/TC good bad no further, the ‘investment deck’ bomb is launched - 👏👏 
  • Lincsaddick
    Lincsaddick Posts: 32,890
    Worrying. Without investment in GOOD players we could well be relegated. In L1 given our bloated squad, expensive academy, overlarge 'backroom' staff, and having to lease our premises, our value would be well below £15 Million, let alone the £40-45 Million being touted as a selling price.
    I doubt that owners keen to sell will invest what's needed to mantain our Championship status.

    Nathan Jones, his players and coaching staff will have a big job in trying to ignore any negative chit chat and to concentrate on playing football


  • robroy
    robroy Posts: 4,866
    They must have been aware of a potential leak by keeping the media away vs Reading. Could this be they already have a buyer and they were there? The buyers wanted this article leaked to push things along? 

    Finally the owners could have leaked this after having a few potential buyers there against Reading? 


  • mascot88
    mascot88 Posts: 10,095
    I'm tired boss ... 
  • fenaddick
    fenaddick Posts: 21,113
    Peterborough owner saying we are a good prospect for an owner with massive potential. 

    He also said he thinks if true it’s a positive for Charlton fans 
    Well that's convinced me it's time to meltdown, he's incredibly unpopular here for how he runs Posh
  • gringo
    gringo Posts: 1,333
    edited August 4
    robroy said:
    They must have been aware of a potential leak by keeping the media away vs Reading. Could this be they already have a buyer and they were there? The buyers wanted this article leaked to push things along? 

    Finally the owners could have leaked this after having a few potential buyers there against Reading? 


    well that went well, they probably thought lets buy Reading, a better team with a ground, and save ourselves a few dollars.
  • Airman Brown
    Airman Brown Posts: 15,922
    TeeC said:
    Owning a football ground is a waste of capital, especially in an era of higher interest rates. Not owning our ground does have an impact of prestige I guess, but I’m not sure any owner would rather tie up capital in a stadium. Interested to hear others views but I imagine Charlton’s lease agreement, an operation expense, is probably preferable. 
    It’s really not. We still have a short lease in commercial terms. It means you can’t make any major long-term investment in facilities and you run the risk, if you establish the club in the Premier League, of being held to ransom. It’s fine if you’d be happy sharing Selhurst Park. 
  • MarcusH26
    MarcusH26 Posts: 10,558
    fenaddick said:
    Peterborough owner saying we are a good prospect for an owner with massive potential. 

    He also said he thinks if true it’s a positive for Charlton fans 
    Well that's convinced me it's time to meltdown, he's incredibly unpopular here for how he runs Posh
    How many times has he claimed on socials that he's selling Posh and it never actually happens. Guys just very good at talking to the media.