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RD at FCC's game yesterday - TV interview
GlassHalfFull
Posts: 2,351
My German is far too rusty, but I suspect there is some very interesting stuff here from Herr Investor.
At a match and on TV .... is the leopard finally changing his shorts, or it is just that we are unworthy?? No mention of us or any other network club.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPoFokEFCkM0
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I think he's saying that even Darren Bent could have scored that header.3
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He does indeed start by talking about the match itself. Much discussion then about FCC, the German scene, then Europe in general and also the EPL and the USA.
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Not even 1.5% of the interview about Charlton?12
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Looking at the empty seats behind him those fans are impressed too.2
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My respect for him has increased tenfold now I see how multilingual he is.
Still not reached zero though
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I am only watching that clip if you all promise that the interviewer pulls a wet kipper from behind his back and wacks the yellow toothed gaffer taped Belgian twat round the moosh with it!7
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No. It was a mackerel.soapy_jones said:I am only watching that clip if you all promise that the interviewer pulls a wet kipper from behind his back and wacks the yellow toothed gaffer taped Belgian twat round the moosh with it!
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dont expect mrs Redknapp is in any fit state to put than one away now0
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How many huhs?1
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Who are FCC?0
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Huhs ?? None, I think - an amiable and relaxed interview
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FCC are FC Carl Zeiss Jena, the German club in which RD invested (49,8%) at the same time that he bought CAFC and Alcorcon, the Spanish network member.
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talkSPORT are waiting Roland.1
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@MountsfieldPark is your German up to a viewpoint on what this might tell us? Mine isn't. But as @GlassHalfFull said when we chatted about it, it seems like a very different RD. Somebody who didn't know the history would think that this guy is OK, and likes his football too.1
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His German seems much better and relaxed than his English. No huhs or equivalent.GlassHalfFull said:
Huhs ?? None, I think - an amiable and relaxed interview
But it only takes him two minutes to start banging on about his vision of everyone having a place in the town to meet up and enjoy themselves. He explicitly says it's not the most important thing for the club to gain promotion to the Bundesliga (it's not a "must").
Also complains that half the clubs in the English Premiership lose money but says it's generally possible to make profits in the US (but it's a different culture).
Also referred to a €2m equity investment plus a €4m loan facility that is earmarked for investment if the club gets promoted this year. He then seemed to follow that statement with a series of caveats - need to listen to that bit again with more than half an ear.
Depressing stuff, but overall he presented a much happier public face than his last appearance at CAFC - maybe he bought the right club (for him) in Germany.8 -
...AND then he got smacked in the mooee with a wet kipper... right?0
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yes - I'm sure the last thing the interviewer says is "right, now comes the wet kipper, Douchebag, danke!"4
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Surely you mean haddocksoapy_jones said:...AND then he got smacked in the mooee with a wet kipper... right?
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FCC do not own their stadium - since 1991 that has belonged to the city. RD paid €2m for 49,8% of the club and since then has presumably been the benefactor who has supported losses of €1,49m (2014/15) and €933k (2015/16). Since he is not allowed to own the club, he has protected his otherwise unsecured funds by ensuring that sympathetic board members were elected at the recent General Assembly. Aside from the Div 4 roster, what other assets does the club have ??
For years FCC were a big fish in a smallish (DDR) pool. Such a mentality might explain why such large losses have been generated in the frugal surroundings of tier 4. Jena is a town of 110000, and unlike many areas of the former DDR its population has modestly grown. In addition to the locals, the city's numbers are swollen by about 30000 at the Uni, other educational establishments and research institutions etc. There appears to be little connection between the club and the college lot, and City Hall also seems uninterested in FCC. That hasn't stopped a new stadium being planned, with the customary commercial add-ons, and the cost is projected at a mighty €41m, well more than similarly-placed rival clubs' schemes.
It might be thought that the city could well benefit from federal or EU funds for the regeneration of the former East, from a decent contribution from the student athletic programmes, and even from the world-class local companies Carl Zeiss and Schott. But no - they have ended up in the hands of RD, and he has used FCC as the hook on which to hang his hat. The man is clearly no philanthropist - he must always get the proper return on his euros, and he has seen his chance. (His German company is based in nearby Erfurt (the CEO is also FCC's CEO) but Rot-Weiß Erfurt didn't want to know, apparently.)
Just my opinion, of course.
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I did know he was there yesterday and had a meeting with the Supervisory Board, as well as watching a youth game and the first team too, apparently. The Supervisory Board selected some of the new club officers and I think he's happy about that.
RD waffles on quite a bit at a high level and I don't think there is anything there very significant. When he says getting into the Bundesliga isn't a priority, I think he means tier 2; the third tier isn't part of the Bundesliga. Says it's very hard for smaller clubs to break even, even though it's desirable, of course.
He says something about how football is social cement (my term) that binds together people of different political and religious groups and is therefore important to the city of Jena. He really doesn't seem to be able to waffle about football without making some mention of race, religion, etc, at some point, but perhaps it's a nod to German concerns about migrants, etc.4 -
Perhaps he needs to give his politician identity an outing sometimes ....
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Yes, I think that's very much the case. His visionary politician identity. Although he behaves in a relaxed and affable way, talks for a minute or two about them missing a good chance with a header in their 0-0 draw and even says "we", I think it's clear he isn't really interested in that.GlassHalfFull said:
Perhaps he needs to give his politician identity an outing sometimes ....
I think it's fair to say no-one could quote an example of him really talking about the game like a fan, whether at the level of players, the team, allegiance to the club or football in general. It's consistent with the pattern where he comes over as someone for whom a club and everyone associated with it is part of an experiment, like Roland plays The Sims Soccer.2 -
Being the free-thinker that he is, maybe Roland was attracted by the casino economics of football, where financial logic is the exception rather than the rule. The fact that his home club, the modest STVV, was one of a handful world-wide caught breaking third-party rules shows that he's up for the unorthodox. If indeed network losses are rinsed through Staprix to reduce the tax liabilities of his successful companies, that means the losses would be self-funding.1 -
It was indeed a surprise to hear him talk football. Mind you, I heard that when he went to see Borussia Moenchengladbach he gave up after "Give us a B" ....MountsfieldPark said:
Yes, I think that's very much the case. His visionary politician identity. Although he behaves in a relaxed and affable way, talks for a minute or two about them missing a good chance with a header in their 0-0 draw and even says "we", I think it's clear he isn't really interested in that.GlassHalfFull said:
Perhaps he needs to give his politician identity an outing sometimes ....
I think it's fair to say no-one could quote an example of him really talking about the game like a fan, whether at the level of players, the team, allegiance to the club or football in general. It's consistent with the pattern where he comes over as someone for whom a club and everyone associated with it is part of an experiment, like Roland plays The Sims Soccer.
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If Staprix is about tax, it must surely be his personal tax liabilities; it has nothing to do with his electronics empire, as far as I can see (the holding company there being Xtrion).GlassHalfFull said:
Being the free-thinker that he is, maybe Roland was attracted by the casino economics of football, where financial logic is the exception rather than the rule. The fact that his home club, the modest STVV, was one of a handful world-wide caught breaking third-party rules shows that he's up for the unorthodox. If indeed network losses are rinsed through Staprix to reduce the tax liabilities of his successful companies, that means the losses would be self-funding.0 -
Comes across as a likeable, amiable chap.
Think I heard him say he enjoyed the plane over Gillingham and that he intends to clean his teeth in 2018 or when Charlton are relegated to the National League, whichever comes sooner.
He also mentioned communicating with Charlton fans better but then muttered under his breath 'like fuck', when he thought the presenter wasn't listening.
Positive stuff.19 -
You'd probably need someone versed in the fine print of EC/EU regulations, perhaps a young, ambitious lawyer. Just as an aside, the EU gave the Belgian authorities a bollocking for over-generous tax breaks for multi-national companies, and ordered them to recover €700m from 35 companies. I don't know who the 35 are - shouldn't think our lot are involved, are they .... ?
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I keep hearing this about tax relief making the losses self funding.GlassHalfFull said:
Being the free-thinker that he is, maybe Roland was attracted by the casino economics of football, where financial logic is the exception rather than the rule. The fact that his home club, the modest STVV, was one of a handful world-wide caught breaking third-party rules shows that he's up for the unorthodox. If indeed network losses are rinsed through Staprix to reduce the tax liabilities of his successful companies, that means the losses would be self-funding.
It isn't true.
If you lose £100, you get tax relief in the U.K. this year of £20 which you can offset against other tax bills in the U.K. (Going down to £17 over the next couple of years).
You have still lost £80.
Even if you use some dodgy Belgian tax rules to get a deduction on the interest on the loans with no tax in Belgium, you have still paid £80 out the door that you would only get back if the loans + interest are repaid in full on sale.
So I can't see how the losses are self funding.
Nice idea though.
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