I don't believe that Roland has a "breaking point"............ he has enough money for it not to bother him much. His stubbornness has been evident for far too long and those thinking that he will cave in are going to be left very disappointed and frustrated IMHO. It's either going to take a stupid offer or a decline in our fortunes again to get him to sell up. He can then go and crawl back under his rock.
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or a second miracle of Bowyer getting us promoted to The Premier League on a League One budget.
RD probably feels he's now fended off the peak of the protests so can afford to wait for the price he wants as mentioned by No.1
This. Don’t for a minute believe he doesn’t care about the protests. According to GM he very much does.
This is why the lack of dissent and organisation from CARD this summer has surprised me.
He first took interest in selling the club and then officially put us on the market following the Belgium march in 2017.
After every major 'protest' gesture against him he's panicked and reacted. Gibbering away on TalkSport, nonsense statements on the OS, openly claiming he wants rid of the club.
He's also admitted in private conversations and public interviews that the fans actively revolting convinced him that his CAFC project was over.
So I'm surprised we haven't played on this a little more over the summer to try to get his price down and push this over the line. To pre-empt some responses, I know in theory anyone can prompt a protest and CARD and the like shouldn't have to shoulder all the responsibility, but their access to the protest funds, contacts with the press and ability to mobilise hundreds/thousands of us means it's usually the most effective route.
I'm not blaming the heroes of that movement who've done some truly great work, but I do feel we've taken our foot of the gas at the wrong time here.
What do you think would be the best form of protest and when do you think it should take place?
I thought a promotion party in St Truiden on his doorstep would have been great. Celebrate the efforts of the squad and management while keeping up the message that we want him out asap.
Now I'd be up for going out to Belgium again in any capacity to be honest.
But as I said before, totally accept that you can't just rely on other people to make protests for you. I'm thankful for what people with more bloody-mindedness and gumption than me have done up to now (Belgium in 2017 was a great to be part of), and just wish they'd use their skills and influence to bring a repeat.
I think that hopes were raised by our Play-Off Final win - justifiably so, given the additional interest in the club from prospective purchasers following promotion. The difficulty, of course, is that Duchatelet decided to move the goalposts - despite LdT's pronouncement a month previously to the contrary - and the £7million former directors' loans have become a sticking point. It's also been suggested that Duchatelet wants further contingent payments in the future in the event of promotion to the Premier League and any receipt of sell-on fees following the sale of players. He really does have some brass neck.
Supporters' anger was boiling over at the farce surrounding Lee Bowyer's contract but Duchatelet's volte-face on that issue temporarily calmed things down, given the natural relief and euphoria that Lee was staying. We are, however, now facing the prospect of going into a fiercely competitive league with an under-resourced squad and the mishandling of Aribo and Konsa has only exacerbated people's frustrations. Anger is starting to simmer and once the transfer window closes and all hope of a deal disappears, I am sure that the protests will resume in a very forceful way, both here and in Belgium.
I think that hopes were raised by our Play-Off Final win - justifiably so, given the additional interest in the club from prospective purchasers following promotion. The difficulty, of course, is that Duchatelet decided to move the goalposts - despite LdT's pronouncement a month previously to the contrary - and the £7million former directors' loans have become a sticking point. It's also been suggested that Duchatelet wants further contingent payments in the future in the event of promotion to the Premier League and any receipt of sell-on fees following the sale of players. He really does have some brass neck.
Supporters' anger was boiling over at the farce surrounding Lee Bowyer's contract but Duchatelet's volte-face on that issue temporarily calmed things down, given the natural relief and euphoria that Lee was staying. We are, however, now facing the prospect of going into a fiercely competitive league with an under-resourced squad and the mishandling of Aribo and Konsa has only exacerbated people's frustrations. Anger is starting to simmer and once the transfer window closes and all hope of a deal disappears, I am sure that the protests will resume in a very forceful way, both here and in Belgium.
The problems have been mitigated by Bowyer but they are still there for all to see. We were very lucky Bowyer didn't tell Roland to F off but we are in a situation where the only way we can win next season is by getting promoted. If we do badly and get relegated, we lose and if we do well and have a decent season, we will lose the manager!
If we got promoted, things would change, but Bowyer, great manager that he has shown us he is, will have his work cut out on a relegation budget. Roland is not the full ticket and despite what he says, he is not that desperate to sell for anything other than a silly amount, otherwise he would have. So sadly we have to hope against hope that Bowyer performs a minor miracle.
Having said that. I decided during the close to last season and the play offs that I would enjoy it for what it was and not have great expectations about what is to follow. And I really did enjoy it. I am not looking at the new season with great enthusiasm, although I recall I didn't to last season. The players Bowyer brings in and most importantly, the loans have to be judged for what they are when we know what they are. Cullen and Bielik would start to get the juices flowing again.
I think that hopes were raised by our Play-Off Final win - justifiably so, given the additional interest in the club from prospective purchasers following promotion. The difficulty, of course, is that Duchatelet decided to move the goalposts - despite LdT's pronouncement a month previously to the contrary - and the £7million former directors' loans have become a sticking point. It's also been suggested that Duchatelet wants further contingent payments in the future in the event of promotion to the Premier League and any receipt of sell-on fees following the sale of players. He really does have some brass neck.
Supporters' anger was boiling over at the farce surrounding Lee Bowyer's contract but Duchatelet's volte-face on that issue temporarily calmed things down, given the natural relief and euphoria that Lee was staying. We are, however, now facing the prospect of going into a fiercely competitive league with an under-resourced squad and the mishandling of Aribo and Konsa has only exacerbated people's frustrations. Anger is starting to simmer and once the transfer window closes and all hope of a deal disappears, I am sure that the protests will resume in a very forceful way, both here and in Belgium.
We said all of that this time last year.
Has Duchatelet bought into the Bowyer half full philosophy? I would suggest the same transfer policy has been set for this year with maybe a bit more wriggle room considering the league we are now in. Not ideal, but it seems to suit Bowyer and in turn Duchatelet. Problem may arise if we find ourselves bottom 3 after say 5 games. No way Duchatelet would be able to resist using his hatchet in that situation imo.
No way does it "suit" Bowyer. He's waiting on a takeover.
And Duchatelet won't sack Bowyer, that would cost money.
Any relegation battle will be the fans fault, the 8 or 9 interested parties who couldn't agree a deal fault, the EFLs fault.
If you ask him he'd say exactly the kind of things he said last season about it being out of his control and he's here to work with what he's got. If he's sitting around twiddling his thumbs for a takeover he'll have a long bloody wait.
I guarantee that if we're bottom after 10 games Bowyer will be gone.
No way does it "suit" Bowyer. He's waiting on a takeover.
And Duchatelet won't sack Bowyer, that would cost money.
Any relegation battle will be the fans fault, the 8 or 9 interested parties who couldn't agree a deal fault, the EFLs fault.
If you ask him he'd say exactly the kind of things he said last season about it being out of his control and he's here to work with what he's got. If he's sitting around twiddling his thumbs for a takeover he'll have a long bloody wait.
I guarantee that if we're bottom after 10 games Bowyer will be gone.
I hope we never get into that situation but he didn't fire Gobinson despite our slide and Tarby begging to go.
Evidently he is still interested but his offer is reported to be ‘take it or leave it’ which we more or less knew anyway.....so nothing new really other than it now ‘appears’ to have been confirmed......though it must be said, still not by Dalman himself or anyone else who ‘officially’ represents him. Despite previous assurances The Helmet has de facto put the price up, either in the actual asking price (that’s not know by the way), or doing it indirectly through the back door by means of some new ‘add ons’. Kick backs from player sales (whether those are solely of players currently on our books or for a further unspecified period is not known), plus a further kick back if we get promoted are now on the agenda. On top of that, we have the perennial saga of the directors loans being thrown into the melting pot! Speaking for myself I don’t see the problem, as has been stressed by others, these loans are NOT payable until such time as we get promoted to The Premiership......so why does this keep popping up? £7,000,000 ain’t a Kings Ransom when you consider that we would get something in the region of £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 just for getting there. The sale of a player for £7,000,000 or so would sort that out....peanuts in reality. Which is a reason why I can’t understand why these loans should be an issue at point of sale other than for a prospective buyer to take on board that they are outstanding further down the line. For the life of me I cannot see why they would need to be paid for at anytime before the time we were promoted, so why oh why do they keep being brought up as being a problem concerning the purchase price.........I am truly baffled?
Evidently he is still interested but his offer is reported to be ‘take it or leave it’ which we more or less knew anyway.....so nothing new really other than it now ‘appears’ to have been confirmed......though it must be said, still not by Dalman himself or anyone else who ‘officially’ represents him. Despite previous assurances The Helmet has de facto put the price up, either in the actual asking price (that’s not know by the way), or doing it indirectly through the back door by means of some new ‘add ons’. Kick backs from player sales (whether those are solely of players currently on our books or for a further unspecified period is not known), plus a further kick back if we get promoted are now on the agenda. On top of that, we have the perennial saga of the directors loans being thrown into the melting pot! Speaking for myself I don’t see the problem, as has been stressed by others, these loans are NOT payable until such time as we get promoted to The Premiership......so why does this keep popping up? £7,000,000 ain’t a Kings Ransom when you consider that we would get something in the region of £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 just for getting there. The sale of a player for £7,000,000 or so would sort that out....peanuts in reality. Which is a reason why I can’t understand why these loans should be an issue at point of sale other than for a prospective buyer to take on board that they are outstanding further down the line. For the life of me I cannot see why they would need to be paid for at anytime before the time we were promoted, so why oh why do they keep being brought up as being a problem concerning the purchase price.........I am truly baffled?
The biggest problem is that it's a £7m loan nobody wants to pay back because they themselves did not benefit from the loan from the ex-directors. It might be his responsibility and negligence for not understanding the debt but RD didn't borrow the money and we shouldn't assume he should have to pay it back because he's a billionaire. The Aussies and all the other possible buyers didn't borrow it either so understandably nobody wants to pay back a debt that they didn't reap the benefit from. That said, the debt does belong to RD as the current owner and it's his responsibility (at present) to pay it back.
It's been so long now I've forgotten but who exactly got the benefit of the £7m from the ex-directors?
Genuinely starting to think the £7m won't ever be paid back until we're back in The Premier League and trying to do that on a League One budget appears to be why we're at a stalemate.
Evidently he is still interested but his offer is reported to be ‘take it or leave it’ which we more or less knew anyway.....so nothing new really other than it now ‘appears’ to have been confirmed......though it must be said, still not by Dalman himself or anyone else who ‘officially’ represents him. Despite previous assurances The Helmet has de facto put the price up, either in the actual asking price (that’s not know by the way), or doing it indirectly through the back door by means of some new ‘add ons’. Kick backs from player sales (whether those are solely of players currently on our books or for a further unspecified period is not known), plus a further kick back if we get promoted are now on the agenda. On top of that, we have the perennial saga of the directors loans being thrown into the melting pot! Speaking for myself I don’t see the problem, as has been stressed by others, these loans are NOT payable until such time as we get promoted to The Premiership......so why does this keep popping up? £7,000,000 ain’t a Kings Ransom when you consider that we would get something in the region of £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 just for getting there. The sale of a player for £7,000,000 or so would sort that out....peanuts in reality. Which is a reason why I can’t understand why these loans should be an issue at point of sale other than for a prospective buyer to take on board that they are outstanding further down the line. For the life of me I cannot see why they would need to be paid for at anytime before the time we were promoted, so why oh why do they keep being brought up as being a problem concerning the purchase price.........I am truly baffled?
Because the new owner (s) want clean title. The reason why I can only speculate.
Looking that as days pass we are slipping back into an impasse that will see no sale go through in time to offer LB any help in the transfer market if at all. Think we will need to revisit this thread next January.
Evidently he is still interested but his offer is reported to be ‘take it or leave it’ which we more or less knew anyway.....so nothing new really other than it now ‘appears’ to have been confirmed......though it must be said, still not by Dalman himself or anyone else who ‘officially’ represents him. Despite previous assurances The Helmet has de facto put the price up, either in the actual asking price (that’s not know by the way), or doing it indirectly through the back door by means of some new ‘add ons’. Kick backs from player sales (whether those are solely of players currently on our books or for a further unspecified period is not known), plus a further kick back if we get promoted are now on the agenda. On top of that, we have the perennial saga of the directors loans being thrown into the melting pot! Speaking for myself I don’t see the problem, as has been stressed by others, these loans are NOT payable until such time as we get promoted to The Premiership......so why does this keep popping up? £7,000,000 ain’t a Kings Ransom when you consider that we would get something in the region of £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 just for getting there. The sale of a player for £7,000,000 or so would sort that out....peanuts in reality. Which is a reason why I can’t understand why these loans should be an issue at point of sale other than for a prospective buyer to take on board that they are outstanding further down the line. For the life of me I cannot see why they would need to be paid for at anytime before the time we were promoted, so why oh why do they keep being brought up as being a problem concerning the purchase price.........I am truly baffled?
The biggest problem is that it's a £7m loan nobody wants to pay back because they themselves did not benefit from the loan from the ex-directors. It might be his responsibility and negligence for not understanding the debt but RD didn't borrow the money and we shouldn't assume he should have to pay it back because he's a billionaire. The Aussies and all the other possible buyers didn't borrow it either so understandably nobody wants to pay back a debt that they didn't reap the benefit from. That said, the debt does belong to RD as the current owner and it's his responsibility (at present) to pay it back.
It's been so long now I've forgotten but who exactly got the benefit of the £7m from the ex-directors?
Genuinely starting to think the £7m won't ever be paid back until we're back in The Premier League and trying to do that on a League One budget appears to be why we're at a stalemate.
The money was put in as a last resort to keep the club afloat during the 2009/10 season. At the time relationships on the board had all but broken down and Steve Waggott was chief executive, so Richard Murray got Peter Varney - not working for the club at the time - to talk various parties into chipping in.
When we didn’t get promoted in 2010 it was clear the club had to be sold because the various directors either coudn’t or wouldn’t fund it further. An eight-figure sum was written off to make the club saleable and it passed into the (temporary) ownership of Murray alone to make it easier to sell, but it was agreed that the 2009 last-ditch loans should be left on the books.
Comments
Now I'd be up for going out to Belgium again in any capacity to be honest.
But as I said before, totally accept that you can't just rely on other people to make protests for you. I'm thankful for what people with more bloody-mindedness and gumption than me have done up to now (Belgium in 2017 was a great to be part of), and just wish they'd use their skills and influence to bring a repeat.
Supporters' anger was boiling over at the farce surrounding Lee Bowyer's contract but Duchatelet's volte-face on that issue temporarily calmed things down, given the natural relief and euphoria that Lee was staying. We are, however, now facing the prospect of going into a fiercely competitive league with an under-resourced squad and the mishandling of Aribo and Konsa has only exacerbated people's frustrations. Anger is starting to simmer and once the transfer window closes and all hope of a deal disappears, I am sure that the protests will resume in a very forceful way, both here and in Belgium.
If we got promoted, things would change, but Bowyer, great manager that he has shown us he is, will have his work cut out on a relegation budget. Roland is not the full ticket and despite what he says, he is not that desperate to sell for anything other than a silly amount, otherwise he would have. So sadly we have to hope against hope that Bowyer performs a minor miracle.
Having said that. I decided during the close to last season and the play offs that I would enjoy it for what it was and not have great expectations about what is to follow. And I really did enjoy it. I am not looking at the new season with great enthusiasm, although I recall I didn't to last season. The players Bowyer brings in and most importantly, the loans have to be judged for what they are when we know what they are. Cullen and Bielik would start to get the juices flowing again.
Oh come on, that's stretching the bounds of credibility somewhat!
Second Hand News, that's on Rumours as well
Has Duchatelet bought into the Bowyer half full philosophy?
I would suggest the same transfer policy has been set for this year with maybe a bit more wriggle room considering the league we are now in.
Not ideal, but it seems to suit Bowyer and in turn Duchatelet.
Problem may arise if we find ourselves bottom 3 after say 5 games.
No way Duchatelet would be able to resist using his hatchet in that situation imo.
Then where will we be??
And Duchatelet won't sack Bowyer, that would cost money.
Any relegation battle will be the fans fault, the 8 or 9 interested parties who couldn't agree a deal fault, the EFLs fault.
If you ask him he'd say exactly the kind of things he said last season about it being out of his control and he's here to work with what he's got. If he's sitting around twiddling his thumbs for a takeover he'll have a long bloody wait.
I guarantee that if we're bottom after 10 games Bowyer will be gone.
Despite previous assurances The Helmet has de facto put the price up, either in the actual asking price (that’s not know by the way), or doing it indirectly through the back door by means of some new ‘add ons’.
Kick backs from player sales (whether those are solely of players currently on our books or for a further unspecified period is not known), plus a further kick back if we get promoted are now on the agenda.
On top of that, we have the perennial saga of the directors loans being thrown into the melting pot!
Speaking for myself I don’t see the problem, as has been stressed by others, these loans are NOT payable until such time as we get promoted to The Premiership......so why does this keep popping up?
£7,000,000 ain’t a Kings Ransom when you consider that we would get something in the region of £150,000,000 to £200,000,000 just for getting there.
The sale of a player for £7,000,000 or so would sort that out....peanuts in reality.
Which is a reason why I can’t understand why these loans should be an issue at point of sale other than for a prospective buyer to take on board that they are outstanding further down the line.
For the life of me I cannot see why they would need to be paid for at anytime before the time we were promoted, so why oh why do they keep being brought up as being a problem concerning the purchase price.........I am truly baffled?
Another possibility is any remaining debt to Roland being first in line should we go into administration.
It's been so long now I've forgotten but who exactly got the benefit of the £7m from the ex-directors?
Genuinely starting to think the £7m won't ever be paid back until we're back in The Premier League and trying to do that on a League One budget appears to be why we're at a stalemate.
When we didn’t get promoted in 2010 it was clear the club had to be sold because the various directors either coudn’t or wouldn’t fund it further. An eight-figure sum was written off to make the club saleable and it passed into the (temporary) ownership of Murray alone to make it easier to sell, but it was agreed that the 2009 last-ditch loans should be left on the books.