Fwiw I think these are friendly people who have already put their reputations on the line by being visible and affable in ways we are not used to.
Have you forgotten the arrival of Katrien Meire? Affable, visible etc. 'They are impressive people', someone said. I can't wait for the takeover to go through and wish ESI all the best. However, I do worry about the mental fragility of those Charlton supporters who wet the bed just because someone wants to ask a few questions.
I think there’s a lot to be said for the old adage and slogan “would you buy a used car from this man”
Nothing wrong with legitimate scrutiny. If there’s nothing to find then it won’t be found.
I have just seen something on social media that would make me question buying anything off of RE
or raging rick as the piece called him
Now is not the time for digging and scrutiny now is the time for coming together and allowing people to show their intentions not looking like an soured scorned love sick bint
I really don’t think you’d like the person behind that NLA - ex member of Arthur Scargill’s Socialist Labour Party for a start. Thanet politics is a wild and wonderful place but you won’t understand it from reading local bloggers (and ex-councillors).
People in glass houses 👍
@MattSouthall84 you really need to know who and what you're up against👍
Getting somewhat tired now of yet more in-fighting and speculation over the new potential owners. Everyone is, I guess, getting increasingly frustrated by the amount of time its taking to ratify the deal. No-one, and I mean no-one, knows what's making it take so long. We can hypothesize all we want, but only ESI and the EFL know whats happening and we all need to accept that. We will know, whats happening, when any announcement, good or bad, is made and not before. As for the Chairman having no personal funds, so what? MS will, if it goes through, be the face of CAFC, the money will come from the overseas investors. MS has connections in the Football world so I guess as well as being chairman, he may be asked by said investors to use his connections for the good of the club, by improving the squad. However until any announcement is made, why dont we just sit back, chill out and see what unfolds. I'm as eager as anyone to see this takeover happen, but being negative about our potential new owners before they have even had the chance to pull their chairs up to the boardroom table, is counter productive. Lets just all relax and enjoy the last part of the festive season - Live, Love, Laugh and be Happy!!
*currantly googling hypothesize* it says flash word for guess, often used by older generations of people trying to sound clever. 😉x
Couldn't agree more. None of us want panic signings, but it always has to be better to do something than do nothing to try to resolve a problem. Hopefully we will get proper targeted signings but do nothing and League One beckons.
If we do nothing, I will guarantee right now we will be relegated, barring 3 clubs getting massive points deductions.
If we panic but we will create some chance of survival
If we buy smart we will survive and even push back to mid table, rather than our current spot.
I don’t think that would be a certainty because it largely depends upon when a significant number of key players become available again.........but yes, I’m sure it’s in the back of many of our minds as a worrying possibility.
Just see latest Cawley tweet does absolutely nothing for us, not a dig at him, but ESI saying “it’s close but not done deal” is a meh tweet if I’ve ever seen one. In fact it’s worse than that, it sounds like another week or two perhaps, terrific, league one really is a prospect.
Just see latest Cawley tweet does absolutely nothing for us, not a dig at him, but ESI saying “it’s close but not done deal” is a meh tweet if I’ve ever seen one. In fact it’s worse than that, it sounds like another week or two perhaps, terrific, league one really is a prospect.
It's not "fact" at all; it doesn't sound like anything .... except the deal is not yet completed. Anything else is only speculation?
I've also read elsewhere that it's done and will be announced early in New Year, with all staff meeting new chairman soon after announcement.
They have all ready met him, been walking around like he owns the gaff for weeks. If "he" owns the the club it will be a "bumpy ride"
He clearly will not, since he doesn't seem to have any more wedge to invest than you or I, let alone £50m, (source: VOTV) but, nevertheless, I agree, it doesn't strike the right note .
But one explanation is that they are sure they have satisfied the EFL, and are expressing their frustration that it hasn't been ratified.
To be clear, the source for Southall having no money is himself, in a court declaration explaining why he couldn’t pay an outstanding debt, earlier this year. I just found it.
What is wrong with you and your constant craving to be relevant in charlton put your feet up get your pipe out and chill out for five mins
fuck me your like a miss Marple
I wouldn't mind being a tenner behind Matt Southall. Terrible thing jealousy.
As a fan base go, Charlton fans really don't need this kind of nonsense and uncertainty. We've had a gutfull. I'm getting the sense now of what Bowyer was on about with his strange comment the other week Matt Southall swanning around the place like he owns the gaff when the reality appears to be he is far from it, is really not helping.
It's been well over a month now. It's not stacking up as it should for me
Just see latest Cawley tweet does absolutely nothing for us, not a dig at him, but ESI saying “it’s close but not done deal” is a meh tweet if I’ve ever seen one. In fact it’s worse than that, it sounds like another week or two perhaps, terrific, league one really is a prospect.
It's not "fact" at all; it doesn't sound like anything .... except the deal is not yet completed. Anything else is only speculation?
Well as we seem determined to pass through another phase of paranoia may I ask people to revisit the club statement of November 29.
Could you point me to the lines which suggest; a) Mr Southall is in anyway the owner? b) Any member of the Abu Dhabi royal family is investing?
The club is set to be owned by ESI with Panorama Magic General Contracting LLC owned by HE Tahnoon Nimer as the majority shareholder. The primary investor and beneficial owner is HE Tahnoon Nimer.
In other news are we all now comfortable with what a share issue is?
It is in this instance (per Companies House) a mechanism for existing or new investors to inject cash into the club. The investor(s) get(s) a share holding in the business. The company gets the cash. It is a common funding tool but is a change from M. Duchatelet (MD) previous (loan) funding practices.
Why & why now? Many can speculate but few will know! A bit like understanding FFP.
I liked Dippenhalls' roof analogy. Who doesn't do repairs before putting a house up for sale? Issues remain across the club, think training ground & academy, ex Directors, BVI clear title etc., So it could be a MD tax move (he loves a tax angle) in taking a dividend from elsewhere while sorting the clubs operations & balance sheet
or
it could be new investor funding as a prelude to a corporate restructure
or
be simply to evidence proof of funds.
The cash gives any future ownership flexibility to decide how and when they deal with the issues left behind.
On ESI I did advise as nicely as I could we may never know the full extent of their money trail. I politely repeat it is none of your business. ESI will disclose the nature of their funds to purchase the club and operate it for 2yrs. Such data will be confidential to ESI and the EFL. It will either stack up or it will not.
If it progresses the funding structure will be evidenced in published accounts likely to be issued in 2021.
I "get" the disquiet of some but we do not get to rewrite Corporate Law in the UK or Abu Dhabi.
I did position the nature of global investment markets and no we do not get to change how they operate either.
Land development concerns come with the territory, literally - it's London!. Such options will be an issue with every future owner. Is there a land play in our near future? Where is the financial imperative? Where have the challenges involved changed?
I also have not offered a definitive view on this projected takeover. I have yet to receive my copy of VOTV.
I am aware of concerns over Mr Southalls' - financial standing and past employment as a players agent in the global football industry - participation in the attempted takeover of Bolton Wanderers, of Aston Villa, and a prior takeover of Charlton - gregarious style and use of social media
With 30yrs in retail and corporate banking if I rejected people, including mid corporate executives, by past ill judged financial transactions then I would have reduced my customer base by 40%.
Mr Southall is Chairman/ CEO elect. It is his job to network & communicate via ALL channels. His style is not mine so what? If it were, life would be very boring indeed. Tell me how his standing, beyond his personal life in which I have no interest, differs in anyway with any CEO the club has had over the past 10yrs. He can I believe wave an MBA qualification and has industry experience.
Agents, Consultants, Brokers are part of the fabric of the industry. You can search Google to see the level of fees paid to agents by clubs in the PL and Championship.
Agents operate in every professional sport be it Rugby Union/ League, Cricket or the NFL, MLB, or NBA where agents help their clients earn huge sums.
Anyone can use an agent to help secure a decent contract. Abuse of the club or the industry is a concern but is there anything anyone can do about it? As about as much as I could do when playing County League football 45yrs ago and our star player buggered off mid season 2yrs in a row for an extra £5 a week expenses. Shit happens in football!
"Agents" have operated in football since before Defoe popped off to West Ham. I make no allegations there but the days of brown envelopes have simply moved on. Agents come in all shapes, sizes & values. I used to know Garth Crooks agent - a very good solicitor.
I assume for financial reasons Mr Southall chose to move into brokering deals between, or acting as a consultant to, investors & sellers with a focus on middle eastern investment. The world of the agent, of consultancy, of brokering deals revolve around networking. You live or die by the deal. The more deals, the more people you know, the wider your industry knowledge, the greater the profile and the more opportunities you have. There will always be more than a few "challenges" along the way.
Such is the game for nearly every consultant in every industry on the planet.
I would be very wary of making any link or assertions whatsoever between the investor Mr Southall is representing in our acquisition and any of his prior connections or previous clients.
I have no time for any perceived guilt by association. I once worked with a gifted software consultant. He had a software company, an investment property or two and liked expensive cars. He was very well paid but key to developing services from which the bank made millions. He was a better salesman than 95% of the sales force. Bank IT executives maligned him at every turn because every time they said no - he said yes.
His "crime"? He had an Italian dad and had fight "suggestions" his wealth came via mafia links. It was bollocks but nearly destroyed the working environment.
In this instance Mr Southall has been appointed by a certain investor to help acquire Charlton Athletic Football Club and to continue to represents his interests in its ongoing fortunes.
I could offer; - any amount of conjecture as to the nature of financing behind the acquisition of our club - a dozen options as to the nature of the deal between Staprix NV and ESI
Hell I could suggest; - there were plans to relocate the club to M Keynes - the clubs' survival depended on the shipment of goods from an exotic location - there were even plans to relocate the club to Selhurst Park
My challenge to any negative innuendo is who the f*** do we think is going to stump up any shade of £30mn, £40mn, £50mn to MD as the starting point for a high risk investment based on inappropriate resources and activity? The yields would have to be extraordinary.
If you think such a profile represents the thinking of a Chairman of a Global Investment House of 13yrs standing who oversees global investments in 60 companies and government organisations then you are entitled to such an opinion but comparisons to Bury? Really?
I will await the EFL Fit & Proper Person Evaluation and if we move forward the evidence of the business plan to be implemented. To stimulate my ageing grey cells I will view such plans in line with my career long win-win alignment of the interests of the investor, chosen corporate vehicle, well being of the business and stakeholders. There will be time enough for us all to gauge their service to our club going forward.
I continue to see no excessive delay in the processing of the takeover.
M. Duchatelet advised the first notice of this takeover to the EFL was on November 20.
It is likely any formal contract was exchanged 48 hours before the public statement made on November 29 - as Airman has suggested an effective date of November 27.
You will know the club has been in dialogue with the EFL for over 2 yrs. In such circumstances no organisation is going commit any specific resource to any project until there is a firm contract to evaluate. So; - 7 full working days to evaluate the submitted documentation, determine outstanding issues & matters arising - 5 working days to confirm & hold interviews to discuss matters arising - completed by w/e December 13 - depending on seasonal holidays 7 or 8 working days (to date) to address and resolve any outstanding issues
Cast your eye down a list of PL & Championship clubs with exclusively overseas based investors and you will note there are just 2 out of the 22 who originate from the Middle East.
There is a Saudi royal and prior investor in Sheffield U who secured ownership by winning a legal dispute with then owner Mr McCabe.
There is Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and owner of the Abu Dhabi United Group who acquired Man City in 2008, but handed all responsibility/ ownership to Khaldoon Al Mubarak and the City Football Group.
ESI have made very public their complete independence from the above individuals & organisations not only in respect of any funding or conflict of interest but I suspect against an Abu Dhabi "profile of one" with its own connotations. For the regulatory travails of Man City I can but refer you to;
There is no evidence the EFL has any prior experience of dealing with Abu Dhabi based investment. Its only reference points are the PL dating back to 2008, UEFA & potentially FIFA.
After the investigative endeavours of Der Speigel it has taken these latter organisations 3 years to even address unproven allegations let alone unravel the labyrinth of middle eastern global investment. What exactly is your expectation of the EFL?
Having to serve 2 masters is a distraction for Bowyer & Gallen but there is likely no material difference ESI can make in supporting the clubhouse for another week. Even then unless you pay over the odds in a distorted January transfer market as clubs compete for limited resource you may have to wait as buyers & sellers defer decisions until deadline day.
I am intrigued by the notion the club can continue as is.
Under the current investor club debt appears to have trebled. He has actively pursued a sale for 2 years. With Club debt in excess of £60mn many continue to deride all prospective investors ability to meet the asking price and continue to fund the club.
With the level of funding now required every single person who has or might come forward will have an investment interest. Who the friggin hell do you expect to altruistically invest £60mn plus?
We exhausted our supply of altruistic benefactors under the multiple administrations of Mr Murray
Are /were Cash's, Slater's and Jiminez's, Duchatelet's decisions altruistic?
Why the 2yr wait for the takeover? A man desperately committed to standing still wants his money back but has no idea how to trade out of his position?
The clubhouse foundations today are built on sand. The ability to trade today relies on the skills & hard work of its clubhouse management. The progress in re-engaging with supporters over the past 2yrs has relied on people who will be out of contract in 6 months.
Such progress is at risk. The Championship status is at risk. The club has to move forward.
It is from this landscape Messrs Southall and Heller with HE Tahnoon Nimer will seek to extract us.
I have no idea whether ESI has the financial and/or skills infrastructure to move the club forward, or any knowledge of how ESI and their backers may leverage their investment in the club to their advantage.
Nor unless those directly involved or someone at the EFL leaks information like a sieve does anybody who posts on any message board.
I do know there will be people heading back to work next week who will soon be making hundreds of corporate investment decisions. They will face one certainty. In business you never, ever have all the answers. Those who can wave their MBA qualification will be able to quote more than one business philosophy based on such a conundrum but there is one undeniable truth.
I quote once again the fine words of a one time new Chairman of Lloyds Banks who one week into the job proudly announced any fool can lend money. To which the entire industry rose up to reply "indeed Sir Nicholas - "..... "the challenge is getting it back again".
It is the truth which faced Messrs Cash, Slater, Jiminez, is facing Duchatelet and will over time face HE Tahnoon Nimer and by employment Messrs Southall and Heller.
Let us make no mistake due to the size of the debt we face a very difficult future. Too many have already walked away. There is a time for scrutiny but we need to help Bowyer, Gallen and the players build a new momentum. Pose all the challenges and questions you like but there is a time to pull together.
All this agitating won't make The Takeover happen any quicker.
Well yes we all agree, but we are currently, player wise at the lowest of lows going on the team we finished the game with last night, and who knows it might get worse when the window opens, it needs to happen ASAP, simple as that. And whilst I agree the bickering is needless, I totally get the frustration and anxiety.
As a fan base go, Charlton fans really don't need this kind of nonsense and uncertainty. We've had a gutfull. I'm getting the sense now of what Bowyer was on about with his strange comment the other week Matt Southall swanning around the place like he owns the gaff when the reality appears to be he is far from it, is really not helping.
It's been well over a month now. It's not stacking up as it should for me
What is the average length of time it takes the EFL to ratify a deal like this?
As a fan base go, Charlton fans really don't need this kind of nonsense and uncertainty. We've had a gutfull. I'm getting the sense now of what Bowyer was on about with his strange comment the other week Matt Southall swanning around the place like he owns the gaff when the reality appears to be he is far from it, is really not helping.
It's been well over a month now. It's not stacking up as it should for me
What is the average length of time it takes the EFL to ratify a deal like this?
They have to read all of Grapevines posts before beginning, so another 3-4 months at least
Poor use of wording informing that it’s the EFL ratification that’s closer but not done. More implies to me that the deal to purchase is not yet done. That though doesn’t fit with everything else we’ve been told.
Comments
Sounds like f****** Prince Charles!
Why is this taking so long?
I can't wait for the takeover to go through and wish ESI all the best.
However, I do worry about the mental fragility of those Charlton supporters who wet the bed just because someone wants to ask a few questions.
Liked by His majesty :-(
If we panic buy we will create some chance of survival
If we buy smart we will survive and even push back to mid table, rather than our current spot.
This is the reason that with this poor run of form, we haven’t actually been losing by 3/4/5 goals as other teams around us have been.
Anything else is only speculation?
The best of times,
The worst of times.
Strange times for all Charlton fans as we reach 6 years of Duchatelet's tenure on Thursday.
I'm getting the sense now of what Bowyer was on about with his strange comment the other week
Matt Southall swanning around the place like he owns the gaff when the reality appears to be he is far from it, is really not helping.
It's been well over a month now. It's not stacking up as it should for me
All this agitating won't make The Takeover happen any quicker.
Well as we seem determined to pass through another phase of paranoia may I ask people to revisit the club statement of November 29.
Could you point me to the lines which suggest;
a) Mr Southall is in anyway the owner?
b) Any member of the Abu Dhabi royal family is investing?
The club is set to be owned by ESI with Panorama Magic General Contracting LLC owned by HE Tahnoon Nimer as the majority shareholder. The primary investor and beneficial owner is HE Tahnoon Nimer.
In other news are we all now comfortable with what a share issue is?
It is in this instance (per Companies House) a mechanism for existing or new investors to inject cash into the club. The investor(s) get(s) a share holding in the business. The company gets the cash. It is a common funding tool but is a change from M. Duchatelet (MD) previous (loan) funding practices.
Why & why now? Many can speculate but few will know! A bit like understanding FFP.
I liked Dippenhalls' roof analogy. Who doesn't do repairs before putting a house up for sale? Issues remain across the club, think training ground & academy, ex Directors, BVI clear title etc., So it could be a MD tax move (he loves a tax angle) in taking a dividend from elsewhere while sorting the clubs operations & balance sheet
or
it could be new investor funding as a prelude to a corporate restructure
or
be simply to evidence proof of funds.
The cash gives any future ownership flexibility to decide how and when they deal with the issues left behind.
On ESI I did advise as nicely as I could we may never know the full extent of their money trail. I politely repeat it is none of your business. ESI will disclose the nature of their funds to purchase the club and operate it for 2yrs. Such data will be confidential to ESI and the EFL. It will either stack up or it will not.
If it progresses the funding structure will be evidenced in published accounts likely to be issued in 2021.
I "get" the disquiet of some but we do not get to rewrite Corporate Law in the UK or Abu Dhabi.
I did position the nature of global investment markets and no we do not get to change how they operate either.
Land development concerns come with the territory, literally - it's London!. Such options will be an issue with every future owner. Is there a land play in our near future? Where is the financial imperative? Where have the challenges involved changed?
I also have not offered a definitive view on this projected takeover. I have yet to receive my copy of VOTV.
I am aware of concerns over Mr Southalls'
- financial standing and past employment as a players agent in the global football industry
- participation in the attempted takeover of Bolton Wanderers, of Aston Villa, and a prior takeover of Charlton
- gregarious style and use of social media
With 30yrs in retail and corporate banking if I rejected people, including mid corporate executives, by past ill judged financial transactions then I would have reduced my customer base by 40%.
Mr Southall is Chairman/ CEO elect. It is his job to network & communicate via ALL channels. His style is not mine so what? If it were, life would be very boring indeed. Tell me how his standing, beyond his personal life in which I have no interest, differs in anyway with any CEO the club has had over the past 10yrs. He can I believe wave an MBA qualification and has industry experience.
Agents, Consultants, Brokers are part of the fabric of the industry. You can search Google to see the level of fees paid to agents by clubs in the PL and Championship.
Agents operate in every professional sport be it Rugby Union/ League, Cricket or the NFL, MLB, or NBA where agents help their clients earn huge sums.
Anyone can use an agent to help secure a decent contract. Abuse of the club or the industry is a concern but is there anything anyone can do about it? As about as much as I could do when playing County League football 45yrs ago and our star player buggered off mid season 2yrs in a row for an extra £5 a week expenses. Shit happens in football!
"Agents" have operated in football since before Defoe popped off to West Ham. I make no allegations there but the days of brown envelopes have simply moved on. Agents come in all shapes, sizes & values. I used to know Garth Crooks agent - a very good solicitor.
I assume for financial reasons Mr Southall chose to move into brokering deals between, or acting as a consultant to, investors & sellers with a focus on middle eastern investment. The world of the agent, of consultancy, of brokering deals revolve around networking. You live or die by the deal. The more deals, the more people you know, the wider your industry knowledge, the greater the profile and the more opportunities you have. There will always be more than a few "challenges" along the way.
Such is the game for nearly every consultant in every industry on the planet.
I would be very wary of making any link or assertions whatsoever between the investor Mr Southall is representing in our acquisition and any of his prior connections or previous clients.
I have no time for any perceived guilt by association. I once worked with a gifted software consultant. He had a software company, an investment property or two and liked expensive cars. He was very well paid but key to developing services from which the bank made millions. He was a better salesman than 95% of the sales force. Bank IT executives maligned him at every turn because every time they said no - he said yes.
His "crime"? He had an Italian dad and had fight "suggestions" his wealth came via mafia links. It was bollocks but nearly destroyed the working environment.
In this instance Mr Southall has been appointed by a certain investor to help acquire Charlton Athletic Football Club and to continue to represents his interests in its ongoing fortunes.
I could offer;
- any amount of conjecture as to the nature of financing behind the acquisition of our club
- a dozen options as to the nature of the deal between Staprix NV and ESI
Hell I could suggest;
- there were plans to relocate the club to M Keynes
- the clubs' survival depended on the shipment of goods from an exotic location
- there were even plans to relocate the club to Selhurst Park
My challenge to any negative innuendo is who the f*** do we think is going to stump up any shade of £30mn, £40mn, £50mn to MD as the starting point for a high risk investment based on inappropriate resources and activity? The yields would have to be extraordinary.
If you think such a profile represents the thinking of a Chairman of a Global Investment House of 13yrs standing who oversees global investments in 60 companies and government organisations then you are entitled to such an opinion but comparisons to Bury? Really?
I will await the EFL Fit & Proper Person Evaluation and if we move forward the evidence of the business plan to be implemented. To stimulate my ageing grey cells I will view such plans in line with my career long win-win alignment of the interests of the investor, chosen corporate vehicle, well being of the business and stakeholders. There will be time enough for us all to gauge their service to our club going forward.
I continue to see no excessive delay in the processing of the takeover.
M. Duchatelet advised the first notice of this takeover to the EFL was on November 20.
It is likely any formal contract was exchanged 48 hours before the public statement made on November 29 - as Airman has suggested an effective date of November 27.
You will know the club has been in dialogue with the EFL for over 2 yrs. In such circumstances no organisation is going commit any specific resource to any project until there is a firm contract to evaluate. So;
- 7 full working days to evaluate the submitted documentation, determine outstanding issues & matters arising
- 5 working days to confirm & hold interviews to discuss matters arising - completed by w/e December 13
- depending on seasonal holidays 7 or 8 working days (to date) to address and resolve any outstanding issues
Cast your eye down a list of PL & Championship clubs with exclusively overseas based investors and you will note there are just 2 out of the 22 who originate from the Middle East.
There is a Saudi royal and prior investor in Sheffield U who secured ownership by winning a legal dispute with then owner Mr McCabe.
There is Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and owner of the Abu Dhabi United Group who acquired Man City in 2008, but handed all responsibility/ ownership to Khaldoon Al Mubarak and the City Football Group.
ESI have made very public their complete independence from the above individuals & organisations not only in respect of any funding or conflict of interest but I suspect against an Abu Dhabi "profile of one" with its own connotations. For the regulatory travails of Man City I can but refer you to;
http://https//www.bbc.com/sport/football/47490375
There is no evidence the EFL has any prior experience of dealing with Abu Dhabi based investment. Its only reference points are the PL dating back to 2008, UEFA & potentially FIFA.
After the investigative endeavours of Der Speigel it has taken these latter organisations 3 years to even address unproven allegations let alone unravel the labyrinth of middle eastern global investment. What exactly is your expectation of the EFL?
Having to serve 2 masters is a distraction for Bowyer & Gallen but there is likely no material difference ESI can make in supporting the clubhouse for another week. Even then unless you pay over the odds in a distorted January transfer market as clubs compete for limited resource you may have to wait as buyers & sellers defer decisions until deadline day.
I am intrigued by the notion the club can continue as is.
Under the current investor club debt appears to have trebled. He has actively pursued a sale for 2 years. With Club debt in excess of £60mn many continue to deride all prospective investors ability to meet the asking price and continue to fund the club.
With the level of funding now required every single person who has or might come forward will have an investment interest. Who the friggin hell do you expect to altruistically invest £60mn plus?
We exhausted our supply of altruistic benefactors under the multiple administrations of Mr Murray
Are /were Cash's, Slater's and Jiminez's, Duchatelet's decisions altruistic?
Why the 2yr wait for the takeover? A man desperately committed to standing still wants his money back but has no idea how to trade out of his position?
The clubhouse foundations today are built on sand. The ability to trade today relies on the skills & hard work of its clubhouse management. The progress in re-engaging with supporters over the past 2yrs has relied on people who will be out of contract in 6 months.
Such progress is at risk. The Championship status is at risk. The club has to move forward.
It is from this landscape Messrs Southall and Heller with HE Tahnoon Nimer will seek to extract us.
I have no idea whether ESI has the financial and/or skills infrastructure to move the club forward, or any knowledge of how ESI and their backers may leverage their investment in the club to their advantage.
Nor unless those directly involved or someone at the EFL leaks information like a sieve does anybody who posts on any message board.
I do know there will be people heading back to work next week who will soon be making hundreds of corporate investment decisions. They will face one certainty. In business you never, ever have all the answers. Those who can wave their MBA qualification will be able to quote more than one business philosophy based on such a conundrum but there is one undeniable truth.
I quote once again the fine words of a one time new Chairman of Lloyds Banks who one week into the job proudly announced any fool can lend money. To which the entire industry rose up to reply "indeed Sir Nicholas - "..... "the challenge is getting it back again".
It is the truth which faced Messrs Cash, Slater, Jiminez, is facing Duchatelet and will over time face HE Tahnoon Nimer and by employment Messrs Southall and Heller.
Let us make no mistake due to the size of the debt we face a very difficult future. Too many have already walked away. There is a time for scrutiny but we need to help Bowyer, Gallen and the players build a new momentum. Pose all the challenges and questions you like but there is a time to pull together.
I suggest that time is now
Happy New Year
1) AFKA and Off It - take a bow, spot on.
2) NLA - ditto, spot on.
2) Cawley ain't been concentrating hard enough when reading CL over xmas
I would have thought EFL s either approved or not.