The Takeover Thread - Duchatelet Finally Sells (Jan 2020)

Garrymanilow said:

SoundAsa£ said:

I’m concerned that we will still be used openly as a feeder club for The Premiership in order to survive.
As a fan of many many years I have seen so many of our top youngsters come and go I’ve lost count......it’s been soul destroying heartbreak for 60 years.
Before I die, my one wish is that we become a club that doesn’t “have” to sell to survive but one that will keep our best young players and build a team using them alongside established well thought of pros in order to establish ourselves at Premiership level.
We are known as ‘the go to club’ for any aspiring team that wants to succeed as we always seem to have something to offer them by way of having our best players wearing for sale signs around their necks.
We have more f’ing scouts in our directors box than directors or club officials!
Dream on SoundAs....dream on!

To be honest, I think unless football fundamentally changes or you start supporting Barcelona you're never going to see that happen. Every club except the top two in Spain ends up selling their best players if a bigger fish comes in. If Real bid £200m for Kane he will be gone. Same with Rashford. The best we can hope for is that any new owners a) understand just what ridiculously high sums you can get for young English talent and b) bring in enough decent players that we progress and can at least get a few more years out of our academy products

Henry Irving said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Henry Irving said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Just because Muir is involved it also doesn’t mean there are not other funding gaps in their plan.

I’m still concerned until it’s certain we get new owners with enough money for club and The Valley and enough going forward.

No it doesn't mean there are no gaps and it doesn't mean there are.

Let's start worrying that a meteor will land on the Valley tomorrow because no one can prove it won't.

IF IF IF a takeover happens then we can judge the relative wealth of the owner/s.

Of course you’re right. I don’t know.

But I do know that the original AFC approach was less than impressive and widely accepted as without finance.

Yes I know that can change in an instant and Muir could solve all or some of that funding gap but given we can now I think, legitimately speculate that this takeover is Australian I am still concerned that the AFC group have now got enough to get things over the line but still not enough for what us fans like.

A buyout that doesn’t include The Valley wouldn’t exactly be many fans first choice of outcome regardless of getting shot of the Belgians.

And yes I have heard talk of exactly that.

Sorry, but no, you don't know that. That was an assumption made based on very little evidence.

I certainly don't want a buy out that doesn't include the Valley but as VOTV spoke about various sub-leases being some of the issues it seems the Valley IS part of the deal.

We don't know who, what or how so why worry about it now?

As you say it is all speculation. That two POSSIBLE buyers MAY come from the same country of 25m people is hardly legitimate speculation in any case.

If the rumours were that the buyers were Chinese would we assume it was @ JessieAddick or @Stu_of_Kunming?

Henry Irving said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Henry Irving said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Just because Muir is involved it also doesn’t mean there are not other funding gaps in their plan.

I’m still concerned until it’s certain we get new owners with enough money for club and The Valley and enough going forward.

No it doesn't mean there are no gaps and it doesn't mean there are.

Let's start worrying that a meteor will land on the Valley tomorrow because no one can prove it won't.

IF IF IF a takeover happens then we can judge the relative wealth of the owner/s.

Of course you’re right. I don’t know.

But I do know that the original AFC approach was less than impressive and widely accepted as without finance.

Yes I know that can change in an instant and Muir could solve all or some of that funding gap but given we can now I think, legitimately speculate that this takeover is Australian I am still concerned that the AFC group have now got enough to get things over the line but still not enough for what us fans like.

A buyout that doesn’t include The Valley wouldn’t exactly be many fans first choice of outcome regardless of getting shot of the Belgians.

And yes I have heard talk of exactly that.

Sorry, but no, you don't know that. That was an assumption made based on very little evidence.

I certainly don't want a buy out that doesn't include the Valley but as VOTV spoke about various sub-leases being some of the issues it seems the Valley IS part of the deal.

We don't know who, what or how so why worry about it now?

As you say it is all speculation. That two POSSIBLE buyers MAY come from the same country of 25m people is hardly legitimate speculation in any case.

If the rumours were that the buyers were Chinese would we assume it was @ JessieAddick or @Stu_of_Kunming?

seth plum said:

I rushed to arrive for the tail end of the PC Palmer event. PC Palmer's family members were there, Mick Everitt, the Chaplain, Chris and Sue Parkes, senior Police officers, Military folk, some supporters, Karl Robinson too.

Around me I saw stewards at work, ticket office people, the British Legion had a stall, as did the Woolwich ATC, programme sellers were out, catering had started, the club shop was open and MKD officials had arrived A pretty busy match day.

It was so well managed and coordinated by the Charlton Athletic Chief Executive Officer that she was able to leave everybody else to it as she arrived at the Valley at 1.15pm after the ceremony and a fair time after everybody else had started work for the matchdays event.

How lucky we are to have leadership that is so hands on and attending to every detail. Eager to immerse herself in the job she loves at the club she loves, getting paid what she does.

Or maybe Katrien Meire arrived at 1.15pm because she had more important things to attend to yesterday morning.

Airman Brown said:

I don’t think the issue of sub-leases tells us anything about the future of the freehold. The Valley is already leased to CAFC Limited by Charlton Athletic Holdings Limited, both of which are owned by Baton 2010 Ltd, in turn owned by Staprix NV.

Someone acquiring CAFC Limited - regardless of whether they were acquiring Holdings/Baton - would want third parties operating within their lease property to have established terms in case they otherwise inadvertently acquired other rights from the status quo through statute law or simply to clarify the situation which they did not establish. It’s simply good business practice.

Airman Brown said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Henry Irving said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Just because Muir is involved it also doesn’t mean there are not other funding gaps in their plan.

I’m still concerned until it’s certain we get new owners with enough money for club and The Valley and enough going forward.

No it doesn't mean there are no gaps and it doesn't mean there are.

Let's start worrying that a meteor will land on the Valley tomorrow because no one can prove it won't.

IF IF IF a takeover happens then we can judge the relative wealth of the owner/s.

Of course you’re right. I don’t know.

But I do know that the original AFC approach was less than impressive and widely accepted as without finance.

Yes I know that can change in an instant and Muir could solve all or some of that funding gap but given we can now I think, legitimately speculate that this takeover is Australian I am still concerned that the AFC group have now got enough to get things over the line but still not enough for what us fans like.

A buyout that doesn’t include The Valley wouldn’t exactly be many fans first choice of outcome regardless of getting shot of the Belgians.

And yes I have heard talk of exactly that.

You’re unlikely to get the ideal scenario whoever eventually replaces RD and we may go down a lot further before it happens if we don’t get him out now. A no-sale, no-promotion scenario is possible and would be disastrous IMO.

As for the lease issue, yes that would be distinctly second best, but whether it would be damaging depends entirely on the terms of the lease.

The most likely reason for it, IMO, is not lack of funds but RD’s unrealistic demands re selling price. He isn’t going to get the debt figure in the accounts for the club in its present state.

The way to square the circle is a structured deal based on promotion to the PL. If the buyer is willing to make a second payment in that eventuality then RD might have the chance to get his money back. And he has to be willing to take much less now to create that opportunity.

In that situation I can see that a lease on The Valley would offer him security against the buyer failing to get to the PL. Then it becomes all about the terms. It’s not a shorthold tenancy where you can be kicked out at the freeholder’s whim after six months.

This is entirely a hypothesis. It’s based on nothing I’ve heard to be the case. But the worst scenario is RD continuing to own the club and continuing to run it into the ground.

Considering the scale of due diligence I don’t think the bidders are mugs. Quite the opposite.

I’d be more concerned about an underfunded domestic led takeover.

Airman Brown said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Henry Irving said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Just because Muir is involved it also doesn’t mean there are not other funding gaps in their plan.

I’m still concerned until it’s certain we get new owners with enough money for club and The Valley and enough going forward.

No it doesn't mean there are no gaps and it doesn't mean there are.

Let's start worrying that a meteor will land on the Valley tomorrow because no one can prove it won't.

IF IF IF a takeover happens then we can judge the relative wealth of the owner/s.

Of course you’re right. I don’t know.

But I do know that the original AFC approach was less than impressive and widely accepted as without finance.

Yes I know that can change in an instant and Muir could solve all or some of that funding gap but given we can now I think, legitimately speculate that this takeover is Australian I am still concerned that the AFC group have now got enough to get things over the line but still not enough for what us fans like.

A buyout that doesn’t include The Valley wouldn’t exactly be many fans first choice of outcome regardless of getting shot of the Belgians.

And yes I have heard talk of exactly that.

You’re unlikely to get the ideal scenario whoever eventually replaces RD and we may go down a lot further before it happens if we don’t get him out now. A no-sale, no-promotion scenario is possible and would be disastrous IMO.

As for the lease issue, yes that would be distinctly second best, but whether it would be damaging depends entirely on the terms of the lease.

The most likely reason for it, IMO, is not lack of funds but RD’s unrealistic demands re selling price. He isn’t going to get the debt figure in the accounts for the club in its present state.

The way to square the circle is a structured deal based on promotion to the PL. If the buyer is willing to make a second payment in that eventuality then RD might have the chance to get his money back. And he has to be willing to take much less now to create that opportunity.

In that situation I can see that a lease on The Valley would offer him security against the buyer failing to get to the PL. Then it becomes all about the terms. It’s not a shorthold tenancy where you can be kicked out at the freeholder’s whim after six months.

This is entirely a hypothesis. It’s based on nothing I’ve heard to be the case. But the worst scenario is RD continuing to own the club and continuing to run it into the ground.

Considering the scale of due diligence I don’t think the bidders are mugs. Quite the opposite.

I’d be more concerned about an underfunded domestic led takeover.