The Takeover Thread - Duchatelet Finally Sells (Jan 2020)

RodneyCharltonTrotta said:

J BLOCK said:

Not sure if this is of relevance

EDIT: Can't seem to quote @J BLOCK's tweet earlier in this thread about the HK acquisition firm tweeting about being interested in buying any EFL league 1 club but will also consider league 2 on behalf of US investors.

FFS. What an utter shit show our game in has England become. How have we let this happen?

Our clubs will just become temporary playthings for corporations, grotesque billionaires and private equity investors.

I've lived and breathed the game since being about 5 years old and even remember thinking as a kid on occasion where I'd meet someone who decline no interest in it "What's the point of life if you're not into football ?"

Not naive enough to ignore that football and the wider world has changed and the realist in me knows that the only route to success is to sell out to an ego/ commercially- driven ownership with absolutely no link to the club and who couldn't care less whether they're buying Barnet or Barnsley.

But the fact that you now can casually tweet about acquiring a club, any arbitrary club, with unique history, tradition and dedicated fan base of thousands who have spent their lives devoted to them, and materially shape their future, prosperity (and very survival) in a manner as if you're looking to purchase a pair of shoes is devastating in the context of the English game. What's more is regardless of the laughably inept "fit and proper" supposed filter process the reality seems to be that it is as easy as buying a pair of loafers and sod the consequences to the institutions that have stood as a focal point in our towns and cities and their inhabitants for over a century.

Never envisaged that I'd ever think this but I can't see myself following the game in 5-10 years if it carries on on this trajectory.

Utterly depressing.

Everything is driven by money. It's not just individual football clubs that have lost their sporting focus for the sake of a pound note, but sadly, the governing bodies have as well.

The FA are more concerned with TV cash and paying their executives huge salaries than developing a successful national team or nurturing the game across all levels. The bigger clubs have abdicated genuine sporting ambition in our domestic cup competitions because the economics say it's not worth the effort. The FA cup, once the greatest football competition, now degraded such that no-one gives a toss, - truly a sad loss to clubs and fans.

Players and their agents rule football now and greed is good. Not saying top players shouldn't be well rewarded, but things have gone too far and it seems that decadence and corruption now have their place.

The FA, along with the richest clubs, hold all the aces and they will not be deterred. For change to come, they need to be marginalised in some way. Fan representatives must be given a voice and genuine say in how their clubs are run, and perhaps it's time for all professional football clubs to be given equal voting rights regarding distribution of TV cash and the development of the game, regardless of the division they are currently in.

The issue of rogue owners is a very sore point for us of course. As much as I hate what Duchâtelet has done to our club and the Oystons to Blackpool, what I find even more worrying are the likes of SISU, - a f@ckin hedge-fund!!!! When you see investment companies, hedge-funds, investment consortia sniffing around, buying football clubs, you know exactly what their intentions are and in my opinion, that really is a step too far.

Fans may not have sufficient wealth to invest in their football club, but they are the biggest stakeholders and they deserve a say. How about a governing structure with a committee comprising fan and community group representatives. This committee would agree and express the aspirations of the fans and the local community, in relation to the football club. In addition they would recommend strategies and commit voluntary man-power to help implement those strategies. Once agreed between the shareholders, fans, community groups, the result would provide an enforceable framework, by which all stakeholders would be bound as they manage and develop the club. Such a structure would let all investors know exactly what is expected of them and provide constraints. Could something like this work?

If people really care, then there is a fight to be had. The football authorities are unlikely to address the issues unless they're forced to, and the only ones who can force them are the fans. If concerned fans decide to come together and exercise the power they undoubtedly have, there may yet be some hope

Macronate said:

Don't shoot the messenger but I understand there will be French involvement at the game tomorrow.

It's okay I'm only pissing by for the protest.