[Archived] Rovers Takeover Thread

[American]

I'd have no problems with Ashley coming in for Rovers, not that I can see it happening though.

At the end of the day he bought in the manager the fans wanted, he was probably right to have someone looking at transfer targets as KK had not been involved in top flight football for some time and had no idea about the type of player to bring in.

I think he would be a good option but cant really see it happening.

But the man he brought in to be the "expert" had managed 2 lower division squads to relegation.

[Iceman]

Ashley reduced their debts, and wil leave them in a much better financial state, than what they previously have been in. He spent alot of money at Newcastle, and if you think about it, if he was spending 40 million at newcastle for new players, he would probably only have to spend half that amount at Rovers. Our fans would be delighted and appreciate that kind of investment each year. And that is the difference between Newcastle fans and Rovers fans. The barcodes expect to much, and that is the major problem, not Ashley sitting with the fans. Im sure if Ashley had to appoint Dalglish, we would feel the same,as the Newcastle fans when he brought back Keegan.

[Atomicrover]

If this is something that everyone seriously wanted, I don't think it would be as "off-the-wall" as you might think to encourage it to happen. Letting out a few serious noises about accepting Ashley and Wise ('cos he would have to keep face by bringing him I suggest) Ashley might come for a lot of the reasons people have already suggested on this thread, plus the fact that it IS a well run Club already. Perhaps Nicko might run a story, "Rovers Fans say COME AND GET US", type stuff

[stuwilky]

If AShley got involved he might want the club shop back.

[DingleBaiter]

Would it be worse than we've got now?

Having read his statement released yesterday, it seems Ashley wanted Newcastle to be the same as Rovers, self sufficient, but with a higher budget. The people he hired and structure he put in place were designed to make Newcastle competitive without risking potential destruction. Doesn't sound too bad?

See people that say stuff like this tend to base their opinions purely on what they read in the media, which is all less than objective to say the least.

What I'd suggest we need as a takeover is someone that is a) a sound businessman has either the club's interests at heart & isn't the usual quick buck merchant or on an ego trip. Ideally somebody also that is discrete and not media-hungry would be a distinct bonus.

Ashley doesn't fit the model of being a safe & sound businessman; he's made lots of money but wasted even more. All this guff about selling because of Saturday is a smokescreen; his business interests elsewhere are suffering and he's been told to concentrate more on his core businesses to bring profitability back. When he bought Newcastle he claims he didn't know the debt they were in, nor how curtailed their future revenues were compromised - not exactly 'due diligence' I'd suggest. He could have took Blackburn before he got in at Newcastle given the debacle over buying the club, the Lonsdale sponsorship, the kit supplier change etc. He tends to run his businesses recklessly - it's okay being a maverick like Branson and wearing jeans in the boardroom etc., but the corporate world wants to see stability, profitability, sound judgement & leadership above anything. Somebody who so publicly gambles a fortune on ill-judged ventures isn't necessarily someone I'd be comfortable in owning my club, especially who'se core business is buying established brands and cheapening all their operations to turn them into tat.

The problem is that Rovers have limited their chance of selling it by limiting the market by wanting to find the right buyer, rather than any buyer. I've said for two years the Emir of Qatar would be 'da man', not just financially but also he'd be a far more positive influence on widening the appeal to the community as he's already donated monies to Blackburn charities, education & religious groups etc. This was before DIC broke on the scene and City's new owners (who BTW look like they're going to tell their frontman to tone down his daft claims about who they'll be buying, how big they'll be etc.) were found in less than a week.

It would be interesting to see what criteria Rovers fans would set for their ideal takeover person; most fans simply want someone to come in & spend money on players. A big factor may be the exisiting board, and their retention; myself I'd like to see someone that could come in and work with Williams in a way Jack did - which is probably what the club has established. Bear in mind they'd be trying to balance giving up ownership of the club to someone they'd feel would continue the legacy against cashing in their chips. The more I look round about the usual suspects buying into clubs, the less bothered I am - IMO the fact that previous potential buyers broke cover to advertise themselves in itself suggests to me they either weren't 100% serious or perhaps enjoyed the publicity of it.

For folk to think it's the debt of the club is the reason we've not sold is probably a bit wide of the mark; look at other clubs sales (City, Liverpool, Newcastle for instance) and look at the amount of debt against the valuation. Also look how much debt has been brought to the club to fund the takeover, a la Liverpool & Man Utd, and look how perilous their operations are. AIG have just had a rescue package agreed, until then they could only take one day at a time. Liverpool's future is only relatively 'safe' until next July, and the closer that gets the more chance they have of popping.

Especially given the current economic climate, I'm happier the club are being more prudent in their attempts to sell rather than some fans becoming desperate enough to mention Ashley IMO. Would be interesting to see how many fans were willing to pump their money in; if 20,000 fans put in 2,000 a share a la Ebbsfleet we could buy the club ourselves. However, I reckon we'd be lucky to raise 5 million, plus God knows what the corporate governance would be like if the diversity of opinions this Messageboard is anything to go by.

[Bobby G]

For God's sake the Burnley chairman is in Arabian Business magazine here in Dubai saying they want a Middle-East backer to buy the club, renovate their "stadium" and to invest in the club and they would like to bring in Arab players to boost their squad!

They get publicity and we cant...

[Hughesy]

Dinglebaiter, whilst im sure we would all like another Jack who would come in and work with JW and run the club with his best interests at heart, the fact is, It isnt going to happen! Unless of course some Rovers fan wins the £100m jackpot on the Euros on the 26th!

Im sure the club cant have any debt can it? Afterall we must of banked a nice amount following the summer.

Ashley has big bucks, he was setting up the Gerodies in the right way, and although his scouting netwrok came from League 2, they have brought some very good prospects in for the future. He seemed to be following the Arsenal Business model, of young, talented players, who in time would be worth much more in value.

Lets start a debate - who on here would like Ashley to pump £20m a year into rovers, wipe our debt, possibly develop the riverside, and see young talented players be brought in from all over the world?

[Billy Castell]

My ideal new owner would do the following:

1. Set up an international scouting network to nab talented kids from around the world.

2. Fund a great youth team with great coaches.

3. Provide a reasonable amount of cash for transfers, lets say £20m per season.

4. Allow the manager to build up the strength of the team over a number of seasons.

If we were to have a billionaire owner, I'd much rather have a Randy Lerner over someone like that Arab bloke who now owns Man City. Man City is going to become a circus as managers get sacked after 1 year, players coming and going for massive fees.

As for Burnley trying to woo a billionaire Arab......................

[CrazyIvan]

I'd like someone to do exactly what you've said Hughsey but not Ashley. He hasn't shown anything in his dealings with Newcastle that would suggest he would be the ideal club owner. Much the reverse in fact. In some ways I feel a little sorry for him but he really has brought the entire Newcastle situation on himself. The biggest mistake he made was not completing due diligence which, in this day and age, is madness. To then pump in something near £250 million and then want £480 million to be bought out smacks of profiteering at the least and a cynical attempt to hold on to the club even though he has said he's doing what the fans want by putting the club up for sale. Why he'd do that I'm not sure but it seems that way. For him to have put in near enough £250 million I'd have thought he'd be happy just getting the money back he'd spent not making a wedge on top of that.

I am working off 'reported' figures here by the way so the regular idea of taking the figures with a pinch of salt is advised...

[jw_]

[

Lets start a debate - who on here would like Ashley to pump £20m a year into rovers, wipe our debt, possibly develop the riverside, and see young talented players be brought in from all over the world?

Well I for one would like to see it and rather him than some overseas group that we know nothing about.Incidentally Wise seems to be Ashleys right hand man and is'nt he an old mate of Paul Ince, maybe Ince should get on the phone.

[DingleBaiter]

Dinglebaiter, whilst im sure we would all like another Jack who would come in and work with JW and run the club with his best interests at heart, the fact is, It isnt going to happen! Unless of course some Rovers fan wins the £100m jackpot on the Euros on the 26th!

Im sure the club cant have any debt can it? Afterall we must of banked a nice amount following the summer.

Ashley has big bucks, he was setting up the Gerodies in the right way, and although his scouting netwrok came from League 2, they have brought some very good prospects in for the future. He seemed to be following the Arsenal Business model, of young, talented players, who in time would be worth much more in value.

Lets start a debate - who on here would like Ashley to pump £20m a year into rovers, wipe our debt, possibly develop the riverside, and see young talented players be brought in from all over the world?

Hughesy, I admire your blinkered naivete.

A Div 2 scouting network? Not exactly - Jimenez's links are all South American/Spanish I think you will find.

No need to debate your point - we'd all like what you're proposing; I'm just saying Ashley isn't the man to do that. My reservations about him being the panacea are based simply on i)his track record & ii)him wanting out at Newcastle/being available.

Another bummer to your hopes is I think he will struggle to sell the club for anything like he'd expect/want, and I doubt he's likely to get involved in another club, much less an extremely well-run, small, media-averse lil club like ours.

Don't hold your breath.

[Fife Rover]

No need to debate your point - we'd all like what you're proposing; I'm just saying Ashley isn't the man to do that. My reservations about him being the panacea are based simply on i)his track record & ii)him wanting out at Newcastle/being available.

Eeerrrmm! Not quite all DB. I do not want to see Rovers sold at all, except in the case of another Jack Walker being the buyer. I have already stated my case with full reasons on other occasions, and there has been lengthy debate on this, so I really dont want to go over old ground again. Suffice it to say that it is all to do with my affection for Blackburn Rovers and the desire not to see it bought and exploited as some rich man's plaything and who has no connection or affection for the club other than to use it as a status symbol for just as long as it suits him then to sell for profit when it suits again.

I also want to see the whole concept of the Premier League football implode and go to Hell, and then for the normal and truly competitive football setup that we used to know to arise again with all it's attendant benefits. I am also fairly confident that I will live to see it happen as well in spite of not having much longer.

[DingleBaiter]

Eeerrrmm! Not quite all DB. I do not want to see Rovers sold at all, except in the case of another Jack Walker being the buyer. I have already stated my case with full reasons on other occasions, and there has been lengthy debate on this, so I really dont want to go over old ground again. Suffice it to say that it is all to do with my affection for Blackburn Rovers and the desire not to see it bought and exploited as some rich man's plaything and who has no connection or affection for the club other than to use it as a status symbol for just as long as it suits him then to sell for profit when it suits again.

I also want to see the whole concept of the Premier League football implode and go to Hell, and then for the normal and truly competitive football setup that we used to know to arise again with all it's attendant benefits. I am also fairly confident that I will live to see it happen as well in spite of not having much longer.

Hey Fife, sorry - should have rephrased it to all those that want the club to be took over would like it to be someone that fits the criteria the OP mentioned.

I'm with you on a lot of things; I don't neccessarily agree we all have to keep throwing money in to keep up, and thus need to whore our clubs, our heritage etc. I remember when JW first got involved with Rovers, plenty other clubs followed suit (to no avail) and hence the glut of administration, ITV digital collapse, influx of foreign ownership etc. My own personal opinion is it pays the be long-sighted and hold our nerve, as in the footy world - just as in the credit crunch - the businesses that are run well, with sound management and long-term plans will stay the course better than the short-sighted ones. Despite what many think, we've a unique club down here that have done so well for so long for a few obvious reasons. I applaud Rovers for not selling out the club just for the sake of it.

My own (unrealistic) hope is a for a far more professional adminstration of the Premier League, and football in general, with more parity across the board from the top down rather than pandering to the 'big four' or the richest. For all of the criticism of American Sports, they do get a lot right in my opinion regarding setting a level playing field with things like salary caps, marketing, administration etc.

[Mc Love]

i've said for two years the Emir of Qatar would be 'da man', not just financially but also he'd be a far more positive influence on widening the appeal to the community as he's already donated monies to Blackburn charities, education & religious groups etc.

Puzzles me why he doesnt want to invest in Rovers then?

[blue phil]

I think these Arab states are more interested in competing with each other about who has the biggest toy and who can raise the highest profile . Rovers hardly come into that category .

Thankfully .

[JAL]

[

Lets start a debate - who on here would like Ashley to pump £20m a year into rovers, wipe our debt, possibly develop the riverside, and see young talented players be brought in from all over the world?

Well I for one would like to see it and rather him than some overseas group that we know nothing about.Incidentally Wise seems to be Ashleys right hand man and is'nt he an old mate of Paul Ince, maybe Ince should get on the phone.

But Ashley is a scrubber, just look at him, look at his shops, cheap tack, thats what Rovers would become- No thanks !

[DingleBaiter]

I think these Arab states are more interested in competing with each other about who has the biggest toy and who can raise the highest profile . Rovers hardly come into that category .

Thankfully .

Perhaps it's the case for the UAE states, but the Emir of Qatar is a different kettle of fish altogether. Far more discrete, measured and wiser commercially than the Peter Kay lookalike at City.

The Emir's probably thinking he's put some capital into Blackburn (the town) funding religious charities, education, building work and all gets as an enticement towards Ewood is a multi-faith room ....

Can't help wondering if Rothschilds, and their heritage, may not endear themselves to the Arabian world?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Perhaps it's the case for the UAE states, but the Emir of Qatar is a different kettle of fish altogether. Far more discrete, measured and wiser commercially than the Peter Kay lookalike at City.

The Emir's probably thinking he's put some capital into Blackburn (the town) funding religious charities, education, building work and all gets as an enticement towards Ewood is a multi-faith room ....

Can't help wondering if Rothschilds, and their heritage, may not endear themselves to the Arabian world?

Do we really want such an owner? An owner who similar to there Saudi counterparts pushes an agenda that is clearly alien in a supposed secular nation.

I for one wouldn’t want an owner who openly involves themselves in promoting any religion whether it be Christian, Muslim or Judaism

[DingleBaiter]

Do we really want such an owner? An owner who similar to there Saudi counterparts pushes an agenda that is clearly alien in a supposed secular nation.

I for one wouldn’t want an owner who openly involves themselves in promoting any religion whether it be Christian, Muslim or Judaism

Tut tut - sweeping generalisations abound. I'm taking your use of word 'openly' as indicative of your lack of particular knowledge on this fella rather than specific focus of western involvement, development & integration in his country as opposed to just presuming all Arab states operate the same way. Qatar is often held up as a the most 'Westernised' of Arab States, and I'm sure our very own Sir David Frost wouldn't align himself with a regime similar to what you're suggesting.

So Abramovich, by your logic, would be a no go for his cultural/religious heritage I take it? Did you check Jack's religion before he opened his chequebook?

I hardly think bringing in an owner specifically suggested as a likely fit based on affinity between two parties/businesses/characters/profile is a recipe for public beheadings and lashings in East Lancashire.

So we now have to add another criteria to an already limited brief for a prospective owner?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

So we now have to add another criteria to an already limited brief for a prospective owner?

The owner can be whatever relgion they wish- that dosen't matter to me.

What does matter is an owner that pushes and sponsers religious groups . So yes an owner that dosen't actively sponsor or facilitate any given religion .

[blue phil]

Qatar is often held up as a the most 'Westernised' of Arab States.

Very true . Indeed in 2005 the Emir very graciously allowed the first church to be built in his country since the 7th Century .

(No spire or visible crosses permitted however .......)

[67splitscreen]

Very true . Indeed in 2005 the Emir very graciously allowed the first church to be built in his country since the 7th Century .

(No spire or visible crosses permitted however .......)

Bit like a room not to far away then.

[islander200]

I would be delighted if ashley bought rovers his plan for newcastle is a good idea,he wanted to bring in top young talent not buy overpriced has beens i.e beckham and henry>

[dingles staying down 4ever]

I would be delighted if ashley bought rovers his plan for newcastle is a good idea,he wanted to bring in top young talent not buy overpriced has beens i.e beckham and henry>

bit like a local buisness man we once knew and that won the premiership

[bubblerrovers]

I can't believe Newcastle could be sold within 2 weeks, surely Mr Williams can see we need to dump rothchilds, get a new agency, get in touch with the guy who helped sell Chealsea, anything