[Archived] Rovers Takeover Thread

[jim mk2]

So you'd have turned down the City buying Arabs with their trillions eh? No chance - you'd be the first to buy a head dress! Or is it just some Muslims you object to like those next door to you?

Poor old Enoch.

House down 25 per cent in a year and his down an extra 15 per cent because he's got Asian neighbours.

Still, spoon sales are rising

[dave birch]

The problem with this being that once the club is sold the rules no longer apply. Clearly the Trust will try to find a fit and proper buyer but there is nothing they can do to control the buyer's future actions.

Jack may well have put a caveat on the sale. One that may say something like, "you cannot sell this club if you have not improved it's wealth, and that if you sell you must include this caveat" (or any other condition). In which case potential purchasors could be put off. This may be one reason that a "sale" is proving hard to find.

Having said that, I know nothing of the trust document,I'm confident that it contains is some kind of protection for Blackburn Rovers FC.

Yes, it's full of maybes and perhapses and no one will really know until it's not really a problem.

[iamarover]

The problem with this being that once the club is sold the rules no longer apply. Clearly the Trust will try to find a fit and proper buyer but there is nothing they can do to control the buyer's future actions.

Yes they can. And probably will. For instance I would expect covenants on the land at Brockhall and Ewood restricting any development there.... to safeguard the club from being Brightoned. So the 'assets' the owner gets in truth decline in value and are restricted really to player values and the commercial revenues. So not much then. Randy Lerner is often praised as the ideal owner, and for Villa fans' sake he's better be. £60m for a lot of land in Birmingham was a steal back then and he will make money redeveloping it. Hotel where the Holte pub is etc. And the valuation of the land will sit weill on his balance sheet.

Rovers trustees' management and Jack's management mean that only really a fan can buy it. They get an asset that is tightly restrictted and only get their money back from football revenues. So you would have to believe Rovers can go ever higher for the owner to legitimately start pulling money out in the form of dividends. And you can imagine the rantings on here when they do that irrespective of where we are in the league. I dont believe they can go higher really. Nor does anyone else. So Uncle Trustee is likely to be our family friend for some years to come. And every day they do you should go down on your knees and thank them for preventing the raping and shaming of a still great club.

[Fife Rover]

Just to extract myself out of your observation. I just had a quick laugh at Blue Phil for his obsession with Islam.

If the truth be told I'll stick with my post from last night that I don't really want to be taken over by any billionaire.

Perhaps where I differentiate with Phil is that I don't rate these potention billionaires by their religion. Apart from that I agree 100% with his posts that we are a independant club, pulling our weight in a competative league and I'd really rather not have Rovers as a toy for someone who wants a "train set" to play with just to keep up with Abramovich or Abu Dhabi sheiks.

Whatever their religion. It's a bit humiliating isn't it: to be supporting a team that is basically a hobby for someone who sits in the executive box and gets his kicks from a game he knows nothing about; in a town he knows nothing about; watching a team he knows nothing about; has no appreciation of the history of the game, the history of the club. Then he has his fun watching the supporters celebrating these things. He's using them for fun.

It's a bit like paying two people having sex, watching it, and pretending to enjoy it.

I don't suppose yer sheik who took over Manchester City has the faintest idea who Bert Trautmann or Colin Bell or Franny Lee were. Abramovich probably has no idea about Peter Houseman or Ron Harris or Peter Osgood. The Gaziers couldn't tell George Best or Duncan Edwards from a balance sheet.

The day Rovers is taken over from some rich person who has never heard of Ronnie Clayton, Bryan Douglas, Bob Compton or Simon Garner is the day that my soul will die a little bit.

It's late; I don't live in Blackburn. Anyone want to disagree?

Oh you are SOOOO right Colin! At last; someone else who understands my feelings about the takeover situation, and probably why I have been conducting (apparently) a one man crusade against the whole rotten business that the Premier Leagues (all of them) have brought into the previously competitive and infinitely more entertaining and watchable game of football.

As far as I am concerned (and I know I have said this many times before) the quicker the whole rotten, corrupt business of Premier League football implodes on it's own corruption and greed the better it will be for ALL concerned with any aspect of our beloved game. A Return to true competition, and entertainment for fans, who are after all the root contributors to the income for the game. A Return to sensible pay for players and possibly much stricter legislation to curtail the excesses of agents. It can only be for the better and the overall good of the game.

[den]

Oh you are SOOOO right Colin! At last; someone else who understands my feelings about the takeover situation, and probably why I have been conducting (apparently) a one man crusade against the whole rotten business that the Premier Leagues (all of them) have brought into the previously competitive and infinitely more entertaining and watchable game of football.

As far as I am concerned (and I know I have said this many times before) the quicker the whole rotten, corrupt business of Premier League football implodes on it's own corruption and greed the better it will be for ALL concerned with any aspect of our beloved game. A Return to true competition, and entertainment for fans, who are after all the root contributors to the income for the game. A Return to sensible pay for players and possibly much stricter legislation to curtail the excesses of agents. It can only be for the better and the overall good of the game.

Yup, you're right Fife. There's nowt us fans can do about the situation though, - without hitting only OUR club.

[Bennisfromheaven]

Rovers trustees' management and Jack's management mean that only really a fan can buy it. They get an asset that is tightly restrictted and only get their money back from football revenues. So you would have to believe Rovers can go ever higher for the owner to legitimately start pulling money out in the form of dividends. And you can imagine the rantings on here when they do that irrespective of where we are in the league. I dont believe they can go higher really. Nor does anyone else. So Uncle Trustee is likely to be our family friend for some years to come. And every day they do you should go down on your knees and thank them for preventing the raping and shaming of a still great club.

I am just playing devils advocate here but is it not just football fan snobbery not to sell out to the first billionaire that flashes thier eyes at you?

I love blackburn rovers for the reasons you pointed out & for still being a great football club. You can name all the facts & figures of how the club will never be bankrupt, is self sustaining, doesnt need big name signings to compete in the big leagues etc. etc.

However, when it comes to a conversation in the pub, discussion on football radio/tv or air time on match of the day, Blackburn will be way down the league table simply because we are not exciting enough irrespective of what we know to be true as rovers fans!?!

If we were bought by a billionaire, who didnt know about the clubs history, but pumped money in & got all of the plaudits we deserve would any of you turn it down?

yes, It could all go wrong but that can be said of all the other teams who have 'sold out'!

We could be in the championship before any billionaire bubble bursts & i assure you, if that bubble bursts it will have a knock on effect on us! as, currently, we are relying on large fees for our stars to bring in other players!! Also, i reckon if so many 'big clubs' get in trouble the FA will step in to help nullifying our oppertunity to capitalize!

So, are we just being too cautious? or in the long run will we be better off?

[T4E]

yes, It could all go wrong but that can be said of all the other teams who have 'sold out'!

It could also go wrong if we stay on the breadline and continue trying to compete in the richest league in the World. The question is, which is more likely to happen?

[Fife Rover]

The problem with this being that once the club is sold the rules no longer apply. Clearly the Trust will try to find a fit and proper buyer but there is nothing they can do to control the buyer's future actions.

And that is a major argument why I am against the club being sold at all.

Blackburn Rovers FC is FAR better off in the long run by remaining in the ownership and under the protection of Jack's will than it could ever be by being sold on. The chances of finding another Jack Walker are so remote that, in comparison, the odds of any one individual wiining the jackpot on the National Lottery are much better.

ANY other kind of buyer has to be a far worse risk than staying with the Walker Trust.

And to all those who are about to raise the argument that the only thing Rovers will get out of this is more or less permanent membership of the EPL and mid-table mediocrity, I refer them to my already well aired views on the EPL and the way it has ruined competitive football and increased costs to fans out of all proportion to income.

There is nothing more certain than the end of the whole Premier League ideas. This will inevitably happen sooner or later because of the constant upward spiral in costs to the fans driven by the greed of players, agents, TV and other media, commercial sponsorship, programmes and other merchandise, and costs off seats etc.

Added to all this is the growing lack of true competitiveness in the Prem Leagues; just look at Scotland and the "big four" in England for example. It is only a matter of time before the present drift away from the game by fans becomes not a trickle but a torrent, and then what will happen? The whole sorry and corrupt house of cards will come crashing down. It cant happen soon enough for me.

But if and when it does happen, what will happen to all the clubs that have sold out to wealthy owners? Man U, Liverpool, Man City etc? What will happen to ALL of them? I will tell you; Their owners will be offski quicker than a ferret down a rabbit hole. And where will Rovers be after this? Assuming they are still under the ownership of the JW Trust they will be sitting pretty and possibly the the most safe and secure club in the whole of football; ready to move onwards and upwards while the others are trying to clear debts and survive.

And still some of you want the club to sell to a new rich owner just so that you can experience the very temporary thrill of being able to buy a couple of expensive players? Get real!!!

[JAL]

Because they havent really followed Jack's wishes. Yes they have kept us afloat and helped us over the last 10 years but Im 100% certain that if he was still alive then he would still own us and still be pumping Millions £'s every year into us.

Weve done extremely well wouldnt you say over the past few seasons with a limited financial fan base.

They (the trust)probabaly thought that the spiralling costs of running a premier league football club were running out of control as the competitors looked like they were financially heading off onto another financial planet totally leaving Blackburn Rovers behind, then, NOW, the global credit crunch is going to bring alot of those competitors back within reach with one ot two quite possibly folding.

Surely its game on again for the club now that the rules of the game financially will become once more within the clubs financial reach however stretched it maybe.

The way I see it is, the club being up for sale raises a negative image like a vote of no confidence in the business, i'd like all talk of being for sale dispelled even if secretly negotiations may be under way.

Not being for sale for me shows strength and solidarity thus leaving a positive vibe on the club.

[ABBEY]

just a quick question,to those who advocate a "rich muslim" to take us over as it will bring muslim fans in.

why are they not here now ? do we want fans who will only come to us if we are run by their own people? what sort of fan will they be(not a racist comment ftr...its a deep comment) not true rovers built up over 100+ years.what will they do if the owners sell up?carry on being rovers fans ?go back to being man u fans or if they sell up and buy say nobend ,would they transfer to preston??

FOOTBALL ISNT ABOUT RELIGEON ITS ABOUT PASSION,HISTORY,YOUR TEAM,WINNING ,GLORY ...ITS A PART OF YOU FROM BIRTH AT A VERY EARLY AGE.ITS NOT ABOUT SUPPORTING A TEAM BECAUSE OF BIBLE,KORAN BASHERS .ITS ABOUT BEING BROUGHT UP TO LOVE YOUR TEAM ,IT EFFECTS YOUR LIFE ,WEEKENDS ETC .ITS NOT ABOUT BRINGING FANS IN JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR ETHNICISITY (I INCLUDE SCOTLAND TOO ).

YOU CANT JUST TURN UP AND HAVE PASSION FOR A TEAM BECAUSE SOMEONE AS BOUGHT A CLUB PASSION IS INSTILLED IN YOU AND CANT BE TURNED ON/OFF LIKE A TAP.ITS ABOUT RAISING YOUR KIDS IN THE BELIEF OF YOUR TEAM(I FAILED WITH ONE I ADMIT ) ITS ABOUT RAISING THEM TO NOT LIKE BURNLEY ITS ABOUT TEACHING THEM THE HISTORY OF OUR CLUB ,ITS ABOUT THEM DOING IT TO THERE KIDS WHEN THEY HAVE THEM.

[American]

Oh you are SOOOO right Colin! At last; someone else who understands my feelings about the takeover situation, and probably why I have been conducting (apparently) a one man crusade against the whole rotten business that the Premier Leagues (all of them) have brought into the previously competitive and infinitely more entertaining and watchable game of football.

As far as I am concerned (and I know I have said this many times before) the quicker the whole rotten, corrupt business of Premier League football implodes on it's own corruption and greed the better it will be for ALL concerned with any aspect of our beloved game. A Return to true competition, and entertainment for fans, who are after all the root contributors to the income for the game. A Return to sensible pay for players and possibly much stricter legislation to curtail the excesses of agents. It can only be for the better and the overall good of the game.

The first thing that will make it implode is fans like you not paying money for Sky subscriptions and turning your back on the league as a whole.

[blue phil]

So you'd have turned down the City buying Arabs with their trillions eh? No chance - you'd be the first to buy a head dress! Or is it just some Muslims you object to like those next door to you?

If you'd care to read my posts you'll see quite clearly that I would be against ANYONE buying into the club unless they were of a similar disposition to Jack Walker - which isn't going to happen in any of our lifetimes again . I couldn't care less how many "trillions" some Arab or Yank brought with them - I'd rather watch the Rovers as a family style club in the championship .

Why I particularly mention the Asian Muslims is that I'm sick of this infantile wishful thinking that if only an Asian billionaire would come everything would be hunky dory ; the boys from Bastwell , Audley and Shadsworth and Mill Hill would all hold hands and celebrate their diversity whilst on their way to watch Rovers win the Champions League in front of a capacity 50,000 crowd at the new space age stadium .

It's not going to happen - so just stop trying to ape jim's Alzheimer's induced posts and try posting something worth reading other than the dreary one liners .

[imy9]

just a quick question,to those who advocate a "rich muslim" to take us over as it will bring muslim fans in.

why are they not here now ? do we want fans who will only come to us if we are run by their own people? what sort of fan will they be(not a racist comment ftr...its a deep comment) not true rovers built up over 100+ years.what will they do if the owners sell up?carry on being rovers fans ?go back to being man u fans or if they sell up and buy say nobend ,would they transfer to preston??

FOOTBALL ISNT ABOUT RELIGEON ITS ABOUT PASSION,HISTORY,YOUR TEAM,WINNING ,GLORY ...ITS A PART OF YOU FROM BIRTH AT A VERY EARLY AGE.ITS NOT ABOUT SUPPORTING A TEAM BECAUSE OF BIBLE,KORAN BASHERS .ITS ABOUT BEING BROUGHT UP TO LOVE YOUR TEAM ,IT EFFECTS YOUR LIFE ,WEEKENDS ETC .ITS NOT ABOUT BRINGING FANS IN JUST BECAUSE OF THEIR ETHNICISITY (I INCLUDE SCOTLAND TOO ).

YOU CANT JUST TURN UP AND HAVE PASSION FOR A TEAM BECAUSE SOMEONE AS BOUGHT A CLUB PASSION IS INSTILLED IN YOU AND CANT BE TURNED ON/OFF LIKE A TAP.ITS ABOUT RAISING YOUR KIDS IN THE BELIEF OF YOUR TEAM(I FAILED WITH ONE I ADMIT ) ITS ABOUT RAISING THEM TO NOT LIKE BURNLEY ITS ABOUT TEACHING THEM THE HISTORY OF OUR CLUB ,ITS ABOUT THEM DOING IT TO THERE KIDS WHEN THEY HAVE THEM.

The above could be said for the Korean fans who turn up at United for Park or the LA Galaxy fans who turn up for Becks, at the end of the day if they are there to support Rovers and not the opposition then what is the argument?

I have been a Rovers fan for 16 years (that is most of my adult life), was not born in Blackburn nor were any of my friends or family fans, but I have been to games and done "my bit" for the team that I love. Are you more or less passionate than me? I am a Muslim... and religion has nothing to do with my support for Rovers.

Now as mods have already said we should stick with the topic...

I will add that I cannot see us being taken over because ironically our success off the field will mean that the price of purchasing our club will be high and the new owners have to prove that they will invest more into the team.

[The Prof.]

If you'd care to read my posts you'll see quite clearly that I would be against ANYONE buying into the club unless they were of a similar disposition to Jack Walker - which isn't going to happen in any of our lifetimes again . I couldn't care less how many "trillions" some Arab or Yank brought with them - I'd rather watch the Rovers as a family style club in the championship .

Why I particularly mention the Asian Muslims is that I'm sick of this infantile wishful thinking that if only an Asian billionaire would come everything would be hunky dory ; the boys from Bastwell , Audley and Shadsworth and Mill Hill would all hold hands and celebrate their diversity whilst on their way to watch Rovers win the Champions League in front of a capacity 50,000 crowd at the new space age stadium .

It's not going to happen - so just stop trying to ape jim's Alzheimer's induced posts and try posting something worth reading other than the dreary one liners .

I think the club is best left where it is at the moment too but I don't actually see the distinction between muslim and others as important in a football sense. If you bother to go to Ewood like I do you'd likely get let in by an asian heretidge steward and you might be lucky enough to get a nice looking asian lady serve you beer.

There is a homely championship club you'd like already - Burnley!

[blue phil]

I've probably been going down to Ewood a lot longer than you , Prof . One thing I've noticed is that there are more Asians on the payroll than paying to watch (maybe not strictly true but you get my drift....)

I somehow suspect that that is not going to change either with "multi" faith rooms or with an owner from Karachi . I don't think it's anything approaching "racism" simply to point that out or to argue that there are dangers of alienating existing supporters by pushing too hard in pandering to the mythical Asian football fan via the Asian community .

At the end of the day if they want to come they will do . If they don't they won't . They have the choice as do the rest of us .

[philipl]

I've probably been going down to Ewood a lot longer than you , Prof . One thing I've noticed is that there are more Asians on the payroll than paying to watch (maybe not strictly true but you get my drift....)

I somehow suspect that that is not going to change either with "multi" faith rooms or with an owner from Karachi . I don't think it's anything approaching "racism" simply to point that out or to argue that there are dangers of alienating existing supporters by pushing too hard in pandering to the mythical Asian football fan via the Asian community .

At the end of the day if they want to come they will do . If they don't they won't . They have the choice as do the rest of us .

Why on earth would "pandering to the Asian football fan" alienate existing supporters apart from the tiny minority of inadequates like you who have other problems and agendas?

[jim mk2]

Why on earth would "pandering to the Asian football fan" alienate existing supporters apart from the tiny minority of inadequates like you who have other problems and agendas?

Very unkind about our Enoch.

True, but unkind.

[American]

[EwoodGlory]

Looks like it is Johan Rupert behind the South African bid for Newcastle....

South Africans calling the Toon as Ashley moves a step closer to selling up

Sportsmail can reveal the group are headed by Jonathan Cleland - a South African-raised Scot whose career has been based around developing major brands - with the backing of billionaires Johan Rupert, Brian Gilbertson, Vivian Imerman and Brian Joffe.

[Ewood Spark]

I've probably been going down to Ewood a lot longer than you , Prof . One thing I've noticed is that there are more Asians on the payroll than paying to watch (maybe not strictly true but you get my drift....)

I somehow suspect that that is not going to change either with "multi" faith rooms or with an owner from Karachi . I don't think it's anything approaching "racism" simply to point that out or to argue that there are dangers of alienating existing supporters by pushing too hard in pandering to the mythical Asian football fan via the Asian community .

At the end of the day if they want to come they will do . If they don't they won't . They have the choice as do the rest of us .

BP who took you to your first Rovers game? Your dad, uncle, grandad, a mates dad? The first step is the hardest. What are you doing to help potential fans realise that potential? Why do you seem intent to put up barriers where none need exist?

[colin]

One thing I've noticed is that there are more Asians on the payroll than paying to watch (maybe not strictly true but you get my drift....)

What on earth has that got to do with a theoretical Rovers' takeover? I really don't "catch your drift."

Please will you explain.

Thanks.

[thenodrog]

Why on earth would "pandering to the Asian football fan" alienate existing supporters apart from the tiny minority of inadequates like you who have other problems and agendas?

This is the Rovers take over thread.

Pots and kettles Gunner?

Philip just pour a glass of soft red wine and watch the utd match on the sky tv on your sun kissed balcony whilst sitting on your silly sun kissed ar..... err sun lounger would you? Given the typical reaction (whether right or wrong, moral or immoral, pc or un pc) from actual supporters to the MFPR renders your above response to BP's earlier post just plain daft. I understand that the mfpr been closed behind the BBurn End? If that is so then whether you like it or not there is your answer.

Strangely I agree with most of this.

Personally, and call me old fashioned, whoever our new owners may be I couldnt give a flying one about. As long as they held the best interests of OUR football club at heart.

Not strange at all. Many will hold that same view.

It's a bit like paying two people having sex, watching it, and pretending to enjoy it.

eh ...... even if the two involved are Britney Spears and JLo?

[philipl]

Even by your standards, that is a limp answer 'drog.

[thenodrog]

Even by your standards, that is a limp answer 'drog.

I take it 'limp' means 'valid' in Maltese?

[philipl]

I take it 'limp' means 'valid' in Maltese?

and that is even limper.