[Archived] Nickos (newer) Thread

[PAFELL]

I've had a couple of interesting calls on this today but need to tie down the info before I go further on it.

As it stands, nobody is paying the price the Trustees want/picking up the debt/leaving enough cash to buy players.

It would help if the Trustees had a fixed figure in mind, put a 'for sale' notice up and said it was non-negotiable.

It would cut out all of the pain that is currently going on.

I don't think Chris Ronnie will be back in a hurry which is good/bad news depending on your point of view.

The Chowdery fella is still in the frame and I would not count him out. However he is a businessman and won't be throwing millions at something he doesn't value at the higher price.

I have a funny feeling we will still be talking about this in a year's time. I hope that the current price tag does not prove to have been a costly mistake.

If things slide, the club becomes worth less and needs more repair. That can't be good news for the owners as much as the fans.

i think it is time for you to do a very large article about the concerns of rovers supporters on the way the trusties are dealing with things - which may help at least get a responce from the trusties etc.

[nicko]

Perhaps the fact that the Trust are holding out for a certain sum may have something to do with the terms of the Trust. Is it possible that certain figures are set in stone before talks are allowed the begin? Without knowing the exact terms of Jack Walker's will and the terms of the Trust it is difficult to speculate why potential investors are unable to reach a point where they can actually sit down with the Trust and start negotiating terms for a buyout.

I don't think they are tied down by that in terms of the valuation of the 'shares' they own.

I believe their maths is 'the club is worth X' and 'we have put in Y' so we want the difference. This seems to be negotiable, but not much.

After that the buyer has to have the money to pick up the debt, which is serviceable if the club is reasonably successful.

Then there is the question of what is left to spend on players which should really matter most...if you want to stay at the top end - and why not?

[bringdunnback]

Any chance of Chowdery increasing offer by 5million and the Trustees asking for 5 million less? Surely there could be some leeway.

[nicko]

Any chance of Chowdery increasing offer by 5million and the Trustees asking for 5 million less? Surely there could be some leeway.

I understand from some that he is still in the mood to talk, others say it is his final offer.

It's one of those where we can do little but wait and see.

[American]

you've obviously been or are involved in sport as am I you know as well as me that what is supposed to happen and what really happens are two different things. I will not mention it again.

But where does all the dollar come from?, do the MLS donate money or is it just from fees, surely sponsors do not give that much money. The Footie pitch I saw was top draw, better than most league clubs over here. It really impressed me, to the point of considering going across once finished at LJMU. Its different world, once the coaching catches up, its not bad at the moment, I can see big strides taking place.

How big is college football in the states at the moment is it a growing sport?

A 16 billion dollar endowment makes sure that Princeton has top notch facilities for everything they do, I'm sure they even have one of the better fencing facilities in the country....

[doctorryan]

you've obviously been or are involved in sport as am I you know as well as me that what is supposed to happen and what really happens are two different things. I will not mention it again.

But where does all the dollar come from?, do the MLS donate money or is it just from fees, surely sponsors do not give that much money. The Footie pitch I saw was top draw, better than most league clubs over here. It really impressed me, to the point of considering going across once finished at LJMU. Its different world, once the coaching catches up, its not bad at the moment, I can see big strides taking place.

How big is college football in the states at the moment is it a growing sport?

The facilities at Princeton would be the result of the University being one of the rich and elite Ivy League institutions, with some help from NCAA Basketball TV money. They have often been the Ivy League's representative in the NCAA Tournament (March Madness) in recent years. They can buy pretty much anything they want at that school. There are probably 50-100 more colleges with facilities on par with what you saw at Princeton around the country. Most of those would be Ivy League, Patriot League and BCS (Bowl Championship Series) conference schools. As for NCAA Soccer (Association Football), it continues to grow in popularity, like most second-tier college sports, due to exposure caused by a glut of TV sports channels here with nothing else to put on the air.

[doctorryan]

A 16 billion dollar endowment makes sure that Princeton has top notch facilities for everything they do, I'm sure they even have one of the better fencing facilities in the country....

Thanks for the one minute lead-in Chas.

[Majiball]

Quite difficult if there is no one suitable out there......

If the trust contiually value the club some 10-20M over what people will pay, there will never be anyone suitable ever. They will lose out in the end, one way or another. While all the other clubs around us contiually spend 10's of millions each year, keeping pace with them will only get harder each year. Hughes knew this we know this in our hearts its not defeatise its reality. 3 serious bites of interest in 2 years, all the while employing a company to find a buyer, they need to re-think their strategy.

The trust was set-up to safe guard the clubs future, 8 years on and they have withdrawn all funding, we have debts of around 20M or so, its hardly the stable future they were entrusted to provide. I would kill to see what Jacks instructions where, I suspect they where never disclosed for this exact reason, so we would never know. You have to wonder why Flybe sponsor Birmingham and Exeter but not Rovers.

If Jack were still with us and he felt he could no longer drive the club forward, he would quite simply have given the club a nil value, and passed it on to someone who could provide the funds to maintain the current status of the club and build for the future ala Sir Jack Hayward.

[Parsonblue]

I don't think they are tied down by that in terms of the valuation of the 'shares' they own.

I believe their maths is 'the club is worth X' and 'we have put in Y' so we want the difference. This seems to be negotiable, but not much.

After that the buyer has to have the money to pick up the debt, which is serviceable if the club is reasonably successful.

Then there is the question of what is left to spend on players which should really matter most...if you want to stay at the top end - and why not?

So, if the Trustees aren't prepared to lower their expectations and potential buyers aren't prepared to raise their offers we have the classic stalemate. In those circumstances the Trust can surely do one of two things. Invest more money and try to make a go of the club or cut and run with a smaller amount of money. I would have thought that the one thing they couldn't afford to do would be to allow the club to suffer a death by a thousand cuts - literally in terms of the financing. If that were to happen the Trust would lose and the potential buyers would run a mile if the club slipped into the Championship.

With the club refusing to discuss the issue and the local press seemingly following the party line it's little wonder that supporters are becoming increasingly frustated. We see Hughes and a top class backroom staff depart to be replaced by a novice manager and a totally unknown and unproven backroom team, in terms of the Premier League, plus the addition of a veteran coach who Bolton saw fit to offload at the end of last season. We face the prospect of losing Bentley and possibly Santa Cruz. Even Brad is being looked at with envious eyes by others. Our strongest link in the market, in terms of buying, is a fourth division midfield player.

The more you stand back from it the more you understand why Mark Hughes decided it was time to try his luck elsewhere!

[Majiball]

A 16 billion dollar endowment makes sure that Princeton has top notch facilities for everything they do, I'm sure they even have one of the better fencing facilities in the country....

The facilities at Princeton would be the result of the University being one of the rich and elite Ivy League institutions, with some help from NCAA Basketball TV money. They have often been the Ivy League's representative in the NCAA Tournament (March Madness) in recent years. They can buy pretty much anything they want at that school. There are probably 50-100 more colleges with facilities on par with what you saw at Princeton around the country. Most of those would be Ivy League, Patriot League and BCS (Bowl Championship Series) conference schools. As for NCAA Soccer (Association Football), it continues to grow in popularity, like most second-tier college sports, due to exposure caused by a glut of TV sports channels here with nothing else to put on the air.

WOW

Not even Oxford or Cambridge can bost that kind of wealth over here. Amazing!

[thenodrog]

So, if the Trustees aren't prepared to lower their expectations and potential buyers aren't prepared to raise their offers we have the classic stalemate. In those circumstances the Trust can surely do one of two things. Invest more money and try to make a go of the club or cut and run with a smaller amount of money. I would have thought that the one thing they couldn't afford to do would be to allow the club to suffer a death by a thousand cuts - literally in terms of the financing. If that were to happen the Trust would lose and the potential buyers would run a mile if the club slipped into the Championship.

With the club refusing to discuss the issue and the local press seemingly following the party line it's little wonder that supporters are becoming increasingly frustated. We see Hughes and a top class backroom staff depart to be replaced by a novice manager and a totally unknown and unproven backroom team, in terms of the Premier League, plus the addition of a veteran coach who Bolton saw fit to offload at the end of last season. We face the prospect of losing Bentley and possibly Santa Cruz. Even Brad is being looked at with envious eyes by others. Our strongest link in the market, in terms of buying, is a fourth division midfield player.

The more you stand back from it the more you understand why Mark Hughes decided it was time to try his luck elsewhere!

That sums events, the situation and my fears up perfectly Parsonblue.

[Roost]

Been on holiday for a few weeks - can anyone fill me in on who this Chowdery fella / lass is?

It would save me trawling back thru these pages!!

Ta

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Do you know whether Kaka will come to the Premier League Nicko?

He'd be an incredible signing for anyone!

I'd put him into the "i'd pay just to watch him play" category of world class players.

[cravenblue]

a lot of money/time can be saved with new routines etc that a new owner can put n action. as long as JW stays i think we are in good hands.

i dont believe Brad will leave. BUT what is he worth anyway? 1m? 2m? 500k? if bobby mimms is coming in as goalie coach, will there be room for Friedel when he decide to hang up his gloves? i'd say try to keep him, but sell if the money is right. he will retire in a few years anyway, so why not cash in if there is anything to get?

robinson is a good 'keeper, but have been out of it for some time. he can get back at a new club. friedel was not exactly super at liverpool either

glad samba is staying! now if warnock says the same i will be happy. im confident cruz will stay, and bentley i dont care for at the moment. its ok by me if he leaves for everton. they are a great club with a lot of potential. but who could we bring in? SWP?

were we linked with matijsen or not?

i dont believe there will be a takeover anytime soon. if the trust value us at 40+17m and the buyers are looking at areound 25-30+17, then the difference is way to big. this chowdery guy dont have much more to spend anyway if he buy the club for 57m, he has already spent 1/3 of his money, and thats before handing ince a kitty. that means he is about to throw at least 67m at a football club in one big swoop. i dont see it happening.

i havent been on t'internet for a few days. started looking back over posts and saw this saying glad samba is staying. i cant find anywhere where he says he is. where did you get this from hawkizz?

[bats]

i havent been on t'internet for a few days. started looking back over posts and saw this saying glad samba is staying. i cant find anywhere where he says he is. where did you get this from hawkizz?

Here is a link, its also on the sky website:

http://www.soccer365.com/english_premiersh..._6708154823.php

[cravenblue]

Here is a link, its also on the sky website:

http://www.soccer365.com/english_premiersh..._6708154823.php

good news, cheers bats, now for rsc

[LDRover]

I find it strange that we're discussing 'fit and proper' potential buyers for the club, does anyone on here believe our current owners recent behaviour has been 'fit and proper'?

[bob fleming]

I find it strange that we're discussing 'fit and proper' potential buyers for the club, does anyone on here believe our current owners recent behaviour has been 'fit and proper'?

If you're referring to the £3m per annum that they have decided we no longer need then you have a point LD. They're silent and unaccountable it would appear. Perhaps this could be a talking point at the forthcoming fans forum?

If the new owners came in and provided £21.57 on top of the existing monies then that's an improvement isn't it? Of course we have to consider the long term stability blah de blah - don't want to speculate to accumulate do we? Then again we are "owned" by people who obviously don't care about football nevermind Blackburn Rovers.

Said it before and will say it again - what would Jack have make of it all?

If we sign a player for £12m tomorrow I'll get me coat. Then again....

[Brfcrule1]

Hi all,

I have to say after all that how disappointing anyhow with regards to earlier comments have to say I agree with C.Ronnie if that is correct the trust should have done more to keep Sparky. I would also have thought if they wanted the reported 40Mill + debt surely Chowdrey & C.Ronnie would have clubbed together to buy out the club. Also I found out something very interesting if C.Ronnie's Icelandic connections were anything to go by they would certainly provide enough backing to satisfy the fit and proper person to run the club maybe Nicko can enlighten are the icelandic connections a group called Envista a food and finance chain we would have been minted. Also I thought the Walkers wanted a lower price of C.Ronnie because of this fact I thought I read somewhere. I have to say if this is the case there are a lot of points that don't add up Nicko now that Ronnie is out of the frame surely you could tell us what players he was thinking out bringing in am I right in assuming Ronaldinho would be one? Nicko as always your input is always highly appreciated.Also whoever suggested we should have an article from the fans in the local newspaper about our concerns about the trustees is spot on as fans we have a right to have our say and voice our concerns cos from what I can see if C.Ronnie's consortium would have been ideal for this club as financially he is worth more amybe something could be brought up at the next fans forum meeting.

Laters all.

[Whyoy]

So the trustees don't care about the football club. I wouldn't call converting £94,000,000 of loans to the club into share capital in the period June 2005 to June 2007 not caring. In fact I'd go so far as to say it was the exact opposite. With the share capital at £133,988,000 I'd say that Jack Walker and his subsequent trustees have put an awful lot into Blackburn Rovers FC.

At June 2007 the net assets of the club were just short of £21 million which included players at a value of £12.6 million, land and buildings at £40.3 million less net liabilities (or debt as everyone keeps referring to) £21 million.

Comments by previous contributors have suggested the transfer value of the current squad at approx £60 million. Lets be conservative and say £40 million. That's £27.4 million in excess of the book value above and brings the asset value of the club to £48 million.

Even at that value, Jack's trustees will be showing a wapping £86 million loss on his investment.

Not knowing who the clubs owners in the future will be is as frustrating to me as it is to everyone else on this board. But to say the trustees just haven't cared for the club is rubbish.

[RevidgeBlue]

Even at that value, Jack's trustees will be showing a wapping £86 million loss on his investment.

As the vast majority of that investment was before Jack's death, surely that is irrelevant from the Trustee's standpoint?

[USABlue]

Lets not get carried away. Remember he's just let what is widely regarded as one of the best management teams in the country slip from our grasp with what on the face of it seems a very poor attempt to keep them.

Sure we all know that we could not have fought of Chelsea but DodgePot City ffs!

What piffle and skewing of the truth. Hughes had decided he was off, to any club with some money to throw around. Yes he wanted Chelsea, didn't work for him but to dog Williams for not attempting to keep him is hogwash it is just another snipe, although be it through the back door, at the Ince appointment.

If you are soooo upset Gordon and since you have vowed to take up other activities instead if watching Ince's Rovers why not give the MB a rest too. Just a thought.

[USABlue]

Agreed Theno, It appears JW made no attempt to stop Hughes. However, he may have been overuled if the trust if they are conducting a cost-cutting exercise.

Another one, could be wrong meself then. Hey nicko, maybe you can help shed some light. Just how much of an attempt did Rovers board make to keep Hughes? Any idea. I would have thought the re-newed contracts were an indication of Rovers wish to keep him and his staff around, seems to some that is not the case.

[USABlue]

I have reason to believe that the Man City in for Brad story was put about by City to scare Joe Hart into signing a new contract.

That is from a good source, unconfirmed, but certainly fits.

The follow-on to that could be that City will go for Brad if Hart doesn't sign a contract.

So it's an intriguing one.

Doesn't sound like a Hughes tactic.

[USABlue]

Be interesting to know Freidals intentions for 2 years hence. It might be that his supposed tie-up with Choudry as well as his investment in soccer schools stateside is part of long term plans for importing US talent in to the Prem. Work permits permitting we could provide a good platform for showcasing US talent to the european market.

Certainly better us forging such links than Villa or City.

Be careful Gordon, your forward thinking there might be mistaken for some form of optimism and positivity.