[Archived] Rovers Might Have Been Sold?

[bluebruce]

Hang on here, my head's swimming. You stated categorically that the new rules PREVENTED new investment which they don't.You're making this up as you go.

No, I'm not. Stop trying to latch onto my conversation with someone else when you clearly either haven't read it all or don't understand what I'm saying. I'm talking about worthwhile investment from an investor's point of view. Yes, I oversimplified it earlier when I said it fully prevents it, but in realistic terms it will. Any investor who wants a return WONT get one if they pile in the money for the honeypot of Champs League qualification, because we won't get that honeypot because we won't be allowed to qualify. Simples. If you're confused, please stay out of it. It's a days old conversation that is dead now anyway.

[1864roverite]

I think Rovers fans need to calm down a little until details of what is going on are released by the club. Its no use speculating, finding a link to unquoted sources and downright lazy reporting as well as the frantic cries of some of our fans.

There is no doubt BRFC needs investment. There is no doubt the Trustees have done good for the club even if they are dropping their interest, look at the club with an open view and it is in good hands and a tremendous state.

IF we are to have new owners then the trust are hardly likely to disgrace Jack Walkers legacy and memory by handing the club to new owners who wont carry on the good work done over the years.

People should stand back and wait before uttering illfounded comments. Wait and see what is happening when it is announced by BRFC rather than idle speculation.

[Mr. E]

I think Rovers fans need to calm down a little until details of what is going on are released by the club. Its no use speculating, finding a link to unquoted sources and downright lazy reporting as well as the frantic cries of some of our fans.

There is no doubt BRFC needs investment. There is no doubt the Trustees have done good for the club even if they are dropping their interest, look at the club with an open view and it is in good hands and a tremendous state.

IF we are to have new owners then the trust are hardly likely to disgrace Jack Walkers legacy and memory by handing the club to new owners who wont carry on the good work done over the years.

People should stand back and wait before uttering illfounded comments. Wait and see what is happening when it is announced by BRFC rather than idle speculation.

We do need investment, but we need the proper type of investment. An unknown Indian company who happen to have been alerted about our existence because a significant percentage of the local population is of Indian origin, and because of some "historical ties to the textile industry" does not sound at all like the proper type of investment. And I don't see what else we can find out that is drastically going to change this.

[Blueboy Downunder]

he's in it to try and make money, "the towns large asian population"......

[ewoodpo]

he's in it to try and make money, "the towns large asian population"......

Of course he is in it to make money he's a businessman , what Rovers fans need to realise is that we will never find another Jack Walker.

Whoever comes in will be on a ego trip.

[ihateburnley]

Of course he is in it to make money he's a businessman , what Rovers fans need to realise is that we will never find another Jack Walker.

Whoever comes in will be on a ego trip.

This.

At the end of the day, we have two choices. We can stay as we are, surviving on peanuts every year and thanking our lucky stars that there always seem to be a few teams in the league that are worse than us. It's a miserable existence and one that one day will end in tears for Rovers.

Our second choice is to accept the fact that for us to survive in the top division in the long term we will have realise that we need an investor to supply us with money - for which we may have to sacrifice a little of our honesty and soul as a club.

I haven't heard too many Villa fans disgusted with their American owners recently, and their dilemna was pretty much the same thing at the time.

[JMillZz]

end of the day, so what if this guys in it to make money? If he invests in the squad and makes us a stable and sustainable prem club then there is nothing but benefits for our club. Surviving as we are will probably lead to a future relegation if we aren't lucky and then we would be screwed to be frank.

I'd rather see a more competitive Rovers with a stronger squad and better finances with this guy "making money" than have us playing poor football and being at risk of relegation most seasons with very considered finances. I mean all us Rovers fans do is moan about us playing poorly and having no money when this COULD lead to a change in fortunes. Maybe the negative people aren't liking the fact they won't get to moan as much in the future?

[1874]

he's in it to try and make money, "the towns large asian population"......

25,000 asians in Blackburn is hardly a big incentive when you live in a Mumbai (Bombay as it was known) a city bigger than London

[Amo]

end of the day, so what if this guys in it to make money? If he invests in the squad and makes us a stable and sustainable prem club then there is nothing but benefits for our club. Surviving as we are will probably lead to a future relegation if we aren't lucky and then we would be screwed to be frank.

I'd rather see a more competitive Rovers with a stronger squad and better finances with this guy "making money" than have us playing poor football and being at risk of relegation most seasons with very considered finances. I mean all us Rovers fans do is moan about us playing poorly and having no money when this COULD lead to a change in fortunes. Maybe the negative people aren't liking the fact they won't get to moan as much in the future?

Name one football owner who's managed to make a profit by pouring money into the squad? The genuine concern from the fans is that this potential new owner will strip the club of its best assets and take the first plane back to Bombay.

[Bobby G]

We dont have a CHOICE. Some people seem to think that the Trust represent us or are one of us. Theyve been running this business for a long time now and have been trying to SELL it, or havent you noticed? If they decide to sell us to these guys, then they're ours to keep.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Name one football owner who's managed to make a profit by pouring money into the squad? The genuine concern from the fans is that this potential new owner will strip the club of its best assets and take the first plane back to Bombay.

This is THE main concern.A litle known foreign 'businessman' with no prior knowledge of running a Premierleague club

From the fans in the stands to the top men of the Walker trust we ALL need to know a hell of a lot more about this guy,his intentions and his finances before we are sold.So much effort both on and off the field of play over the last 18 years or so has been put into our proud old club to get where we are today.

I will also say they are being rather cheeky stating they have gained first refusal on our club.Cant see Rovers being happy about that!

I would hate to think of the consequences if somebody made a hasty and ill informed move with this one.....in the trust we pray.

[47er]

No, I'm not. Stop trying to latch onto my conversation with someone else when you clearly either haven't read it all or don't understand what I'm saying. I'm talking about worthwhile investment from an investor's point of view. Yes, I oversimplified it earlier when I said it fully prevents it, but in realistic terms it will. Any investor who wants a return WONT get one if they pile in the money for the honeypot of Champs League qualification, because we won't get that honeypot because we won't be allowed to qualify. Simples. If you're confused, please stay out of it. It's a days old conversation that is dead now anyway.

Maybe this investor knows what he is doing and will grow the club gradually and not make the sort of mistake you refer to. By the way you're days old replying, I was quite up to date!

[RoyRover]

This.

At the end of the day, we have two choices. We can stay as we are, surviving on peanuts every year and thanking our lucky stars that there always seem to be a few teams in the league that are worse than us. It's a miserable existence and one that one day will end in tears for Rovers.

Our second choice is to accept the fact that for us to survive in the top division in the long term we will have realise that we need an investor to supply us with money - for which we may have to sacrifice a little of our honesty and soul as a club.

I haven't heard too many Villa fans disgusted with their American owners recently, and their dilemna was pretty much the same thing at the time.

Well said. We all know that there is a chronic lack of investment by the owners every season. The majority of teams in the Premiership have wealthy owners, who are willing to put their own money into the club, so that the club can progress. This is something that we have been starved of for a number of years and has resulted in our best players being constantly sold, with little of that money being re-invested in the squad. I'm sick and tired of watching the teams around us and even well below us being able to spend vast amounts of money on players, while we scrap around the bargain bin, because the £18 million that we raise from selling a player vanishes down a black hole in Jersey. The gap between the haves and have nots is getting bigger every year and it is becoming increasingly difficult for teams like ours to survive, let alone enjoy any success. As ihateburnley rightly points out, it is a miserable existence and I can't help but feel envious of the likes of Aston Villa or Birmingham who seemed to have owners who are willing to put money into the club, but not interfere or tear the soul out of the club.

However, what the club must do is make sure that whoever does want to buy us, has the clubs best interests at heart. Yes they are in it to make money, but they should also respect the traditions of the club and realise that the club belongs to the fans, who will be there long after they leave. The worst thing that can happen is that we go down the road of Portsmouth, who were fed a bag of empty promises and have suffered terribly for believing them. We also wouldn't want to become like Man City, who are just crass in their dealings and are some billionaires play thing, who could become bored of them, if they don't deliver the success he demands.

Investment in the club is a good thing, as long as the board and fans know exactly what is going on and that the club will be run in the right way. The example of Portsmouth should be kept in mind at all times and a lot of guarantees would need to meet if OUR club is to be sold.

[47er]

We are going to be sold on at some point, trust the Board to go with the best offer for the clubs future including potential to bring in new investment, PR skills etc.

Unless EPL change the rules very quickly all the teams will be owned by foreign investors looking to exploit the global marketing opportunities that the EPL brings just from the sheer volume of its audience worldwide. If the current bid being talked about is from who it appears to be then they will see Rovers as an opportunity to market their indian interests to a very wide audience. If you look past the mega money being thrown at Man City to buy players thats exactly what UAE companies are doing there.

Personally its the first approach that's made any sense to me. Whether it will happen or not is another question. Got to say I would follow Rovers playing at any level, but without some fresh owners soon we will be fortunate to stay in the EPL past the next 3 to 5 years.

Careful or Tris will accuse you of "scare-mongering".

[chaddyrovers]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Blackburn-takeover-Saurin-Shah-insists-25million-offer-for-Rovers-is-serious-article459757.html

[JAL]

The more you think about a foreign owner at Rovers, less popular it sounds.

This sounds like a 35 year old chancer/shark, whom Blackburn could really do without, preying on the vulnerable. Surely the trust arent vulnerable unless that is HMRC are after or crawling all over them.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

The more you think about a foreign owner at Rovers, less popular it sounds.

This sounds like a 35 year old chancer/shark, whom Blackburn could really do without, preying on the vulnerable. Surely the trust arent vulnerable unless that is HMRC are after or crawling all over them.

I'm sorry JAL but what does this even mean? What evIdence do you have that the bloke is a chancer/shark? What on Earth are you on about with the HMRC and the Trust? I can only assume, given it's Friday night in The Old Dart, that you've taken cold drinks whilst watching the WC.

[JMillZz]

The more you think about a foreign owner at Rovers, less popular it sounds.

This sounds like a 35 year old chancer/shark, whom Blackburn could really do without, preying on the vulnerable. Surely the trust arent vulnerable unless that is HMRC are after or crawling all over them.

The trustees should listen to Jal. Let's reject this serious takeover bid then and wait for a non-existent UK investor, since UK businessman are all a great deal more honest than foreign ones , and in the meantime hope that Blackburn get by, even if it is years we wait, hoping we don't get relegated whilst we battle away with a lack of finances whilst other teams continue to move forwards.

Good idea...

[JAL]

I'm sorry JAL but what does this even mean? What evIdence do you have that the bloke is a chancer/shark? What on Earth are you on about with the HMRC and the Trust? I can only assume, given it's Friday night in The Old Dart, that you've taken cold drinks whilst watching the WC.

Lets just wait and see what comes out in the following weeks dgs, I appreciate that post does sound like a muddled message.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

....And what evidence have you that he isn't a chancer DGS?.....very little is known about him or his intentions for taking us over.

Only natural to err on the side of caution with this one I fear.

[JMillZz]

I am not suggesting we should snap the hands off any investor without assessing all the relevant risks etc. But the fact is the club needs to sell to move forward. And I don't think it's fair to label a foreign investor as a chancer when it could be the same with any UK investor. I just don't feel we should be opposing a takeover IF it has the clubs best intentions in mind.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

....And what evidence have you that he isn't a chancer DGS?.....very little is known about him or his intentions for taking us over.

Only natural to err on the side of caution with this one I fear.

The burden of proof should be with the accussor. Of course we have to be cautious and I'm as worried as the next man....and a bit excited.

The alternative is death by a thousand cuts at the hands of people who seem to regard the club as a nuisance.

[Brfcrule1]

Roy Rover wrote:

Well said. We all know that there is a chronic lack of investment by the owners every season. The majority of teams in the Premiership have wealthy owners, who are willing to put their own money into the club, so that the club can progress. This is something that we have been starved of for a number of years and has resulted in our best players being constantly sold, with little of that money being re-invested in the squad. I'm sick and tired of watching the teams around us and even well below us being able to spend vast amounts of money on players, while we scrap around the bargain bin, because the £18 million that we raise from selling a player vanishes down a black hole in Jersey. The gap between the haves and have nots is getting bigger every year and it is becoming increasingly difficult for teams like ours to survive, let alone enjoy any success. As ihateburnley rightly points out, it is a miserable existence and I can't help but feel envious of the likes of Aston Villa or Birmingham who seemed to have owners who are willing to put money into the club, but not interfere or tear the soul out of the club.

However, what the club must do is make sure that whoever does want to buy us, has the clubs best interests at heart. Yes they are in it to make money, but they should also respect the traditions of the club and realise that the club belongs to the fans, who will be there long after they leave. The worst thing that can happen is that we go down the road of Portsmouth, who were fed a bag of empty promises and have suffered terribly for believing them. We also wouldn't want to become like Man City, who are just crass in their dealings and are some billionaires play thing, who could become bored of them, if they don't deliver the success he demands.

Investment in the club is a good thing, as long as the board and fans know exactly what is going on and that the club will be run in the right way. The example of Portsmouth should be kept in mind at all times and a lot of guarantees would need to meet if OUR club is to be sold.

I agree with every statement roy says it is a miserable existence and one that will ultimately result in failure. We have become the laughing stock of this league when we tried to swap Jason Roberts for Beattie even a Stoke fan said we are having a laugh pitiful team with no finances while clubs like theirs can bid big amounts on pavlyuchenko. With the trust withdrawing all funding we can not continue along the lines of being self sufficient eventually that leads to one thing and that is the unthinkable.

The more you think about a foreign owner at Rovers, less popular it sounds.

This sounds like a 35 year old chancer/shark, whom Blackburn could really do without, preying on the vulnerable. Surely the trust arent vulnerable unless that is HMRC are after or crawling all over them.

These are pretty sweeping statements there is no evidence the HMRC are crawling all over them & accusing them of things before they even come through the door is not right until you have the full facts. I am sure the club will come out & give full details & you don't think the trust will sell to any tom dick or harry?. Kamy said earlier in this thread the club are doing everything they can to find out about this bloke his finances and where the money is coming from,also you say we no not much about the bloke maybe not the Shah bloke but the people in the consortium the Ambani 2 I posted the link yesterday are some of the wealthiest men in India and 4th on the forbes list so that says to me they are serious.

The trustees should listen to Jal. Let's reject this serious takeover bid then and wait for a non-existent UK investor, since UK businessman are all a great deal more honest than foreign ones, and in the meantime hope that Blackburn get by, even if it is years we wait, hoping we don't get relegated whilst we battle away with a lack of finances whilst other teams continue to move forwards.

Good idea

I agree with this statement but the likelihood of this will mean certain relegation and spending a while in the wilderness with no chance of extra investment.

SG194 wrote:.And what evidence have you that he isn't a chancer DGS?.....very little is known about him or his intentions for taking us over.

Only natural to err on the side of caution with this one I fear.

That is a bit contradictory we do know his intentions as he mentioned in several interviews he wants to tap into the Asian market with regards to marketing & merchandising. He also wants Ewood full and get more Indian people through the turnstiles because higher attendences mean more money. Very little might be known about the Shah bloke but as I have said before the members of the consortium are minted they are the weathiest people in India and they are 4th on the forbes list the 2 Ambani brothers.

[braddock]

Roy Rover wrote:

the £18 million that we raise from selling a player vanishes down a black hole in Jersey

why do people still not understand that there isn't a conspiracy and blackburn rovers have to pay wages/bills etc?

do some people honestly believe they are hoarding this money and keeping it for themselves?

[thenodrog]

Royrover obviously does braddock.

Well said. We all know that there is a chronic lack of investment by the owners every season. The majority of teams in the Premiership have wealthy owners, who are willing to put their own money into the club, so that the club can progress. This is something that we have been starved of for a number of years and has resulted in our best players being constantly sold, with little of that money being re-invested in the squad. I'm sick and tired of watching the teams around us and even well below us being able to spend vast amounts of money on players, while we scrap around the bargain bin, because the £18 million that we raise from selling a player vanishes down a black hole in Jersey. The gap between the haves and have nots is getting bigger every year and it is becoming increasingly difficult for teams like ours to survive, let alone enjoy any success. As ihateburnley rightly points out, it is a miserable existence and I can't help but feel envious of the likes of Aston Villa or Birmingham who seemed to have owners who are willing to put money into the club, but not interfere or tear the soul out of the club.

However, what the club must do is make sure that whoever does want to buy us, has the clubs best interests at heart. Yes they are in it to make money, but they should also respect the traditions of the club and realise that the club belongs to the fans, who will be there long after they leave. The worst thing that can happen is that we go down the road of Portsmouth, who were fed a bag of empty promises and have suffered terribly for believing them. We also wouldn't want to become like Man City, who are just crass in their dealings and are some billionaires play thing, who could become bored of them, if they don't deliver the success he demands.

Investment in the club is a good thing, as long as the board and fans know exactly what is going on and that the club will be run in the right way. The example of Portsmouth should be kept in mind at all times and a lot of guarantees would need to meet if OUR club is to be sold.

Completely contradictory post!