[Archived] Rovers Takeover: End game ?

[nicko]

Did you not voice your concerns a week or two back after Ms, Desai commented on their position with Kentaro (advisory).

Yours in response to her comments along the lines of ...... Joined at the hip ...... serious damage could be caused ...... need to get their stories straight ..........

I DON'T THINK THE VH GROUP HAVE SAID MUCH ABOUT THE KENTARO LINK...ONE OR TWO REPORTS TRIED TO DISTANCE THEM...BUT I SUSPECT THAT CAME FROM OTHER 'ANXIOUS' PARTIES WHO FEARED AN OUTBREAK OF HYSTERIA.

It seems now that if this Anderson story is true and does infact come to fruition, that our owners are at best econimical with the truth.

SEE ABOVE.

If Anderson is appointed as you say how can there not be a conflict of interest, SEM and Kentaro in partnership, Kentaro's agents on their own books, every player that is brought in through one of Kentaro's agents will have big question marks around it.

WHY? AGENTS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BRING IN DUFF PLAYERS IF THEY HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN THE OVERALL WELFARE OF THE CLUB...IT COULD ACTUALLY BE A POSITIVE AS ANY SIGNINGS WOULD HAVE BE GOOD OR THERE WOULD BE A NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO THE 'PROJECT.'

I would imagine Anderson has a good income from his agency, that hole will take some filling, I'd suggest a rather large expense that the club could do without until some new revenue streams are flowing.

I DON'T THINK JEROME ANDERSON IS SHORT OF A SHILLING. THE POINT IS THAT THE COMPANY - LIKE THE CLUB - WOULD ONLY BE A SUCCESS IF RESULTS AND PLAYERS WERE DOING WELL. WHO LOSES IN THAT SCENARIO APART FROM THE ODD JILTED AGENT?

So it looks like Jerome Anderson will be the new Chairman at some point.

That begs more questions-

How would this work with an independently minded autonomous manager? eg the sometimes bloody minded Sam.

How will relations with existing players and their agents be handled when many of these people have had their professional differences with Anderson in the past?

Will all connections with Kentaro be severed as well as Anderson terminating his agent's license? There are clauses designed to prevent "hidden" agents.

JW's salary is disclosed in the accounts at about £300k all up. Will Anderson work for a similar salary or will he draw his pay from a different source?

All of those questions can only be answered in time.

You get differences throughout every football club, a new manager may have history with a player.

This is just an extra layer on top.

But, so what? It's football. It's new, but it's really the same script with just minor alterations.

[Paul]

Thanks for the clarification Alan.

Since I posted my original question, a little bird told me that Anderson is actually slated to be the new Chairman after a decent interval post-take over.

If this proves to be true it scares the living daylights out of me. Is anyone stopping to look beyond 17th in the PL? Are we considering the implications for football if a deal like this can be put together in Blackburn? On the one side we have a little known, outside of India, reportedly highly successful company which needs a high profile to promote it's business expansion plans on a global basis. On the other hand we have "an association" of football agents /professionals with connections into players, overseas clubs, TV deals etc. and we have a proud football club struggling to play catch up.

VH / Kentaro put together a deal to buy the club and create a model which has worrying consequences for the future of professional football - anywhere. IMV we are talking about the beginning of a radical change whereby clubs truly become franchises which can be used to showcase the talents held by each agent or group of agents while providing relatively cheap, almost self-financing, publicity and brand awareness for major corporations or "wannabe global brands". It does not take a great leap of imagination to see more agents / financiers working together to put their players into a specific team, and when the revenue is not great enough in Blackpool / Blackburn / Wigan to move the franchise to a major urban area where there could be enough support.

Kentaro Rovers v Reebok Wanderers in the MS Virtual League Premier Division.

Am I being to bleak about this? It seems to me the only thing which could stop the development of franchises is the tribal nature of the support. But if this is being sold in to a world wide TV audience, out of season tours, 39th game, etc. it is the potential for a business to earn profits which will determine the decision not 20,000 unhappy souls with a BB post code. We all know the PL will bend over backwards for Sky, what happens if someone with more money than Sky bids for the TV rights and then effectively owns the game, and then re-sells those rights to Sky and other broadcasters?

If we thought the game had changed in the last 15 years, watch the next 10 whizz by.

Just look at cycling and the Sky Team

[koi]

Why the downer on this Jerome chap? He's obviously a very smart cookie and a big player in the world of footballing and I seriously doubt he'd want any project he's involved with too fail. I might be wrong mind you.

[Paul]

Why the downer on this Jerome chap? He's obviously a very smart cookie and a big player in the world of footballing and I seriously doubt he'd want any project he's involved with too fail. I might be wrong mind you.

Yes, obviously. But this isn't just about having a bit more money to spend on players. This is about creating and retaining control over everything. Find a lad in some South American slum, sign him on, punt him around a bit, take a % on everything, if he's good enough stick him in your team in the PL. If he's a world beater pick up more and more %s.

This is not about owning a club, this is about a franchise, for world wide publicity and I can promise you now there is no reason for any of these owners to give two hoots about you, me and the rest of the MB. It just won't matter any more.They'll tell you the fans matter, but they won't give a damn.

[92er]

What happens if Venky's vision doesn't come to fruition? What's to stop them off-loading to anyone?

Probably nothing.

Jack was a one off

I agreed with your post, but I would like to remind people we've actually had 2 major benefactors.

Lawrence Cotton's contribution before WW1 led to our winning League Division 1 twice-and presumably would have led to more success if that war had not happened.

So, as a club we've been massively fortunate.

[67splitscreen]

Yes, obviously. But this isn't just about having a bit more money to spend on players. This is about creating and retaining control over everything. Find a lad in some South American slum, sign him on, punt him around a bit, take a % on everything, if he's good enough stick him in your team in the PL. If he's a world beater pick up more and more %s.

I think you will find Anderson already is behind one such scheme but in Africa, courtesy

of the Ian Wright academy along with numerous other players from Anderson's stable including Warnock.

' In Cape Town, however, while the cash that is injected into theproject by Wright, Julio Arca, Stephen Warnock, Alex Song, DannyCollins, Mamady Sidibe and Mart Poom could, indeed change lives. Itcould enrich their lives, too. Players making money out of youngerplayers. Jerome Anderson, the London-based football agent who representsWright, Warnock and Poom, also has an involvement in the project.

My link

The academy under investigation by FIFA. in 2009.

My link

[BuckyRover]

Not concerned. We are being sold to a group with a plan, a plan that will take us forward. I doubt we would sell to anyone who said they would come in and maintain the status quo (losing money every season).

Those that jump in first reap the biggest rewards.

I really don't understand how having a director of football with access to some of the hottest names in world football is in anyway a conflict of interest. It seems to me exactly what you would want from a DoF.

[broadsword]

"take us forward" - is that on a go forward basis?

Must be the most meaningless management speak phrase out there.

[BuckyRover]

Would you prefer that they take us backward? It's fairly descriptive unless you are bring anal.

[philipl]

Profile of our next Chairman?

Jerome Anderson, 47

FOOTBALL AGENT

Anderson cuts a flamboyant figure with his sunglasses and swept-back hair and he enjoys the showbusiness side of his job. Best known for acting for a stable of Arsenal players and developing Ian Wright as a media star. Anderson has had a busy summer, signing eight players for Manchester City following the takeover by former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

From this 2007 Evening Standard piece. There's not much about him on the web to be honest but he did collect £7m in fees from Man City for that summer's work.

[67splitscreen]

All of those questions can only be answered in time.

You get differences throughout every football club, a new manager may have history with a player.

This is just an extra layer on top.

But, so what? It's football. It's new, but it's really the same script with just minor alterations.

"WHY? AGENTS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BRING IN DUFF PLAYERS IF THEY HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN THE OVERALL WELFARE OF THE CLUB...IT COULD ACTUALLY BE A POSITIVE AS ANY SIGNINGS WOULD HAVE BE GOOD OR THERE WOULD BE A NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO THE 'PROJECT.'

Agents outside of the Kentaro umbrella fine, but anyone/company associated with Kentaro if a financial transaction takes place then Anderson is likely to benefit from his own association within the SEM/Kentaro partnership currently, inter trading as such, with financial gain possible, to a party that should not be receiving it.

[chaddyrovers]

In the Daily Mirror today, it says that John Williams will stay on at the club. I would imagine staying on as Chairman and Jerome Anderson as Director of Football Stragety. Anderson job to find young very talent players \nd bring them into the club and develop them. I think the new onwers are looking at the Arsenal blueprint and trying to adopt it at Rovers.

[nicko]

"WHY? AGENTS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BRING IN DUFF PLAYERS IF THEY HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN THE OVERALL WELFARE OF THE CLUB...IT COULD ACTUALLY BE A POSITIVE AS ANY SIGNINGS WOULD HAVE BE GOOD OR THERE WOULD BE A NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO THE 'PROJECT.'

Agents outside of the Kentaro umbrella fine, but anyone/company associated with Kentaro if a financial transaction takes place then Anderson is likely to benefit from his own association within the SEM/Kentaro partnership currently, inter trading as such, with financial gain possible, to a party that should not be receiving it.

I can think of many agents who don't give a toss about how a player does at a club once they have put them there. Take the money and run. Don't bother if it is the only deal they do at that club as a result.

So there has to be a positive 'feel' about an agent or agency that benefits - along with the club - from finding top players who will then be sold down the line. It is less likely that they will try to rip anyone off as they would only be ripping off their own organisation.

Surely.

[broadsword]

I suppose as Richard Nixon once said:- it's better to have them inside the tents p*55*ng out than outside the tent p*55*ng in.

[BuckyRover]

I can think of many agents who don't give a toss about how a player does at a club once they have put them there. Take the money and run. Don't bother if it is the only deal they do at that club as a result.

So there has to be a positive 'feel' about an agent or agency that benefits - along with the club - from finding top players who will then be sold down the line. It is less likely that they will try to rip anyone off as they would only be ripping off their own organisation.

Surely.

Of course. It wouldnt be long before players stopped signing for Kentaro if all they did was dump bad players on us. Who as a player would want to be "dumped" on BRFC?The relationship has to have players going on to better things otherwise it's pointless. I believe that is what will happen.

It's the future

[imy9]

I am looking forward to seeing what Anderson and vh group do. As has been stated already it serves no purpose to see Rovers fail and Anderson has some big football stars on his payroll.

Finally I think vh group have come out twice now to say that the money is theirs to buy the club, how many more times do they have to say it?

[47er]

I can think of many agents who don't give a toss about how a player does at a club once they have put them there. Take the money and run. Don't bother if it is the only deal they do at that club as a result.

So there has to be a positive 'feel' about an agent or agency that benefits - along with the club - from finding top players who will then be sold down the line. It is less likely that they will try to rip anyone off as they would only be ripping off their own organisation.

Surely.

It wouldn't be a Blackburn Rovers site if it wasn't full of fans forecasting the worst possible outcome. I blame the weather.

[American]

In the US, many agents have become general managers/presidents of teams (equivalent to director of football/chairman, respectively) and vice-versa. For the team, it is good to have someone who knows how the other side thinks during negotiations. For the person, it is a new career challenge.

[colin]

Anderson cuts a flamboyant figure with his sunglasses and swept-back hair and he enjoys the showbusiness side of his job. Best known for acting for a stable of Arsenal players and developing Ian Wright as a media star

How did that go then?

[Spansterkid]

Jerome Anderson is not the type of man I want to see running the club I support. The way he treats young African kids is dubious, to put it very kindly.

Anderson getting power of attorney over a kid - all in the name of profit of course

Chief executive of the South African FA branding Anderson, Wright et al's Africa Soccer Development project as immoral - 'raping the country'

Fifa confirm investigation into Anderson, Wright et al's project

[Brfcrule1]

Nicko do you think any of the details that came out today will affect the deal?. One thing that occurred to me early on in this process you stated the Trustees were scared about the number of bidders and the lengths each bidder would go to,to obtain the club. With all this in mind is this the reason do you think shah is bringing up this claim about being part of the Venky's bid & could it be a publicity stunt?. Also if Shah was part of the Venky's bid would he not have paperwork and an arrangement to say he is part of their bid?. It seems as though he is trying it on to give his bid credibility. Also do you know how much it is alleged Shah is willing to put up as has been said he is trying to put in a bigger bid?. It says today Shah is considering legal action against Venky's but it said before he would not take it further with these conflicting reports do you think he is likely to take action. With all this to be resolved do you think it will delay the deal being done this month?. Thanks as ever for your valuable input. Reading those articles regarding Anderson & Obi Mikel scare the hell out of me but I have to say he seems very experienced about players and could be a good thing.

[Hughesy]

Yes, obviously. But this isn't just about having a bit more money to spend on players. This is about creating and retaining control over everything. Find a lad in some South American slum, sign him on, punt him around a bit, take a % on everything, if he's good enough stick him in your team in the PL. If he's a world beater pick up more and more %s.

This is not about owning a club, this is about a franchise, for world wide publicity and I can promise you now there is no reason for any of these owners to give two hoots about you, me and the rest of the MB. It just won't matter any more.They'll tell you the fans matter, but they won't give a damn.

Who's to say VH are not also buying Kentaro out???

[67splitscreen]

Who's to say VH are not also buying Kentaro out???

Oh dear, just how much do money do you think there is in the curry pot Hughesy.

"Kentaro AG is considering divesting a stake that could value the company at £300 millon, The Independent reported. The report stated that minority shareholders are keen to divest their investment for a hefty profit. The size of the stake to be divest is yet to be decided, however sale of 10% could be worth £30 million."

That was two years ago.

[Hughesy]

Perhaps they could buy a stake in them?? Then what would the rules be?

[Mandrake]

Tired of people "Phillipl" trying to extract as much negative conclusions out of any bit of information..