[Archived] Rovers Takeover: End game ?

[John]

Sure someone will post the links soon but worrying comments from Dave Whelan. Also the Guardian suggests we are selling to Venkys because its the only serious interest we've had.

[Iceman]

I think the worrying part, is that they intend to use us, for their company's gain. Surely you do not make comments like that, and expect the fans to happy.

Whelan makes some good points, but its just not that easy to find good owners. Its clear, that they are going to exploit the Rovers brand, and this does not sit well with me. Short term it might be good for Rovers, but long term it could turn out bad if their company starts to lose money. Will they still want to invest in us, if their company hits a bad patch? The long term future of Rovers, is more important than short term success. I know investment is needed, but major concerns are there and thats not good.

[47er]

Here's the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/nov/10/venkys-blackburn-rovers-takeover-proposed

Its a pretty weak argument from Dave Whelan really. He'd prefer someone from Blackburn to take over! Unfortunately he doesn't give us any clue as to how to find that person!

[John]

He would prefer a British owner, also he doubts their marketing plan. The David Conn article is also an interesting read.

He would prefer a British owner, also he doubts their marketing plan. The David Conn article is also an interesting read.

[PAFELL]

Here's the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/nov/10/venkys-blackburn-rovers-takeover-proposed

Its a pretty weak argument from Dave Whelan really. He'd prefer someone from Blackburn to take over! Unfortunately he doesn't give us any clue as to how to find that person!

Over all though a pretty good article - maybe a realistc one at that.

[John]

"The Blackburn deal doesn't sound right, and it doesn't look right," said Whelan, who discussed the takeover with the Rovers directors on Saturday, when the clubs met at Ewood Park. "It is an absolute shame. The trustees want the club to be safe but it doesn't seem to be safe."

[philipl]

Most concerned I've been yet after reading dave whelans comments about venkys

"The Blackburn deal doesn't sound right, and it doesn't look right," I have to agree Brownie- when you have an instinctive business man like Whelan saying things like that (and a guy who knows a thing or two about selling football shirts) it cannot help but cause concern.

This is the David Conn comment article in the Guardian this morning. At last a broadsheet takes an indepth look into the Rovers takeover- even the Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton ownership issues have drawn more comment than the Rovers'.

Conn writes- "However, there is no suggestion that Anderson would have preferred-agent status at Blackburn if Venky's does buy the club." He obviously doesn't read the Mirror or People then.

There are very different messages coming out of Venky's and from nicko about the role of Anderson/Kentaro going forwards although the body language of Anderson and Belaji at Ewood means nicko's posts cannot be dismissed despite howls from elsewhere.

This is critical to Rovers ability to operate in the transfer market right now- it is not an issue to be ducked and left for the fullness of time. You can be sure that every agent Rovers have dealt with or will ever deal with will have those images of Belaji and Jerome Anderson firmly imprinted on the back of their retinas whenever Blackburn Rovers get mentioned.

The other thing which strikes me is that whatever way you translate the Venky's/VH finances, nicko's point that they are significantly less wealthy than the Trust is the key one.

These guys simply cannot afford their Rovers venture not to be a commercial success. If Whelan is right, we are up to our necks in chicken effluent.

David Conn's pay-off line is:

"The truth is they know clubs like Blackburn cost money, they do not make money, and they never expected to be in charge for 10 years after Walker died.

"The trustees, though, are responsible for passing the club to safe hands and a period of worry will follow, in Jersey and in Blackburn, if they do indeed pluck out Venky's as the future owner of the club that Jack built."

[Bobby G]

Very alarming, especially when Whelan says the directors know something doesnt sound right.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

Ding, Ding! All aboard for Flip Flop Phil's trip to doom land.

[chaddyrovers]

I am sure that the rovers board and John Williams have found the best owners for the club!!! I TRUST THEM TO HAVE FOUND US THE BEST OWNERS FOR THE CLUB. Also Rovers have look throughly at Vh Group and their background and how much money they have. Myself has been postive caution till we know more about their plans and more about the background and why they have bought us.

[Mr. E]

Regardless of how all this ends, attempts have been made to tarnish the club's image. Blackburn Rovers is not some "stock" to be quibbled over for months by chicken farmers or any other corporate businesses.

Cheers to the "get on with the modern times" crowd. This is the reality of the situation.

[Athlete]

If Dave Whelan as doubts about the Blackburn deal and the people involved you have too be doubtfull and cautious as thats a guy who knows what he's taking about , business and sports wise...no matter what some people think of DW as a person he's a very shrewd business man who has been around the block !

[broadsword]

So, the trust are selling to the first non-tyre kicker that comes along, an Indian company whose forte is chickens and who have less money than the trust. Their entire business plan revolves around sticking a bit of money in and "leasing" players and they will recoup (or should I say re-coop) their money by flogging shirts to fans in India ... where there is a nascent interest in English football (so we have no precedents to judge whether recruiting Indians to be fans of a middle tier EPL club will work).

All I can say to that is good cluck. It's a multi-million pound gamble and if it all goes chicken breast up, how will Venky's leverage us out of trouble? If the income from India is nowhere near what is projected, where will the money come from to buy players after their initial outlay? The banks?

Marketing plan sounds iffy, financial aspect worries me, Kentaro aspect worries me.

We stand on the precipice and rather than diving head-first because we should trust the Trust, I'd rather look before we leap. And right now, it looks like the edge of the Grand Canyon with a tub of sulphuric acid at the bottom.

[koi]

Maybe Dave thinks the new owners are going to buy the club cheap, promise to spend big and compete amongst the European elite but then starve the club of cash, sell-off surrounding land at six times the cost of buying the entire club, then ban the club from actually using the facilities before selling the lot off for a further few mill'?

Or, maybe he thinks the VH group have done a deal with a well-known supermarket chain who wants the land Ewood Park sits on and can get a three-fold return on the cost of purchasing the entire club and clearing the debts?

I'd be inclined to believe Whelan, he knows how to rape a club that's for sure

[Roversider]

OK, so lets panic about what Dave Whelan has said. It will be interesting to see who he dumps Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors onto as he has already said that he won't pass that burden onto his family.

It's not an easy world and we have been lucky to have had relative stability of ownership for many years. This might turn out badly and we might end up back in the lower leagues (where I enjoyed lots of football over the seventies and eighties), so what? It will be the same if we continue as we are, wages to turnover is way too high. We need another increased source of income and a relatively untapped market and India has promise if we can bridge into there. VH could provide that bridge with Kentaro helping on the marketing.

Running the Rovers is a financial tightrope at the moment, eventually we will fall off unless we change.

So damned if we do, damned if we don't, Dave Whelan has some good points to make but he has no answers. He will have an equally big issue at Wigan and he is less sentimental than Jack I suspect. Good luck to him.

What I want is for my club to continue in whatever league they end up in, I supported Rovers in the old Third and there won't be a change in the years to come. I cannot see a scenario where the club goes out of business, even Pompey dodged a bullet in much, much worse circumstances.

Whatever happens, whatever happens! I remain staunchly Blue and White.

[Roversider]

We stand on the precipice and rather than diving head-first because we should trust the Trust, I'd rather look before we leap. And right now, it looks like the edge of the Grand Canyon with a tub of sulphuric acid at the bottom.

Do you think we as fans have a choice? Where will you be post the takeover, at Ewood or posting here how the world is about to end?

I understand your concerns because I am twitchy as well but I don't delude myself into thinking that as fans we actually have a say in what the Trust will do. We have ridden on the back of Jack's dream for quarter of a century now and the club still cannot stand on its own two feet financially and guarantee regular premiership football.

It is going to happen unless the Board and the Trust change their minds or VH pull out. I don't see any indications of that.

Time to wake up and smell the coffee, the world turns whether we like it or not.

[Paul Mellelieu]

I'm afraid I don't buy the "trust the trust" line, nor the "trust Jack's will" line, because if either was the case we wouldn't be about to be sold to Venkys.

The club is about to become a marketing vehicle for what appears to be a tenth rate company on the other side of the world, and depending on who you believe, also a vehicle for a cabal of spvis at Kentaro to launder young players into the PL. Not what you want your club to be is it?

One voice has been missing throughout this process, that of the fans. Now Dave Whelan's suggestion that the club be sold for a nominal figure is not going to happen, but surely Rovers' fans have to say that we against the club going in the direction it is, and to argue for more fan involvement in making a decision about the future of the club.

Now I'm not arguing for a FC United-type of solution, but we have to decide what is important for us as fans. And being a brand for Venkys to flog more ill-treated chickens can't be the height of our aspirations.

[XLM]

If Dave Whelan as doubts about the Blackburn deal and the people involved you have too be doubtfull and cautious as thats a guy who knows what he's taking about , business and sports wise...no matter what some people think of DW as a person he's a very shrewd business man who has been around the block !

What does Dave Whelan actually know, has he been involved in the discussions? No, would seem to be the answer. So he is making general uninformed comments. He should join this board.

[Smithy]

Venky's are the only really serious bidders that the trust feel can meet their demands in over 3 years. What do you do?

Decline: And hope that another comes along and soon?

Accept: Hope for the best?

I have to echo Paul Mellelieu's thoughts and I'll never understand why we don't.

[koi]

OK, so lets panic about what Dave Whelan has said. It will be interesting to see who he dumps Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors onto as he has already said that he won't pass that burden onto his family.

Whelan sold the Warriors in 2008 to a decent bloke, hence why we are successful again. Regarding the 'tics, the ownership of the DW is the one too watch there

[langhoblue]

Dave Whelan ....... Orrell RUFC

David Conn .......... Tosser with own agenda

[47er]

If Dave Whelan as doubts about the Blackburn deal and the people involved you have too be doubtfull and cautious as thats a guy who knows what he's taking about , business and sports wise...no matter what some people think of DW as a person he's a very shrewd business man who has been around the block !

So who's he going to sell Wigan to to protect his grandchildren? They have even smaller crowds than we do, significantly smaller.

[John]

David Conn wrote this article previously - End of Walker funding means Rovers face uncertain future

[imy9]

Venkys are a well respected company in Asia and are known for their philanthropy, donating millions of pounds a year to charities, so they want to use us to advertise, so what? Give them a chance before writing them off and their ideas.

[Spansterkid]

Whelan seems to be saying what many of us on here have been saying from the start. The business plan is entirely based upon attracting huge numbers of supporters in India and on that new support generating large levels of income, one way or another.

It seems to be fairly widely accepted now (even by Nicko?) that VH Group aren't as rich as was first reported, and that they don't have anything like the resources of the Trust.

I think that leaves us in a dodgy situation. If the business plan fails (which Whelan thinks likely) then VH Group do not have the resources to put alternative money into Rovers. We'll then be in a worse position than we are now. At least now we know the Trust definitely have access to money if Rovers were truly desperate. The same cannot be said of VH Group, they will only have the money if the business plan works.

Is it worth gambling the whole future of Rovers on an untried business plan?