[Archived] JA's Sky Sports interview

[Paul]

Isnt it correct to think that we will also receive a significant amount from our player sales ?

I don't know if the following figure includes incoming transfer fee but "Debtors - amounts falling due within one year is £5.5m." I imagine, but don't know, this would include expected transfer fees.

[NEARREY]

I don't know if the following figure includes incoming transfer fee but "Debtors - amounts falling due within one year is £5.5m." I imagine, but don't know, this would include expected transfer fees.

I think the amounts due to be recieved of £5.5m is at 30th June 2011, whilst any transfers done after this isn't shown.However there is a note that post balance sheet date that we are due £8.7m in net transfer fees receivable. Whether these are due within one year is not stated.

[winstonsmith]

It was interesting to hear Anderson confirm that he was involved with the club during the January 2010 transfer window.

He states that he "received a call from the owner of the club" to say "we have one or two issues at the moment that are causing us concern - would you be kind enough to help us through this difficult period" - which was the January transfer window. Anderson then states that "So I basically slept at the training ground for the month of January and helped the club in so many different areas" mainly bringing in new players - namely J Jones, Rochina and Formica- and renegotiating existing players contracts including Phil Jones.

I could be mistaken but Anderson then seems to say that he and his assistants "did not receive one penny" for doing this. I have played back the video a number of times and he really does seem to say that !

He goes on to claim that it had been a "very, very successful transfer window" and that when he left at the end of January "the place was rocking". The players he brought in played "an integral part in keeping the team in the PL".

Some points on this-

1. Anderson confirms that the club handed the responsibility for player recruitment and contract renegotiation to an agent. I may be mistaken, but I would have thought that previously this had been the responsibility of the Chairman, John Williams or Managing Director, Tom Finn, in conjunction with the manager. It seems strange for Anderson to be called in whilst they were still in post.

2. If it is true that he did not receive one penny, then I find such noble self sacrifice to be truly awe inspiring.

3. Although Anderson claims the transfer window and PL survival last season as a great success, he offers no explanation as to why, after the window closed with us in a comfortable position in the league, we embarked on the worst winless run for 25 years which left us under the threat of relegation on the last day of the season.

[RevidgeBlue]

I'm not really surprised given the current climate but I can't really see that Anderson said anything to get too worked up about at all.

If he or perhaps more to the point members of his family his family including Myles are receiving abuse that is completely out of order.

I saw part of the interview on Sky and the pertinent points for me were as follows:

1)He said his involvment at Ewood consisted of being asked by the Walker Trustees to find investment and he presented them with three or four options including interest from America and this Country. The Trustees chose Venky's. It seemed to me Anderson is now trying to distance himself from Venky's by these remarks.

2) He was then asked by Venky's to assist with payer recruitment in January. He "slept" at the training ground and seemed to think that the recruitment of J Jones, Rochina and Formica represented successful business. I don't think it was too bad.

3) If what he says is correct he played a part in persuading Phil Jones not to leave in January and to sign a new contract. As a result of this we received 16m rising to a possible 20m this summer rather than the 8m we would have received under the terms of his old contract.

I can't remember exactly what he said about the treatment Kean is receiving from the fans but I have to agree with the gist of what he said about it being counterproductive to the team winning football matches. So really nothing there to get too excited about in normal times but as usual anything that happens or is said at the Club at the moment is getting blown out of all proportion by the protestors and Andy Cryer.

Paul, on a separate note, if the accounts are reporting the situation as at the end of June 2011 I presume there is a substantial chunk of TV revenue receivable in the following 12 months which you haven't allowed for in your 54m figure?

[blackburnblue]

The timing of this is dreadful. I see Fulham as a winnable home game. If we don't beat Fulham at home I don't see what 8 games of the remaining 18 we are going to win. For all his faults Anderson is clearly not dumb. He knew we were playing a winnable home game. He knew his comments would cause anger amongst the fans. This is all staged. Don't fall in to the trap people. Get behind OUR team on Saturday.

[EwoodDawn]

Looked a bit staged from JA plus he was talking Kean like guff.

In my view, it very much resembled the 'staged' nature of recent Brockhall/Ewood Park press conferences that we've all heard about - the ones where the interviewee is provided with the questions prior to the event and has time to prepare answers. Oh and no-one dares to pose any follow-up questions.

[rhodie]

Well if Kean had to walk out the door tomorrow on say constructive dismissal grounds based on the fans made me cry and the owners never protected me grounds,The tribunal could always refer back to J.A`s interview and opinion to get him his big payout.

[Miker]

Paul, the debt is broken down into debt due within the year and after 1 year. I don't have the docs in front of me now, but the entire debt does not have to be repaid.

Dave, yes the operational loss will probably be bigger, due to the loss of commercial income. I discussed this with Nick Harris and we agreed that the loss won't be huge in comparison to 2010/2011, but definitely bigger.

In terms of transfers, over the last 2 windows we have continued to operate as a trading club. The money received for player sales has been used to cover transfer costs, and not operational costs.

The following is key though:

Last season, the 10m capital injected into the club meant that the books were balanced and the remaining loss covered. There is also a 5m loan to be repaid over 5 years provided by Venky's.

However, this means that in the 2011/2012 accounts Venky's HAVE to provide a further injection of capital to cover running costs or otherwise sell players.

Nick Harris believes that there is no evidence that the owners will do this and will opt to sell players instead, however I diverge with him on this point due to the following.

There is no evidence that the owners want to become a BUYING club, however there is plenty of evidence that they want to remain a TRADING club. So I don't think they'll necessary spend their own money on transfers, but they will likely continue to pay for any operational losses incurred to keep our debt manageable. This would be max of 10m a season.

The question for me is whether or not the owners are aware that the squad suffers from under investment and needs to act as a buying club at least for the first 1-2 seasons to revamp the squad, and if they are aware whether they are willing to do so.

Nick Harris says no, I say we'll see.

My impression from the accounts is that the owners want to run Rovers as a trading club and only put money in to cover the remaining expenses. However, I remain open to other possibilities. My prediction is we sell some players and re-invest or not sell players (or not any big players) and buy players on the cheap. There is absolutely no chance of Venky's to splash 10m+ on a player because it would just be throwing money down a hole and we can't honestly expect them to do that.

[winstonsmith]

No questions asked as to why John Williams, Tom Finn were removed from thier posts.

I had tried to make two posts earlier dealing with the first parts of the interview. However, only one of these has got through, so I must assume I said something in the other post which was not approved by the mods. However, I am reposting this part as it is only a direct quote from Anderson and therefore should be approved. Anderson talks about the first few weeks after the takeover and says -

"It is well documented that after an initial period there were some issues around the club where the owners were not happy with certain things that were happening within the club and changes were made. Its well documented"'

Anderson was asked if he was referring to Sam Allardyce. To which he replied -

"You're talking manager, at board level and if ...you are unhappy for whatever reason with the people that are still there.. but things happen and changes have to be made".

Couple of points on this -

1. He emphasised that this had been well documented but I am not aware of any such documentation.

2. Anderson does not say what the owners were unhappy with nor exactly who they were unhappy with at board level nor what changes were made. John Williams departed soon afterwards.

[47er]

It seems to me that he was not only involved in the club last January--he was running it! Could that be how the transfer of Rochina went through with a very large agent payment?

He was drawing up player contracts (allegedly).

[47er]

I'm not really surprised given the current climate but I can't really see that Anderson said anything to get too worked up about at all.

That's a worry.

[purplegrover]

For those of us out there who aren't financially astute enough to read and digest the accounts, thanks to Miker/Paul et. al. for this thread and information on their understanding. It certainly makes it easier for non-finance people to get what is clearly a crucial piece of the puzzle that the rank and file supporters just don't generally touch on in the protests.

Its scary stuff indeed.

***looks sideways nervously at Pompey****

[Brfcrule1]

an earlier poster summed up what I was thinking and emailed sky about Anderson says he his family and his son were abused and Steve Kean & his family have been abused but where is his proof you can't go round making such allegations without proper evidence also he states Steve Kean has had to protect his own son Myles Anderson from the abuse by him not being on the bench but regularly features for the reserves could it possibly be his son is not good enough as to why he is not getting picked after all he has only ever had 4 mins playing time in an inferior league could it be a case of sour grapes as to why his son is not being picked?.

[Paul]

Paul, on a separate note, if the accounts are reporting the situation as at the end of June 2011 I presume there is a substantial chunk of TV revenue receivable in the following 12 months which you haven't allowed for in your 54m figure?

Quite agree Rev there will be a large, presumably £40m+, payment from Sky. However please consider our wage bill will be in the region of 80/85% of turnover so the bulk of this money will be directed towards salaries. I suppose it's possible salaries have been included under Net Current Liabilities but it would be the first time I've heard of such being the case.

To expand on this further the directors state the club will require SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL funding above the facilities which exist today for the 18 month period ending December 2012. This suggests to me this season's TV revenues will not impact significantly on the the £54m highlighted above. What influence do you think KPMG had on ensuring this statement appeared in the accounts and further assurances Venkys have the finances to support the club? Note the statement is "have" not "will."

Looking at the current squad it is very difficult to see how we can trade our way out of this. To be optimistic - Samba £15m, Hoilett £10m, Dann £5m, Robbo £3m let's not discuss the realistic values this is just guesswork at the maximum value - £33m could be raised by selling the backbone of the team. Then what?

I would fully accept my reading of the accounts my be less accurate than an accountants - especially if one is creative - but it still boils down to one thing. Sky revenues for 2011/2012 are not going to cover Rivers finances, we are effectively bust.

Would you supply a company showing these figures? I would not.

[Mattyblue]

I'm not really surprised given the current climate but I can't really see that Anderson said anything to get too worked up about at all.

If he or perhaps more to the point members of his family his family including Myles are receiving abuse that is completely out of order.

I saw part of the interview on Sky and the pertinent points for me were as follows:

1)He said his involvment at Ewood consisted of being asked by the Walker Trustees to find investment and he presented them with three or four options including interest from America and this Country. The Trustees chose Venky's. It seemed to me Anderson is now trying to distance himself from Venky's by these remarks.

2) He was then asked by Venky's to assist with payer recruitment in January. He "slept" at the training ground and seemed to think that the recruitment of J Jones, Rochina and Formica represented successful business. I don't think it was too bad.

3) If what he says is correct he played a part in persuading Phil Jones not to leave in January and to sign a new contract. As a result of this we received 16m rising to a possible 20m this summer rather than the 8m we would have received under the terms of his old contract.

I can't remember exactly what he said about the treatment Kean is receiving from the fans but I have to agree with the gist of what he said about it being counterproductive to the team winning football matches. So really nothing there to get too excited about in normal times but as usual anything that happens or is said at the Club at the moment is getting blown out of all proportion by the protestors and Andy Cryer.

The only thing I find surprising is that yout taking the word of Jerome Anderson on face value.

Abuse? When? Myles has received none when he has actually appeared on a pitch wearing blue n white. He has received stick on here, but that's life, far better players with far greater careers have been slagged off on Internet forums, if daddy doesn't like it, perhaps he can get me lado a job in his event management business.

Anderson himself? Fair game as a major player this last year.

The transfer window was largely crap, JJ did well, Cruz tanked and Formica/Rochina played about 10 minutes between them. We were comfortably in mid table in January, we survived on the final day.

Kean and the owners got away scot free for 9 months, results and club management were still poor, you know very well that fans wil eventually flip.

And as for Cryer, all power to him, he is framing the views of fans, yer know those that have been the heartbeat of this club for 135 years,.

[thenodrog]

My impression from the accounts is that the owners want to run Rovers as a trading club and only put money in to cover the remaining expenses. However, I remain open to other possibilities. My prediction is we sell some players and re-invest or not sell players (or not any big players) and buy players on the cheap. There is absolutely no chance of Venky's to splash 10m+ on a player because it would just be throwing money down a hole and we can't honestly expect them to do that.

Exactly. I can understand that re:transfer fees perfectly. In fact it's a question I've asked frequently with no valid reply just a metaphoric shrug of the shoulders acceptance that that is the way it is. Transfer fees depreciate over the life of a players contract which alongside remuneration simply does not stack up. To take an extreme example assuming Torres costs Chelsea in the region of 200k pw then over 5 years that amounts to some 50m which is breathtaking in itself but the fact that Chelsea paid Lpool 50m for his services means that in 5 years Snr Torres can pack his bags and walk out of Stamford bridge for nothing. Which equates to the Chelsea actually blowing 100m in that time. Far better to wait till Torres' contract is up and pay him 300k pw for example. Now no one cares too much about the fantasy worlds of Russian oligarchs and Petrol headed Ayrabs but scratch the surface to the real world and the situation becomes desperate for so many 'normal' clubs. No wonder we see clubs scrapping through the play offs to the promised land only to then take the money (90m) and run rather than try to compete with the lunatics who are running the asylum. The likes of Kilby and Flood at Burnley and Oyston at Blackpool have to use a football expression 'played a blinder' for themselves.

The players and the agents hold all the cards here which is an odious and dangerous situation for all football clubs in irgeneral. Maybe the question to Anderson after his claim should have been 'Jerome.... You say you took no money from BRFC for the work that you did in the transfer window last January BUT did you take any from anybody else in connection with that work'? Now it might only be my opinion but Jerome Anderson with his puffy face and his sharp suits does not really look like your average charity worker does he?

[67splitscreen]

There has been a phone No floating around allegedly JA.

Some have tried calling but only got the answer machine, however a text seemed to work.

[winstonsmith]

January 2011:

Anderson spends 2 to 3 weeks at the training ground trying to "sell" Venky's vision for the club to the players.

January 2012:

Samba states that "Things have not gone as I was told".

[Moppy]

Just to further illustrate why this thread is obviously needed.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/blackburn_rovers/news/9469087.NOTICE__Comments_suspended_on_Blackburn_Rovers_stories/

Sad state of affairs. Actions like this will only serve to lower fans (and hopefully other people in the games) opinion of JA.

[Hasta]

Been abroad all week so just had chance to watch it.

As mentioned it is in my opinion brand preservation against, firstly what may happen at Ewood in the future and, secondly, incase any mud sticks from the Anderson Out banners that kept being shown during the clip. Agents work silently in the background at football clubs if they can. If you were a fan of another club and Anderson started to have involvement you would probably now question it due to the banner you saw on the TV at Ewood.

[Ste B]

One point I'd like to see brought up is this abuse of Anderson, his son and his family. From where, by whom and 'provide proof' would be my comment to Anderson.

That stuff is true. I can vouch for that.

[Rover_Shaun]

That stuff is true. I can vouch for that.

Without repeating it, when and where?

[Al]

According to the accounts a £20m bank loan becomes due in the following 12mths (so 6mths from now).

Which makes those reports of Barclays demanding £10m this January seem a lot more credible.

Bank loans are usually repayable 'on demand' and as the accounts are prepared retrospectively the bank loan would automatically fall into the 'due in the next 12 months' category. It does not necessarily mean that that the bank will demand repayment if they are happy that they are covered by assets.

[roversmum]

One point I'd like to see brought up is this abuse of Anderson, his son and his family. From where, by whom and 'provide proof' would be my comment to Anderson. This idea that the protests against Steve Kean were 'vitriolic abuse' is just nonsense and a complete exaggeration.

I have to say that I truly didn't believe that people could be that sick, and I, too, thought it could not have happened.

That stuff is true. I can vouch for that.

There is no need for that sort of abuse, it is absolutely out of order. I was very upset to hear these allegations against the fans, but to find out that such abuse has actually happened is even more upsetting.

[den]

Didn't JA say he was used by the trustees to find them "options" for the sale?

Well, the other one is being hunted by Interpol. I'd have preferred him.