[Archived] The Rao's

[ABBEY]

Zzzzz ha

[rhodie]

Dramatic I'll accept. Common sense resistant I'm afraid that's your domain, evidently.

Stuart, your resistant, you wouldn`t know if It was my domain.

[Gav]

Question....... Who will pay the bills should that happen? Your nice comfy 'administration' would most likely be leapfrogged by bankruptcy and subsequent liquidation.

Simply won't happen, how many sides have gone to the wall on the past 30yrs?

We have several interested parties that would jump at the chance to buy the club for £1 and take on the debts.

I can't understand the stance some posters are taking:

'Well I hate them but if they're paying the bills it's ok with me'

How can people hold that view? It's like they're buying your loyalty......

[Guest Norbert]

It is a risky thing to assume that someone will step in the moment the club goes into administration and be willing and able to take on the debts. Look how many owners Portsmouth had between Geydamak and the current Trust set up. They had all manner of 8th rate owners, fake Sheikhs and so on. The Inland Revenue are probably getting annoyed by constantly being short changed too, so one club will really get it if they get in really big trouble.

[thenodrog]

Simply won't happen, how many sides have gone to the wall on the past 30yrs?

We have several interested parties that would jump at the chance to buy the club for £1 and take on the debts.....

'Several' my arse!

The debts are approx 70m. Our total current income might just service the interest on that debt but will never repay it. So

1. what does the new owner do if that debt is called in?

2. How are any wages paid?

3. How are any operating costs met?

If the venkymob gave you BRFC lock stock and barrel for your birthday would you take it? If as I expect the answer is no then why on earth should anybody else?

[47er]

Because when we were an established, modestly-priced PL club we couldn't find any takers for love, nor money.Until Venky's.

That's not true either. There were more than the Raos after us but, guess what, the Trust were advised that their bid was best!

The advisers apparently got rewarded from both sides. All this has been stated on here more than once but it doesn't seem to get through.

[Baz]

Do people who think the Raos are paying the bills realise that until the day a new owner has bought the club, any debts incurred could easily and legally be placed back onto the club?

If they where to put money in, (in the way JW did), the finances would be on the club, and the debts paid by the owners.

Therefore, at present there is no way to tell if Venkys are putting money into BRFC, or building debt for future repayment by the club. Even the most supportive fans see financial stability through promotion, no spending, relegation and then successful promotion again, which is optimistic at the least.

Unless there is meaningful dialogue between owners and fans, and some security formed on financial action by the Raos, I do not believe we can, as a club, move forward in anything other than baby-steps. The emphasis is entirely on them, pacification by soundbites has expired for all but the tiny majority of fans. If they want to turn this around, the ball is firmly in their court. If they cannot admit they have made mistakes they will never gain acceptance or move forwards (and Im more for positive actions than grovelling apologies).

[47er]

It is a risky thing to assume that someone will step in the moment the club goes into administration and be willing and able to take on the debts. Look how many owners Portsmouth had between Geydamak and the current Trust set up. They had all manner of 8th rate owners, fake Sheikhs and so on. The Inland Revenue are probably getting annoyed by constantly being short changed too, so one club will really get it if they get in really big trouble.

Portsmouth went through hell. But read the article I posted recently about what's happening now they are owned by the Portsmouth Trust. They didn't go out of business did they? They aren't owned by "rich" foreigners anymore and they didn't lose their League status.

[Mr. E]

Still unimagible that not too long ago in history we had an owner like Jack Walker....and now....the English vocabulary does not possess the words to describe what I feel about these chicken farmers.

[Majiball]

Rhodie why don't you deal with the questions posed as opposed to ridiculing? The whole conversation is based on an opinion a way of looking at something a situation and yet you are absolute over how it should be seen. A blinkered mind is a closed mind and your responses clearly display that. Think like me or I'll take the @#/?, proper school boy tactics

[Stuart]

That's not true either. There were more than the Raos after us but, guess what, the Trust were advised that their bid was best!

The advisers apparently got rewarded from both sides. All this has been stated on here more than once but it doesn't seem to get through.

I'm going to show my ignorance here, I'm sure but who were these parties?

I recall, Venkys, Sayed, and Shah.

Venkys - least said but, yes, they allegedly had the advisor who mattered,

Sayed - wanted by Interpol last time I recall? Destroyed Racing Santander and unlikely to own a football club again, aside from Blackburn Cathedral' Choristers United side.

Shah - didn't he claim to have the same idea that Venkys had, which is hardly a glowing recommendation?

Qataris - a figment of a former poster's imagination it would seem.

I guess our price would now be lower than when we were a PL club but our debt is probably higher. I've not had a warm feeling from 'The Ians' for a while - I imagine that they are watching the debt with interest and would need this to be resolved before they would get involved. Aside from that it would most likely be the Roverstrust who would step in.

Who else did you have in mind?

[thenodrog]

Vincent Tan and Carson Yeung perhaps?

[dave birch]

Stuart, there was one other.

It rumoured, that the "Australian" bid was someone into football and extremely wealthy.

I'll let philipl come back to inform you of who it might have been.

[Tom]

In the hypothetical scenario with two ultimates of be rid of Venkys and start at the very bottom or Venkys stick around and we stay in this league I'm on the side of them sticking around and I'm sure that's the case for the majority.

The other is obviously a perfectly valid opinion to hold but for me Blackburn Rovers playing Sunday league wouldn't be our club it would just be one with the same name and kit playing in a local league, maybe 10% of folk would head down to watch I imagine as well.

It's unpopular but I'm still of the opinion that whilst they aren't making a scene I can forget they exist most of the time which is why I'm happy that they don't attend; the last thing we want is them speaking again making promises they won't keep.

For me I just see them continuing to pay the bills the lesser of two evils at present.

[Majiball]

But they're not paying the bills, that's why the debt keeps going up.

[Stuart]

If Rovers ended up being Sunday League - it would be down to the fans to get them back as soon as possible.

It's been interesting watching the FCUM story. The rode a wave of fan and media interest for a few years but now seem to have hit a brick wall. The media interest has dissipated and they seem to have lost some momentum. Evostuck one might say.

But in all seriousness, despite the nobility of it, starting again would be an adventure of sorts but would probably fizzle out. No Ewood, no Brockhall, no reserve side, no U21s, no media. It would play right into Burnley's hands.

How long did it take former FA Cup winners Blackburn Olympic to bounce back?

[47er]

Tom-----Why would be end up playing Sunday League? Portsmouth haven't.

We will never prosper under Venkyrule.

[Stuart]

But they're not paying the bills, that's why the debt keeps going up.

Well it's their MasterCard which keeps picking up the tabs, I'm afraid.

Madame has our balls in an icy grip that is only out-iced by the hand of a snowball thrower.

[thenodrog]

But they're not paying the bills, that's why the debt keeps going up.

Surely they must be backing them? The debt is higher than the value of the club. No banker will continue to lend in that situation.

Tom-----Why would be end up playing Sunday League? Portsmouth haven't.

We will never prosper under Venkyrule.

One can't use specific examples like that. Our future would be in the hands of the creditors and the first ones to issue bankruptcy proceedings could see the entire house of cards collapse.

[47er]

And the house of cards has collapsed how many times in the last 100 years?

This is all scare stuff. Arbitro was right, you are suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

The creditors take what they can eg Rangers.

[AggyBlue]

How long did it take former FA Cup winners Blackburn Olympic to bounce back?

That's quite a while ago Stuart, two centuries in fact. Try looking at Wimbledon, didn't take them too long.

Surely they must be backing them? The debt is higher than the value of the club. No banker will continue to lend in that situation.

The loan isn't held against the assets of the club.

It would need to be paid in full before the club could be sold too. The Bank of India don't loan monies against assets outside India.

[ABBEY]

The Bank of India don't loan monies against assets outside India.

It is Venkys you are talking about they are ABOVE the law !!

[Majiball]

Backing / mastercard is not the same as paying them though.

[Stuart]

And the house of cards has collapsed how many times in the last 100 years?

This is all scare stuff. Arbitro was right, you are suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

The creditors take what they can eg Rangers.

Aldershot

Barnet

Boston United

Cambridge United

Chester City

Darlington

Grimsby Town

Halifax Town

Hereford United

Lincoln City

Luton Town

Newport County

Rushden & Diamonds

Stockport County

Wrexham

...all stand as cautionary tales.

Not all of these were liquidated or defunct but all have fallen out of the Football League, and I'm not sure Pompey are out of the woods yet.

Without Jack's money we would likely have become a third tier club. Why would we be any better positioned than say Luton Town or Grimsby Town, for example? Why do people think we would be immune? Because of Middlesborough or Leeds United? Or even Man City? We do not have the fanbases, or loyalty of those clubs to see us through the bad times.

Without Jack Walker, and now without Venkys, we would be Accrington Stanley 1962, and it took them 6 years to get a club back to the Football League.

And before Stockholm Syndrome there used to be another expression: Better The Devil You Know.

[Tom]

Tom-----Why would be end up playing Sunday League? Portsmouth haven't.

We will never prosper under Venkyrule.

I was speaking hypothetically as people have often said they would prefer to be venky free and start from the bottom