Ken Anderson - Old Owner (Definitely. For Ever ..... )

[bristol_Wanderer3]

Ultimately if we want to survive, let alone progress we need an owner with some means to support the club. It's clear Ken doesn't have any or isn't prepared to use it.

If we go down this season, and its an incredibly likely proposition now we're going to go pop. Same as last season THAT goal effectively saved the club.

We need some investment or takeover before it is too late. With the BM loan kicking in during the next few weeks, I suspect we need one by January or we'll be in real, real bother then.

I suspect KA's current tentative plan, is pay the Blumarble loan off, sell Ameobi for £8m+ in January, survive by the skin of our teeth.

[BWFC_Insane]

Ultimately if we want to survive, let alone progress we need an owner with some means to support the club. It's clear Ken doesn't have any or isn't prepared to use it.

If we go down this season, and its an incredibly likely proposition now we're going to go pop. Same as last season THAT goal effectively saved the club.

We need some investment or takeover before it is too late. With the BM loan kicking in during the next few weeks, I suspect we need one by January or we'll be in real, real bother then.

I suspect KA's current tentative plan, is pay the Blumarble loan off, sell Ameobi for £8m+ in January, survive by the skin of our teeth.

Baldrick....I see a problem with your plan!

Be lucky to get 2M. 8M jesus christ. He'd have to really hit goalscoring form to command that sort of a fee now.

[bristol_Wanderer3]

Ultimately if we want to survive, let alone progress we need an owner with some means to support the club. It's clear Ken doesn't have any or isn't prepared to use it.

If we go down this season, and its an incredibly likely proposition now we're going to go pop. Same as last season THAT goal effectively saved the club.

We need some investment or takeover before it is too late. With the BM loan kicking in during the next few weeks, I suspect we need one by January or we'll be in real, real bother then.

I suspect KA's current tentative plan, is pay the Blumarble loan off, sell Ameobi for £8m+ in January, survive by the skin of our teeth.

Baldrick....I see a problem with your plan!

Be lucky to get 2M. 8M jesus christ. He'd have to really hit goalscoring form to command that sort of a fee now.

There does seem "a tiny flaw in the plan"

Not quite as big as the apparent flaw in last year's plan, though I suspect that initially involved Vela rather than Madine, just like this year's might involve Oztumer. I am afraid that such planning is where we are at.

[BWFC_Insane]

Ultimately if we want to survive, let alone progress we need an owner with some means to support the club. It's clear Ken doesn't have any or isn't prepared to use it.

If we go down this season, and its an incredibly likely proposition now we're going to go pop. Same as last season THAT goal effectively saved the club.

We need some investment or takeover before it is too late. With the BM loan kicking in during the next few weeks, I suspect we need one by January or we'll be in real, real bother then.

I suspect KA's current tentative plan, is pay the Blumarble loan off, sell Ameobi for £8m+ in January, survive by the skin of our teeth.

Baldrick....I see a problem with your plan!

Be lucky to get 2M. 8M jesus christ. He'd have to really hit goalscoring form to command that sort of a fee now.

There does seem "a tiny flaw in the plan"

Not quite as big as the apparent flaw in last year's plan, though I suspect that initially involved Vela rather than Madine, just like this year's might involve Oztumer. I am afraid that such planning is where we are at.

If the plan works it is a great one. Perhaps Wyke is the plan. Sign for £750K. Good few games. Sell in January for a Madine like fee?

[The_Gun]

Imho he enjoys his role (I think he said exactly that shortly after assuming the position), his son probably enjoys his role, he repairs his previous reputation in the game, and gets to hob-nob with other chairman. He and his family takes a nice salary, all great!

Imho, when he looks for investment, I get the sense that he is looking (if he is really looking) on the basis that he continues in his role. I personally believe that absolutely no one on this planet would invest tens of millions on that basis. People don't make hundreds of millions of pounds to give it to a football club they have no connection to, and for KA to spend it for them. I suspect Ken knows this.

On the other side of the coin KA has done a decent job imho. He appears to have tackled our severe financial issues, appears to have been inventive in increasing income, has managed to get players into the club despite the embargo, and with PP has given us two seasons of success despite all the turmoil. If he manages to pay the Blumarble loan off and get through this season as a solvent Championship club it will be a big step forward.

Then there is the question of "do we actually want a rich overseas owner?". It is great for the likes of Liverpool or Man U, because they are so big that any prospective owner has to do it responsibly or face world wide embarrassment. And there is so much money in the Prem and CL that they are consistently profitable businesses. For clubs of our size though, outside the Prem, the record of foreign owners is much more sketchy. Blackburn, Charlton, Coventry (UK hedge fund rather than foreign owner) have been harmed severely. Even "big clubs" like Sunderland and Villa are suffering. And it will be interesting to see how the likes of Birmingham, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday go now the initial gamble to reach the Prem has failed, and the owners are faced with a requirement to input a steady £10m-£20m a season just to fund the club living beyond its means whilst unlikely to achieve any notable success.

China has taken steps to reduce capital outflow from the country. Owning a club outside of the Prem is more often than not a financial drain. There is much reduced prestige in owning a non Prem UK club. How long will it be fashionable? Maybe sooner rather than later football outside the Prem might return to clubs having to run themselves responsibly and within their natural means?

At the end of the day I am prepared to give KA the benefit of the doubt for now. He seems totally untrustworthy and imho we all need to keep a very careful eye on the accounts and what is going on, but we appear to be making progress in climbing out of our financial hole. It will be interesting to see what happens with the Blumarble loan, how much we bring in player sales in January, and how much the Andersons are paying themselves when the next accounts come out.

I completely agree that the best route for us to take long-term is to work towards self-sufficiency. However, in the short-term it is imperative that we stay in the Championship, and Ken doesn't seem to have the funds and/or nous to do that on his own.

Also realistically for a club of Bolton's size and stature, the only way that we can progress on a self-sufficent basis is to develop players and sell them on for big fees. We are never going to bring in enough revenue from ticket sales or commercial deals whilst we're in this division to markedly increase our spend on player wages and fees. Ken has at least paid lip service to developing the academy, so I would like to see continued investment in our youth teams, and increased opportunities for our best youngsters to display their talent at first team level.

[TANGODANCER]

Baldrick....I see a problem with your plan! Be lucky to get 2M. 8M jesus christ. He'd have to really hit goalscoring form to command that sort of a fee now.

Which just shows what bad shape we're in financially. 2mil probably would just about pay most team's collective eating out bills for a year. When 8mil for a player seems a lot (we got 6 for Madine, did we not?) it just highlights how far the mighty have actually fallen. Anelka, Campo, Speed, Jorkayev, Stelios, J.J, Nolan, Nakata, Super Kev etc,etc,and the Premier League and European Cup, to what we have now. How much did our dearest player actually cost in this squad?

[jmjhb]

If we were still in the Prem these days we'd be regularly forking out 20-30m for a player. Frightening.

[palindromeofbolton]

I hate to raise it again, but a mention in MI's piece this morning got me thinking.

BluMarble... £4.3m "due" in September. Is it under control? I'm presuming we will not be in a position to pay off that amount. Will KA be able to sweet talk them into an extension? ie. Here's half a mil of interest and let's all hope there's a new owner this time next year? Or can they yet bring us down?

Just before the end of the season, Ken said he was planning for both Champ and L1 football in 2018/19 (which would have meant a c. £5 hit on broadcasting income)... but was he also planning with BluMarble in mind, or was he winging it and hoping the Sheik and his money would be in by now?

[dave the minion]

Trustworthy or not - and none of us actually know either way - he is at the helm of our club. Lets not forget he took on the rol ewhen there was no one else out there willing to do it (or there was, in Deano, and look what happened there...).

Personally I couldn't care less whether he's in it for the good and secure future of the club, or just to make a quick buck by selling us on at a profit - in the short terms both approaches require aligned goals - ie sustained strengthening of our footballing position. If this is by progressing up the league to make us more attractive, I'm fine with that. If its by making us more financially viable (ie cost cutting) in line with our lowly status, I'm fine with that. If its by buying or developing players and turning a hefty profit in them - which we could only do by them showcasing their worth on the pitch - then I'm fine with that too as we shoudl see the benefit on the pitch.

Its easy to criticise his views and actions, but no bugger else has been willing to give it a go. What KA has done is try to get the costs down and run the club like a business. It might not be what we want from our club, but it was necessary or esle we wouldn't have a club. Lets also not forget that ED lost millions in the club, even through the glory years.

In terms of how much he is taking in consultancy and fees etc, then in some respects he is entirely entitiled to it. Directors of large high profile corporations often take home massive salaries and pay consultants a fortune for advisory work. We can quibble with the actual amounts, but my view is that its fair game what he's doing - and to be honest through cost cutting he's probably saved the club as much as he's taken out.

[nicholaldo]

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2018/july/a ... chairman7/

"Unfortunately, the dispute with SCC/Heathcotes is still ongoing, but I found it somewhat strange to discover that Paul Heathcote recently stepped down as a director of SCC. I’m led to believe that he may reappoint himself imminently."

I really wish he'd f*ck off using the club's website for this kind of thing.

And let's not forget, we're only a few 'notes' on from him saying that we don't comment on speculation.

[GhostoftheBok]

He wants to be Donald Trump, bless 'im.

[TANGODANCER]

Don't know what the future may bring, none of us do really. I do know that not long back we were in pretty bad shape in every compass direction and up and down to boot; down being the operative word. Last day of the season a football miracle happened and we survived. Today, we're about to start a new season with a decent looking squad, a financially better environ, a reasonably happy manager and hope is back in town. I'll take it and be happy. If we get it right on the greensward the rest will suely improve. Have it...

[TANGODANCER]

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2018/july/a ... chairman7/

"Unfortunately, the dispute with SCC/Heathcotes is still ongoing, but I found it somewhat strange to discover that Paul Heathcote recently stepped down as a director of SCC. I’m led to believe that he may reappoint himself imminently."

I really wish he'd f*ck off using the club's website for this kind of thing.

And let's not forget, we're only a few 'notes' on from him saying that we don't comment on speculation.

It surely won't do our reputation an y good to be constantly involved in unpaid bills disputes. Get it resolved Ken.

[BWFC_Insane]

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2018/july/a ... chairman7/

"Unfortunately, the dispute with SCC/Heathcotes is still ongoing, but I found it somewhat strange to discover that Paul Heathcote recently stepped down as a director of SCC. I’m led to believe that he may reappoint himself imminently."

I really wish he'd f*ck off using the club's website for this kind of thing.

And let's not forget, we're only a few 'notes' on from him saying that we don't comment on speculation.

It surely won't do our reputation an y good to be constantly involved in unpaid bills disputes. Get it resolved Ken.

Ken isn't going to pay anything he feels he can get out of. That much is clear now. Hard nosed.

I think he wants out of the deal with Heathcotes which by all accounts has been a financial disaster for the club and the offering has been awful. So he's probably using this as a way out.

It isn't good PR but then its virtually continuous with us now. Get used to it, as I think it will be ongoing on and off until Ken departs.

As a side note I see Birmingham are in a transfer embargo - have been all summer but they only officially acknowledged it yesterday as they'd been hoping to clear it but haven't be able to. Their fans have no communications from the club and thought they weren't in embargo as they signed a player that now it turns out hasn't and can't be registered.

In fairness to KA he's done a good job here. The issue is he's not brought in the investment he promised he'd be able to. And that is a BIG problem moving forward. However, it seems we aren't very investable.

[boltonboris]

Sheff Wednesday also, mate!

[bristol_Wanderer3]

As a side note I see Birmingham are in a transfer embargo - have been all summer but they only officially acknowledged it yesterday as they'd been hoping to clear it but haven't be able to. Their fans have no communications from the club and thought they weren't in embargo as they signed a player that now it turns out hasn't and can't be registered.

The Birmingham situation is farcical. They clearly ignored warnings early in the TW about FFP, went ahead and signed Kristian Pedersen for £1.5m, and bid £3m for Bilakowski and £6m for Grabban. Then the EFL tapped them on the shoulder and told them they were in an embargo and couldn't even register Pedersen.

Now they have put a statement on their website basically saying "apologies, but we are doing all we can to get ourselves out the siutation" to which the EFL have responded basically saying "we gave you our stipulations on July 13th"!.

They are certainly an example of foreign investment not always being the magical potion. They turned up with the club 7th, sacked Rowett who had worked on a budget to get them there, appointed Zola, who left with three games to go of the same season with them on the verge of relegation, appointed Arry, who saved them, but then spent £15m and left with them bottom of the Championship. Cotterill took over who was also sacked, Garry Monk saved them from relegation last season, and now they have broken FFP limits and have this transfer fiasco. I'd rather have Ken thank you.

[BWFC_Insane]

As a side note I see Birmingham are in a transfer embargo - have been all summer but they only officially acknowledged it yesterday as they'd been hoping to clear it but haven't be able to. Their fans have no communications from the club and thought they weren't in embargo as they signed a player that now it turns out hasn't and can't be registered.

The Birmingham situation is farcical. They clearly ignored warnings early in the TW about FFP, went ahead and signed Kristian Pedersen for £1.5m, and bid £3m for Bilakowski and £6m for Grabban. Then the EFL tapped them on the shoulder and told them they were in an embargo and couldn't even register Pedersen.

Now they have put a statement on their website basically saying "apologies, but we are doing all we can to get ourselves out the siutation" to which the EFL have responded basically saying "we gave you our stipulations on July 13th"!.

They are certainly an example of foreign investment not always being the magical potion. They turned up with the club 7th, sacked Rowett who had worked on a budget to get them there, appointed Zola, who left with three games to go of the same season with them on the verge of relegation, appointed Arry, who saved them, but then spent £15m and left with them bottom of the Championship. Cotterill took over who was also sacked, Garry Monk saved them from relegation last season, and now they have broken FFP limits and have this transfer fiasco. I'd rather have Ken thank you.

I don't agree with the FFP rules. I've always said it is a ludicrous rule designed to maintain the status quo. If clubs are sustainble whilst spending their owners billions then crack on.

However, the rules, as wrong as I think they are, are still rules. And Birmingham, QPR (possible SW too) have broken them. Willingly and complicitly broken them. This isn't a club struggling financially or being poorly run to administration. Whereby you could say in the majority of cases it wasn't deliberate. This is clubs knowing the FFP rules and just flaunting them anyway on the gamble they got promoted.

So if you are a fan of a club that is unlucky or unfortunate enough to go into administration, you get clobbered with a points fine and a transfer ban until the league decide you are sustainable again.

If you are a club who has willingly and knowingly ignored the FFP rules and tried to buy your way out of the division you get a fine and a weak future embargo.

It is shocking. Barnsley, Burton and Sunderland got relegated last year all compliant with FFP. Birmingham just about stayed up having spent millions and millions more than they were allowed to.

I don't agree with the rules, but if the EFL are to enforce them they should be dishing out severe points fines. 20-30 points for these breaches. Otherwise, what is the point?

[boltonboris]

Because points penalties don't put cash in their bank

[BWFC_Insane]

Because points penalties don't put cash in their bank

Points fines as well as cash fines.

[palindromeofbolton]

Think it might be best putting this here for now. A Tweet from the BEN Editor:

This must be the stadium naming - Ken said himself it would be announced Wednesday morning - though "surprise announcement" feels a bit of a hyperbole if it's just another sponsor... BetFred stadium for example. Would that be a surprise?

For me, "surprise" - if it is actually to do with the stadium naming rights - would be something like we're going back to Reebok? Would explain the two-page special - memorable Bok moments etc. etc.