Question about a fan takeover

[bobo the clown]

It isn't about being picky or choosy. Just that a new buyer, could potentially dissolve the club and build a supermarket. Or they could send us into administration or sell off the assets or a whole list of things.

The idea that any new buyer will automatically be better than the admittedly current dire situation isn't accurate.

We need fresh money and a safe pair of hands and must hope that is what we get. But looking around the various clubs, it shows that isn't always the case with takeovers and we saying "anyone would be better than how it is now" isn't accurate.

Agreed .... we do need to take care of who owns us. There are many examples, some mentioned above, of people you'd not trust with the club.

I'm unsure that buying the club (even for £30m) so the owners can sell the assets. We have few enough player assets. We own the ground, Euxton and other bits of property. I thought Euxton was already planned to be sold once the new training ground was ready ?

The ground, with attached hotel & office block .... but who do you sell a football ground to ? Unless it's to be demolished and with planning permission to build shops, housing or offices it's not worth all that much.

[thebish]

It isn't about being picky or choosy. Just that a new buyer, could potentially dissolve the club and build a supermarket. Or they could send us into administration or sell off the assets or a whole list of things.

The idea that any new buyer will automatically be better than the admittedly current dire situation isn't accurate.

We need fresh money and a safe pair of hands and must hope that is what we get. But looking around the various clubs, it shows that isn't always the case with takeovers and we saying "anyone would be better than how it is now" isn't accurate.

Agreed .... we do need to take care of who owns us. There are many examples, some mentioned above, of people you'd not trust with the club.

I'm unsure that buying the club (even for £30m) so the owners can sell the assets. We have few enough player assets. We own the ground, Euxton and other bits of property. I thought Euxton was already planned to be sold once the new training ground was ready ?

The ground, with attached hotel & office block .... but who do you sell a football ground to ? Unless it's to be demolished and with planning permission to build shops, housing or offices it's not worth all that much.

aye - that's what I'm clinging onto... are our assets worth £30million to an asset-stripper? if not - then it won't be an asset-stripper that buys us...

maybe ManU will buy us and use us as a feeder club!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I'm unsure that buying the club (even for £30m) so the owners can sell the assets. We have few enough player assets. We own the ground, Euxton and other bits of property. I thought Euxton was already planned to be sold once the new training ground was ready ?

The ground, with attached hotel & office block .... but who do you sell a football ground to ? Unless it's to be demolished and with planning permission to build shops, housing or offices it's not worth all that much.

In all seriousness, I doubt we'd get £30m for our squad if we sold them all at the top of their price range. And we wouldn't be doing that if we were in administration, a knockdown buyer's market.

I also doubt you'd be able to get planning permission at Middlebrook for houses or even A Lot More Shops. Even if you could, is there even the demand to double the size of the Middlebrook commercial estate? This wouldn't be a climate-controlled mini-Trafford Centre, just dozens more units round a big car park: wouldn't that depress the rents rather than raising money?

[Prufrock]

Thought we'd struggled to get planning permission for the Reebok to begin with? Hence the white twiddly bits on top.

Though I guess it's a different argument once you've already built the stadium. But yeah, not sure there's a market for ANOTHER carphone warehouse. And demolishing a stadium can't be cheap. I've never got folk who buy football stadiums. It's like the opposite of a monopoly.

[thebish]

maybe whoever is buying it just wants the stadium - they just ship it to Liverpool?? aren't they after a new stadium?

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Maybe they'll just sell the stadium to their brother for peanuts and then have it rented back to the club for more than peanuts. They could also then hire the stadium out to every Tom, Dick n Harry, even if it fcuks up the pitch etc...

[Aanvalluh]

These "millionaires" - would they put money into football (Bolton) in order to make more money or for the love of the game (club)?
The former I would think at Bolton's level is practically impossible;
If it's the latter, where have they been?
Regardless, can BWFC survive on football + hotel alone? Probably not, not at this level anyway (no TV money). Other than selling players for much less than they are really worth, the club needs a solid income. A grass pitch can only be used so often - and covered up for concerts, boxing matches etc, so there's a difficulty in using the stadium once a week let alone every day of the year.
I feel the place needs a roof...and astro. It will get neither, unless there are rich Arab's or Russians looking on, so whoever comes in has exactly the same problems as those leaving.

[thebish]

These "millionaires" - would they put money into football (Bolton) in order to make more money or for the love of the game (club)?
The former I would think at Bolton's level is practically impossible;
If it's the latter, where have they been?
Regardless, can BWFC survive on football + hotel alone? Probably not, not at this level anyway (no TV money). Other than selling players for much less than they are really worth, the club needs a solid income. A grass pitch can only be used so often - and covered up for concerts, boxing matches etc, so there's a difficulty in using the stadium once a week let alone every day of the year.
I feel the place needs a roof...and astro. It will get neither, unless there are rich Arab's or Russians looking on, so whoever comes in has exactly the same problems as those leaving.

except they haven't got weary of it all yet!

[bobo the clown]

I'm unsure that buying the club (even for £30m) so the owners can sell the assets. We have few enough player assets. We own the ground, Euxton and other bits of property. I thought Euxton was already planned to be sold once the new training ground was ready ?

The ground, with attached hotel & office block .... but who do you sell a football ground to ? Unless it's to be demolished and with planning permission to build shops, housing or offices it's not worth all that much.

In all seriousness, I doubt we'd get £30m for our squad if we sold them all at the top of their price range. And we wouldn't be doing that if we were in administration, a knockdown buyer's market.

I also doubt you'd be able to get planning permission at Middlebrook for houses or even A Lot More Shops. Even if you could, is there even the demand to double the size of the Middlebrook commercial estate? This wouldn't be a climate-controlled mini-Trafford Centre, just dozens more units round a big car park: wouldn't that depress the rents rather than raising money?

Even at top price we have player assets of £3m or so on Clough, £3m or so on Mavies and, in a moment of blind Spurs/QPR-like optimism £1m each for Amos & Clayton. We'd be lucky to get a further £2m for the rest put together. .... & that's before the negative impact on values of our current negotiating position. So £5-10m if we did well.

I could see another office block where the ground is .... a la Keogh's. Or flats maybe .... the Middle broken area has a number of quite decent houses on it. Certainly not a 3rd supermarket !!

But the ground is there and even if Liverpool fc stole it & moved it to Anfield it's about 1/3 the capacity they want ... AND the hotel would fall over then too.

The club WILL get sold ... hopefully to people who care and have the wherewithal to keep us afloat this level.

[thebish]

But the ground is there and even if Liverpool fc stole it & moved it to Anfield it's about 1/3 the capacity they want ... AND the hotel would fall over then too.

ahh - but you promised us that it would eventually all go totally tits up for them! I'm still anticipating that day!

[bobo the clown]

But the ground is there and even if Liverpool fc stole it & moved it to Anfield it's about 1/3 the capacity they want ... AND the hotel would fall over then too.

ahh - but you promised us that it would eventually all go totally tits up for them! I'm still anticipating that day!

So am I. Bear with me. (Or is that bare ?)

[Bruce Rioja]

So am I. Bear with me. (Or is that bare ?)

That's 'bare' arse - Town Hall steps. Off you pop.

[Hoboh]

In a further twist it is also understood that Brett Warburton has stepped in to fill some of the day-to-day duties of chairman Phil Gartside, who has been away from the club recently.

Managed the club well last time didn't they!

[thebish]

In a further twist it is also understood that Brett Warburton has stepped in to fill some of the day-to-day duties of chairman Phil Gartside, who has been away from the club recently.

Managed the club well last time didn't they!

don't worry - those duties only involve polishing Eddie's solid-gold helicopter...

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

<insert joke about Warburton's, Muppets>

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I feel the place needs a roof...and astro.

Artificial pitches (vastly superior to the old, trademarked Astroturf) are now legal as high up the pyramid as the Conference but still banned in the Football League.

Note the PFA wonk in the second link saying, with an astonishing lack of self-awareness, that playing on artificial pitches is all about money. How do you think your members get paid, you f*cking idiot?

[thebish]

I feel the place needs a roof...and astro.

Artificial pitches (vastly superior to the old, trademarked Astroturf) are now legal as high up the pyramid as the Conference but still banned in the Football League.

Note the PFA wonk in the second link saying, with an astonishing lack of self-awareness, that playing on artificial pitches is all about money. How do you think your members get paid, you f*cking idiot?

i think Aanvalluh is suggesting *an (not in our current position totally ridiculous) intermediate step of several relegations!

what ARE the rules when brackets intervene between "an" and a word starting with a vowel - and the first word in the bracket does not start with a vowel? This has often puzzled me - I'm sure there must be a rule...

[Aanvalluh]

Yes, I know that astro is used in the non-league, and, er, at international level (!) but not in the footy league or Premier. I find that bizarre. Technically you could have a new England international who's first cap game is on an Astro but he's never played a game at premier or league level on one!
As alluded to, they are unrecognisable from the concrete pitches at Preston, Luton and Oldham years ago (they're green for a start!) and I'll admit to prefering grass pitches, one of the joys is the change from cricket-field pitches in August to mudbaths in February, but if astro means a stadium can be used 365 days a year and saves a club it's the least-worst option.

[thebish]

Yes, I know that astro is used in the non-league, and, er, at international level (!) but not in the footy league or Premier. I find that bizarre. Technically you could have a new England international who's first cap game is on an Astro but he's never played a game at premier or league level on one!
As alluded to, they are unrecognisable from the concrete pitches at Preston, Luton and Oldham years ago (they're green for a start!) and I'll admit to prefering grass pitches, one of the joys is the change from cricket-field pitches in August to mudbaths in February, but if astro means a stadium can be used 365 days a year and saves a club it's the least-worst option.

aye - but (crucially) NOT if you then can't use it to play football on in the division where you are!

[Prufrock]

They're still not a patch on grass. I wouldn't allow them at international level (a national FA must be able to afford one grass pitch!) but I can see the financial argument for club sides in lower leagues (and countries where the weather sucks). They're also fantastic resources for schools and communities.