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

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Mark Warburton with Fred Done.

You heard it here first.

A quick internet search turns up an article from last weekend in the Scottish Sun by our old friend Alan Nixon in which he claims Warburton is hoping to take up post at an unnamed Championship club in the near future.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/ ... -takeover/

Done is, with his brother, joint owner of Betfred. Is there anything that would prevent a bookmaker from owning a football club (on whose results, he takes bets)?

Don't the Coates own Stoke? If so, doesn't seem to be an issue there.

[Prufrock]

Mark Warburton with Fred Done.

You heard it here first.

A quick internet search turns up an article from last weekend in the Scottish Sun by our old friend Alan Nixon in which he claims Warburton is hoping to take up post at an unnamed Championship club in the near future.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/ ... -takeover/

Done is, with his brother, joint owner of Betfred. Is there anything that would prevent a bookmaker from owning a football club (on whose results, he takes bets)?

Don't think so, certainly not anything a bit of corporate structuring can't fix. The Coates family who own Stoke are multi multi millionaires from owning a bookies (Denise, CEO, got paid over £200m last year!).

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Mark Warburton with Fred Done.

You heard it here first.

A quick internet search turns up an article from last weekend in the Scottish Sun by our old friend Alan Nixon in which he claims Warburton is hoping to take up post at an unnamed Championship club in the near future.

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/ ... -takeover/

I’m not quite clear from that piece - would Warburton walk away from a club like Rangers?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Morning update. No progress over the weekend but talks should continue today. It has been made known that there’s a rival bid from Russia; is it just me or does that sound like classic Ken bluff? Maybe trust has been eroded, can’t think why.

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... ver-talks/

[BWFC_Insane]

I've followed a few football club sales. Rarely, rarely do they happen quickly. Most often they are dragged out over months and months, even longer sometimes. Usually you get an initial burst where local media says "buyer found, takeover close". Probably as said buyer leaks the details to the local press to try and force the issue. Then the media will say "hitch - deal is at risk" as they backtrack. This goes on for months and months. The emergence of a second interested party is also a classic. The seller will want to pretend they have options. The buyer tries to paint a narrative of "we are it" and "we won't wait any longer" to the public to try and see if hands can be forced.

Now we know Ken might not have months. Talk is that there is not any cash for February wages and the ED loan is due for repayment in a matter of weeks. So this one might move a bit quicker than the norm.

But the idea it will be done and dusted this week is seemingly unlikely and possibly worrying - the few deals that happen really quickly are usually the ones you really need to watch out for as usually they have a nasty sting in the tail.

I don't know how long talks have been ongoing for, but I do see a pattern in the media coverage of events that is very similar to many other situations like this.

[BWFC_Insane]

Seems like there may not be much in it at all https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2019/februa ... chairman2/

Aye, because Ken is always straight up and honest....

Christ. He was never going to confirm anything until it is done. It is clear it was never going to be just "done" in a week. These things take time.

[officer_dibble]

Seems like there may not be much in it at all https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2019/februa ... chairman2/

Has he deleted Christian Doidge from the record books?

[BWFC_Insane]

Seems like there may not be much in it at all https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2019/februa ... chairman2/

Aye, because Ken is always straight up and honest....

Christ. He was never going to confirm anything until it is done. It is clear it was never going to be just "done" in a week. These things take time.

Bit needlessly aggressive mate, was sharing something relevant. fecking hell I've not missed this place in the past few months. I'll take my toys back home.

Yeah it came across as though I was criticising you - I wasn't - so apologies. Just generally frustrated that Ken clearly hasn't an honest bone in his body and is once again using the OS to play games in public.

He's a moron.

[TANGODANCER]

Seems like there may not be much in it at all https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2019/februa ... chairman2/

Aye, because Ken is always straight up and honest....

Christ. He was never going to confirm anything until it is done. It is clear it was never going to be just "done" in a week. These things take time.

Bit needlessly aggressive mate, was sharing something relevant. fecking hell I've not missed this place in the past few months. I'll take my toys back home.

I think the Insane on'e aggression was aimed at K.A mate. Always good to see somebody back who's been missing for a while....

[Prufrock]

Seems like there may not be much in it at all https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2019/februa ... chairman2/

Has he deleted Christian Doidge from the record books?

Genuine lol at " Despite media comments of fire sales, players demanding transfers and unrest amongst the players, not one player left in the January transfer window".

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Seems like there may not be much in it at all https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/2019/februa ... chairman2/

Aye, because Ken is always straight up and honest....

Christ. He was never going to confirm anything until it is done. It is clear it was never going to be just "done" in a week. These things take time.

Also, as someone pointed out, his excuse for not being there at the WBA protest game was, er...

[officer_dibble]

Ken Jong at his finest!

[officer_dibble]

And we’re all still wondering at what point the decisive action to keep us in the championship through any means necessary might take place, given we have won once and scored about 4 goals since he made that statement a few months ago!

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Ken Jong at his finest!

To be completely, arguably unreasonably, fair to Ken Jong he doesn't actually say anything in this latest missive that contradicts that absence-excuse to Sky, or could be waved at him if a deal did go through this week (I know, BWFCi, I know).

"While I’d rather not comment on media speculation of this nature I would suggest that you ignore these rumours and treat them as pure media speculation."
None of that is a firm denial, just lifestyle advice.

"Of course it is no secret that I am looking for investment but I receive many enquiries virtually every week, a great deal of which often come from time wasters and dreamers who are unable to offer any proof of funding and disappear as quickly as they arrive. In my experience, when people leak details of a deal they rarely occur which is probably because they weren’t in a position to do a deal in the first place."
None of that is a firm denial, just generalities which may or may not be aimed at making people pony up or piss off.

"For the record, I didn’t have any meetings in London last week in connection with a sale of the club."
But they might have taken place in Monaco, Switzerland, Swaziland or the UniBol centre circle.

It's all which-lie-did-I-tell misdirection, a veil of bullshit which a lot of people are thoroughly bored with. A fortnight ago he needs a reason for absence, so there's suddenly a queue of buyers. Now he's telling a different story, for reasons which remain currently opaque but we can all guess at.

I just want the oleaginous smoke-thrower out of my club. As BWFCi rightly says, it might take time, but God I hope it's sooner rather than later.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Iles: "Sources fine. UK bidder was in talks with Ken Anderson and Paul Aldridge last week/this weekend and close to completing. No surprise that Ken's column has arrived soon after they walked away.
The remaining 'Russian' bid also has UK element. And still going, I hear."

[TonyDomingos]

Ken Jong at his finest!

"While I’d rather not comment on media speculation of this nature I would suggest that you ignore these rumours and treat them as pure media speculation."
None of that is a firm denial, just lifestyle advice.

Somewhat contradictory advice at that. Am I to ignore the rumours or treat them as speculation? I can't do both!

[TKIZ!]

So we do have a valid, interested party in buying the club?

I'm confused after all this Twitter back and forward

[jmjhb]

Is Iles' source Thogdad?

[jonnybwfc]

Not easy to spot amongst all the rubbish/denials, but this is the key ...

"I can confirm, however, that detailed discussions are taking place with an interested party but as I am sure that you will appreciate I am unable to give you details at this stage."

And I take the key word to be "detailed".

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Ilesy update.
https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/1 ... wanderers/
Key part:

In an eventful day at the University of Bolton Stadium, a consortium fronted by a London-based investor who appeared to be on the verge of buying the club on Saturday evening claimed he had walked away from the deal completely citing a last-minute disagreement over terms.

That was followed by a statement from Anderson on the official website which denied any involvement with the consortium followed by an admission that negotiations continued with another party.

It is understood the remaining buyer is backed by foreign investors, including one from Russia, but is fronted by a businessman from the North West.

Are these claims from Willy Walkaway publicly available and I've missed them?