The breaking News thread...

[Worthy4England]

Birch is paid by Eddie Davies. Therefore his mandate is to do what Eddie wants. Not necessarily the best for the club. I don't think he's a shady character. My issue is that he is reporting to Eddie not the board.

But if he's got to a point where he feels he can recommend a deal to the Board (which is what the story alleges), then he's doing his bit, as required?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Birch is paid by Eddie Davies. Therefore his mandate is to do what Eddie wants. Not necessarily the best for the club. I don't think he's a shady character. My issue is that he is reporting to Eddie not the board.

Wrong. His speciality is insolvency, insolvency at football clubs. He's an independent person with an understanding of the difficulties surrounding insolvency. The fact he's been employed by Eddie Davies is neither here nor there, he isn't a lackey, his mandate is to do his job.

[BWFC_Insane]

Birch is paid by Eddie Davies. Therefore his mandate is to do what Eddie wants. Not necessarily the best for the club. I don't think he's a shady character. My issue is that he is reporting to Eddie not the board.

Wrong. His speciality is insolvency, insolvency at football clubs. He's an independent person with an understanding of the difficulties surrounding insolvency. The fact he's been employed by Eddie Davies is neither here nor there, he isn't a lackey, his mandate is to do his job.

He was brought in to negotiate a takeover. That was his mandate, at least what was reported publically.

But I can't agree that who he reports to doesn't matter. He isn't an independent. He represents Eddie. And because Eddie doesn't say anything we don't really know what that means.

[thebish]

Birch is paid by Eddie Davies. Therefore his mandate is to do what Eddie wants. Not necessarily the best for the club. I don't think he's a shady character. My issue is that he is reporting to Eddie not the board.

do you KNOW that, or are you just saying it?

the statement by the board sounds LESS definitive..

The board of Bolton Wanderers Football Club has today, Tuesday 17 November, announced the appointment of Trevor Birch to act on behalf of the club and owner with immediate effect. The role will see Trevor providing assistance to the board and owner which will include managing negotiations with the various parties who have expressed an interest in purchasing the club. Brett Warburton, Vice Chairman, said: “Trevor is a football man who has great experience in dealing with clubs in difficult financial situations. We welcome his support in assisting us through this difficult period. “Our current owner Eddie Davies is fully supportive of the appointment and will work closely with Trevor.

[BWFC_Insane]

Birch is paid by Eddie Davies. Therefore his mandate is to do what Eddie wants. Not necessarily the best for the club. I don't think he's a shady character. My issue is that he is reporting to Eddie not the board.

do you KNOW that, or are you just saying it?

the statement by the board sounds LESS definitive..

The board of Bolton Wanderers Football Club has today, Tuesday 17 November, announced the appointment of Trevor Birch to act on behalf of the club and owner with immediate effect. The role will see Trevor providing assistance to the board and owner which will include managing negotiations with the various parties who have expressed an interest in purchasing the club. Brett Warburton, Vice Chairman, said: “Trevor is a football man who has great experience in dealing with clubs in difficult financial situations. We welcome his support in assisting us through this difficult period. “Our current owner Eddie Davies is fully supportive of the appointment and will work closely with Trevor.

His salary is being paid personally by Eddie. So yes I'm fairly confident that is who he ultimately is working for.

[thebish]

what exactly do you mean "personally by Eddie"?

[Lord Kangana]

Seeing as ED pretty much owns us lock stock and barrel, it's going to take some pretty strong evidence to the contrary to convince me that Trev is working for anyone but ED.

[thebish]

technically, you could say everyone at the club is...

but that doesn't mean owt dodgy is going on, or that they are not working for the club or that the club's goals/needs are in direct opposition to ED's so that Birch is working for one against the other - as BWFCi often implies.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Birch is paid by Eddie Davies. Therefore his mandate is to do what Eddie wants. Not necessarily the best for the club.

He is an insolvency practitioner - they have a code of ethics. He won't be kowtowing to 'anything that Eddie wants', and he certainly won't be doing anything at all that is not in the best interests of the club.

[BWFC_Insane]

what exactly do you mean "personally by Eddie"?

He isn't being paid by the club account. Eddie is paying him separately. He's not on the payroll of Bolton Wanderers.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

what exactly do you mean "personally by Eddie"?

He isn't being paid by the club account. Eddie is paying him separately. He's not on the payroll of Bolton Wanderers.

Good. Less debt.

[thebish]

what exactly do you mean "personally by Eddie"?

He isn't being paid by the club account. Eddie is paying him separately. He's not on the payroll of Bolton Wanderers.

so - to be clear - you are taking that as clear evidence that Birch will therefore necessarily be working against the best interests of the club? (is Eddie paying him "personally" - or is Eddie's company paying him?)

[BWFC_Insane]

what exactly do you mean "personally by Eddie"?

He isn't being paid by the club account. Eddie is paying him separately. He's not on the payroll of Bolton Wanderers.

so - to be clear - you are taking that as clear evidence that Birch will therefore necessarily be working against the best interests of the club? (is Eddie paying him "personally" - or is Eddie's company paying him?)

No. I'm saying that he works for Eddie. He may be working in the best interests of the club but equally may not be. Very much depends what Eddie is up to.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

what exactly do you mean "personally by Eddie"?

He isn't being paid by the club account. Eddie is paying him separately. He's not on the payroll of Bolton Wanderers.

so - to be clear - you are taking that as clear evidence that Birch will therefore necessarily be working against the best interests of the club? (is Eddie paying him "personally" - or is Eddie's company paying him?)

No. I'm saying that he works for Eddie. He may be working in the best interests of the club but equally may not be. Very much depends what Eddie is up to.

And I've told you that that is bollox.

[BWFC_Insane]

what exactly do you mean "personally by Eddie"?

He isn't being paid by the club account. Eddie is paying him separately. He's not on the payroll of Bolton Wanderers.

so - to be clear - you are taking that as clear evidence that Birch will therefore necessarily be working against the best interests of the club? (is Eddie paying him "personally" - or is Eddie's company paying him?)

No. I'm saying that he works for Eddie. He may be working in the best interests of the club but equally may not be. Very much depends what Eddie is up to.

And I've told you that that is bollox.

Unless you know what Eddie wants and what the plan is, and you don't, then you cannot possibly know that either way.

[Worthy4England]

I'm fairly convinced he's working for ED. But the point is, knowing his mandate (determined by ED) and who his employer is (ED), he has allegedly according to the reports, presented a deal to the Board that I assume he feels was capable of proceeding with - otherwise he wouldn't be wasting his time. If that's the case (so you believe the story), then it's a tough call to criticise him for not doing what he's been set to do.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

No. I'm saying that he works for Eddie. He may be working in the best interests of the club but equally may not be. Very much depends what Eddie is up to.

And I've told you that that is bollox.

Unless you know what Eddie wants and what the plan is, and you don't, then you cannot possibly know that either way.

Yes I can. Listen. Trevor Birch is an Insolvency Practitioner. His present job is based on that fact. He works to a code of ethics. In that code, right at the very beginning is a statement of Fundamental Principles which are outlined in section 400.4 and I quote
b) Objectivity
An Insolvency practitioner should not allow bias, conflict of interest or undue influence of others to override professional or business judgements.

[Bruce Rioja]

No. I'm saying that he works for Eddie. He may be working in the best interests of the club but equally may not be. Very much depends what Eddie is up to.

And I've told you that that is bollox.

Unless you know what Eddie wants and what the plan is, and you don't, then you cannot possibly know that either way.

So, you honestly think that there's a possibility that he's been given a mandate by ED to work against the best interests of the club?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Unless you know what Eddie wants and what the plan is, and you don't, then you cannot possibly know that either way.

[thebish]

so - to be clear - you are taking that as clear evidence that Birch will therefore necessarily be working against the best interests of the club? (is Eddie paying him "personally" - or is Eddie's company paying him?)

No. I'm saying that he works for Eddie. He may be working in the best interests of the club but equally may not be. Very much depends what Eddie is up to.

except that two pages ago - only last night - you wrote this:

Anyone who is under the misapprehension that Eddie is doing what is right for the club need to be asking different questions.

so - the idea that ED is doing what is right for the club - according to you - is a misapprehension - in other words, ED is NOT doing what is right for the club - and Birch (you suggest) is only doing what's right for Eddie.

so - you are very much NOT saying that he may be working in the best interests of the club but equally may not be. you are saying that he is not. with no evidence at all that I can see.