Sheffield Wednesday Fans Invest

[Guest hirsty9]

We've got a chairman and a board who hav'nt put a penny in the coffers, why should the fans do what the club are not prepared to do ?

[cardiffowl06]

We've got a chairman and a board who hav'nt put a penny in the coffers, why should the fans do what the club are not prepared to do ?

tard.

[SiJ]

tard.

Go get him Cardiff!

[Guest hirsty9]

tard.

cat

[Guest becauseofboxingday]

Approximately £25,000 has so far been volunteered.

In reality, some larger businesses will need to be approached to see if there is any mileage in this. However, it is encouraging that relatively small businesses and individuals have stated they would support such a scheme. Especially bearing in mind that the amount of people on Owlstalk over a 24 hour period must be classed as a pretty small sample size.

[fife_owl]

Its a fantastic dream, but it would need a credible business person to front it and probably a few wealthy individuals to underwrite it. The underwritiers would need their contribution to be separated to give them a return for their dis-proportionate contribution.

Anyone know of any high profile business leaders that are Wednesdayites that would take on such a job. (The obvious candidate happens to be the chairman!)

[capetownowl]

Its a fantastic dream, but it would need a credible business person to front it and probably a few wealthy individuals to underwrite it. The underwritiers would need their contribution to be separated to give them a return for their dis-proportionate contribution.

Anyone know of any high profile business leaders that are Wednesdayites that would take on such a job. (The obvious candidate happens to be the chairman!)

Billaja.

:biggrin::biggrin:

*Gets coat and tin hat.*

[Daz]

My only requirement is that the Directors sitting on the Board give up x% of shares depending on the amount of money pledged.

The money goes to the club not the shareholders.

ie Fans give £500,000.00 to the club the directors give 10 mil shares to the Fans.

The irony here is that a certain former Chairman offered to buy Wednesdayite's shares for 500k, with all the money going to the 'squad'.

I guess what's good for the goose is good for the gander!

On a serious note, I think the more the scheme is complicated and conditional, the less likely it will achieve its objective - unless its just a propaganda stunt as we have seen in the past.

The critical thing is for the club to back the initiative 100% and give it full backing and promotion in the media similar to what it did with the 'Save Our Owls' campaign in the 70's. This is the only way of appealing to the masses, businesses and wealthy fans out there.

The next step is to get the club's commitment and buy in and then I think it will have a great chance of success, particularly if the club can incentivise people by offering them their money back and a season ticket discount on return to the Premiership within a certain period of time.

Edited April 22, 2010 by Daz

[Guest totemowl]

There are several ways in which money could be invested. I'm dubious about burdening the club with another when no one has any clue as to how viable it is and what terms and conditions apply. So perhaps interested parties should buy multiple memberships or season tickets.

Perhaps the club can take advantage of this by opening the otherwise imaginery upper tier on the kop, for season ticket sales only. Their value as an investment vehicle and their T&Cs are well known. It's just that the view is crap and they don't permit entry to the ground.

[Furious George]

On a serious note, I think the more the scheme is complicated and conditional, the less likely it will achieve its objective

THIS, THAT AND THOSE.

I mentioned this earlier in the thread - if you want to contribute towards putting money in the transfer fund - do so.

Talk of shares and lists of players etc complicates everything.

[mcmigo]

I just cannot stand by and watch on this thread, as much as I have tried. I have all the respect in the world for those pledging money to the club - I wish I felt differently - but I am going to have my say.

Our club is a business and not a charity. There are causes out there much, much more worthy of money than the club. By feeding the club money like this it is only going to become more and more reliant on income in excess of that it can generate as a business. The club must, MUST be brave and take a stand against the ridiculous excess in football. It must run the business as money in = money out as there is NO other model that is sustainable. If that means taking a decision not to sign a player as he wants 6/7k a week then that is the decision we must take. If it means saying no to the demands of a star striker wanting a new contract on double the money that is what we must do.

We have RESERVES driving Italian automotive exotica that cost in excess of £100,000. The idea that our fans would fund this excess even further makes me sick to the core.

Please, please - think very hard before you take the plunge on this. I simply ask you to reflect on the following:

1. What we have seen this season on a wage bill of close to 6 million per annum.

2. The lifestyles of the footballers we employ

3. The impact on you emotionally of seeing £1,000 of your money funding the wages of one average footballer for one day.

In my view any money gifted to the club must be routed into the academy and be kept well away from the first team squad.

I am sorry if this disrupts the thread or the intentions of it, but hopefully those promoting this idea will also welcome some challenge on their opinions.

[Furious George]

I just cannot stand by and watch on this thread, as much as I have tried. I have all the respect in the world for those pledging money to the club - I wish I felt differently - but I am going to have my say.

Our club is a business and not a charity. There are causes out there much, much more worthy of money than the club. By feeding the club money like this it is only going to become more and more reliant on income in excess of that it can generate as a business. The club must, MUST be brave and take a stand against the ridiculous excess in football. It must run the business as money in = money out as there is NO other model that is sustainable. If that means taking a decision not to sign a player as he wants 6/7k a week then that is the decision we must take. If it means saying no to the demands of a star striker wanting a new contract on double the money that is what we must do.

We have RESERVES driving Italian automotive exotica that cost in excess of £100,000. The idea that our fans would fund this excess even further makes me sick to the core.

Please, please - think very hard before you take the plunge on this. I simply ask you to reflect on the following:

1. What we have seen this season on a wage bill of close to 6 million per annum.

2. The lifestyles of the footballers we employ

3. The impact on you emotionally of seeing £1,000 of your money funding the wages of one average footballer for one day.

In my view any money gifted to the club must be routed into the academy and be kept well away from the first team squad.

I am sorry if this disrupts the thread or the intentions of it, but hopefully those promoting this idea will also welcome some challenge on their opinions.

Do you feel the same about season ticket money being used for budget purposes?

The suggestion earlier in the thread was to buy 20 season tickets and raffle them off.

Of course money such as that is only going to pay for a new car etc, but this is not just Sheffield Wednesdays problem, its football in general, and I'd be more concerned by taking the moral high ground that we would be biting our noses off to spite our face.

[mcmigo]

Do you feel the same about season ticket money being used for budget purposes?

The suggestion earlier in the thread was to buy 20 season tickets and raffle them off.

Of course money such as that is only going to pay for a new car etc, but this is not just Sheffield Wednesdays problem, its football in general, and I'd be more concerned by taking the moral high ground that we would be biting our noses off to spite our face.

Season ticket money is revenue - it is a price you pay in exchange for admission to the stadium to watch home matches. Much like buying a loaf of bread or a pint of beer, it is a price you pay in exchange for good or services.

Gifting and donating money to the club is very different. It is an unconditional pledge of cash, purely altruistic, aside from an expectation that the money will be spent 'wisely.' You get nothing in return for this gift.

[Furious George]

Season ticket money is revenue - it is a price you pay in exchange for admission to the stadium to watch home matches. Much like buying a loaf of bread or a pint of beer, it is a price you pay in exchange for good or services.

Gifting and donating money to the club is very different. It is an unconditional pledge of cash, purely altruistic, aside from an expectation that the money will be spent 'wisely.' You get nothing in return for this gift.

In our case more like buying mouldy bread and off-milk and still consuming it.

But would you be happier if the fund did this, buy a load of season tickets and then raffle them off?

As mentioned earlier in the thread I think its a fantastic idea and have not heard an argument against it yet. 25k would equate to around 40 season tickets. Even if the raffle is too complex to organise, donate them to the childrens hospital for kids and parents. Think of the feelgood factor that would promote.

Why isn't anybody picking this idea up at the club with the people on this thread????

[Saxtonian]

I just cannot stand by and watch on this thread, as much as I have tried. I have all the respect in the world for those pledging money to the club - I wish I felt differently - but I am going to have my say.

Our club is a business and not a charity. There are causes out there much, much more worthy of money than the club. By feeding the club money like this it is only going to become more and more reliant on income in excess of that it can generate as a business. The club must, MUST be brave and take a stand against the ridiculous excess in football. It must run the business as money in = money out as there is NO other model that is sustainable. If that means taking a decision not to sign a player as he wants 6/7k a week then that is the decision we must take. If it means saying no to the demands of a star striker wanting a new contract on double the money that is what we must do.

We have RESERVES driving Italian automotive exotica that cost in excess of £100,000. The idea that our fans would fund this excess even further makes me sick to the core.

Please, please - think very hard before you take the plunge on this. I simply ask you to reflect on the following:

1. What we have seen this season on a wage bill of close to 6 million per annum.

2. The lifestyles of the footballers we employ

3. The impact on you emotionally of seeing £1,000 of your money funding the wages of one average footballer for one day.

In my view any money gifted to the club must be routed into the academy and be kept well away from the first team squad.

I am sorry if this disrupts the thread or the intentions of it, but hopefully those promoting this idea will also welcome some challenge on their opinions.

Couldn't agree more. Bit like backing an odds-on favourite that trails in last - you really resent the poor investment. And we really are a poor investment.

[Guest intercity0wl]

THIS, THAT AND THOSE.

I mentioned this earlier in the thread - if you want to contribute towards putting money in the transfer fund - do so.

Talk of shares and lists of players etc complicates everything.

If i ever contemplated subscribing to anything along the lines of a scheme such as this i would not want anything like a list of players to pick from and voting on this that and the other.

Give the money to thespecific cause you are told it will be used for and let the person at the club use the money as they want, ie if its to purchase a player AI would decide and not me and a few hundred other wannabe football managers, in much the same way as foundation membership D/Debits are used to towards the Academy without members wanting an update on exactly how every week.

Edited April 22, 2010 by intercity0wl

[Guest Anglofile]

Invest a small amount directly in to the playing squad. Improve the product on the pitch. Climb slowly up the leagues. Pay off all the creditors.

The shares are not so meaningless suddenly.

I would like to know how you could just scarp the shares?? It would make our life so much better. I know one ex director who would not be too keen on it though.

The reason is that any new equity would still be sitting behind the bank's debt as well as the other loan note holders. The current shares have zero value unless the new equity is in some way used to reduce at least a portion of the debt. For example, a group of ex-Goldman bankers are trying to buy up bonds/senior debt on Man-U in a loan-to-own scheme. They're betting that Glazer's equity isn't worth a warm bucket of spit or perhaps slightly more. Control the debt, control the club.

Same thing would go for Norwich City. Enterprise value is maybe GBP 20 million but have GBP 24 million in debt. You'd have to buy out the bank at less than par and blow our the existing shareholders to make that deal work. On top of that, they're losing GBP 5 million a year. Play the debt, not the equity in that club.

Joe :wink:

[steelowl]

I just cannot stand by and watch on this thread, as much as I have tried. I have all the respect in the world for those pledging money to the club - I wish I felt differently - but I am going to have my say.

Our club is a business and not a charity. There are causes out there much, much more worthy of money than the club. By feeding the club money like this it is only going to become more and more reliant on income in excess of that it can generate as a business. The club must, MUST be brave and take a stand against the ridiculous excess in football. It must run the business as money in = money out as there is NO other model that is sustainable. If that means taking a decision not to sign a player as he wants 6/7k a week then that is the decision we must take. If it means saying no to the demands of a star striker wanting a new contract on double the money that is what we must do.

We have RESERVES driving Italian automotive exotica that cost in excess of £100,000. The idea that our fans would fund this excess even further makes me sick to the core.

Please, please - think very hard before you take the plunge on this. I simply ask you to reflect on the following:

1. What we have seen this season on a wage bill of close to 6 million per annum.

2. The lifestyles of the footballers we employ

3. The impact on you emotionally of seeing £1,000 of your money funding the wages of one average footballer for one day.

In my view any money gifted to the club must be routed into the academy and be kept well away from the first team squad.

I am sorry if this disrupts the thread or the intentions of it, but hopefully those promoting this idea will also welcome some challenge on their opinions.

Speaking personally and not on behalf of the guys signed up in principle to BoBD's scheme:

I am perfectly aware of the ridiculous lifestyle of even our reserves that you allude to . We are just owls who want to help the club we love. Over examination of the whys and wherefors of lifestyles etc could go on for years, where do you start with that discussion Jimmy hill, Bosman or the introduction of Sky ?. these things simply cloud the issue; our club is struggling do you want to help, can you help? If yes brilliant, if no fine. My original idea was to get some money in before the transfer window closed that wasn't possible for a few reasons. The present initiative by BoBD is well intentioned and if I read his emails right the guy is extremely savvy when it comes to finance and will be ably assisted by 'Shabbyhouse' and a few other people with contacts on here and also myself.

Again speaking on my behalf you haven't disrupted any thread you have outlined what you see as pit falls. I don't agree on the Academy being the destination for any monies, but I agree with your later post where you say these donations are just that and this will be a point that will be discussed when the scheme is set up, and it will be as there are far too many credible people interested to let it die away.

When these discussion take place and that will be when the potential 'investors' have either publicly declared in or out - don't get me started on them! I would welcome you to join in. In fact everyone on here or other sites will be welcome to contact BoBD with offers of donations or help with formulation and administration of the scheme when it has been agreed with the Club.

Edited April 22, 2010 by steelowl

[trevdi9]

hi all,

just to say i think its a brilliant gesture by every one concerned

ie £25.000 in 24 hours ,ya could,nt get a loan that quick,

initionally i thought it was one of those threads that would peter out

But it keeps coming back .

therefore the idea must have legs(more than some of the team dare i say it) so why dos'nt

some one in the know pm the appropriate person and put the idea forward and seek a reaction from LEE or whoever

also to my mind this gesture from supporters could go a long way in showing our (possible investors)what our club means to us .even though it is not needed as they should know allready.

one other thing could there be an avenue explored for low paid none earners to contribute to said gift to club, with regards to all concerned

[steelowl]

hi all,

just to say i think its a brilliant gesture by every one concerned

ie £25.000 in 24 hours ,ya could,nt get a loan that quick,

initionally i thought it was one of those threads that would peter out

But it keeps coming back .

therefore the idea must have legs(more than some of the team dare i say it) so why dos'nt

some one in the know pm the appropriate person and put the idea forward and seek a reaction from LEE or whoever

also to my mind this gesture from supporters could go a long way in showing our (possible investors)what our club means to us .even though it is not needed as they should know allready.

one other thing could there be an avenue explored for low paid none earners to contribute to said gift to club, with regards to all concerned

pm'd you mate