Fans Buyout Feasibility

[DJMortimer]

Don't get the antipathy to Lee Strafford. He was perhaps too enthusiastic and emotional for the role of chairman, but there was no doubting his genuine feeling for the club or the toll it took on him. As I understand it, he played a fundamental role in getting the club into a position whereby it could be saved from some of the... how shall I put this... less well-intentioned characters around at that time and thus enabling the deals to be made for Milan Mandaric to takeover with the crippling debt burdens overcome. Have we had another chairman in the last half century or so that could be said to care for the club in the same way, apart from Howard Wilkinson's brief stint in that role?

 

There's rather more to being a club chairman than throwing millions around or buying every player that comes onto the market whether we need them or not. 

 

 

[Bluesteel]

On a separate point. If we relied on fan ownership we’d have to get to know and  love league 1

[Guest Mcguigan]

25 minutes ago, Bluesteel said:

On a separate point. If we relied on fan ownership we’d have to get to know and  love league 1

2 and that's been optimistic.

[Guest Hornsby]

3 hours ago, Mcguigan said:

2 and that's been optimistic.

Yeah, like Brentford making £20 million last year.

 

And producing accounts (like Brum, whose £3 million profit confirmed soon).

[Bluesteel]

7 minutes ago, Hornsby said:

Yeah, like Brentford making £20 million last year.

 

And producing accounts (like Brum, whose £3 million profit confirmed soon).

Brentford are owned by a wealthy fan, no longer some kind of supporters group. 

[Guest Mcguigan]

On 08/01/2021 at 11:30, Hornsby said:

Compared to our , errrr, latest accounts, fan -owned Brentford look financially fantastic. 

 

Interestingly - though not fan -owned -  Brum just announced £3 million profiits , while keeping stadium.

 

And they were in a worst position than us not that long ago.

 

Still, at least we got Rhodes on £40,000 a week doing nowt next for 6 months.

 

2 hours ago, Hornsby said:

Yeah, like Brentford making £20 million last year.

 

And producing accounts (like Brum, whose £3 million profit confirmed soon).

Sorry, though you said Brum had just announced £3m profits, whilst keeping their stadium, not confirming soon.

 

Any news on them still owning their own stadium?

 

Clueless or WUM?

[FopD]

For me this is a non starter.

 

The Championship is a "bubble waiting to burst" because clubs are posting record losses in a "gamble" to reach the Premier League.

Former Wigan chairman David Sharpe, who sold the club in 2018, said the situation is "frightening" - following a BBC Radio 5 Live Investigation Unit analysis of the Championship's finances.

The analysis, conducted with accountants Deloitte and football finance experts Vysyble, found:

Championship sides ran up a record high total of £307m in pre-tax losses in 2017-18

Despite the league also bringing in its highest-ever revenue of £749m, overall spending on player and staff wages exceeded clubs' revenue by 11%

That gap is expected to widen to an all-time high for 2018-19

More than half of clubs are spending more on wages than they make in income.

Many teams are recording significant losses over one or two seasons in an attempt to gain promotion to the Premier League

 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/50674331

 

With wage cost growth continuing to outstrip revenue growth, Championship clubs recorded record operating losses for the fourth successive season, worsening by 6% to £382m. Championship clubs narrowly avoided setting a new record for combined pre-tax losses which remained over £300m

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/sports-business-group/deloitte-uk-annual-review-of-football-finance-2020.pdf

 

Its just not realistic without someone willing to sustain multi million pound losses every year. 

 

To put some context, that 20,000 fans would have to pay £600 a year each to keep the club going to cover a £12M loss. Then a season ticket etc on top.

 

Players salaries wont change anytime soon and as soon as a promising player develops the agents will try to dramatically increase their wage.

[Guest Hornsby]

14 hours ago, Mcguigan said:

 

Sorry, though you said Brum had just announced £3m profits, whilst keeping their stadium, not confirming soon.

 

Any news on them still owning their own stadium?

 

Clueless or WUM?

Calm, coming £3 million annual profits , etc.

 

Lincoln just announced another fan share offer to save club.

 

Thinks that's about 20 now, post Covid.

[Guest Mcguigan]

2 minutes ago, Hornsby said:

Calm, coming £3 million annual profits , etc.

 

Lincoln just announced another fan share offer to save club.

 

Thinks that's about 20 now, post Covid.

Yes, because of the Jude Belligham and Che Evans sales. Good grief.

 

Let's see what their operating losses are. Any news on their ground yet? still own it?

 

Look at SWFC losses 

08/09 = - £3.1m

09/10 = - £3.4m

10/11 = - £6.8m

11/12 = - £4.9m

12/13 = - £3.9m

13/14 = - £5.4m

14/15 = - £4.4m

15/16 = - £9.7m

16/17 = - £20.7m

17/18 = - £36m (stadium sales excluded).

 

10 sets of accounts there approaching £100m in losses to cover.

 

Fan ownership, where do I sign up.

[Guest Hornsby]

23 hours ago, Mcguigan said:

Yes, because of the Jude Belligham and Che Evans sales. Good grief.

 

Let's see what their operating losses are. Any news on their ground yet? still own it?

 

Look at SWFC losses 

08/09 = - £3.1m

09/10 = - £3.4m

10/11 = - £6.8m

11/12 = - £4.9m

12/13 = - £3.9m

13/14 = - £5.4m

14/15 = - £4.4m

15/16 = - £9.7m

16/17 = - £20.7m

17/18 = - £36m (stadium sales excluded).

 

10 sets of accounts there approaching £100m in losses to cover.

 

Fan ownership, where do I sign up.

Owls and Derby now only 2 clubs legally late for filing accounts and Rams about to go into Administartion.

 

Bet they wish they'd had a share offer to Rams fans , like scores of other clubs recently. 

 

May have to do a Pompey now, ie a fans rescue.

 

Fan -owned Brentford made £20 million last year.

 

Where do I sign so we don't lose all decent transfer targets - to Hibernian?

[Guest Mcguigan]

On 12/01/2021 at 19:37, Mcguigan said:

 

Sorry, though you said Brum had just announced £3m profits, whilst keeping their stadium, not confirming soon.

 

Any news on them still owning their own stadium?

 

Clueless or WUM?

 

39 minutes ago, Hornsby said:

Owls and Derby now only 2 clubs legally late for filing accounts and Rams about to go into Administartion.

 

Bet they wish they'd had a share offer to Rams fans , like scores of other clubs recently. 

 

May have to do a Pompey now, ie a fans rescue.

 

Fan -owned Brentford made £20 million last year.

 

Where do I sign so we don't lose all decent transfer targets - to Hibernian?

Still no wiser and fair play, you do put up a very convincing case for being completely clueless but I'm leaning more towards WUM now.

[daveyboy66]

Is this nonsense about fans owning Wednesday still going on... 

[Hookowl]

4 hours ago, Hornsby said:

Owls and Derby now only 2 clubs legally late for filing accounts and Rams about to go into Administartion.

 

Bet they wish they'd had a share offer to Rams fans , like scores of other clubs recently. 

 

May have to do a Pompey now, ie a fans rescue.

 

Fan -owned Brentford made £20 million last year.

 

Where do I sign so we don't lose all decent transfer targets - to Hibernian?

 

Brentford isn't fan owned Matthew Benham owns them.

[Guest Hornsby]

18 hours ago, Hookowl said:

 

Brentford isn't fan owned Matthew Benham owns them.

And who has he supported since a kid?

 

And Hibernian mentioned as shows how far we have fallen under a vanity owner while Hibs are fan -funded now following successfull share offer to supporters, allowing them to buy one our targets.

 

Blades and Wigan also good examples of what happens when ownership changes from fan to dodgy geezers.

 

Like with Terry Curran, let's do another Owls B share offering and buy Cosgrove , instead of free players no one else wants.

[Road Runner]

On 12/01/2021 at 16:41, Hornsby said:

Yeah, like Brentford making £20 million last year.

 

And producing accounts (like Brum, whose £3 million profit confirmed soon).

You got a link to the accounts showing the £3 million profit? (Not due out until March 2021) 

 

Also Brentford aren’t fans owned they are owned by a fan, totally different. 

 

[Guest Mcguigan]

2 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

You got a link to the accounts showing the £3 million profit? (Not due out until March 2021) 

 

Also Brentford aren’t fans owned they are owned by a fan, totally different. 

 

No he won't have and yes, he knows. 

 

He's a WUM.

[Prince]

16 minutes ago, Hornsby said:

And who has he supported since a kid?

 

And Hibernian mentioned as shows how far we have fallen under a vanity owner while Hibs are fan -funded now following successfull share offer to supporters, allowing them to buy one our targets.

 

Blades and Wigan also good examples of what happens when ownership changes from fan to dodgy geezers.

 

Like with Terry Curran, let's do another Owls B share offering and buy Cosgrove , instead of free players no one else wants.

Hibernian are majority owned by a Billionaire and currently losing a seven figure sum.

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/hibs-owner-ron-gordon-insists-club-not-sale-after-rejecting-offers-majority-shareholding-2983839

 

As pointed out before either a numpty or a bacon troll.

 

[heppers]

On 12/01/2021 at 12:39, DJMortimer said:

Don't get the antipathy to Lee Strafford. He was perhaps too enthusiastic and emotional for the role of chairman, but there was no doubting his genuine feeling for the club or the toll it took on him. As I understand it, he played a fundamental role in getting the club into a position whereby it could be saved from some of the... how shall I put this... less well-intentioned characters around at that time and thus enabling the deals to be made for Milan Mandaric to takeover with the crippling debt burdens overcome. Have we had another chairman in the last half century or so that could be said to care for the club in the same way, apart from Howard Wilkinson's brief stint in that role?

 

There's rather more to being a club chairman than throwing millions around or buying every player that comes onto the market whether we need them or not. 

 

 

 In part I think that you are right.

 

Well intentioned? In part. He loved the publicity and tried to raise his profile at every opportunity.

 

One party saved our club from administration and that was the Coop bank in agreeing to write off the debt. 
 

Dave Allen propped up the club with loans and personal guarantees.

[heppers]

It is a non starter

 

1) we would never raise enough money to buy the club

 

2) we would not have enough to run the club

 

3) it would be a shambles. Votes, committees, power struggles, etc....

 

 

[wmb]

It’s all a pipe dream. For it to happen there would need to still be a group of main investors that sit at the top table making the important decisions. Votes could be passed down on certain topics to the smaller investors but you literally can’t vote on everything and certain decisions would need to be made on the fly. It’s a nice idea but I just don’t see how it would work.