Mel Morris new owner

[needles]

Bitter sweet. It feels like the best set up on and off the pitch we've had in years was the SMc play-off season, but all that has gone. It's been replaced with a bigger money set up, but who knows where it'll end up?

Massive appreciation for Mel Morris taking the plunge, and my full support for him and the club as ever. 

All about results now.

[Bald Eagle's Barmy Army]

GSE wouldn't have paid all of the money in one transfer window like we have done so this deal was done well before.

How some people can say Mel will only be recognised IF we get to the Premier League is beyond ridiculous. As a football supporter it isn't just about the enjoyment at a game but everything else that surrounds the club, training facilities, the ground and all of the hype leading up to signing players. We as supporters haven't had this buzz for ages so in my eyes, everything he is doing is bloody brilliant without even thinking of promotion. Have you been down the training centre lately? It is amazing and only getting better, within a couple of years we will have one of the top facilities in Europe and this is also down to Mel.

We should be thankful that he is Derby through and through and enjoy every bit of this and also back him. Those half fans need to become 3/4 fans for the rest of this season and make sure people are scrambling for the last few tickets at every home and away game. Remember Wembley when we could have sold 50000 tickets, those extra supporters need to become supporters.

Enjoy the ride people because this is the best some of you will have seen or ever see again with our club.

[TroyDyer]

I actually think this is a bad move. The club is now completely Mel's toy. The previous arrangements allowed for a safety net if one of the owners group had cash problems. 

Will Gatsby be back in town too?

MeI is now very much in the spotlight. If our fans have a run in with him. It could turn sour quick. 

 

 

This was my immediate thought too. 

[drgoodspeak]

Mel: 'we must all commit our total support' 

 

There's something a bit North Korea about that sound bite...

[Mostyn6]

I can remember tshirt guns, that was American. Wonder what happened to them? 

I thought GSE were a very safe pair of hands and local ownership often proves not to be but I'm not unhappy about it. 

Just wondered, those who are quite clearly against PG, what are your reasons specifically? 

sadly, If I put my reasons here, the forum would be in trouble, even though I could back up my comments with admissable evidence. I can go as far to say that I just don't like the man, I have reasons not to trust, I have proof the he publicly misled Derby fans on a couple of occasions, and those fans are perhaps the ones that would welcome him! I used to have contact with him regularly in my career.

Strange, do not forget that but for PG there may well be no club to be on the board of.

Whilst on face value, it appears he led the rescue, I don't believe that someone else wouldn't have done so anyway if he hadn't. Maybe even Mel Morris back then would've done it a week later. I'm pretty sure I read a comment from him saying it was something he was considering.

An awful lot of people forget that if Gadsby had not been able to prise the club out of the grubby mitts of the Amigos, we would have by now been watching Burton or Ilson.

Eddie, I happen to recall you was heavily involved in exposing them for the frauds they were ultimately proven to be, but by that token, as per my above statement, I believe that they would've been ousted regardless.

[Carra]

Going to but a couple of lives on candy crush now.

[May Contain Nuts]

An awful lot of people forget that if Gadsby had not been able to prise the club out of the grubby mitts of the Amigos, we would have by now been watching Burton or Ilson.

 

Whilst on face value, it appears he led the rescue, I don't believe that someone else wouldn't have done so anyway if he hadn't. Maybe even Mel Morris back then would've done it a week later. I'm pretty sure I read a comment from him saying it was something he was considering.

'Someone else' did, more than one person, including Mel Morris.

To say that 'Gadsby saved the club' in misleading.

 

The board will consist of:

Peter Gadsby (Chairman)
Mike Horton (Managing Director)
Jill Marples (Company Secretary)
John Kirkland OBE
Mel Morris
Don Amott
In addition, Peter Marples becomes an Associate Director (non-executive)

Each director had made an equal investment and commitment - a total of £25 million.

 

 

 

He wasn't the knight on a white charger, just one part of the horse they rode in on. Some would say he was the horse's head, some would say that to continue this sentence I'd need a lot of money and a very good team of lawyers. 

[Mostyn6]

 

 

 

 

'Someone else' did, more than one person, including Mel Morris.

To say that 'Gadsby saved the club' in misleading.

 

He wasn't the knight on a white charger, just one part of the horse they rode in on. Some would say he was the horse's head, some would say that to continue this sentence I'd need a lot of money and a very good team of lawyers. 

Where did you get that £25m quote from? This is one of the issues I have with PG also, and my information is that the total investment was no more than £7m, with the rest, if any, being in assurances rather than investment. The quote £25m misled fans into thinking there'd been £5m each pumped in. This apparently led to some boardroom arguments.

[Uptherams]

After stumping up £21m on transfers for the now even bigger goldmine that is the PL, hopefully we can also see other projects pushed back into the frame. 

[May Contain Nuts]

Where did you get that £25m quote from? This is one of the issues I have with PG also, and my information is that the total investment was no more than £7m, with the rest, if any, being in assurances rather than investment. The quote £25m misled fans into thinking there'd been £5m each pumped in. This apparently led to some boardroom arguments.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/content/articles/2006/04/28/derby_county_takeover_2006_feature.shtml

Peter Gadsby has been outlining the way the club will be run under new ownership.

The head of the consortium that's taken over Derby County said their investment means the club is back on a surer financial footing. It's emerged that the club's previous total debt stood at £52 million.

He said the board - which includes a woman for the first time - has invested a total of 25 million pounds, shared equally.

 

[sage]

Not for the midfield, he would of spent it elsewhere

Really? How do you know that?

He may have, he may not. We can only truly assess what actually happened.

[eddie]

I just don't see any point in raking over old embers - but apparently others do.

I'm out of here for a few days until you all get your petty squabbles out of the way. See you at Preston.

 

[Wolfie20]

Mel should sit in East Stand and then we'd see who's brave enough to boo.

Seriously though, single ownership of a club usually goes one of two ways - unmitigated and embarrassing disaster (e.g. Fawaz at Florest) or secure Premiership status and then through good management, provide a solid structure within the club and through shrewd transfer dealings, achieve a level of stability to allow for continuous improvement (Steve Parish at Palace).

I'm confident Mel will prove to be the latter type of owner but forgive me for keeping my fingers crossed 

[sage]

There's something a bit North Korea about that sound bite...

I think he means not booing players and singing when the players need it not just in celebration.

Not unreasonable. 

[Mick Harford]

An awful lot of people forget that if Gadsby had not been able to prise the club out of the grubby mitts of the Amigos, we would have by now been watching Burton or Ilson.

Having been part of the initial investigation ordered by Lionel I can categorically state that both he and Peter Gadsby were instrumental in us still having a club. Was a very weird feeling sat in Lionels house with him telling us what he thought had happened. Most people at the time had Emperors New Clothes syndrome and thought that [direct quote] "They are too clever, you haven't a chance of getting them" (kudos as well to Gill and Pete Marples, Mel and the Kirklands and Mr and Mrs Amott)

My view is that the initial push was required by people, my involvement saw that as being Lionel and Peter Gadsby (Again, this is not minimising teh crucial role others played in the situation)

I'm 90% certain that this was the first time people were convicted and served jail time for football miss-governance. Also worth noting that Derbyshire police were the investigating force when thingy at Chesterfield got hammered as well.

People forget what others have done, I'm no fan of Stuart Webb but appreciate that he also saved us in the 80's.

 

[Mostyn6]

Mel should sit in East Stand and then we'd see who's brave enough to boo.

Seriously though, single ownership of a club usually goes one of two ways - unmitigated and embarrassing disaster (e.g. Fawaz at Florest) or secure Premiership status and then through good management, provide a solid structure within the club and through shrewd transfer dealings, achieve a level of stability to allow for continuous improvement (Steve Parish at Palace).

I'm confident Mel will prove to be the latter type of owner but forgive me for keeping my fingers crossed 

I think, on balance, yes, we are petrified of getting a Fawaz or Ceilinho (sp?), but neither of those were born and bread in Nottingham and Leeds respectively.

[Shang]

Probably been sorted for a while now, probably not announced earlier because other clubs would have tried to take us to the cleaners in regards to transfers.

[Uptherams]

Probably been sorted for a while now, probably not announced earlier because other clubs would have tried to take us to the cleaners in regards to transfers.

Talks began in May according to the Derby Telegraph. Probably as soon as we didn't make the play offs. 

[Tombo]

Mel: 'we must all commit our total support' 

 

Or what he really meant to say was:

"SUBMIT TO ME NOW. I HAVE ASSUMED DIRECT CONTROL. YOU WILL COMMIT YOUR TOTAL SUPPORT TO YOUR NEW OVERLORD"

[Tombo]

Nah I'm joking, I like the guy really. Seems to be one of these people that everyone around Derby knows him or has worked for him or knows someone that has worked for him. I've never met him, but they all say he's a very clever guy. Just a natural businessman.

Problem is that football fans tend to not like businessmen. We're in a position to spend right now but let's not be fooled into thinking this amount of money can be thrown in all the time. Sometimes we'll have to be clever, and it might not seem like it now but I think Mel is the kind of guy that'll take a strong stance and stay tightfisted if he needs to.