RAM1966

Don't know about anyone else, but I'd have still taken the fictitious Mr X as owner over Erik Alonso

Assuming the EFL arent already aware of the content of the reporting piece, I would imagine this will further dent our relationship with them, whilst Mel is in charge.
Here we are trying to persuade them to let us sign more players, not a chance now.
Just 1 normal day, it's all we ask.

Mel comes out of it, albeit not squeaky clean, at least with not enough dirt on him to pile in on him (and consequently us) going forward. At least not based on this documentary. At least not for any outsiders. 
However, as a Derby fan, we know Mel is a smart man. You can't tell me that he didn't know what he was getting into when he engaged with Samuelson. He had this fake Chinese takeover, although how much he knew of Mr.X's proposed criminality I'm not sure and then followed it up with the BZI take over - again involving Samuelson. I'm led to believe he didn't have anything to do with the Erik Alonso takeover, but there were many similarities to things mentioned in the documentary and that proposed charade. I wouldn't at all be surprised if he potentially had a hand in that one too.  
Mel Morris is doing almost everything I expected we would be protected from by having a local investor. I thought at the very least we would be in safe hands during his tenure and he would only sell to someone he trusted. I don't buy that anymore. I can't buy that anymore, because Samuelson was a known entity and yet he's given him two, potentially three, chances to sell our club to his clients. I mean, a middle-eastern news outlet knew he was dodgy as duck and decided to set this whole thing up. For me, Mel can't claim not to know what he was about and what getting into business with him meant. I think that's the thing that saddens me the most. 
I know most of us on here knew Samuelson was a bit of a deviant, but not to such levels. He still claims to be above the law despite openly discussing fake passports and hiding criminality from the EFL to get them in charge to clean money. It's absolutely outrageous. It's obvious that people in the game, however, did. Ultimately, the selling owner doesn't care as long as he gets his money and it's the fans that pay. I think that's where I am with Mel at the moment. The future of this club is in the hand's of a desperate man willing to accept the advances of anyone that will give him and escape route. We are simply voiceless in this transaction and as a fan base really can only hope that the EFL won't allow anyone too crooked into our club. 
On another note, I thought the comments about not wanting to see the club on a steady decline in the documentary was ironic considering the situation we find ourselves in. He bought the club in a good position. I know that comment was a couple of seasons ago now, but even if would have to admit he's selling the club in a far worst state than when he bought in. 

I thought it was a brilliant bit of reporting into how illegal money not only infiltrates football but how it and its owners infiltrate society more generally. 
As for Derby. I imagine Mel is embarrassed and will take more care in the future. He hasn't done anything illegal, he just looks a bit foolish. Nothing major in the grand scheme of Derby County dramas, but a bit worrying that the man in charge of our club picks allies like Samuelson. 

Good programme. Well done the journalists exposing Samuelson and his cronies in action. The journos must have been pissing themselves at that restaurant table when Samuelson is telling them to be wary, and to take precautions, when talking in a public space.
As for Mel Morris. Nothing too much to beat him with a stick about, although it’s airing, and his suggestions how to game P&S rules, must be a bit embarrassing coming at a time when he is trying to make it up with the EFL.  You don’t really need to hear about another loophole being discussed when you are trying to negotiate your way out of the last loophole ?‍♂️
My concern is the impression given by the programme which portrayed Morris as being someone prepared to quickly get into the nitty gritty of sale negotiations with third party reps of an investor he could have known hardly anything about.  Similar accusations have been made regarding his subsequent attempts to sell to Mansour and Alonso. If he is not careful he will start looking like someone desperate enough to get rid of the club as long as the buyers just come up with the cash. Not a good look, and not how he has often presented his sale position to the supporters.

This sort of stuff is obviously not exclusive to Derby County, it’ll be rife through the sporting world. But why isn’t it Luton Towns chairman or Huddersfield’s owner getting dragged in all this bad light? Derby County is a poo magnet at the moment. Not a good look for the club, again. 
Amateur hour to be getting caught red handed like this. If we were going to collaborate with cowboys then we could have at least picked some competent ones. 
 
 

There’s a rotten smell about all this!

The EFL aren't coming out of this good at all are they.

Very true, it just doesn't look good with the other things they were already throwing Derby's way at the time.
The money Mel has put into this club I will always see as a positive as it has gave us a cat 1 academy.
I just hope he can find the right buyers for him and the club.
 

If you're looking at football to be reputable and some kind of moral guide I suggest you repoint your compass.  Next you'll be surprised that MP's fiddle their expenses or that Sir Phillip Green could leave a pension fund hole. 

We will not move forward as a club until a new owner is at the helm and had a chance to make his mark. It’s just disappointing to see Mel putting his trust in these characters, twinned with two failed takeovers to two different charlatans. Along with everything else. It’s just a poo situation and the sooner we can put all this behind us and shelf the ‘Mel Morris era’ as one that had highs and lows, the better. 

Cliche of the day award?

How does all this help us (as a club) move forward? It's nothing that we didn't know. The bloke in question had been talked about on the forum already, it's just raking over old coals.

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3144436/english-football-club-Derby-county-ready-sale-criminal-investor
Undercover reporters from Al Jazeera’s investigative unit reached the brink of striking a deal to buy Derby County, the Qatari news channel said

I’m going to wait to watch the documentary, but based on the snippet from the podcast I just found myself feeling sad about it all. 
Derby County is the heartbeat of a community and here we are, again, getting dragged through the mud when thousands of people have already voted with their feet. People are genuinely sick of it all. Mel has surrounded himself with bad characters throughout his tenure here and has continued that trend to led us down the path we found ourselves now. I genuinely wish he stopped thinking he was the cleverest guy in the room, stopped looking at ways we can gain advantages financially and just focus on running the club the best possible way within our budget. 
I appreciate a lot of what he’s done for the club and the city, but it’s heartbreaking to see what we’ve become. He’s not a stupid man. He knew what he was doing when he got into bed with someone like Samuelson, a known chancer and quite frankly despicable human-being.  

I think from the hints of who we might be negotiating with currently Mel has moved on. Perhaps he's accepted that it means a lower offer but a more 'acceptable' one? 

I don’t think he looks now like the guy who would never sell the club down the river.  I am very worried about the state of the club and it’s relationship with efl and I don’t believe these revelations will have helped us.  If he wasn’t one of our own I imagine he wouldn’t be getting the support he is getting

But we knew he’s been dealing with Samuelson, who has been in football for years built a decent standing and successfully brokered deals for Reading and Villa. Samuelson is the story and he’s in massive trouble now.
Mel is a target because he’s made it clear he wants out. I think it shows how easy it is to be the victim of criminal wrongdoing in this situation, why should we see him a different light? Enlighten me? Or do I need to watch it (I will watch it)

Cant wait for 9pm. See sam allardyce with pint of wine as the middleman potentially brokering the deal to sell our club  

Whatever the legality of this,it's yet another shady event that's going to further hurt derbys reputation in the eyes of the footballing community.
I'm not sure how low our rep can go to be honest,we seemed to be trapped in a football black hole of poo which is completely inescapable and dragging in extra poo as we fall deeper.

You don’t think this shows Mel in a different light?

Im not whipping anyone into a frenzy. I just think with the dodgy relationship we currently have with the EFL, i think this wont go down very well on the bridge building front?

These people are dodgy and if Mel has asked Samuelson to sell Derby then were dodgy by association. Just Mel saying the way of getting out of paying the 150m in one go might get us into hot water with the EFL when they see it. I agree its not against any rules but that line of defence hasn't worked very well for us lately has it?

If what is in part 1 of this is true, I'm not suprised the EFL are gunning for Mel.
As was said in the podcast what he was suggesting isn't against the rules but again it is a clever way of skirting around them.

Apologies @RAM1966. I’ve just listened to the recording.