Dave Mackay Ate My Hamster

14 minutes ago, B4ev6is said:

Yes I do think we have one hell of a chance of him coming here.

As ever, I love your optimism and enthusiasm B4, I'm just not sure that other than the initial link, any actual corroboration of this rumour has ever seen the light of day.

It would be great, but he's reportedly on £25k a week at Rangers and our reported max wage is £8K. Do you think Rangers would subsidise £17K a week of his wages to play for us?

Add into the mix is that their manager, whilst admitting he's not their first choice has reportedly said he's not available for loan.

That's a HUGE gap to bridge. I can't see it myself....

Of all the comings and goings of the last few weeks, Byrne's reluctance to sign up, or more particularly the lack of transparency of how he's gone about it particularly saddens me.

He IS too good for Division 1. He could easily hold his own in an upper Championship team, even a lower Premier League side. I just wish he'd not burnt his bridges by ( bad agent advice? ) doing it the way he has.

He's much loved and respected here. Go with our blessing Nathan, but show a bit of class lad.

I still hope we and him can reign it in a bit and classily have a second remarriage.

If not, can we not just end as "friends"?

3 minutes ago, Srg said:

No. It got rubbished about an hour after the rumour started. 

Thanks Srg. My expectations are finally managed.

I felt I was chasing my tile going round in circles following the rumour.

Damn. I fell into the trap!

The suggestion of Kemar Roofe is such a tantalising tease.

Does anyone think we've got a cat in hell's chance of getting him on loan?

Sorry I don't have a pun to satisfy the baying pun crowd. ?

O Captain! My Captain!

14 hours ago, kevinhectoring said:

If you dont give the ball away, have a first touch most people dream of,  and have had a premier league football brain since you were 16, then you’re excused the odd oil tanker moment 

Oil tanker?  I've seen faster moving glaciers. ?

Now I've got tomato sauce all over my table attempting to rearrange my alphabetti spaghetti. Thanks! ?

What a monumental day in our club's history.

Been out celebrating having a few.

Looking forward to a total reset, and us getting back to the old days, where we live within our means. 

I hope we can grow again, organically. If we spend pro rata, we can claw our way back to a club who's size of support will reflect in us, eventually, performing at a level we deserve. 

Delighted with our new owner. No-nonsense, humble and not carried away.

You know who I'm most happy for?....

B4. A ducking legend. Enjoy your day mate. ???

Whatever the outcome, there are a lot of players, some with huge individual wealth and others with access to high fund raising, that are interested in rescuing us.

It's reassuring in our darkest time.

1 minute ago, derby8 said:

Just read n/w £252m in 2018.

N/w I assume is net worth? So only fabulously rich, not obscenely rich, lol.

Still a huge chunk of his wealth. He must be a BIG fan...

Forgive me. It's late and I'm just catching up...

So after it looking like a head to head battle between MA and AA...

Mr Clowes has emerged from the wings as, reportedly being the 'fan' that was prepared to facilitate the CK bid by buying the ground - ergo completing the deal....

... To upscaling his offer to buy the club as a whole?

... And being the frontrunner as the best bid?

Is that where we're at?

Please, someone summarise for me. 

And if the answers to my questions are all yes - could he/we not be usurped by better offers from MA/AA in the coming days? 

How much is Clowes worth? Is it a business deal or a fan deal?

Does he have any wonga spare for future investment - or is it a wealthy fan clearing our debt, with a view to us become self-sufficient after him saving us?

Sorry for all my questions. 

5 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

It's Nixon, so...

 

Mr Nixon states the blindingly obvious again - whilst encouraging others to financially support him through patreon.

I could generalise that s*** and ask people to send me money for my "insight"

I get he's got someone in the EFL that is feeding him something, but the EFL are so chaotic and disjointed, it's a bit like having the ear wandering into The Standing Order on Irongate at 10am in the morning when the "early morning crew" are spouting rollocks.

They're all spouting broken biscuits, disjointed and changing by the minute.

Not ITK, just a snapshot...

25 minutes ago, Loughborough Ram said:

I'll welcome Ashley if he gets the club but f*** me, he's annoying! 

I'm sick to death of his game playing, he's clearly an intelligent business man so surely he understands that just continually telling everyone that he has £50m 'waiting' to complete the takeover, does not get the job done. He is a multi-billionaire so of course he has that kind of money sitting about, but unless he puts that down on the table he just looks like a buffer.

If he wants to buy the club, and if he wants it in anything other than a desolate state, walk into Quantumas office tomorrow, slap £10m on the table and tell them that they can have the other £40m next week if they just give him the go ahead.

OK that's over simplified but my point is, IF YOU WANT THE f****** CLUB, JUST BUY IT!

That's the most frustrating thing about MA.

He's easily the richest of any of our suitors, but.... The habits of a lifetime just won't let him not treat us like any other business deal.

We're not a distressed high street retail outlet.

Yes, our "numbers" are s***. But we have a hardcore tens of thousands customers (in his world) - diehard fans in our world, that are happy to spend £1000 a piece a season in our collective passion.

We're in the top 25 of supporter fan bases in the country, and 20 out of remaining 24 clubs above us are valued at 5-100 times our value.

We have MASIVE  value to any ( in US parlance) sports "investor"

If some of our players ( or more pertinately their agents) can exploit our parlous financial position by getting a cheap and beneficial exit for themselves, it's not surprising.

I expect, if we survive liquidation, we'll be starting from scratch. We'll have little or none saleable assets.

Anyone who thinks we may have a couple of million in potential transfer fees for the 5 or 6 last few players we have on contracts is delusional.

They'll go for pence. Our player staff value is next to zero.

We have to rebuild from rock bottom. Free transfers and loans is our financial reality for the next couple of years if we stave off liquidation.

I'll be amazed if we pay any transfer fee in the next 12 months if we survive.

I'm not unhappy about that. We've wazzed so much money up the wall that has led us to this position.

4 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Answer the question, or can you only be rude. 

It's difficult times for us all chaps, let's not turn against each other.

We're all stressed. Support each other.

Andy App's bid seems to be based in realism. MA's lack of a bid seems to be based in " 11th hour, I'll hoover up if nobody can get it over the line "

He's the master of making basket cases deals happen.

He doesn't flex his vast wealth, merely has the hard cash when other offers flounder.

MA. You've had many chances to make this deal happen, with, what is for you, small change.

You could've outbid Mr. Apple's bid a long time ago, but you chose not to.

Just stop teasing our desperate fan base.

Fluck off and stop waving your deep cheque book at us.

AA. You're our only realistic chance of salvation. 

Please get it over the line.

After telling myself last night I'm going to stop looking for a while, as it wasn't doing my mental health any good, yeah  you know it, I had to just have "one quick look" tonight.

Christ on a bike! Actual positivity. AA looks like he could get it over the line. I long for a time 2 years in the future where we could look forward to a ' Barker type ' fee - Not a Mel type fee, that could bankrupt us.

Boring finances are good if they ensure our survival - and out of all the names in the frame Mr Apples is our sensible nan, who tells us not want we want, but what we need and can afford.

Please get it over the line Andy...????

I bet Cockerney Mike is seething though. Beware the bruised ego attempting to scupper the deal, and looking under the sofa cushions in Ashley Towers to find the odd extra million to save face. ?

2 hours ago, Sparkle said:

Nope they become the property of the EFL who will sell them and receive money to distribute to football debts which includes transfer fees pension contributions lost matchday income for other clubs etc 

Apologies, I misunderstood that.

3 minutes ago, kevinhectoring said:

 You could not make it up. We’re in a crisis and the first substantive statement from our esteemed administrators for ages is not about the club but about ... them 

Absolutely. It smacks of bleating and self-pity. Also totally playing hardball.

So, despite their incompetence, their primary concern is " It ain't happening if we don't get paid "

We seemed to be being passed from one vipers nest to another. Our fate is in the hands of many organisations who's only motivation is self-interest.

There's a decent offer on the table from Appleby's consortium, probably more than we're worth in our current parlous financial position, but the field of play in which we're horse-trading in allows any of 4 or 5 parties to veto our salvation for reasons of self-interest.

It's truly ducking depressing!

2 minutes ago, Gee SCREAMER !! said:

They'll shift those under contract before they liquidate and plenty of memorabilia to be flogged off to private collectors.  The club who have the Watney cup on loan will be up for buying it no doubt as a starter.  Only thing they ever bloody won. They could certainly dig 5-10 million out of it.

I'd be surprised if there's that much left in assets Gee Screamer. Not arguing with you. Players can't be forced to be sold. If we liquidate they're free agents, ergo any interested club won't have to pay a transfer fee. Their agents would factor in the absence of a transfer fee to bump up their remuneration package with any prospective new club. Surely?

4 minutes ago, atherstoneram said:

3 or 4 pages back.

Forgive me, I've just speed-read it. The things that stood out for me was " We're getting our fees come what may " and " it's been ever so complicated, we deserve them "

They're not up for negotiating them it seems, but if the alternative is liquidation, surely, in the absence of a buyer there's not enough left in the DCFC carcass to even come close to meeting their fees?

10 minutes ago, atherstoneram said:

Have you not read Quantuma's press release?

No, what have I missed?

On a quiet weekend - lawyers don't work at weekends, no matter how urgent we see our situation -this is how I see it, for what it's worth.

Positives.

1. We have at least 3 serious interested parties. Appleby's consortium, Mike Ashley and Steve Morgan.

2. The new lowest figure to take us over with the ground has risen to £40m and at least Appleby's consortium are prepared to pay that. Whether either of the other parties are prepared to pay more is debatable, but in the absence of higher bids, that may become the " take it or leave it " price.

3. Mike Ashley hasn't gone away even knowing this bid.

Negatives.

1. Big Mike is peeved at his perceived ostracism from the process, after his initial low-ball offer, and has initiated legal challenges. This will get messy and delay us even further.

2. Quantuma's slow expedition of the process is incurring disproportionate costs and they're increasing day by day. You can't blame MA for challenging those costs.

3. The EFL have started to stick their oar in, demanding consultation that they're  not legally entitled to.

I think a deal will be struck. When there are no bidders that's the time to be worried, but the s*** show that Mel has sown is costing us legal and administrative fees unwrangling it.

MA is unprepared to pay those costs in full, understandably, I just hope that those costs don't escalate to a point where they actually scupper any rescue plan.

Worrying times, but liquidation suits nobody, particularly Quantuma, who need a buyer to pay their fees. I'm not sure they'll get all of them though, as they're growing to disproportionate amounts compared to the value of the club.

While there's still 3 interested parties, we will get it over the line. But how, and what condition we end up in after the process is anyone's guess... ?

So, if we accept some of the known and oft-quoted figures, it would appear as many as 8 (reported) interested parties are haggling over just a couple £million, possibly as little as £3-5m.

Crypto boy could have got the deal over the line if his smoke and mirrors £21.4m had been accepted by any real clearing authority, plus  35% over 3 years, so probably £26m - but without the stadium. With stadium - £48m

Appleby's consortium offers slightly north of £40m but wants the stadium. 

Big Mike starts his usual low-balling offer at £28m, hoping he'll be the last one at the table.

Given that the stadium is oft quoted as costing a potential buyer anything between £20.5-22m...

So if the known valuation of the offers are £40m and £48m, surely a middle figure of £44m should nail it?

And 8 parties are pissing about arguing plus  or minus that £44m figure. i.e £4m

Two very wealthy reported interested individuals and other reported consortiums.

Fighting over £4m each way. Or if you don't want the stadium, £20m will do it.

I suppose that's how rich men get rich, haggling over a mere 10%....

I'm hopeful that with  two players with proper heavyweight wealth ( MA and Morgan ) showing interest, the relatively small amounts ( to them ) will result in some sort of deal  to avoid the minus 15 point penalty.

Both will want to outdo each other for the prize and the ego thing I hope will eventually lead to them conceding a little ( for what is for them ) chump change.

I say hope, for that's what it is - not expectation. Surely if it comes to a one on one, egos will lead to them conceding a little more cash to outdo the other.

Personally, I think Morgan is the more likely to concede something. MA's a more hardened poker player, but would he want to miss out on Pride Park being a huge Sports Direct mug shrine to his empire? He's the master of the financial end-game, but like any auction, if two people want it badly I'm hoping it'll become an Ebay-esque battle, with one waking up after a night on the p*** thinking " Did I really pay that much for THAT? "

Sorry, the alarm's just gone off. Was I dreaming?