Eatonram

11 minutes ago, MackworthRamIsGod said:

The only hope I have, and it isn't a great one, is that Ashley sees this as a case of buying the stadium from Mel for 20 million (or less) and then getting Derby out of liquidation albeit in league 2.

In essence he gets a league 2 club, free from debt with the possibility of big crowds should he get things right.

I've also had a sneaky feeling that Ashley wouldn't want Rooney as manager and wouldn't want to sack him, the more players leave the more chance he walks. 

And that's all I've got.

I guess we will have to wait and see, but I do feel you may be letting your imagination get the better of you. I hold the view that a buyer would want a fully engaged Rooney as part of the future at DCFC, but we are all pretty speculating.

22 minutes ago, MackworthRamIsGod said:

True.

Apart from liquidation and AFC Derby County in the North Counties division, I just cannot see what the end game is now.

Please, someone tell me things will be OK. Surely someone knows that Quantuma are playing a blinder and us simple Derby folk just aren't getting it.

Not sure I can do that BUT it is baffling that DCFC are not seen as an attractive buy even at £50m (if that includes the Stadium). Outside of the Prem, Derby are one of perhaps a dozen teams with real potential. From the dozen, DCFC are in the top 2-3 for income generation. Of course I'm biassed  but I really can't see how we are not an attractive proposition to bring out of Admin to someone who (whatever their reason) wants to own an English team. Considering an almost certain changed football finance landscape in terms of player wages and transfer fees, I almost feel that progress is achievable within our income....Difficult but possible.

If we were for sale "debt free" the cost of buying a Club like DCFC at the moment would likely not be massively different I suspect, so I am baffled...very baffled, but because of the above, and unless there is something that is completely left field that we are completely unaware of....it's hard to see what the blockage is.

3 minutes ago, angieram said:

Some of the comments about Quantuma are getting dangerously close to litigation territory.

Unless you have evidence to back up your claims, stop making them.

Well said Ange. People are fuelling their own worst fears by…… well just making things up really. 

Can we sell season tickets? Does anyone actually know? There is circa £5m waiting for the new owner to cushion the blow.

People who talk about ground sharing….you do realise we would still have to pay for this? So why not just pay a rental for Pride Park where we could keep fat more fans through the gate. 

Brilliant Post Alf.

Btw to those who say the club has no assets of value I would say any new owner would see the almost guaranteed income streams as the main asset. Yes this will go down for a period when we regroup in L1 but a long term view is that we will always generate good income flows in the Champ and at some stage we will return to the prem

I’ve asked this before but does anyone know how the sale of season tickets will be done? 
any new buyer would immediately draw circa £5m of income in April imo even for L1 such would be the relief of survival and a new start. We need to get to a point where the business can safely sell season tickets. 

3 minutes ago, Tyler Durden said:

Whats the figure owed then for Bielik after all that couldn't see it in your reply. 

Your losing this argument, best to drop it.

Surely most buyers would know that our income streams are about to return to relative normality. At the moment supporters are fairly enthused. 18k season tickets is easily achievable and average gates in the region of 25k. In champ with Rooney both sponsorship and tv revenues will be healthy. Corporate revenues on the high side compared to most. We should be an attractive purchase and in many ways to bid at the level needed to clear the minimum debt to exit admin cleanly. It is not such a big stretch to say we could be only a few years away from the prem. look at Luton ffs. 

Does anyone know are we going to be allowed to sell season tickets? I think we normally know by now what the price and timescales are?

Points deduction? For using dirty money for 19 years?

Of course not..."that would only hurt the fans"

Expect the highest of double standards over the next few weeks.

"its a sin" best thing on TV in last year or so.

16 minutes ago, RipleyRich said:

The rule change from 2020 essentially. It was made in order to prevent Football Cubs using Administration and a points deduction, as a means to evade Tax Debts. (Think back to Leicester)

Because of that I can't honestly see HMRC being soft. They pushed for the rule change to ensure a greater % settlement and are in effect entitled now to insist on 100%

Something is holding the sale back and I personally think this is a major issue.

But and it’s a big but, none of that changes the basic realities of a business coming out of administration as a going concern. If a prospective purchaser makes a bid that exceeds the value of the assets if liquidated. Then a creditor including HMRC are faced with the choice of taking a higher amount from the bidder or waiting for a share of liquidated assets. In Derbys case the value of liquidated assets will be very small. 

Does anyone else remember the floodlights being powered by massive generators parked behind the Ossie end because of the power cuts?

8 minutes ago, Gritstone Tup said:

Mike Ashley will only buy businesses for a pittance and then run it on a shoestring to make a profit. DCFC can’t be bought for nothing and it’s very difficult to make a profit. I don’t consider him a serious solution for our predicament.

Which seems at odds what his actual spokesperson said.

AS others have said, if you are going to make a sizeable investment in a football club, it is hard to see how/why you would want your first season in charge, in the long journey back to profitability, or recouping some of your investment, to start with -15 points in L1.

1 hour ago, Brailsford Ram said:

The day before this game, the seven weeks long miners’ strike ended when a settlement to the dispute was agreed. But energy restrictions continued with the three days working week for the time being due to the low level of coal stocks.

When the fifth round draw was made, Derby fans were delighted for the team to be drawn at home for the third consecutive time. But now they faced a much sterner test with the visit of Arsenal, the reigning double-winners. Both teams were at full strength with Derby unchanged for the sixth game in a row. A capacity all-ticket crowd of just under 40k packed the BBG with a large contingent of visiting supporters present.

The controversial George followed on from his recent two goals against the Rams at Highbury by putting Arsenal ahead with a fine goal just before the interval. In a highly charged atmosphere, the first half had been action packed but the sheer tension of the occasion prevented the free flowing football that everyone had been looking forward to.

Two minutes into the second half, Hinton equalised from the spot after O’Hare had been brought down in the penalty area. The game was now up for grabs but Arsenal’s more muscular approach was making it even more difficult for Derby to play their normal free flowing game.

With just 10 minutes remaining, George put Arsenal ahead for the second time before running to the Popside where he delivered ecstatic V-signs with both hands in front of the baying Rams supporters.  The moment was infamously captured by photographers and splashed across the back pages of the Sunday papers the following morning.

However, the fury of the Derby fans at Charlie’s celebration was replaced by their own ecstatic celebrations with only two minutes of the game remaining by Alan Durban equalising, when he placed the ball past Bob Wilson after latching on to Kevin Hector’s superb cross. It was a dramatic end to an exciting, if at times over-physical cup-tie.

The Gunners’ 34 fouls to the Rams 13 had reflected the difference between the two side although only one player, George, had been booked after referee Pat Partridge, who had been remarkably lenient up until then, decided he could not ignore his blatant trip on Archie Gemmill.

The two sides would have to try again in London just three days later, which meant I had to queue outside the BBG from the early hours of Sunday morning with a clutch of season tickets and cash in hand before the ticket office opened at 10.00 am. There was not the comfort and convenience of either telephone or online bookings in those days.

Actor, writer and Arsenal supporter, Tom Watt, best known for playing ‘Lofty’ in Eastenders, attended this match and recalled:

‘People call grounds like Old Trafford and Anfield intimidating, but when I was growing up watching Arsenal I never saw a place as intimidating as the Baseball Ground. I came up with my Dad to watch the FA Cup tie between Derby and Arsenal in 1972 and for some reason we ended up in the Paddocks with a load of Derby fans. Charlie George scored a couple for us and made his feelings known to the Popside and it all got a bit heated and it was a shock to a 15 year-old boy to find out that so many people hated Cockneys! Me and my Dad would normally end up in the Paddocks of grounds because at Arsenal that’s where the civilized people watched matches – but that obviously wasn’t the case at Derby. There was no trouble but plenty of dark looks and insults and I went away thinking that I had met blinkered fans, but now I had met Derby fans. I remember talking to Charlie some years later about that gesture to the Popside and he said he couldn’t believe the abuse he received. Of course when he trotted out at the Baseball Ground for his home debut he quickly found out that they were more than willing to forgive and forget.’

Brilliant, I think there is also an account of this game in the Nick Hornby book, "fever pitch" which is even better.

1 minute ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Firstly, we would need additional funding to get to the first game, just to release the first portion of ST money.
Then the money we get from each game would have to be enough to get through to the next game. There are 3 weeks between home games a couple of times each season. Even with a modest club wage bill of about £16m, we'd need just short of £1m to cover costs. Income from one game isn't enough to cover a period such as that.

All I'm saying is all of what you have said applies to every other Club too. If we have a new owner, surely we and the EFL can accept that the owner understands the Club's cashflow needs over the summer? We will have on of the highest (excluding parachute payments) projected income streams in the EFL....the new owners know this is fairly important part of their purchase.

@Ghost of Clough

ME Wouldn’t season ticket sales achieve this? Normally starts in March. 

YOU Season ticket money is released on a game by game basis, so no.

But there is no problem with money released on match by match basis if it is funding "beyond the summer" that we need....this would be it.

Again, we just want to be treated like any other Club, surely? We will have season ticket sales at the top end of the Championship, Gates the same, probably corporate sales the same and sponsorship the same. Every other Club will be looking ahead at their projected income so why would we not be allowed to if we secure the £5m deposit?

1 minute ago, Ghost of Clough said:

Based on my understanding, contracts will only be extended when we have proof of funds beyond the summer - essentially when the takeover is complete.

Wouldn’t season ticket sales achieve this? Normally starts in March. 

2 minutes ago, Gritstone Tup said:

2 bids are no use unless they meet the criteria set out. All of the characters we’ve attracted, even under Mel, have not been investors just people looking to pick over the carcass I’m afraid.

I bet you're fun at a party, FFS

What was it the admins said? That fans would be surprised how quickly things would move now? Something along those lines? Hmmmm

I think that said 7 working days after the accord? So mid week for a PB? Not holding my breath but it is now time for the admins to deliver and meet their own timescales. 

Anyone know what Posh have sold.....are they into mini bus territory yet or are still looking at a taxi?