Mel Morris fan club

[Jimbo Ram]

2 hours ago, Warwick Ram said:

When will people realise that Mel only took over the club when there was a real possibility of premier league promotion.

He bought 22% after our play off final defeat in 2014. Then in 2015 he bought the rest of the shares, becoming sole owner. At this point we looked to be certainties for promotion.

What comes with promotion? A massive amount of revenue. This includes the tv money, more sponsorships and good money depending on where you finish in the league.

He bought us to boost his own bank account either through establishing us a premier league or through selling us at a huge profit when we become attractive.

He took a massive gamble with our football club and lost. Look at what he has left. 

Edited December 3, 2021 by Jimbo Ram

[ck-]

1 hour ago, kevinhectoring said:

Well he’s said he’ll waive £120m (?) of debt and the admins have confirmed the stadium will be part of the sale. So seems he’s already agreed to do exactly what you say he should be doing.  It’s more than many would do in his position imho 

Which is why I’ll reserve judgement until this is all over. If he does write off those debts, then he’s the one paying the price for the gamble - just as he’d have been the one reaping the benefit of it had come off.

I can’t say I’m happy with the effect on tax revenues, or any small businesses who have been put in jeopardy by lack of payment, but it would exonerate him to a degree. 

[kevinhectoring]

9 hours ago, Warwick Ram said:

He bought us to boost his own bank account

I’d think this was a factor but are you saying it was the sole reason he bought the club ? Seems very unlikely and seems unlikely anyone would know except for him and his closest confidantes 

[Warwick Ram]

 

On 03/12/2021 at 14:30, Crewton said:

There's no such thing as "certainties for promotion" in the Championship, certainly not for a team without parachute payments, and certainly not in late August 2015 when we'd already lost two of our best players to season long injuries. GSE got a higher price for those shares purely because we were in the PO final - a gamble on Morris' part that failed, like so many of his gambles in respect of DCFC. I think it's a big presumption to claim he was "only in it for the money" because, if that was the case, why bother to invest in the Academy and stadium to the tune of tens of millions of £s? It makes no sense. 

If he was purely an asset-stripper, he had a strange way of going about it. I've seen them at work and they don't leave themselves adrift - they make sure they have first call over the assets when the time comes to scarper. 

In the 2014 to 2015 we were favourites for promotion. I would say we were 95% there.

Investing in the academy is another money making scheme. Chelsea have been very good at this. Get players young, coach them well and sell them on. Investing in the academy only benefits the team if we keep the players who make it through or the money from selling them is reinvested. None of these have happened.

I am not saying he is an asset stripper. I am saying he saw a business opportunity and capitalised but failed. Buy the club for a relatively low price, achieve promotion, invest in the academy, make the stadium a revenue making stream outside of football then sell the club for a big price. Basically make the club an attractive prospect to new owners. An established premier league team with a stadium that can be used for concerts.

He has done this with at least two other businesses.

Oh and he does have the first call over our biggest asset the stadium as his company owns it. Oh and now he has ducked off with us in administration and a shed load of debt. I wonder if he is charging us rent to play there? Has he given it back yet for nothing or even a minimal fee? Not yet. He will sell the stadium back to the new owners as some point.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Warwick Ram

[Warwick Ram]

23 hours ago, kevinhectoring said:

I’d think this was a factor but are you saying it was the sole reason he bought the club ? Seems very unlikely and seems unlikely anyone would know except for him and his closest confidantes 

Yes I am saying this. What other reason would he buy us? Most buy clubs for two reasons:

1) vanity project.

2) try to make some money.

I think he did both.

[Warwick Ram]

On 03/12/2021 at 13:00, kevinhectoring said:

Well he’s said he’ll waive £120m (?) of debt and the admins have confirmed the stadium will be part of the sale. So seems he’s already agreed to do exactly what you say he should be doing.  It’s more than many would do in his position imho 

He has put us in administration, we are about to be relegated to league one and could face lidquidation due to debts he amassed for the football.

Never mind though waiving the ‘debt’ and selling our own stadium to us means he can be partly forgiven (sarcasm).

He wants rid and quick so I am not surprised he agreed this.

[PistoldPete]

On 03/12/2021 at 12:02, Warwick Ram said:

When will people realise that Mel only took over the club when there was a real possibility of premier league promotion.

He bought 22% after our play off final defeat in 2014. Then in 2015 he bought the rest of the shares, becoming sole owner. At this point we looked to be certainties for promotion.

What comes with promotion? A massive amount of revenue. This includes the tv money, more sponsorships and good money depending on where you finish in the league.

He bought us to boost his own bank account either through establishing us a premier league or through selling us at a huge profit when we become attractive.

You know this because? Morris took over the club shortly after he sold Candy Crush. So he had a windfall to spend.

 

Actually I know (and I think pretty much everyone knows) that most people, including Mel Morris,  do not buy football clubs to make a profit. ANd Mel Morris publicly stated as much early in his tenure.

Even Rick Parry of the EFL, hardly besties with Mel Morris, described it as the "benefactor model". Ie he was willing to underwrite our losses. 

 

So I think what you say is fairly demonstrably untrue.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by PistoldPete

[Gritstone Ram]

11 minutes ago, Warwick Ram said:

 

In the 2014 to 2015 we were favourites for promotion. I would say we were 95% there.

Investing in the academy is another money making scheme. Chelsea have been very good at this. Get players young, coach them well and sell them on. Investing in the academy only benefits the team if we keep the players who make it through or the money from selling them is reinvested. None of these have happened.

I am not saying he is an asset stripper. I am saying he saw a business opportunity and capitalised but failed. Buy the club for a relatively low price, achieve promotion, invest in the academy, make the stadium a revenue making stream outside of football then sell the club for a big price. Basically make the club an attractive prospect to new owners. An established premier league team with a stadium that can be used for concerts.

He has done this with at least two other businesses.

Oh and he does have the first call over our biggest asset the stadium as his company owns it. Oh and now he has ducked off with us in administration and a shed load of debt. I wonder if he is charging us rent to play there? Has he given it back yet for nothing or even a minimal fee? Not yet. He will sell the stadium back to the new owners as some point.

So his plan has bit him in the arse but he still has the club over a barrel. 
Has he moved in next door to Redknapp yet? I doubt he dare show his face around here. I reckon if I see him I’d just ignore the twit rather than give him a piece of my mind.

[Gritstone Ram]

On 03/12/2021 at 13:00, kevinhectoring said:

Well he’s said he’ll waive £120m (?) of debt and the admins have confirmed the stadium will be part of the sale. So seems he’s already agreed to do exactly what you say he should be doing.  It’s more than many would do in his position imho 

How has he lost £120m? Was it our fault? Was it anyone’s fault apart from his own. If I had lost any money and it was down to my own density then I wouldn’t turn around and make out I was doing anyone a favour for being such an idiot.

[Warwick Ram]

3 minutes ago, PistoldPete said:

You know this because?

 

Actually I know (and I think pretty much everyone knows) that most people, including Mel Morris,  do not buy football clubs to make a profit. ANd Mel Morris publicly stated as much early in his tenure.

 

So I think what you say is fairly demonstrably untrue.

 

I do not know it but it is an observation since he took over.

It is all a bit coincidental regarding when he gained full control to his actions in boosting revenue streams through the stadium.

If he isn’t in it for some kind of gain then do things right. Don’t gamble and spunk money on players we didn’t need for ridiculous prices.

[PistoldPete]

1 minute ago, Gritstone Ram said:

How has he lost £120m? Was it our fault? Was it anyone’s fault apart from his own. If I had lost any money and it was down to my own density then I wouldn’t turn around and make out I was doing anyone a favour for being such an idiot.

No but I woudln't expect anyone to say I was criminal if i spent £120 million of my own money on the football club. 

[Gritstone Ram]

2 minutes ago, PistoldPete said:

No but I woudln't expect anyone to say I was criminal if i spent £120 million of my own money on the football club. 

It depends if not paying taxes is a criminal offense. I wouldn’t know because I pay all mine.

[PistoldPete]

1 minute ago, Warwick Ram said:

I do not know it but it is an observation since he took over.

It is all a bit coincidental regarding when he gained full control to his actions in boosting revenue streams through the stadium.

If he isn’t in it for some kind of gain then do things right. Don’t gamble and spunk money on players we didn’t need for ridiculous prices.

I don't like seeing people waste money either. But until recently it was his own money he was wasting. Is that more immoral (actually less) than Gibson wasting the Sky parachute money he had? Spending £15 million on a crock like Asombalonga and so on? 

[PistoldPete]

2 minutes ago, Gritstone Ram said:

It depends if not paying taxes is a criminal offense. I wouldn’t know because I pay all mine.

Maybe all your taxes are deducted fronm your salary so you don't have a choice. ANd maybe the Government didn't tell you to stop earning anything.. but still expect you to pay wages to your staff and their taxes...  out of thin air.

Edited December 4, 2021 by PistoldPete

[Gritstone Ram]

1 minute ago, PistoldPete said:

Maybe all your taxes are deducted fronm your salary so you don't have a choice. ANd maybe the Government didn't tell you to stop earning anything.. but still expect you to pay wages to your staff and their taxes...  out of thin air.

Strange how Bristol aren’t in Administration or Forest or any other club I can think of.

[PistoldPete]

2 minutes ago, Gritstone Ram said:

Strange how Bristol aren’t in Administration or Forest or any other club I can think of.

Maybe we lost more than they did due to COVID, I think we did. Maybe their owners are richer and can absorb the losses ? Maybe Morris doesn’t have a spare £30 m or £40 m in cash anymore . Maybe forest has been sold a few times and they are at a different stage in the ownership cycle wheareas Morris was looking to sell just before COVID struck? 

[Asanovic70]

2 minutes ago, Gritstone Ram said:

It does make me feel better sometimes when we lose.

I'm not having a go at you. Feel free to carry on. I feel so exasperated with Lord More-Risk of Quantuma. I bet he was the sort of child who crashed his Hornby train set at Christmas or pondered why his Scaletrix flew out of the window.

[kevinhectoring]

1 hour ago, Warwick Ram said:

Yes I am saying this. What other reason would he buy us? Most buy clubs for two reasons:

1) vanity project.

2) try to make some money.

I think he did both.

agree with these two reasons. But don’t you reckon that there was at least one other reason - as a fan he just wanted his club to do better and thought it would under his ownership. 

[Ram1988]

I don't understand how Mel can get away with just walking away after refusing to pay HMRC.

[Gritstone Ram]

1 minute ago, Ram1988 said:

I don't understand how Mel can get away with just walking away after refusing to pay HMRC.

Loads of companies do it. It’s disgusting. Company makes a load of money but doesn’t pay it tax return until the next year. Suddenly no money to pay it. Company goes bankrupt.