The Administration Thread

[Gritstone Ram]

A bit of a summary of the Q & A on Twitter. He sounds ok to me and I feel someone is trying to put him down.

https://theramswriter.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/kirchner-this-isnt-a-hobby-we-are-here-to-build-something-special/?fbclid=IwAR2UQtbh2DO1I0Nd7W99FxWv1_if00EKyj55TlonGHstoCNzjUtXAw5YUYg

[RadioactiveWaste]

9 minutes ago, Mucker1884 said:

The only negativity* I've seen thus far is that he says he aims to win L1 next year... We ain't even there yet!  

 

 

 

*Negativity/Realism... same thing in this instance, it could be argued.  ?

Pretty sure all the serious bidders made their offerings based on the assumption that the club would be in league 1 next season.

 

[Woodley Ram]

In response to the article Kirchner responded with –

“There’s a lot of false information appearing… in the US it’s easier to keep private wealth… private. Valuations on my company are wrong (in both directions) and most of that is illliquid. The money for the team came from private investments and early investments in crypto.”

“I’ve had to show this to Preston (despite the blatant lie in the Mail) Quantuma, and the EFL have seen it when we previously engaged in Derby. It’s also been shared with one other club we looked at as things got more serious.”

“Unless something comes directly from me or my team, be careful what you believe. Given the truths that have been proven from my comments in December about this deal, my promise on candor is true.”

When asked about a -15 deduction next season the answer was

“This is still to be decided. We have to discuss things with the league and see where we sit. We will share when we know, but right now we don’t know.”

Questions arose about his net worth only being around the £5 million mark. His response was,

“Well I paid cash for my plane and it’s worth about £22m.” He also confirmed that he does not need to put down a £5m deposit as Quantuma have enough funds until the end of the season, but once that runs out he will fund the club.

On the stadium issue and the possibility of the council buying it and leasing it to the club Kirchner said

“Yes… the Derby City Council have been instrumental in me coming back. They are great representatives for the people of Derby and will be a great ally for us as we rebuild the club.”

When asked about why he pulled out of purchasing Preston North End he said

“Let’s do a hypothetical here… Ever buy a car? If someone raises the price halfway through the deal by 10% over what you agreed then wants to force you to buy options and packages you don’t want/need with the car, would you buy it?”

“We started comparing every other club to Derby in terms of infrastructure. The other clubs we looked at needed significant improvements to produce players through the academy at the level we want long term.”

When asked if he was the sole financial backer or are there other investors in the mix, if so, are you able to advise who?

“It’s me… but I may bring in some partners for small stakes down the road for strategic reasons. Such as experience in media, experience in retail, or other things that are important to the business we are building. Or I might have some friends buy small pieces to be a part of it – But the deal is solely me at this point from a financial perspective and not dependent on anyone else.”

If successful with the Derby purchase, is your plan to stay long term or to flip the club and move on?

“No plans to sell something before I buy it… I’m 34, so I have some time to be the custodian before giving someone else a run”

Will you be continuing/backing RamsTV as it is now?

“Love Rams TV… we are going to do a lot more on the access/media front”

Do you and Rooney have already a rough idea how you will go about transfers this summer?

“He does… we haven’t had a chance to go through it together as this happened quickly. Going to discuss this and start moving on it in the coming weeks.”

Will the EFL allow you to buy players next season? Or will the club be restricted to free agents and loans?

“Haven’t met with EFL yet, so can’t comment on the outstanding issues with them. I will say they’ve been supportive, reasonable and amicable in previous conversations, so I think we will be treated fairly and the restrictions removed.”

Will Wayne Rooney remain as manager?

“He will be. He’s a big reason I came back. I think Wayne is the best young manager in the game.”

On offering current players new deals and recruitment in to the squad Kirchner replied –

“I’m sure we will… but I’ll default to Wayne and the team internally. He knows the squad he wants, my job is to give him the resources to assemble that squad.

“Hiring a recruitment team will be up to Garry and Wayne. I’ll trust their judgement.”

Kirchner gave confirmation that former Manchester City CEO Garry Cook will be the Chief exec. of Derby County.

Finally on the city of Derby and the future of the club Kirchner had this to say.

“It reminds me of my hometown. Everything revolves around Kentucky athletics. The passion is exciting and the people are nuts. Sometimes a little too much, but the supporters of Derby are a key reason I’m here. Derby is a big club and is going to get even bigger.”

“Let’s be realistic… we are going to build something sustainable and stable so the people of Derby and the supporters never go through something like this again. Goal 1 will be to rebuild the organization. Goal 2 will be to win League 1 next year.”

“A lot to be done, but I believe it will or I wouldn’t be spending my time or money on it. Despite people thinking I’m kicking tires, I’ve spent about £500,000 in diligence trying to find the right club. This isn’t a hobby… we’re here to build something special.”

[Comrade 86]

Blockchain expert makes pile of cash trading Crypto, shocker...

More news at 10.00.

[CornwallRam]

Still trying to work out what Ashley was playing at. Obviously he has the cash to get the deal done tomorrow if he wanted to. Fairly understandable that he'd want to get it as cheap as possible, although delays have resulted in the squad becoming weaker which knocks on to making relegation almost certain. There's a strong argument for false economy in that delay.

There's the obvious assumption that Ashley wants to buy us cheap, put in just enough to get us to the Premier League and then sell us on for a profit. But I'm not sure it's as straightforward as that as it's easier to make a profit in conventional businesses. 

I think, though his eventual goal might well have been Premier League profit, he intended to use Derby County to promote his other businesses. We'd effectively have been bought out of his marketing budget. So logically, the more publicity, the better. 

Waiting until the last minute will drive the price right down. It will also drive the club lower in the football pyramid. Derby County in League 2 is  a big story, with lots of publicity. That publicity could then be kept going with Derby County rising up the leagues on the back of Ashley's investment. Was that Ashley's plan? Is he expecting Kirchner to fail and preparing to buy the club as a Pheonix?

[ilkleyram]

If someone, born in Derby having made a fortune selling newspapers overseas or getting lucky on a speculative investment on a computer game, was saying all these things we would be dancing in the streets saying how lucky we were.  Neither ended well. Both started well  

The only differences with ck is that he talks with an accent and we don’t quite believe where he made his money.  He’s told us - bitcoin. I understand that as much as I understand people making millions from a computer game.  Until and unless someone shows different I’ll believe him. I’ve never seen Lionel or Mel’s accounts either. 

The other thing that gives me confidence is that his company has also been checked out by the PGA. And they’ve run a successful golf tournament. Players have been paid or we might have heard about it. 

There are plenty of people around willing to do him and us down - Preston feel aggrieved, fans of other clubs, EFL people, Rooney haters, journalists after clicks - there will be negativity during a period when NDAs require silence. Let’s let it play out. 

[Jimbo Ram]

14 minutes ago, CornwallRam said:

Still trying to work out what Ashley was playing at. Obviously he has the cash to get the deal done tomorrow if he wanted to. Fairly understandable that he'd want to get it as cheap as possible, although delays have resulted in the squad becoming weaker which knocks on to making relegation almost certain. There's a strong argument for false economy in that delay.

There's the obvious assumption that Ashley wants to buy us cheap, put in just enough to get us to the Premier League and then sell us on for a profit. But I'm not sure it's as straightforward as that as it's easier to make a profit in conventional businesses. 

I think, though his eventual goal might well have been Premier League profit, he intended to use Derby County to promote his other businesses. We'd effectively have been bought out of his marketing budget. So logically, the more publicity, the better. 

Waiting until the last minute will drive the price right down. It will also drive the club lower in the football pyramid. Derby County in League 2 is  a big story, with lots of publicity. That publicity could then be kept going with Derby County rising up the leagues on the back of Ashley's investment. Was that Ashley's plan? Is he expecting Kirchner to fail and preparing to buy the club as a Pheonix?

Doesn’t make business sense wanting Derby to be a Phoenix, much bigger profile in the Championship/League 1 for him to market his brand. If CK fails he could still get what he wants….

[Jimbo Ram]

3 minutes ago, ilkleyram said:

If someone, born in Derby having made a fortune selling newspapers overseas or getting lucky on a speculative investment on a computer game, was saying all these things we would be dancing in the streets saying how lucky we were.  Neither ended well. Both started well  

The only differences with ck is that he talks with an accent and we don’t quite believe where he made his money.  He’s told us - bitcoin. I understand that as much as I understand people making millions from a computer game.  Until and unless someone shows different I’ll believe him. I’ve never seen Lionel or Mel’s accounts either. 

The other thing that gives me confidence is that his company has also been checked out by the PGA. And they’ve run a successful golf tournament. Players have been paid or we might have heard about it. 

There are plenty of people around willing to do him and us down - Preston feel aggrieved, fans of other clubs, EFL people, Rooney haters, journalists after clicks - there will be negativity during a period when NDAs require silence. Let’s let it play out. 

That’s all we can do and hope the worrying rumours are just that and nothing more…

[Red Ram]

45 minutes ago, PistoldPete said:

You believe the Daily Mail? And stuff coming from Preston and or the EFL , who have a common factor, ie one Peter Ridsdale?  

Didn't say I believed it or disbelieved it - said it was cause for concern. We have no way of evaluating where the truth lies between Preston's version and Kirchner's version. We do know he's ended up not completing two deals already. If he doesn't complete this one it probably means liquidation, hence it's cause for concern. No more, no less.

I don't share your anxieties about the EFL. They will want Derby to survive and will therefore be hoping the Kirchner deal goes through.

[Sparkle]

8 hours ago, Andicis said:

I'm fairly impressed by some of the provided answers from Kirchner. He's being very open and forthcoming with answers, I particularly liked his reference to our academy infrastructure, if that is the direction he wants to build the club in that is a very positive move.

Well he did say most other clubs have nothing comparable in academy 

[CornwallRam]

4 minutes ago, Jimbo Ram said:

Doesn’t make business sense wanting Derby to be a Phoenix, much bigger profile in the Championship/League 1 for him to market his brand. If CK fails he could still get what he wants….

I'd argue that there'd be a lot more publicity generated by Derby County dropping into League 2, so our profile would be higher, at least initially. 

If Ashley really just wanted a Championship club, why did he not put a viable bid in early enough to enable us to strengthen in January?

Assuming that Ashley's interest is genuine, he clearly does not see Championship status as important.

[Kathcairns]

2 hours ago, RipleyRich said:

And the TV programme "Star Soccer"

Hate the words soccer and rugger personally.

[ariotofmyown]

50 minutes ago, Woodley Ram said:

In response to the article Kirchner responded with –

“There’s a lot of false information appearing… in the US it’s easier to keep private wealth… private. Valuations on my company are wrong (in both directions) and most of that is illliquid. The money for the team came from private investments and early investments in crypto.”

“I’ve had to show this to Preston (despite the blatant lie in the Mail) Quantuma, and the EFL have seen it when we previously engaged in Derby. It’s also been shared with one other club we looked at as things got more serious.”

“Unless something comes directly from me or my team, be careful what you believe. Given the truths that have been proven from my comments in December about this deal, my promise on candor is true.”

When asked about a -15 deduction next season the answer was

“This is still to be decided. We have to discuss things with the league and see where we sit. We will share when we know, but right now we don’t know.”

Questions arose about his net worth only being around the £5 million mark. His response was,

“Well I paid cash for my plane and it’s worth about £22m.” He also confirmed that he does not need to put down a £5m deposit as Quantuma have enough funds until the end of the season, but once that runs out he will fund the club.

On the stadium issue and the possibility of the council buying it and leasing it to the club Kirchner said

“Yes… the Derby City Council have been instrumental in me coming back. They are great representatives for the people of Derby and will be a great ally for us as we rebuild the club.”

When asked about why he pulled out of purchasing Preston North End he said

“Let’s do a hypothetical here… Ever buy a car? If someone raises the price halfway through the deal by 10% over what you agreed then wants to force you to buy options and packages you don’t want/need with the car, would you buy it?”

“We started comparing every other club to Derby in terms of infrastructure. The other clubs we looked at needed significant improvements to produce players through the academy at the level we want long term.”

When asked if he was the sole financial backer or are there other investors in the mix, if so, are you able to advise who?

“It’s me… but I may bring in some partners for small stakes down the road for strategic reasons. Such as experience in media, experience in retail, or other things that are important to the business we are building. Or I might have some friends buy small pieces to be a part of it – But the deal is solely me at this point from a financial perspective and not dependent on anyone else.”

If successful with the Derby purchase, is your plan to stay long term or to flip the club and move on?

“No plans to sell something before I buy it… I’m 34, so I have some time to be the custodian before giving someone else a run”

Will you be continuing/backing RamsTV as it is now?

“Love Rams TV… we are going to do a lot more on the access/media front”

Do you and Rooney have already a rough idea how you will go about transfers this summer?

“He does… we haven’t had a chance to go through it together as this happened quickly. Going to discuss this and start moving on it in the coming weeks.”

Will the EFL allow you to buy players next season? Or will the club be restricted to free agents and loans?

“Haven’t met with EFL yet, so can’t comment on the outstanding issues with them. I will say they’ve been supportive, reasonable and amicable in previous conversations, so I think we will be treated fairly and the restrictions removed.”

Will Wayne Rooney remain as manager?

“He will be. He’s a big reason I came back. I think Wayne is the best young manager in the game.”

On offering current players new deals and recruitment in to the squad Kirchner replied –

“I’m sure we will… but I’ll default to Wayne and the team internally. He knows the squad he wants, my job is to give him the resources to assemble that squad.

“Hiring a recruitment team will be up to Garry and Wayne. I’ll trust their judgement.”

Kirchner gave confirmation that former Manchester City CEO Garry Cook will be the Chief exec. of Derby County.

Finally on the city of Derby and the future of the club Kirchner had this to say.

“It reminds me of my hometown. Everything revolves around Kentucky athletics. The passion is exciting and the people are nuts. Sometimes a little too much, but the supporters of Derby are a key reason I’m here. Derby is a big club and is going to get even bigger.”

“Let’s be realistic… we are going to build something sustainable and stable so the people of Derby and the supporters never go through something like this again. Goal 1 will be to rebuild the organization. Goal 2 will be to win League 1 next year.”

“A lot to be done, but I believe it will or I wouldn’t be spending my time or money on it. Despite people thinking I’m kicking tires, I’ve spent about £500,000 in diligence trying to find the right club. This isn’t a hobby… we’re here to build something special.”

Don't like the sound of this. He hasn't said when we'll be in the Champions League.

[RandomAccessMemory]

Obviously none of us know how this will all play out yet and I’m as wary about it all as everyone else, but a couple of things on the negative murmurings of the last few days

1. Is Craig Hope, author of the Daily Mail story, still their North East Football Correspondent?

Some of his more recent tweets about us

2. I’m sure it was said early in the week that Ridsdale was on Talksport, and he wasn’t very happy that their takeover didn’t happen? I can’t help but think why would he be if ‘sources closes to Preston’ didn’t actually think that Kirchner has the money?

[Jimbo Ram]

13 minutes ago, CornwallRam said:

I'd argue that there'd be a lot more publicity generated by Derby County dropping into League 2, so our profile would be higher, at least initially. 

If Ashley really just wanted a Championship club, why did he not put a viable bid in early enough to enable us to strengthen in January?

Assuming that Ashley's interest is genuine, he clearly does not see Championship status as important.

Hardly any tv profile/viewings in League 2, 6-8k fewer fans…..think we will have to agree to disagree….

[RoyMac5]

5 hours ago, Bubbles said:

Kirchner selling the dream on Twitter.

Still scared, and have trust issues I’m afraid… (All Derby’s fault!)

Yep. Me too. He says all the right things, but...

Plus this comment still has to be sorted. Not just Ashley who won't throw money around?!

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by RoyMac5

[Mucker1884]

1 hour ago, RadioactiveWaste said:

Pretty sure all the serious bidders made their offerings based on the assumption that the club would be in league 1 next season.

 

Despite the maths... even still today... It's hard to blame them, in all fairness!  ?

[RamBeauIV]

47 minutes ago, CornwallRam said:

Derby County in League 2 is  a big story, with lots of publicity. That publicity could then be kept going with Derby County rising up the leagues on the back of Ashley's investment. Was that Ashley's plan? Is he expecting Kirchner to fail and preparing to buy the club as a Pheonix?

MA has missed the boat unless he rocks it enough (e.g. Daily Mail article) to get CK to bail soon, rather than end of season (May 7th and CK's exclusivity ends).  If CK hasn't committed by then, it looks like liquidation.  It will be too late to liquidate, sell the remains, form a Phoenix club, find a new ground, join the FA, and get the club signed up to a league for the fixtures coming out in middle of June. I don't know why people fall for this BS of the EFL letting a new club join L2. Any phoenix will be like Bury, starting in L10 in 2023-4.

We have to get behind CK and hope that he starts work on the negotiations soon. If he couldn't complete on Preston in 6 weeks, he's got his work cut out to buy us in 4.  In the meantime, MA can do one.

[Oldben]

1 hour ago, Mucker1884 said:

The only negativity* I've seen thus far is that he says he aims to win L1 next year... We ain't even there yet!  

 

 

 

*Negativity/Realism... same thing in this instance, it could be argued.  ?

Assuming we are in League one next season ...

1. We don't have a team at present, so many players are out of contract in the summer; Any team will require a large rebuild

2. Will the efl give us a 15 point deduction, if so we are not winning league one next season

3. There are a number of teams capable of beating derby in League one next season, it will not be easy even with a large team rebuild

4. I can see why the desire is to be promoted back to the Championship on the first attempt, but again the need for a very strong team to succeed in the Championship, if success is measured by being promoted to the Premier league

League one team values, thinking about maybe 60% of team leaving in the summer, especially our best players  ...

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sheffield-wednesday/startseite/verein/1035/saison_id/2021

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/sunderland-afc/kader/verein/289/saison_id/2021

https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ipswich-town/kader/verein/677/saison_id/2021

 

[strawhillram]

5 minutes ago, RamBeauIV said:

MA has missed the boat unless he rocks it enough (e.g. Daily Mail article) to get CK to bail soon, rather than end of season (May 7th and CK's exclusivity ends).  If CK hasn't committed by then, it looks like liquidation.  It will be too late to liquidate, sell the remains, form a Phoenix club, find a new ground, join the FA, and get the club signed up to a league for the fixtures coming out in middle of June. I don't know why people fall for this BS of the EFL letting a new club join L2. Any phoenix will be like Bury, starting in L10 in 2023-4.

We have to get behind CK and hope that he starts work on the negotiations soon. If he couldn't complete on Preston in 6 weeks, he's got his work cut out to buy us in 4.  In the meantime, MA can do one.

If CK is at the masters I’m assuming his team are doing the negotiation and closing the deal with all parties