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Investment/takeover

dontpassback

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Dec 30, 2015
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Enquiry made to one person,one person says no thanks,no one else needs to know,end of conversation! I am not saying that's what happened,but it might do.
 

malcolms

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There's always talk of various consortiums/investors waiting in the wings and/or being rebuffed - at the end of the day these will boil down to investors / speculators looking generate a sizeable return by getting into what us perceived to be the 'cash cow' of professional football. ECFC will always be a likely/attractive target because of it's perceived low value.

Was Edward there?
Professional football...a "cash cow"?..... Take a lie down in a darkened room you are obviously hallucinating..........
 

richard_portland

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Backing Gary Caldwell, thanks Matt and good luck.
I would hope that anyone approaching the club would at least be listened to just in case it was a good offer. I also would like to think the membership could be consulted, but it is tricky as how could we accurately judge if an offer is right? The information needed couldn't be feasibly put into the public domain, I don't think any investor would allow that. Also a lot of the membership, me included, wouldn't have the expertise to make that decision.

I think the best we can hope for is wealthy local people and fans of the club who are willing to put money in ,and take only a part share.
 

Exelurker

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Enquiry made to one person,one person says no thanks,no one else needs to know,end of conversation! I am not saying that's what happened,but it might do.
So if they were a credible and serious investor, with funds at hand (which would have to be fairly significant) and they spoke to an individual director (be it a Club Board Director, a Trust Board member, or someone who sits on both) and they were deterred by an informal 'off the record' conversation with that one individual wouldn't that immediately make them a 'non-credible' investor?
 

rightwing

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I was in Gloucestershire and I was listening to a conversation by some people who were talking about the Bristol rovers takeover and the conversation mentioned us so I obviously listened in and names were mentioned who contacted the club about major investment or a takeover and they were told thanks but no thanks just wondered what channels of the club it went through and if it went through the club individuals if they would have to pass that information to the trust
If the approach was made to Club Board members and not brought to the attention of the Trust then this would be very remiss of the Club Board. It is the Trust Board which would decide if they wanted to sell all or part of their shareholding. If the Trust was aware of an approach then it should have been minuted for all members to see. If the Trust Board then recommended a full or part sale then a decision of this magnitude would have to be put to the membership.

However the Trust has not yet got its house in order with regard to shares. The Trust has stated in its fabled ‘Strategic Plan’ for at least the last 5 years of its intention to secure a minimum 75% shareholding; they have talked about it ad infinitum but nothing ever gets done. In order not to be taken over by the back door against its wishes the Trust would need to secure a very high percentage holding before it talks to any potential investor.

Again for more than 5 years the Trust has stated that it would investigate the possibility of external investment, but I can’t recall anything actually being done proactively in this regard. This theme has been watered down in the latest Strategic Plan to where it is now reported that Community Interest Shares might be issued to finance developments at the Cat and Fiddle, but subject to the caveat of the Club signing a long term lease on the property. I think a lease has now been signed but the period and terms of the lease have not been minuted in the Trust minutes. I called for this to be done several months ago as I believe that members should be aware of the facts.

Community Interest Shares themselves have also been discussed ad infinitum but whilst Clubs like FCUM have actually taken this route and raised millions from it, as usual, we have just sat on our backsides.

The Trust should conduct a thorough financial appraisal on anyone purportedly bringing investment to the Club – we do not want to end up with another R and L situation.
 

dontpassback

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So if they were a credible and serious investor, with funds at hand (which would have to be fairly significant) and they spoke to an individual director (be it a Club Board Director, a Trust Board member, or someone who sits on both) and they were deterred by an informal 'off the record' conversation with that one individual wouldn't that immediately make them a 'non-credible' investor?
I never mentioned creditability,but if the enquiry was through the back door so to speak,then you are probably correct.I would imagine off the record conversations are quite common in the football world.
 

Exelurker

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Professional football...a "cash cow"?..... Take a lie down in a darkened room you are obviously hallucinating..........
Thanks for the partial/selective misquote malcs - you (presumably deliberately, as your past postings show you to be a man of detail) missed out the fairly critical 'perceived to be' words I'd put in front. As I'm sure you'll appreciate from your own past experiences and the current state of finances of many clubs in this country there are many apparently sane business people out there who believe they can translate success in their own field to running the bizarre business animal that a football club appears to be. Many try it (perhaps an ego driven thing) - most fails, and many escape (often poorer for the experience) and carry on to run their own successful business for many years ;)

The pain and disappointment experienced by those individuals doesn't seem to deter more such (often) ego driven individuals coming along in the future - it's just the price of entry to the game that goes up (along with the perceived rewards for success). Easy to see how ECFC would be seen as a low cost entry point with a better potential for higher return for those with that line of thinking, however misguided that might seem to many, including myself and apparently yourself (so glad to know we're in agreement!)
 

grecian55

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Jan 3, 2008
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The Club would take no notice of any potential investors as they would much prefer to plod along in mid table obscurity and stagnate as they are at the moment ?
As Pete USA ,for once , rightly points out ,too many Suits , Players and the pathetic Manager have their feet firmly under the table and have no intention of upsetting the apple cart .
 

Red Box

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I nominate Exelurker as the king of the Parentheses ( ).
 

Exelurker

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I nominate Exelurker as the king of the Parentheses ( ).
Fair comment (guilty as charged :D:$)
 
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