Delia, please go.

[Icecream Snow 761]

14 hours ago, BigFish said:

Tony Bloom is on record that it cost him £200 million to get Brighton where they are today. If you think there is a queue of "businessmen/group" with that level of funding and the willingness to invest that in a provincial mid-size football club please point them out and we can all get behind them. Until then you are just a fantasist chasing unicorns.   

Yeah, adding on your point:

The problem is that if you're not a self-sufficient club, or don't have a plan to transitioning to being a self-sustaining club, then you're losing a lot of money.

Dave Whelan owned Wigan for 23 years and spent heavily. But Wigan are losing £9 million a year and have just gone into administration. Dave Whelan got his FA Cup win, Jack Walker had a Premier League win, and now the Venky's are having to put in £5 million a year to keep the club afloat (whilst enduring a lot of fan abuse in the process). 

 

[Norfolk Spiderman 0]

Mrs Wynn Jones is a below average football director and should stick to boiling eggs

 

[PurpleCanary 5,554]

12 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

That is 2 people on the board then appointed to sing from her hymn sheet . You are more or less saying she can do whatever she wants with scant disregard to the views of 6,000 shareholders who hold 47% .

I don't buy the Phillips conspiracy theory, and it is hardly uncommon for owners to appoint directors who share their broad vision of how the company should be run. But I very much doubt this board is always united on the big decisions. According to Mick Dennis support for the switch to a sporting director/head coach model was not unanimous.

That said, I would be in favour of a director elected by the fans and employees of the club, but only if they had a golden-share veto over certain crucial issues. Otherwise, as we saw with Swansea, it can simply give the illusion of supporter participation/control.

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

21 minutes ago, TIL 1010 said:

That is 2 people on the board then appointed to sing from her hymn sheet . You are more or less saying she can do whatever she wants with scant disregard to the views of 6,000 shareholders who hold 47% .

We don't really know anything about what role Stephan Phillips plays and what his opinions are. But even if he does toe Delia's line, if enough of those 6,000 shareholders voiced their disapproval with the status quo I am sure they would be listened to.

This is what I was talking about the other day; if there are a lot of shareholders (or even fans in general) who disapprove of the way the club is being run, why not start a focus group or something? It doesn't have to be a torches-and-pitchforks 'Delia out' campaign, but if you want more transparency then why not go about trying to organise something like that?

There's absolutely no harm in challenging the status quo. I think a lot of relatively neutral fans (myself included) share concerns about Tom Smith's suitability to take the club forward, and if those questions are asked in an intelligent and respectful way, what harm can it do?

The trouble is, a lot of the people who voice these anti-Delia opinions regularly are little more than trolls with nothing more intelligent to say than 'Delia must go'. I don't count you among that number, by the way. You're well connected among fans, and I have no doubt that you care about the club; why not canvass some opinions and take some positive action?

[Feedthewolf 4,844]

6 minutes ago, Norfolk Spiderman said:

Mrs Wynn Jones is a below average football director and should stick to boiling eggs

Multiple accounts are not permitted, Waveney.

@Pete Raven, please can you get rid of this one?

[Crafty Canary 495]

17 hours ago, TIL 1010 said:

What would it take to invite someone to pull up a chair and join the board in exchange for an investment to move the club forward not necessarily buy the club lock,stock and barrel ?

Who is going to invest the kind of money that would have an impact just for a place on the board where the owners have enough votes in their pockets to ensure their will prevails?

[BigFish 1,986]

25 minutes ago, Crafty Canary said:

Who is going to invest the kind of money that would have an impact just for a place on the board where the owners have enough votes in their pockets to ensure their will prevails?

A fan

[lappinitup 629]

29 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Multiple accounts are not permitted, Waveney.

@Pete Raven, please can you get rid of this one?

It's not Waveney Wolfie.

[lappinitup 629]

28 minutes ago, Crafty Canary said:

Who is going to invest the kind of money that would have an impact just for a place on the board where the owners have enough votes in their pockets to ensure their will prevails?

The Turners did....

[Duncan Edwards 2,223]

The notion that our board is made up of Delia and a load of nodding dogs is ridiculous. If it was the echo chamber that it's being claimed we'd still have Nigel Worthington as manager. 

Every time we have a poor season she suddenly becomes omnipotent again, every time we have a good season it's because she has taken a back seat. Read that sentence back and comprehend how utterly stupid it sounds. Then imagine that the words are coming out of your mouth. Yes, you sound ****ing stupid. 

[Duncan Edwards 2,223]

2 minutes ago, lappinitup said:

The Turners did....

Lucky escape. 

[Crafty Canary 495]

17 minutes ago, lappinitup said:

The Turners did....

The level of investment needed to have a real impact is in the tens of millions. From memory the Turners put in a couple of million which I believe they got back when they left. Any fan who has been successful enough to have the level of wealth where tens of millions is not going to ruin them will want a major say in the way the club’s affairs are managed. The owners have made it perfectly clear that that is not going to happen.

[Crafty Canary 495]

23 minutes ago, Duncan Edwards said:

The notion that our board is made up of Delia and a load of nodding dogs is ridiculous. If it was the echo chamber that it's being claimed we'd still have Nigel Worthington as manager. 

Every time we have a poor season she suddenly becomes omnipotent again, every time we have a good season it's because she has taken a back seat. Read that sentence back and comprehend how utterly stupid it sounds. Then imagine that the words are coming out of your mouth. Yes, you sound ****ing stupid. 

Our board comprises Delia, husband Michael WJ, nephew Tom Smith, Michael Foulger and Stephan Phillips. 
 

As the WJs hold the majority on the board ( is nephew Tom really going to vote against Auntie and hubby? ) their will will be done. No doubt on most issues the board will have a unanimous view however the owners will have their way on those issues they deem most important.

[king canary 7,580]

1 hour ago, PurpleCanary said:

I don't buy the Phillips conspiracy theory, and it is hardly uncommon for owners to appoint directors who share their broad vision of how the company should be run. But I very much doubt this board is always united on the big decisions. According to Mick Dennis support for the switch to a sporting director/head coach model was not unanimous.

That said, I would be in favour of a director elected by the fans and employees of the club, but only if they had a golden-share veto over certain crucial issues. Otherwise, as we saw with Swansea, it can simply give the illusion of supporter participation/control.

If we're continuing with our current route I'd like to see Delia and MWJ partner with the Supporters Trust to help them purchase a decent shareholding and an elected place on the board. Nothing huge but enough to make a difference and enough to take Tom below the 50% ownership threshold.

[Icecream Snow 761]

38 minutes ago, lappinitup said:

It's not Waveney Wolfie.

sounds like his next user name

[Icecream Snow 761]

34 minutes ago, Duncan Edwards said:

Lucky escape. 

for them or us? 😝

[Canary Wundaboy 1,358]

1 hour ago, BigFish said:

Very true, @Jim Smith. Bloom is a fan and had the money to indulge himself. There are a number of points this raises. Firstly, if you are willing to burn through £200 million (with no return) it is possible to get a club with no ground, few fans and a crap team into the Prem and keep them there for a while. Secondly, that investment is already baked into City (or at least some of it). If one of this mythical business men/groups wanted to buy City what would the purchase price be? I would suggest upwards from £100 million which limits the market already. And that is before the so called "investment" to take the club to "the next level". How much extra is that - probably another £100 million? Thirdly, are there any City fans who could raise these sort of figures without any expectation of a financial reward. Fourthly, why would any "investors" offer this sort of a figure for a provincial mid-sized football club that needs a new stand. I have always thought that Cambridge would be a better option for a glamour investor in the region. Cheap to buy, world renowned city, close to an international airport, an hour from London & booming economy. They could be in the Prem with a shiney new 40,000 capacity stadium within three years with £200 million.

A lot of the comments that get brought up when discussing a change in ownership claim that there isn't any interest from people with that sort of money as we're an undesirable club in an unfashionable part of England. How can that be the case if we're still worth £100m? Since Delia owns 51-53% of the shares that would value her share in the club at ~£50m, her total net worth is ~£23m, I cannot get my head around the fact that she bought her shares from Watling for (in today's monetary terms) a pittance, probably a few million, hasn't exactly been injecting money into the club, asks the fans to fund club initiatives and infrastructure, makes loans which are all paid back and is now going to profit to the tune of 700-800% just to make herself a pretty penny when that money could (and should) be invested into the club, after all, isn't she supposedly a fan?? She's always said that she has the club's best interests at heart, asking £100m for the club is just lining her own pockets. And I'm not one of those that believes the conspiracy theories about her taking money out of the club during her time here. 

[Canary Wundaboy 1,358]

5 minutes ago, king canary said:

If we're continuing with our current route I'd like to see Delia and MWJ partner with the Supporters Trust to help them purchase a decent shareholding and an elected place on the board. Nothing huge but enough to make a difference and enough to take Tom below the 50% ownership threshold.

Simply isn't going to happen, she won't allow her nephew to have anything other than full control over the train set.

[PurpleCanary 5,554]

3 minutes ago, king canary said:

If we're continuing with our current route I'd like to see Delia and MWJ partner with the Supporters Trust to help them purchase a decent shareholding and an elected place on the board. Nothing huge but enough to make a difference and enough to take Tom below the 50% ownership threshold.

And making the case for that idea or something similar is just the kind of action that myself and FTW and others have said could be done by posters who don't like the status quo. It might not be their ideal solution but it would be a step forward.

And in the age of cyberspace organising a pressure group to effect change has never been easier. But I will not hold my breath waiting for these New Broomers to actually do something...

[hogesar 9,618]

3 minutes ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

A lot of the comments that get brought up when discussing a change in ownership claim that there isn't any interest from people with that sort of money as we're an undesirable club in an unfashionable part of England. How can that be the case if we're still worth £100m? Since Delia owns 51-53% of the shares that would value her share in the club at ~£50m, her total net worth is ~£23m, I cannot get my head around the fact that she bought her shares from Watling for (in today's monetary terms) a pittance, probably a few million, hasn't exactly been injecting money into the club, asks the fans to fund club initiatives and infrastructure, makes loans which are all paid back and is now going to profit to the tune of 700-800% just to make herself a pretty penny when that money could (and should) be invested into the club, after all, isn't she supposedly a fan?? She's always said that she has the club's best interests at heart, asking £100m for the club is just lining her own pockets. And I'm not one of those that believes the conspiracy theories about her taking money out of the club during her time here. 

I pretty much answered this when you said the exact same thing yesterday or the day before.

But on top of that, the club has siginifcantly increased in value under her ownership. Any other owner, including the new owner you are desperate for, would expect to benefit from that. She has injected money during significantly difficult times, and has seen the club financially progress to what it is now. The club's value is in part down to her and in it's entirety been overseen by her and her husband.

[PurpleCanary 5,554]

5 minutes ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

A lot of the comments that get brought up when discussing a change in ownership claim that there isn't any interest from people with that sort of money as we're an undesirable club in an unfashionable part of England. How can that be the case if we're still worth £100m? Since Delia owns 51-53% of the shares that would value her share in the club at ~£50m, her total net worth is ~£23m, I cannot get my head around the fact that she bought her shares from Watling for (in today's monetary terms) a pittance, probably a few million, hasn't exactly been injecting money into the club, asks the fans to fund club initiatives and infrastructure, makes loans which are all paid back and is now going to profit to the tune of 700-800% just to make herself a pretty penny when that money could (and should) be invested into the club, after all, isn't she supposedly a fan?? She's always said that she has the club's best interests at heart, asking £100m for the club is just lining her own pockets. And I'm not one of those that believes the conspiracy theories about her taking money out of the club during her time here. 

I may have missed this. When did the club officially put that price on any takeover?

[Canary Wundaboy 1,358]

1 minute ago, hogesar said:

I pretty much answered this when you said the exact same thing yesterday or the day before.

But on top of that, the club has siginifcantly increased in value under her ownership. Any other owner, including the new owner you are desperate for, would expect to benefit from that. She has injected money during significantly difficult times, and has seen the club financially progress to what it is now. The club's value is in part down to her and in it's entirety been overseen by her and her husband.

And yet you claim she's not an investor, in it to make money, she's just a fan and only wants the best for the club?

Of course if she did sell the club for £100m and immediately turned around and gave up half of it for us to build a new stand I'd eat both my hat and a huge slice of humble pie.

[nutty nigel 7,513]

5 minutes ago, king canary said:

If we're continuing with our current route I'd like to see Delia and MWJ partner with the Supporters Trust to help them purchase a decent shareholding and an elected place on the board. Nothing huge but enough to make a difference and enough to take Tom below the 50% ownership threshold.

Their larger shareholding came about because they had underwritten share issues and agreed to have loans paid back with worthless shares.

I can't agree with giving shares to a fans group but I think it could work if a consortium of local business partners brought shares.

[Canary Wundaboy 1,358]

Just now, PurpleCanary said:

I may have missed this. When did the club officially put that price on any takeover?

They didn't, it was just a figure mooted in the post I had quoted used as an example.

[nutty nigel 7,513]

1 minute ago, PurpleCanary said:

I may have missed this. When did the club officially put that price on any takeover?

They didn't.

[PurpleCanary 5,554]

2 minutes ago, nutty nigel said:

They didn't.

No, I didn't think they.

[BigFish 1,986]

7 minutes ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

A lot of the comments that get brought up when discussing a change in ownership claim that there isn't any interest from people with that sort of money as we're an undesirable club in an unfashionable part of England. How can that be the case if we're still worth £100m? Since Delia owns 51-53% of the shares that would value her share in the club at ~£50m, her total net worth is ~£23m, I cannot get my head around the fact that she bought her shares from Watling for (in today's monetary terms) a pittance, probably a few million, hasn't exactly been injecting money into the club, asks the fans to fund club initiatives and infrastructure, makes loans which are all paid back and is now going to profit to the tune of 700-800% just to make herself a pretty penny when that money could (and should) be invested into the club, after all, isn't she supposedly a fan?? She's always said that she has the club's best interests at heart, asking £100m for the club is just lining her own pockets. And I'm not one of those that believes the conspiracy theories about her taking money out of the club during her time here. 

Whether you can get your head round it or not is immaterial @Canary Wundaboy, that is football economics. More than that I thought I was being conservative at £100 million, with some interest (& a promotion next season) I could see that at £150 million. Although I would happy to see others views on that. Somehow, posters on here think that Smith should give away the club for a song, if only for the reason that she is a fan. In fact the opposite may be closer to the mark, if she wanted to cash in her chips she could make this pretty packet. Perhaps she doesn't sell cheap because she is a fan, because she wants to protect the club from asset strippers, betting syndicates and fantasists without funds who think they can run a football club.

[Canary Wundaboy 1,358]

1 minute ago, BigFish said:

Whether you can get your head round it or not is immaterial @Canary Wundaboy, that is football economics. More than that I thought I was being conservative at £100 million, with some interest (& a promotion next season) I could see that at £150 million. Although I would happy to see others views on that. Somehow, posters on here think that Smith should give away the club for a song, if only for the reason that she is a fan. In fact the opposite may be closer to the mark, if she wanted to cash in her chips she could make this pretty packet. Perhaps she doesn't sell cheap because she is a fan, because she wants to protect the club from asset strippers, betting syndicates and fantasists without funds who think they can run a football club.

I think that the belief that Delia wouldn't look to make a massive profit on her shares came from years of the club PR being along the lines of "we'll always do what's best for the club", "if someone came along wanting to invest in the club and inject money I'd stand aside" etc (not direct quotes but definitely the message that was being given out). Of course, the Times interview torched all that the moment she said they wouldn't sell the club under any circumstances and intended to hand it all over to Tom, which is arguably NOT with the club's best interests in mind and more about retaining control.

I wonder what would happen if someone did come out publicly and offered £100m to buy the club and she refused? Not expecting an answer, just interesting to muse upon.

[BigFish 1,986]

8 minutes ago, PurpleCanary said:

No, I didn't think they.

That was just my fag packet figure, based on nothing. To me it doesn't seem unreasonable considering the assets but what do you think @PurpleCanary? I was trying to get the debate of more realistic foundations.

[BigFish 1,986]

1 minute ago, Canary Wundaboy said:

I wonder what would happen if someone did come out publicly and offered £100m to buy the club and she refused? Not expecting an answer, just interesting to muse upon.

..........and that is the point this debate would have meaning @Canary Wundaboy