it's Cullum !!!

[Barclay_Boy 0]

[quote user="cityangel"]

[quote user="chicken"]If I were Delia and MWJ I would take the offer when it suited them. They wanted to get the club out of the trouble it was in rather than their last major act being jumping ship as she sunk. Fair play to that, and if you take on board what Delia said at the Royal Norfolk Show I would imagine that they wanted this all announced closer to the new season so that our transfer targets werent mashed up, possibly even with Roeder agreeing.

So I should leave all of the Delia and MWJ bashing until you have heard their version. I feel they still deserve a lot of respect.
[/quote]

 

But they said at the AGM that no-one had been stupid enough to put millions in the club like they had but if they did and they were geniune Norwich fans they would step aside so how come she didn''t mention the Cullum offer then?

[/quote]

Exactly CA, and thank you for putting this up.

[Ooh Ahh Lee Power 2]

Not that long ago Delia said she would sell the club for £10 to the right person.  If Cullum were to take full power he would take on the debt so they would be debt free, they wouldnt be losing money week in week out and most importantly their beloved football club would have £20m to spend on enhancing the squad.  What more they would still be active members of the board, still be part of this wonderful football club and be able to watch the team flourish and succeed in reaching the premiership and staying in the premiership. Lets remember Cullum is minted, surely if/when we get to the promised land he will dig deep into his pockets and bring out somemore millions!!!!  So whats the catch Delia? Is it your loyalty and love for Doomcaster?  I dont know, what I do know is they need to accept this wonderful offer, or they will be the most hated people in football.

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"][quote user="WEEN_NASTY"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"]

[quote user="WEEN_NASTY"]Another thought is this all just a cinical exercise to attract players.[/quote]

I''m not even going to ask how you come to that conclusion.

[/quote]

Um missed targets? club not attractive? money problems?

Investment? promotion contenders? club going places?

Um rocket science

[/quote]

Are you on something?

Numpty.

[/quote]

Is that kind of response a well reasoned one when it is on behalf of our beloved Delia & Michael?

Point kind of proved that some people are obviously more Delia and Michael fans than they are Norwich City FOOTBALL CLUB fans.... [:$]

[Big Down Under 0]

Its now online http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED30%20Jun%202008%2008%3A29%3A33%3A300

First things to grab my attention;- It was an informal offer. - He got tapped up by Charles Clark, which must have been at the Board''s request. So those questioning Delia''s truthfullness re seeking investment think again- He doesn''t mention paying off the debt (one of Delia''s key criteria)- Why would Delia want to stay on as a figurehead, taking all the stick, and have no control over what happens? - Without knowing what his plans are in relation to strategy (of which nothing is given away) we can''t say if its was a good offer or not. How would you feel if he wanted to augment his 20m by increasing season tickets by 50% to 100% as happened at QPR? Or if he wanted to sell the ground to build more flats? Cash in on Colney?But the biggest point, why go public now? Is there another investment offer that he is trying to destabilise? Why come out with this the day before the transfer window opens, knowing this info could destabilise potential player deals?

[James Kent 0]

No I am not joking.  You can buy your way out of this league quite easily.  Of course the right players must be signed, but the money will get us out in my opinion.

[Hog 0]

I agree, 20 Million would get us a new squad considering our current one was worth about 3 million in total before the two newcomers!

[Pinks 0]

[quote user="Smudger"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"][quote user="WEEN_NASTY"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"]

[quote user="WEEN_NASTY"]Another thought is this all just a cinical exercise to attract players.[/quote]

I''m not even going to ask how you come to that conclusion.

[/quote]

Um missed targets? club not attractive? money problems?

Investment? promotion contenders? club going places?

Um rocket science

[/quote]

Are you on something?

Numpty.

[/quote]

Is that kind of response a well reasoned one when it is on behalf of our beloved Delia & Michael?

Point kind of proved that some people are obviously more Delia and Michael fans than they are Norwich City FOOTBALL CLUB fans.... [:$]

[/quote]

I''m gonna say it. No I can''t.... go on then . Thank you Smudger.

 

[Felixfan 53]

It is obvious that Delia values her shareholding at more than £20 million and having built up the assets of the club and a corporate brand is not going to give it away. I for one hope whatever investment comes along Delia is still involved,she is an iconic figure respected throughout football circles and gives our club a high profile publcity wise. I feel sure that she will stand aside as majority shareholder but only when it is right to do so. Meanwhile Glenn has been promised the funds to meet all his transfer targets and says he has not missed any yet despite press rumours.

[Cottaging Canary 0]

Is it not possibe that the EDP spoke to Cullum weeks (possibly even months) ago and have bided their time until publishing the ''exclusive''??! Sure seems like a case of good timing to me after all the rumours. If so, it''s quite possible that any deal is at a more advanced stage than we think. Seems very odd with all the rumours and talk that nothing is happening at all.

And for the Delia bashers - it''s not like she''s selling a second-hand car or stereo.........it''s a multi-million pound football club, with assets and debts, and something that affects the lives of thousands of people. It''s easy to say sell, sell, sell just because the guy is rich and a city fan, there''s a lot more to it than that.

[Huddy 0]

I would say that there is more to this than meets the eye. I havent got any more info from my sources, but i am lead to believe there is investment about, and i believe its more than just in the pipeline. If the Cullum thing hasnt gone any further, which i find a little hard to believe then it could be that the Turners have invested something on a smaller scale.

I did predict £20 Million was the figure when i spoke to somebody yesterday, next stop will be to see what the board say and whether in fact there are some changes in the boardroom.

[TheCardinal 0]

[quote user="Smudger"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"][quote user="WEEN_NASTY"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"]

[quote user="WEEN_NASTY"]Another thought is this all just a cinical exercise to attract players.[/quote]

I''m not even going to ask how you come to that conclusion.

[/quote]

Um missed targets? club not attractive? money problems?

Investment? promotion contenders? club going places?

Um rocket science

[/quote]

Are you on something?

Numpty.

[/quote]

Is that kind of response a well reasoned one when it is on behalf of our beloved Delia & Michael?

Point kind of proved that some people are obviously more Delia and Michael fans than they are Norwich City FOOTBALL CLUB fans.... [:$]

[/quote]

I don''t see how me questioning the lunacy of one poster''s suggestion this was some big conspiracy to attract players followed by a frankly bizarre post which seems impossible to follow as an attempt to explain this ludicrous suggestion.

It is fans like you that seem to want to secularise our fanbase Smudger with little reason other than malicious intent. I would be happy to see Cullum take over - but when and only when all concerns are addressed. If you think Cullum has done that, you clearly haven''t read the article.

[Hog 0]

What with this and the transfer speculation I''m not sure I can take the excitement!

[NCFC since 1986 0]

I was thinking the very same thing; usually with these things it''s a story that Archant have probably had for sometime now adn been wanting to release for some time but out fo respect for the club have delayed until something official is about to break to give the; you head it here first angle, or because they want to sell papers, after all tahts what they are there to do and a story like this will certainly do that

 

either way i do believe that there is a large slice of real hope in all of this and I cant imagine Archant would want to stir the Carra pot too much especially with something so big

fingers cross for an exciting few days; but remember we still need another 5/6 players asap adn that for now is more important with or without extra finance

[ryangarg 0]

im taking this article with a very large pinch of salt. im presuming the offer wasnt accepted in october because it wasnt the right offer for them to step down, the fact his is going to throw loads of money in for buy some players is nice, dont get me wrong, but there is certainly more to it than that. He wants to be majority shareholder, but not front the board, he says he offered £20m million for players so im assuming thats the money required to buy out delia/michael, whereas id have thought delia might want to have an investor who is keen to also help rid the club of its debt rather than splashing the megabucks on some new players, also what is the valuation of the club? there is certainly more than meets the eye for me, in fact im rather disappointed more than anything

[Joanna Grey 0]

[quote user="NCFC since 1986"]

I was thinking the very same thing; usually with these things it''s a story that Archant have probably had for sometime now adn been wanting to release for some time but out fo respect for the club have delayed until something official is about to break to give the; you head it here first angle, or because they want to sell papers, after all tahts what they are there to do and a story like this will certainly do that

 

either way i do believe that there is a large slice of real hope in all of this and I cant imagine Archant would want to stir the Carra pot too much especially with something so big

fingers cross for an exciting few days; but remember we still need another 5/6 players asap adn that for now is more important with or without extra finance

[/quote]

Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones issued a brief statement last night in response to news of the EDP''s interview with Mr Cullum, but without knowing the full details of its content.

Where''s the "respect for the club" there then? Did Archant actually tell DS and MWJ that they were running this story? It looks like they did not even see the article before it went to press.

[Trent Canary 0]

Yes im not sure what to make of all of it yet. Needless to say there is more to the story, and will be very interested to hear delias statement.

Also would be good to know whether anyone in the know is aware if any negotiations are currently taking place, if not I cant see the relationship between Delia and Cullum to be a good one.

[TheCardinal 0]

[quote user="ryangarg"]im taking this article with a very large pinch of salt. im presuming the offer wasnt accepted in october because it wasnt the right offer for them to step down, the fact his is going to throw loads of money in for buy some players is nice, dont get me wrong, but there is certainly more to it than that. He wants to be majority shareholder, but not front the board, he says he offered £20m million for players so im assuming thats the money required to buy out delia/michael, whereas id have thought delia might want to have an investor who is keen to also help rid the club of its debt rather than splashing the megabucks on some new players, also what is the valuation of the club? there is certainly more than meets the eye for me, in fact im rather disappointed more than anything
[/quote]

Totally agree [Y]

Everyone seems to be overlooking the fact that Cullum wants to invest £20mil but specifically says he won''t keep pumping money into the club; which is, of course, fair. But does that mean he will take control of the club for just the £20mil and thats it?

I personally think there are still a lot of unanswered questions that I''d want answered before I''d be happy to see Cullum take the reigns.

[RobertMack 0]

Just a thought, does anyone actually know when the interview with Cullum was held. May make a difference to timescale of situation. Maybe there is alternative bid about to be accepted, making sense of Delia''s apparent excitement, and Cullum had this article agreed ready for press when he wanted to put pressure on them to accept his offer.

[Empty Mirror 0]

It''s clear that Cullum and Delia couldn''t agree a valuation.   Therefore, the article is a (first?) shot in a takeover battle.   The fact that Cullum says that there''s no hostility and everything is friendly is just par for the course in such campaigns.    

A public take over battle could get very messy.   Both sides can be expected to try to use the media to sway opinion for their own ends.  And if that''s what''s going on we should take what all sides say with a pinch of salt.  

The oddity is the timing.  Delia was hinting at investment at the Norfolk Show.   On the face of the EDP article it''s not from Cullum. So who?  Turners?   And did the hint of investment from elsewhere provoke Cullum to go public with his bid?

At any rate, if public opinion is to be used in a battle for control of our great club, it''s best to remember Agatha Christie:  "Where large sums of money are involved, it is advisable to trust no one".

[Steelsilver 0]

They won''t accept it, of that i''m sure. Reason being that Norwich don''t consider it to be long term investment...rather its more in the way of immediate help with no garuntee of future investment by Mr Cullum. I''m sure also that Mr Cullum only spoke of the things he wants us to hear...and as yet we do not know the true reasons why City turned his offer down originally and until we hear City''s side of this...should they wish to tell us...then I would say if it sounds too good to be true...then it probably is.

[Evil Monkey 52]

Well, this is all jolly interesting, isn''t it?!

I''ve been following people''s comments for about 2 hours now, and have

finally got to read the articles for myself (cos the EDP doesn''t make

it this far north, Ricardo [;)]) and I''m not sure if I know how to feel

about it yet... There''s been a lot of half-truths whispered by people

who''ve read the article and I must say that some of the comments seemed

to bear no relation to what I read - proof that people will always read

what they want to read.  So how about we examine the facts (or at

least, those presented by the good people of Archant):

1. Here we have a popular businessman - a fan of the club - offering
   £20m to put towards the purchase of players in for an assault on the
   Premiership.  In exchange he wants a majority shareholding of the
   club, and though he doesn''t want a place on the board himself he would
   be looking to appoint his own people to drive through his visions and
   ideas.  Delia and MWJ would remain as "figureheads". 
2. He originally made an offer of £5m in October, when we were 5
   points adrift, with a further £15m in the Summer.  This lead to
   some "friendly arm wrestling" over the valuation of the club and things
   have not progressed since, though Cullum has made it clear the offer is
   still on the table.
3. The club released a statement last night (note this bit, i.e.
   before the article was published) stating that they would not comment
   further until they had read what has been printed in the article.
4. Several supporters club''s have already come out and urged the
   board to "bite his hand off", including the NCISA and Yarmouth Yellows.

Now, them''s the facts, that''s what''s written in black and white on the

EDPs of those still living in Norfolk.  So what does it all mean?

Here''s my initial take (please note, opinions are liable to change

based on new information and any radical statement cannot be held up

for later use [;)])

1. It is unclear from the article whether there is also an offer to
   "clear the debt", but Cullum''s own words suggest that, at the very
   least, he wants to put a total of £20m in to go towards players. 
   This would presumably include wages, so would be less in terms of cold,
   hard transfer fees.  My response is "let''s be having you!" (I''ll
   get me coat[:$])
2. The offer was made before Peter Grant was sacked, and before
   Roeder took charge.  It has long been noted that Roeder was told
   he would get any transfer budget he wanted if he kept us up, which he
   has now done.  This suggests to me a board who were willing to
   bide their time before accepting the offer.  In other words, let''s
   see where we are at the end of the season, which became the new
   philosophy over the months.  After all, £20m is all very nice and
   good but won''t get you the calibre of player you want in League
   1.  This suggestion raises the possibility that the club are at an
   advanced stage of negotiations and this is where the "transfer funds"
   have come from?

3. Expect a full announcement from the club, but probably not until
   tomorrow.  They''ll keep us waiting, we''ve learnt that much over
   the years.
4. John Tilson of the NCISA heard of this story from a drunken
   wedding guest earlier this month, believed to be a club employee, and
   was spot on with his predictions last night (especially the one about
   Smudger having a field day).  Spokesperson, Kathy, wishes the club
   to take the money, echoing most other fan thoughts.  Cullum has
   stated that if he took over there would be a board representative from
   one of the supporter''s groups, but not stated which. 
   Til1010/Kathy, any official line on whether or not you''ve been
   approached by Cullum? Just a thought, is all...

Anyways, there''s my thoughts on it all.  I''m sure something will

happen or someone will say something to make me change my mind on at

least part of that... I am a football fan after all, and we''re nowt if

not fickle...[:)]

[Bury Yellow 2]

I''m sorry, but have i missed something here?

Surely the 20 million is for players. What Mr Cullum negotiates for the Smith and Jones shares is another issue (pun not intended!)

One thing this interview has done is, hopefully, smoked Delia and the board out from behind their usual pr nonsense. Perhaps we can then all make a fair assessment of just what has gone on since October.

I have attended a few agm''s in my time and i have never thought Delia comes out of them in a good light.

Last year was typical as she threw her toys out of the pram at the suggestion that perhaps she was not trying hard enough to encourage new investment.

If Cullum is successful, one of the great plus points will be a professional business man running things with the subsequent image that follows.

[Bury Yellow 2]

Bang on assessment Evil Monkey. Wish i could have written that!!

[Smudger 0]

[quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"][quote user="Smudger"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"][quote user="WEEN_NASTY"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"]

[quote user="WEEN_NASTY"]Another thought is this all just a cinical exercise to attract players.[/quote]

I''m not even going to ask how you come to that conclusion.

[/quote]

Um missed targets? club not attractive? money problems?

Investment? promotion contenders? club going places?

Um rocket science

[/quote]

Are you on something?

Numpty.

[/quote]

Is that kind of response a well reasoned one when it is on behalf of our beloved Delia & Michael?

Point kind of proved that some people are obviously more Delia and Michael fans than they are Norwich City FOOTBALL CLUB fans.... [:$]

[/quote]

I don''t see how me questioning the lunacy of one poster''s suggestion this was some big conspiracy to attract players followed by a frankly bizarre post which seems impossible to follow as an attempt to explain this ludicrous suggestion.

It is fans like you that seem to want to secularise our fanbase Smudger with little reason other than malicious intent. I would be happy to see Cullum take over - but when and only when all concerns are addressed. If you think Cullum has done that, you clearly haven''t read the article.

[/quote]

What like Delia has addressed all of the fans concerns over recent seasons?

How can the offer (if it is indeed a genuine one) from Callum be any worse than what we currently have?

[Yellow Shirt 17]

I get the impression that he is happy to put in £20m with the condition it is used for transfers. In return he wants enough shares to control the board. He does not intend to reinvest more of his own money- only to win money as a result of this £20m spend which he will not take out of the club but rather use it to grow NCFC.Delia and Michael would have to continue to put time money and effort in but loose having the last word on things.If that is the deal I would not sign it either.

[Big Down Under 0]

John Tilson of the NCISA heard of this story from a drunken

wedding guest earlier this month, believed to be a club employee, and

was spot on with his predictions last night (especially the one about

Smudger having a field day).  Spokesperson, Kathy, wishes the club

to take the money, echoing most other fan thoughts.  Cullum has

stated that if he took over there would be a board representative from

one of the supporter''s groups, but not stated which. 

Til1010/Kathy, any official line on whether or not you''ve been

approached by Cullum? Just a thought, is all...My question now is, if Cullum has heard nothing since Xmas, why is an NCFC employee talking about it 6 months later? Negotiations must be ongoing. At least with someone. City Angel - is response to your point of Delia denying any current potential investment at the AGM, Cullum was also denying he would invest in NCFC at that point. He might well have asked for privacy. It also mentions in the article that Cullum was approached by Charles Clark - that was surely at the request of the Board? I can''t imagine Clark would run around seeking investment without the Board''s approval.

[Hog 0]

Some excellent analysis Evil Monkey, thank you.

[Desi Rascall 0]

[quote]The club released a statement last night [b](note this bit, i.e. before the article was published)[/b] stating that they would not comment further until they had read what has been printed in the article. [/quote] Cam will probally comfirm this but it would be a standard journalistic thing to do to get a quote from the third party proir to going to press,

[TheMarshmallowMan 0]

[quote user="Smudger"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"][quote user="Smudger"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"][quote user="WEEN_NASTY"][quote user="TheMarshmallowMan"]

[quote user="WEEN_NASTY"]Another thought is this all just a cinical exercise to attract players.[/quote]

I''m not even going to ask how you come to that conclusion.

[/quote]

Um missed targets? club not attractive? money problems?

Investment? promotion contenders? club going places?

Um rocket science

[/quote]

Are you on something?

Numpty.

[/quote]

Is that kind of response a well reasoned one when it is on behalf of our beloved Delia & Michael?

Point kind of proved that some people are obviously more Delia and Michael fans than they are Norwich City FOOTBALL CLUB fans.... [:$]

[/quote]

I don''t see how me questioning the lunacy of one poster''s suggestion this was some big conspiracy to attract players followed by a frankly bizarre post which seems impossible to follow as an attempt to explain this ludicrous suggestion.

It is fans like you that seem to want to secularise our fanbase Smudger with little reason other than malicious intent. I would be happy to see Cullum take over - but when and only when all concerns are addressed. If you think Cullum has done that, you clearly haven''t read the article.

[/quote]

What like Delia has addressed all of the fans concerns over recent seasons?

How can the offer (if it is indeed a genuine one) from Callum be any worse than what we currently have?

[/quote]

Delia has quite often attended public forums and is regularly stopped by fans at games. Neil Doncaster is easily contactable by email. I''m not sure what else she could have done to address fans concerns.

The simple fact of the matter is we don''t have enough information to legitimately consider this offer and it''s impact on the football club. Clearly you think throwing money is the answer. I know it isn''t.  

[Inch High aka Inchy.. 405]

2 things.

1  What ever way this goes our beloved football club is at a turning point that can only be good..

2  Smudger,   the blokes name is Cullum, Peter Cullum  not Callum as you have spent all morning calling him.

But keep up the fight for once you have a few of us on your side.