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Prospective owners will have their idea of the value of the Club dependent on which Division we are in and the owners would presumably have to decide whether to take a hit on any sale and write the remainder of the debt off. The only question is how much. The only way I see it being a realistic proposition is if we were ever promoted.

Doesn't look like he is wanted even in Saudi Arabia...

I wasn’t ever concerned with the “ambition and expertise” from the top, where our previous owners concerned. I also didn’t want the previous owners to sell. I was happy with the trust too. I’m no financial expert, but the way I see it, the more owed to the owners, the more difficult it is for prospective buyers. We can point to philanthropy and suggest that money is invested badly / lost - but we aren’t the ones who have to agree to sell the club. The Rao’s are, and they absent, stubborn, uninterested, and they hire cheap yes men.

Jack had already converted the debt to equity before he passed away.

It's what he said in the LT years ago.

Just out of curiosity - did you feel uncomfortable with the Club technically being £130 m in debt to Jack Walker before his death as well? I know the 2 situations aren't comparable in terms of the quality of ownership but it seems to me there are or were no realistic expectation the respective sums would ever be repaid so as such the fact we owe them money doesn't really concern me.

Who said that they had got excited? And knocking back money is not what he said.

Yeah, but no, but yeah. 😉 (But that's how life is, complicated and good post.)

So we think the case was heard today but we all missed it?

We’re back at the “care and expertise” part of the story. If they spent a lot to get out of this league, they’d have to start with a CEO! Can you imagine Pasha being in control of a “war chest”?! You’re correct that money will get piled on with us at 120% wage to turnover ratio, but that’s our current wage bill, which is also not competitive enough…! Its just fucked. One of the reasons it’s good for your health to try and separate “Rovers” aka the team, and the ownership debacle. It’s not easy.

As I mentioned in a separate post, it's effectively philanthropy, they won't get that money back, it's gone. It bothers me, sure, but they will never see it again.

I was wondering same. Seems a bit of a stretch to out her as a transfer "mole" just because she showed support for Travis on social media in the absence of anything specific.

If you put your finger where the like button used to be you can still react to stuff I've now found!

I don’t know, that’s why I asked. From my memory, whenever anyone at the club has been asked the answer has been “we’re not for sale”. This is probably the wrong thread for this, but that’s partly why I’d focus all efforts, protests, actions etc towards finding new owners. Aka, if you get can’t get any cooperation from the Rao’s, maybe someone with a lot of money, influence etc might have more luck.

Is this based on anything specific or just a hunch? No obligation to answer. I know the much discussed BRFC Privy is almost certainly a club employee but they tend to post only when things are done and the person discussed above departed before BRFC Privy's rise to Twitter prominence (I think!).

It won't let me give a thumbs up but I agree. I am not nailing my colours to the mast by any means, there's a good dollop of devil's advocate and wishful thinking in my post. The high turnover is concerning; on one hand you can point fingers and wonder how we let it get to a position where so many key players are out of contract shortly. On the flipside, at least we got some money for them; our failure to do so has been a key bone of contention in the past. Even taking money out of it, do players nearing the end of their contract who are certain they're moving on push themselves as much as others? Dolan would suggest they do, but perhaps different when playing to impress potential suitors (Dolan) vs trying not to get injured before joining a club that had been in the pipeline for months before (as may have happened with Brittain/Trav). The latter don't seem the type to down tools, of course, but subconsciously it can affect performance. As for non-playing staff, again does it suggest a poor working environment or is it a case of trying to hire staff less wedded to the 'old guard' and have a fresh, joined up approach (which could of course be construed as trying to flood the club with 'yes men')? It's difficult without knowing what has gone on behind the scenes. I'm sure NDAs have been signed and we'll never know, which adds a sense of annoyance to the cryptic 'glad we are out' posts that seem petty and immature but could easily be another mark against Suhail and co's names. I hope none of this comes across as casting aspersions against any former staff members - I genuinely don't know and the way our club has operated, coupled with said posts, creates a vacuum of potential misinformation and conjecture. If the powers that be decided said staff members couldn't work with the new players/manager and were too wedded to previous players/managers, then they had a decision to make. More cynically, the club might just have easily have treated her and others like crap and might be fully deserving of her ire. As for VI, the ruthlessness can go either way but for me a happy medium is preferrable. It depends as well what he's like behind closed doors. Again, I'm conscious I've said a lot without really saying anything, which shows I haven't really made my own mind up on a lot of the above!

The only way more won't be "piled on" is if we get promoted which, you would think, would require some strategic investment in the first place.

Forwards are stupidly expensive at the moment. Average players are going for crazy money at the top level. We may end up having to settle for Ohashi and Gueye.

Got to agree to a point. There’s obvious issues in the club. But at the same time, players like Travis and Dolan have been regulars here for years and we’ve achieved nothing. So at some point the dice may as well be rolled.

It is not just you. It is odd and very conflicted. For me, it's not unlike the psychology of a kidnapper's victims, who feel anxious, whenever their captor is absent. They come to rely on their captor for food, safety and warmth! I wish they would just go, but if they insist on staying, I want them to invest.

You’re suggesting they give a shit what you or I think, and that’s the problem. I also hate the fact we’re in debt 200m+ to them, but apparently that’s something that doesn’t bother you or many others here. Pile more on.

I'd rather the club get relegated because of financial issues and venkys be forced to sell than plod along midtable every season

It would appear JDT and your mate Eustace disagreed completely with you. As for proof he dissuaded the owners from investing I havent got the specific link but he clearly said in the LT at the time he had to "calm the owners down" something Leonard has corroborated.

Boom!

You're just being argumentative for the sake of it here. I dont KNOW for certain, it's my opinion. Also hasn't the suggestion come recently from either Nixon or Suhail they want £200m ish or have I completely imagined that?