SUFC: The Future SUFC up for sale

[Gt Yarmouth Shrimper]

lets hope they dont read this forum.

Why ever not? To them, it is a ' badge' they wear proudly. If there's a few bob to be made they would not give a rats arse what you or I think of them.

 

[South Bank Hank]

i find it laughable that our dear chairman ron , with his bank balance probably near to zero is a position to turn down to many big money offers . surely if he starts to mess around with these people [ buyers ] they will all just walk away ,

Again, very few of us - likely NONE - know the details of these. I find it laughable how many assume they know the minds of all parties in these discussions and whether anything they’ve offered or sought is worth a dime.

Just because someone makes an offer, doesn’t mean Ron will be compelled to take it.

All we can reasonably hope is that the compelling event of payments promised in court forces a rapid sale. And then, with the clear opportunity for significant profits to be made, there will be a natural price point that would and should attract a number of interested bidders.

 

[RHB]

Again, very few of us - likely NONE - know the details of these. I find it laughable how many assume they know the minds of all parties in these discussions and whether anything they’ve offered or sought is worth a dime.

Just because someone makes an offer, doesn’t mean Ron will be compelled to take it.

All we can reasonably hope is that the compelling event of payments promised in court forces a rapid sale. And then, with the clear opportunity for significant profits to be made, there will be a natural price point that would and should attract a number of interested bidders.

That @South Bank Hank, he's very wise

 

[thenobster]

i find it laughable that our dear chairman ron , with his bank balance probably near to zero is a position to turn down to many big money offers . surely if he starts to mess around with these people [ buyers ] they will all just walk away ,

if you think its near zero.......?

 

[united we stand]

Why is assumed that Ron will be building any stadium. The obvious option is the new owners will be building it. Its totally in their interest, including not being stuck at RH.

Plus it suits Ron as well. He is not a builder he is developer so stadium build will not gain him anything. The RH site becomes far more valuable once the club moves to FF. So again its in both parties interest to get on with it.

If you’re worried about it not happening it will be the council that delay it. Just like they always have because the good people of Southend allow it.

Nothing is impossible but it’s in Ron’s interest to build fossets asap so houses can go up on roots hall.
I would not think he would want to loose that control. He can cover his risk with penalty clauses but it’s adding further legal complications for both parties to agree.

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Why ever not? To them, it is a ' badge' they wear proudly. If there's a few bob to be made they would not give a rats arse what you or I think of them.

There's nothing wrong with a rat's arse.

 

[turkishm]

i find it laughable that our dear chairman ron , with his bank balance probably near to zero is a position to turn down to many big money offers . surely if he starts to mess around with these people [ buyers ] they will all just walk away ,

And what then. No club and rm free to sell roots hall for housing

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

if you think its near zero.......?

We can only guess.
I expect most of the family stuff, houses etc is in family name, trust etc, well seperated from anything SUFC.
Cars and stuff is likely leased.
Other bank accounts? Cayman Islands?
Could be very little assets in UK directly traced to RM but I very much doubt he will be, personally, or family fund, skint.

 

[Tommy2holes]

If the team behind this bid for southend buy the club but without the hall and just a promise of fossetts in some capacity when built.

What's to stop another wimbledon scenario? A move away with a franchise.

I highly doubt that would happen but theoretically they would own a club without a home, or at least a rented home that could be locked or built on at any point.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

How strange it is that there ws 2 bidders .One that ron said he felt was the one he prefered .Now yeasterday 2 became 3 .Is ron trying to play mind games ..Trying to push the price up .
on the sale .

It’s really not strange. Ron can’t really say much beyond heads of terms were issued to three parties. The third party would seem to have been Nash. Subsequent developments are confidential until a sale is agreed. Even if one buyer is happy to have their business publicised the other parties are unlikely to be so (note also that Kimura had kept quiet until relatively recently).

I disagree to a point. The reason we are in this situation is

1) the fan groups combining and not renewing season tickets - fairly militant

2) protests outside Ron’s house. Note the protests at roots hall had 0 effect on Ron. Protests outside his house chipped away at his control - fairly militant.

Now let’s flip the coin

1) non payment of wages when he’s admitted he can get funds - militant and intimidating

2) implying that staff aren’t being paid because of supporters - intimidating and threatening

Always two sides to every coin.

There is no place for violence - agreed

I till Ron stops being intimidating and threatening then there is absolutely a need for a robust defence

Let’s face it - upon reflection Ron could have done this when he first got planning permission for the development. He would have got more money as the club was in a higher league.

All this s**t about no one being interested in the club - threatening and intimidating

He’s done this to get some narcissistic pleasure at his own expense. The guy has too many screws loose and will not play fairly.

Ultimately the only reason we are where we are is because of some joint fan base militant actions and a little grenade called @StanCollymore who has no doubt been working on the inside on our behalf to oust Ron

Or more realistically he ran out of money and realised the game was up.

On 1st March he had one of his other group companies wound up.

On 11th March he announced SUFC was up for sale.

Think Ron selling the club going to take longer than we want.
If Ron has had an offer, he’s not the sort of bloke to snap it up early doors.
He will want to milk this deal for every penny he can get. I can’t see things being concluded before early July.
Of course many of the white board signings will have gone elsewhere. Think we will be shopping at Lidl and not Waitrose this coming season.

It’s less about Ron taking longer than and more that the whole process of buying something that hasn’t been built yet makes the process more drawn out.

Wow. As @GDP posts it is TEN weeks from the "sale, investment " announcement by Ron.
Only two definitely happened things in that time are Karl (Carl) and the Nash "no deals".

Everything else seems over 4000 postings of not a lot but guessing and hoping.

Ten weeks is no time for a transaction like this.

Realistically a deal needs to be agreed this week or next then, giving us a week or two for DD and the inevitable fallout as skeletons in the closet are unveiled and (hopefully) dealt with.

The most likely cause for delay won’t be DD but negotiating the details for the stadium construction/purchase.

 

[Shrimper Brownie]

If the team behind this bid for southend by the club but without the hall and just a promise of fossetts in some capacity when built.

What's to stop another wimbledon scenario? A move away with a franchise.

I highly doubt that would happen but theoretically they would own a club without a home, or at least a rented home that could be locked or built on at any point.

Totally agree

 

[Danshrimper]

If the team behind this bid for southend by the club but without the hall and just a promise of fossetts in some capacity when built.

What's to stop another wimbledon scenario? A move away with a franchise.

I highly doubt that would happen but theoretically they would own a club without a home, or at least a rented home that could be locked or built on at any point.

The group are from Southend, would they really want to move the club away?

Even if they weren’t from Southend your scenario doesn’t really make any sense. Southend has a large population with no other football team. There is potential to grow a much bigger fanbase than the existing decent fanbase if we climbed the leagues.

What town or city is there in the country that doesn’t already have a football team and has the potential to grow a bigger fanbase from nothing?

 

[Holy Joe]

Id say a very high probability that he would be able to.

The current planning permission on Roots Hall has a condition that new stadium needs to be completed, but in circumstances where there is no club, I suspect new permission could be obtained without the conditions

Just to add - the condition in the current planning permission on Roots Hall would not be met by the revised Phase 1 stadium at Fossets Farm currently awaiting planning decision. It's capacity is too small. So Ron must be confident of getting an amendment for that at least.

 

[Tampa Blue]

The problem will be one of Ron's insatiable greed and wanting to squeeze as much out of the deal for himself as possible.

Whilst this is not unreasonable in a business transaction, anyone that thinks that RM will sell the club easily just so that there remains a full time football team in our town/city is very much deluded.

Let's hope he doesn't price the club out of a sale.

 

[Tommy2holes]

The group are from Southend, would they really want to move the club away?

Even if they weren’t from Southend your scenario doesn’t really make any sense. Southend has a large population with no other football team. There is potential to grow a much bigger fanbase than the existing decent fanbase if we climbed the leagues.

What town or city is there in the country that doesn’t already have a football team and has the potential to grow a bigger fanbase from nothing?

You are almost certainly right but I was suddenly hit with this strange thought. What if Ron has a row with new owners and locks roots hall or can't or won't build fossetts or renew tenancy. We could end up homeless.

It leaves the club massively at the mercy of Ron Martin again, and time has proved that this is very unhealthy for the club.

I would much prefer a complete clean sweep. Ron gets money for roots hall and and an agreement that if and when Fossetts is ready, it will be bulldozed with his flats being built. If fossetts doesn't get built within 5 years then roots hall belongs to the new owners. End of story.

 

[Holy Joe]

If the team behind this bid for southend buy the club but without the hall and just a promise of fossetts in some capacity when built.

What's to stop another wimbledon scenario? A move away with a franchise.

I highly doubt that would happen but theoretically they would own a club without a home, or at least a rented home that could be locked or built on at any point.

Many clubs don't own their stadiums, albeit many of those their is probably a related party owning the stadium (like SUFC and Roots Hall currently), but we don't see football clubs uproot and move to different towns/cities frequently. The only example I can think of where stadium ownership has caused problems recently is Coventry.

As you say in your last point - a theoretical scenario I think

 

[Hadleigh-shrimper]

Tv

You are almost certainly right but I was suddenly hit with this strange thought. What if Ron has a row with new owners and locks roots hall or can't or won't build fossetts or renew tenancy. We could end up homeless.

It leaves the club massively at the mercy of Ron Martin again, and time has proved that this is very unhealthy for the club.

I would much prefer a complete clean sweep. Ron gets money for roots hall and and an agreement that if and when Fossetts is ready, it will be bulldozed with his flats being built. If fossetts doesn't get built within 5 years then roots hall belongs to the new owners. End of story.

unfortunat rm isn’t selling roots hall unless gets a stupid money offer

 

[sufc4life21]

The problem will be one of Ron's insatiable greed and wanting to squeeze as much out of the deal for himself as possible.

Whilst this is not unreasonable in a business transaction, anyone that thinks that RM will sell the club easily just so that there remains a full time football team in our town/city is very much deluded.

Let's hope he doesn't price the club out of a sale.

He can't really be expecting a big fee for a national league club with no assets and invisible stadium in the offering....... if I was potential buyer I wouldn't be bending over backwards to satisfy the seller with what is on offer.

 

[BriggBlue]

If the team behind this bid for southend buy the club but without the hall and just a promise of fossetts in some capacity when built.

What's to stop another wimbledon scenario? A move away with a franchise.

I highly doubt that would happen but theoretically they would own a club without a home, or at least a rented home that could be locked or built on at any point.

I understand the fear but which town is looking for a national league club that doesn't already have one or a club in a higher league with as much of a catchment area? The south west would seem like the only region and they have historical clubs in Torquay and Yeovil who would be available cheaper and easier

 

[overseas shrimper]

... I was suddenly hit with this strange thought.

There's a lot of this going around.