SUFC: The Future SUFC up for sale

[Willis]

I think the plan was to sell later. But as Rigsby says there appears to be serious interest now which has encouraged him to bring plans forward. I’m sure the rate of the losses and his struggles to fund the money has combined with this to get things moving.

Ron has struggled to find the money and the club has sustained loses for years. It makes no difference to him, he doesn’t give a **** about that. There’s been serious interest before, Ron’s never been interested before.

It’s not the combination of this that has had an effect, something else has changed: there’s significant external pressure for him to sell the club coming from the increasing national awareness of his poor and negligent stewardship. Anything else and it’d remain as it has for the majority of his tenure.

 

[kentblues]

Ron has struggled to find the money and the club has sustained loses for years. It makes no difference to him, he doesn’t give a **** about that. There’s been serious interest before, Ron’s never been interested before.

It’s not the combination of this that has had an effect, something else has changed: there’s significant external pressure for him to sell the club coming from the increasing national awareness of his poor and negligent stewardship. Anything else and it’d remain as it has for the majority of his tenure.

People will believe what they want of course as always. But frankly external pressure has had zero impact for years…

 

[Medway Blue]

More absolute bull***t There will never be 1000 flats in his sons name.

The build costs for will be funded by others and they will be sold to pay for it. Like every other large development in the country. Ron will get a pay day as its his land....Just like every other land owner who gets planning approved.

There is already a serious group interested, which is why Ron quickly called a press conference. Whether they chose to fund the stadium build themselves and put their DNA on it remains to be seen. If not the money from Rons share of residential would have to fund the stadium.

I think the plan was to sell later. But as Rigsby says there appears to be serious interest now which has encouraged him to bring plans forward. I’m sure the rate of the losses and his struggles to fund the money has combined with this to get things moving.

He will of course say it might take months (code for not fire sell I can wait) but if he has a potential bidder now then he needs to open up a competitive process to max the sale price.

Thins is this agency already has buyers looking for clubs. The fact the club would be up for sale is no secret. And Ron and Stan independently have know these guys for ages. Put all that together then things may move surprisingly quickly

My thoughts on the subject are changing by the day.

On the one hand, I think there is a preferred buyer already. The activity on Companies House for Martin Dawn/SEL would suggest so and isn't the sort of activity I'd expect to see if an agent has only just been employed to "explore" a potential sale. That activity and some of RM's words in the presser suggest something might already be happening. He answered that he's not currently in negotiations with anybody because it's already under an NDA, and the "strategic review" is actually the DD process. The agent has been appointed for optics so that people can see that it's being done the right way, and to handle granular negotiations/get the best terms for him.

The next day I'll change my mind and think that nobody is lined up. There have been around 6 or 7 interested parties put in contact with him over the last 18 months or so. I understand that there are always negotiations to be had in these situations but I suspect that possibly ridiculous terms from RM for an assetless and worthless club with debt owed to him might not make the club an attractive proposition right now. He's struggled to move any outside interest further along due to his terms, so much so that he has now had to appoint a world-renowned sports sales agent to search for a buyer crazy enough. He's made the move now because something has happened and/or the pressure from those around him has grown in the last week or two to make him see that he has reached the end of the road with the football club - perhaps a June start date for the stadium build has become unlikely, the bridging money won't last much beyond the summer and he is neither willing nor able to access other lines of credit to fund it. If he hasn't sold by July/August then the threat of WUPs and administration returns and this time there will be no way out for him or the club, so he has to sell now.

I'm very up and down about it. Pessimistic one minute, cautiously optimistic the next. Collymore's relationship with Moxey might work in our favour, though.

Whatever happens, the aim has to be to get Fossetts Farm under the ownership of the club as soon as possible.

 

[getintoem]

I commented in the 'Out of Contract Players' thread that I imagine all the out of contract players will take the opportunity to get away and it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we could find ourselves back in the same situation we were in 2010 when Luggy was brought in. This time though RM hasn't any money to entice someone like Sturrock to come along and sort out the mess, let alone all the issues that need addressing to maintain our place in the NL.

To avoid the above scenario, if at all possible, we need new owners in by mid June at the latest in my opinion, sufficiently organised to hit the ground running. If existing personnel haven't already moved on, the management team will need to know if they will be retained or replaced, existing players' contracts appraised, recruitment commenced for new players and a pre-season schedule arranged. All debts will need to be cleared and the essential work at Roots Hall undertaken. It could be an extremely busy summer for TL, after which new owners might decide they want their own man in his role. The uncertainty around the place now must be just as bad as it was prior to the winding up petition being dismissed.

As with his management of all things, I think RMs timing of announcing his intention to explore selling the club is poor. It would have given the appointed agents and interested third parties a more realistic time frame if he had announced his intentions at the beginning of January. Hey-ho, we are where we are but, if the club survives, I wouldn't be surprised if next season is worse than the way this one is panning out.

 

[Willis]

People will believe what they want of course as always. But frankly external pressure has had zero impact for years…

I don’t mean from fans…

 

[Napster]

I raise you Vic Jobson plenty were glad to see the back of Vic careful what you wish for.

And Anton Johnson and Rubin etc etc

 

[ms brush]

I think there is a preferred buyer too, and the silence followed the the announcement on Friday would suggest that there is a need for DD and an NDA has been in place for a while. It would explain a lot, and the appointment of the agency is sensible (and again, may have been in place for a while). Don't forget that Tom Lawrence is a lawyer, as well as our CEO so he will be making sure that the sale is handled properly and will have only allowed an announcement when safe to do so.

It is also possible that the tax bill may have been paid by a preferred bidder as part of an ongoing negotiation. This, obviously would be a non-disclosed item too, and all parties would be duty bound to stay silent, if indeed many people knew! This could still take months, and we will hear nothing for a while. Doesn't mean nothing is happening!

meantime, the whole protest thing is laughable, and the reason that most of the "old farts" were seemingly "doing nothing" was because the protests are ineffective and a waste of time and effort. The more mature supporters realise that the way to effect change is more subtle.

 

[Blue43]

I think there is a preferred buyer too, and the silence followed the the announcement on Friday would suggest that there is a need for DD and an NDA has been in place for a while. It would explain a lot, and the appointment of the agency is sensible (and again, may have been in place for a while). Don't forget that Tom Lawrence is a lawyer, as well as our CEO so he will be making sure that the sale is handled properly and will have only allowed an announcement when safe to do so.

It is also possible that the tax bill may have been paid by a preferred bidder as part of an ongoing negotiation. This, obviously would be a non-disclosed item too, and all parties would be duty bound to stay silent, if indeed many people knew! This could still take months, and we will hear nothing for a while. Doesn't mean nothing is happening!

meantime, the whole protest thing is laughable, and the reason that most of the "old farts" were seemingly "doing nothing" was because the protests are ineffective and a waste of time and effort. The more mature supporters realise that the way to effect change is more subtle.

You’re absolutely right, all them zoom meetings and cosy chats with Ron worked much better didn’t they

Blackpool, Charlton, Coventry, Bolton and Derby all protested hard and in very high numbers and some of them boycotted games.

3 of these teams are now in the Championship since they came under new ownership and the other 2 are in the top 6 of league one.

I’m sure zoom meetings and little meetings with the owner would have been much more effective though

 

[Pak Power]

I think we are all about to see why Stan is at the club

 

[JB Shrimper]

You’re absolutely right, all them zoom meetings and cosy chats with Ron worked much better didn’t they

Blackpool, Charlton, Coventry, Bolton and Derby all protested hard and in very high numbers and some of them boycotted games.

3 of these teams are now in the Championship since they came under new ownership and the other 2 are in the top 6 of league one.

I’m sure zoom meetings and little meetings with the owner would have been much more effective though

Been a day on the beer has it?

 

[Maidstone Shrimper]

Oh come on, please don’t tell me you’re serious?

Anything would be an improvement on Ron the Con. He’s not going to let the club go for cheap so whoever takes over will have very deep pockets i’m sure, but either way I’ll definitely take my chances over Ron any day of the week thanks

That is so not true. There will be a number of opportunists with no interest in football who might see this as an opportunity to make a swift profit at the expense of the club's survival. I'm guessing you weren't around when Anton Johnson took over. I had SUFC written off then. I trusted him (justifiably) far less than Ron ... and I am definitely not a "happy clapper" fan of RM. If you think anything would be better than Ron then you won't be as worried as I am that he will choose whoever gives him the best price rather than whoever has the best interests of the club at heart.

 

[Blue43]

Been a day on the beer has it?

What an original reply

 

[JB Shrimper]

What an original reply

But probably accurate

 

[Blue43]

But probably accurate

Which part of my post led you to that conclusion then may I ask?

 

[JB Shrimper]

The fact you have needlessly insulted goups people, quite agressive not prepared to listen to anyone else and continually trying to put your point across when we already know how you feel.

 

[danbowen]

So who do you consider are old farts? Personally I find your post a bit offensive and arrogant.

Only this one? Most of this posters posts are aggressive, negative and very boring now!

 

[danbowen]

Oh come on, please don’t tell me you’re serious?

Anything would be an improvement on Ron the Con. He’s not going to let the club go for cheap so whoever takes over will have very deep pockets i’m sure, but either way I’ll definitely take my chances over Ron any day of the week thanks

So what about the last bury owner or the last Scunthorpe owner? What about the ex billericay owner? All of these would arguably be worse especially the first two! This isn’t backing Ron but to say anyone would be better is factually incorrect!

 

[danbowen]

You’re absolutely right, all them zoom meetings and cosy chats with Ron worked much better didn’t they

Blackpool, Charlton, Coventry, Bolton and Derby all protested hard and in very high numbers and some of them boycotted games.

3 of these teams are now in the Championship since they came under new ownership and the other 2 are in the top 6 of league one.

I’m sure zoom meetings and little meetings with the owner would have been much more effective though

Ask Charlton fans how they are finding their new owner. This is the third one in a short period they want out asap.

 

[Blue43]

So what about the last bury owner or the last Scunthorpe owner? What about the ex billericay owner? All of these would arguably be worse especially the first two! This isn’t backing Ron but to say anyone would be better is factually incorrect!

And what about the new Macclesfield owner or the new Scunthorpe owner? Or perhaps the Wrexham owners? Walsall, Gillingham, Blackpool, Coventry owners?

For every bad owner there are plenty more successful ones.

 

[Lavender Blue]

It wasn’t only youths attending and organising these protests.

I’m sorry but it could’ve been the most organised and professional of protests and yet half the old farts would still not support it as they just don’t want to support any form of protests

Just for the record, I didn’t agree with those protestors who confronted Stan in that way. I’ve always said Stan has and continues to be a great asset to the club.

I find that incredibly insulting, and a mindset of many younger fans. This isn’t about age, we all aren’t able to attend protests, some can not walk that far, others have commitments before games, have families to attend to. Stop trying to talk for me and other older fans. Please also remember that the majority of fans old and young are not on shrimperzone, many aren’t on social media.