CONFIMRED - The final countdown

[Armadillo Roadkill]

It's sort of obvious though. A club comes with loads of outgoings, stadium rent, staff costs, players wages. A training ground facility doesnt come with those things. Much easier to sell because a lot less due diligence needed.

Crikey it takes 3 months to sell a house, how could this be done quickly

This could have been going on for weeks or months behind the scenes

It's either been going on for months (most likely) or it's genuinely new this week, and will go on for months.

But if it happens, he's now got a stadium to sell that isn't much use to anyone without a football club (good luck getting planning permission to knock it down for yet more rabbit-hutch flats sold to some petro state), and a football club with no assets.

The prîck's taking the club down with him.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

I know nowt about Bearwood but Bolton got £2.2m for the fire sale of its 'state of the art' training facility in Chorley. Bearwood might be worth a bit more but I can't see why Wycombe would pay silly money?

Great

[blueroyals]

For those saying protests don't work, I'm fairly certain if we got every game abandoned from now until the end of the season, bringing the entire competition into disrepute, things would start to move very quickly

[Greatwesternline]

One thing that is puzzling me is, whoever it is that is fronting up the money for this training ground purchase, why don't they want to buy RFC plus training ground instead?

Mention of some Georgian billionaire. Ok, if this person wants a training ground for £22m, why don't they want a training ground plus a club big enough to make use of it as well, for £35m.

If you have £20m for a few buildings and football pitches, you have the money for the other bits. What gives?

It is a lot more work and money to develop Wycombe into a club that needs a £20m academy, when you can pick up the ready meal variety in Reading instead.

The way it is going, you'll have a small club in a small town and small stadium and small fan base with a massive training facility, and down the road you'll have a big stadium big fan base but no club. It's a completely daft turn of events. And the money men would quickly work out that a big training ground makes a lot more sense to go with a big stadium and fan base.

If you want a big training ground, you would want the big fan base and stadium to go with it, not a pokey stadium with little chance to fill a bigger one.

[Horsham Royal]

One thing that is puzzling me is, whoever it is that is fronting up the money for this training ground purchase, why don't they want to buy RFC plus training ground instead?

Mention of some Georgian billionaire. Ok, if this person wants a training ground for £22m, why don't they want a training ground plus a club big enough to make use of it as well, for £35m.

If you have £20m for a few buildings and football pitches, you have the money for the other bits. What gives?

It is a lot more work and money to develop Wycombe into a club that needs a £20m academy, when you can pick up the ready meal variety in Reading instead.

The way it is going, you'll have a small club in a small town and small stadium and small fan base with a massive training facility, and down the road you'll have a big stadium big fan base but no club. It's a completely daft turn of events. And the money men would quickly work out that a big training ground makes a lot more sense to go with a big stadium and fan base.

If you want a big training ground, you would want the big fan base and stadium to go with it, not a pokey stadium with little chance to fill a bigger one.

Doesn't want the football club's ongoing losses?

[Royal Ginger]

State of the art training ground for £20M. Or state of the art training ground and a meteorically crashing football team without a stadium for £40M.

[From Despair To Where?]

Training ground = potential earner if kept separate from the football clubs and rented out to tenants.


Training ground + Football club = guaranteed money pit.

[72 bus]

For those saying protests don't work, I'm fairly certain if we got every game abandoned from now until the end of the season, bringing the entire competition into disrepute, things would start to move very quickly

Yes, we would very quickly be ejected from the Football League.

[tmesis]

For those saying protests don't work, I'm fairly certain if we got every game abandoned from now until the end of the season, bringing the entire competition into disrepute, things would start to move very quickly

Yes, we would very quickly be ejected from the Football League.

Sadly there are still plenty of fans who seem to think the football league can do something to force Dai to sell.

[WestYorksRoyal]

For those saying protests don't work, I'm fairly certain if we got every game abandoned from now until the end of the season, bringing the entire competition into disrepute, things would start to move very quickly

Yes, we would very quickly be ejected from the Football League.

Sadly there are still plenty of fans who seem to think the football league can do something to force Dai to sell.

I know they don't have the power, but they can definitely do more. If a club in their competition is going to die and they can't stop it, they should be the ones leading the effort to get government involvement and working with bodies such as councils to provide any protection possible. Instead it's business as usual and living by the rulebook so they can keep their power.

Bury folded in 2019 and Parry said "never again", the super league and its attempt to destroy the pyramid 2021. We also saw Derby on the brink but we still don't have an independent regulator. Why have the EFL not been at the forefront of pushing for this with a sense of urgency? Instead of looking at us as an inconvenience? They obviously don't take their role as custodians seriously enough.

So they can't force Dai to sell or block the training ground deal, but don't say they're blameless. It's very clear that saving us is not a priority

[WestYorksRoyal]

I obviously don't agree with death threats or threats of violence, but football fans notoriously have a dark side. One day a situation like this may end very badly for a crooked owner. Pang and Dai will probably be fine as Reading fans aren't so bad, but Imagine how this would end if someone was doing this to a club like Leeds or Sunderland. I don't think these owners have a clue about the strength of feeling.

[blythspartan]

There was some random poster on twitter last night saying that we were being sold next Thursday and that the training ground is still ours. I am not sure why people feel the need to makeup stuff like that.

Honestly I don’t know what to make of it anymore. The mass hysteria on Twitter seems OTT. There’s part of me that thinks Dai paid for it so he can do what he wants with Bearwood and at the same time I get annoyed as he appears to be asset stripping the club. Oh the joys of supporting RFC.

[Orion1871]

I obviously don't agree with death threats or threats of violence, but football fans notoriously have a dark side. One day a situation like this may end very badly for a crooked owner. Pang and Dai will probably be fine as Reading fans aren't so bad, but Imagine how this would end if someone was doing this to a club like Leeds or Sunderland. I don't think these owners have a clue about the strength of feeling.

Pang reckons he can't be intimidated. Maybe we'll see if that is the case if they keep going like this.

[Snowflake Royal]

Yes, we would very quickly be ejected from the Football League.

Sadly there are still plenty of fans who seem to think the football league can do something to force Dai to sell.

I know they don't have the power, but they can definitely do more. If a club in their competition is going to die and they can't stop it, they should be the ones leading the effort to get government involvement and working with bodies such as councils to provide any protection possible. Instead it's business as usual and living by the rulebook so they can keep their power.

Bury folded in 2019 and Parry said "never again", the super league and its attempt to destroy the pyramid 2021. We also saw Derby on the brink but we still don't have an independent regulator. Why have the EFL not been at the forefront of pushing for this with a sense of urgency? Instead of looking at us as an inconvenience? They obviously don't take their role as custodians seriously enough.

So they can't force Dai to sell or block the training ground deal, but don't say they're blameless. It's very clear that saving us is not a priority

Parry literally sat in front of a parliamentary committee and said words to the effect of 'set it up now'.

It's those PL pcunts trying to block it and useless Tory pcunts not setting it up

[Stranded]

For those saying protests don't work, I'm fairly certain if we got every game abandoned from now until the end of the season, bringing the entire competition into disrepute, things would start to move very quickly

Yes, we would very quickly be ejected from the Football League.

Sadly there are still plenty of fans who seem to think the football league can do something to force Dai to sell.

Exactly, they can't - all they can do is try and change their rules so that when the next Dai comes along, which he will, they have more power to even stop the purchase.

All they can do is ban him, which gives him 28 day to sell the club, which he won't and then leaves everyone in uncharted territory.

[Stranded]

One thing that is puzzling me is, whoever it is that is fronting up the money for this training ground purchase, why don't they want to buy RFC plus training ground instead?

Mention of some Georgian billionaire. Ok, if this person wants a training ground for £22m, why don't they want a training ground plus a club big enough to make use of it as well, for £35m.

If you have £20m for a few buildings and football pitches, you have the money for the other bits. What gives?

It is a lot more work and money to develop Wycombe into a club that needs a £20m academy, when you can pick up the ready meal variety in Reading instead.

The way it is going, you'll have a small club in a small town and small stadium and small fan base with a massive training facility, and down the road you'll have a big stadium big fan base but no club. It's a completely daft turn of events. And the money men would quickly work out that a big training ground makes a lot more sense to go with a big stadium and fan base.

If you want a big training ground, you would want the big fan base and stadium to go with it, not a pokey stadium with little chance to fill a bigger one.

This is a question I would be asking if I were a Wycombe fan as well. Why if this benefactor, this Georgian guy apparently, would be happy to spend 22m on the training ground but not either a) just buy us or b) complete a takeover of them.

The only answers are that

a) he doesn't give two tosses about football or who trains there and just wants to own the land/real estate - if so, and he has enough money, he'll probably find a way to get permission to turn it into something that earns a lot more money for him.

or

b) he stands absolutely no chance of ever passing the O&DT - which given the incredibly low bar it sets, should be firing off an incredible amount of alarms.

[Wycombe Royal]

Do Wycombe even understand the cost of running this facility? It is way above what they need and has been draining money out of our club. The cost compared to their current training ground are going to be at least 10 times higher which I don't believe will be sustainable for them. It is absolutely crazy and if I was a Wycombe fan I would be very concerned.

Also their players aren't on huge wages, but now they have a 20 mile commute taking around 30 minutes every day. They aren't going to be over the moon at that. Same goes for their staff.

None of it make sense, both for RFC or Wycombe.

It's like my company with 80 staff, going and taking out a lease on 200,000 sq ft office, with a social club on the side with a pool and tennis courts.

[WestYorksRoyal]

One thing that is puzzling me is, whoever it is that is fronting up the money for this training ground purchase, why don't they want to buy RFC plus training ground instead?

Mention of some Georgian billionaire. Ok, if this person wants a training ground for £22m, why don't they want a training ground plus a club big enough to make use of it as well, for £35m.

If you have £20m for a few buildings and football pitches, you have the money for the other bits. What gives?

It is a lot more work and money to develop Wycombe into a club that needs a £20m academy, when you can pick up the ready meal variety in Reading instead.

The way it is going, you'll have a small club in a small town and small stadium and small fan base with a massive training facility, and down the road you'll have a big stadium big fan base but no club. It's a completely daft turn of events. And the money men would quickly work out that a big training ground makes a lot more sense to go with a big stadium and fan base.

If you want a big training ground, you would want the big fan base and stadium to go with it, not a pokey stadium with little chance to fill a bigger one.

This is a question I would be asking if I were a Wycombe fan as well. Why if this benefactor, this Georgian guy apparently, would be happy to spend 22m on the training ground but not either a) just buy us or b) complete a takeover of them.

The only answers are that

a) he doesn't give two tosses about football or who trains there and just wants to own the land/real estate - if so, and he has enough money, he'll probably find a way to get permission to turn it into something that earns a lot more money for him.

or

b) he stands absolutely no chance of ever passing the O&DT - which given the incredibly low bar it sets, should be firing off an incredible amount of alarms.

The club is losing money. That will be why too. Though one of the reasons we're losing money is that we can't afford to run Bearwood on a L1 budget, so not sure what Wycombe's plan is there.

[Stranded]

One thing that is puzzling me is, whoever it is that is fronting up the money for this training ground purchase, why don't they want to buy RFC plus training ground instead?

Mention of some Georgian billionaire. Ok, if this person wants a training ground for £22m, why don't they want a training ground plus a club big enough to make use of it as well, for £35m.

If you have £20m for a few buildings and football pitches, you have the money for the other bits. What gives?

It is a lot more work and money to develop Wycombe into a club that needs a £20m academy, when you can pick up the ready meal variety in Reading instead.

The way it is going, you'll have a small club in a small town and small stadium and small fan base with a massive training facility, and down the road you'll have a big stadium big fan base but no club. It's a completely daft turn of events. And the money men would quickly work out that a big training ground makes a lot more sense to go with a big stadium and fan base.

If you want a big training ground, you would want the big fan base and stadium to go with it, not a pokey stadium with little chance to fill a bigger one.

This is a question I would be asking if I were a Wycombe fan as well. Why if this benefactor, this Georgian guy apparently, would be happy to spend 22m on the training ground but not either a) just buy us or b) complete a takeover of them.

The only answers are that

a) he doesn't give two tosses about football or who trains there and just wants to own the land/real estate - if so, and he has enough money, he'll probably find a way to get permission to turn it into something that earns a lot more money for him.

or

b) he stands absolutely no chance of ever passing the O&DT - which given the incredibly low bar it sets, should be firing off an incredible amount of alarms.

The club is losing money. That will be why too. Though one of the reasons we're losing money is that we can't afford to run Bearwood on a L1 budget, so not sure what Wycombe's plan is there.

But it depends on the deal this benefactor gives them - will he be covering the running costs and they pay minimal to zero rent. Will they just mothball or the things they don't need. Will then find someone to rent pitches/out buildings from them.

If Wycombe just end up as glorified tenants, then unless they have a watertight contract, I would be worried that they will also be out on their ear when someone else fancies a lovely top flight ready training ground. After all Bearwood isn't exactly a million miles from London, could easily appeal to a club there whose players all live in Surrey and are having trouble building new or improving existing facilities.

[WestYorksRoyal]

This is a question I would be asking if I were a Wycombe fan as well. Why if this benefactor, this Georgian guy apparently, would be happy to spend 22m on the training ground but not either a) just buy us or b) complete a takeover of them.

The only answers are that

a) he doesn't give two tosses about football or who trains there and just wants to own the land/real estate - if so, and he has enough money, he'll probably find a way to get permission to turn it into something that earns a lot more money for him.

or

b) he stands absolutely no chance of ever passing the O&DT - which given the incredibly low bar it sets, should be firing off an incredible amount of alarms.

The club is losing money. That will be why too. Though one of the reasons we're losing money is that we can't afford to run Bearwood on a L1 budget, so not sure what Wycombe's plan is there.

But it depends on the deal this benefactor gives them - will he be covering the running costs and they pay minimal to zero rent. Will they just mothball or the things they don't need. Will then find someone to rent pitches/out buildings from them.

If Wycombe just end up as glorified tenants, then unless they have a watertight contract, I would be worried that they will also be out on their ear when someone else fancies a lovely top flight ready training ground. After all Bearwood isn't exactly a million miles from London, could easily appeal to a club there whose players all live in Surrey and are having trouble building new or improving existing facilities.

I would be concerned as a Wycombe fan. Something just feels off. They have no need for a massive state of the art training ground. Has the feeling of some of Dai's early dealings. Though at least if it goes to shit for them there should be a regulator set up in time.