Arab takeover interest reported on tribalfootball.com

[Barry the bird boggler]

The facts are simply that there have been or are talks going on. What happenes next is anyone's guess. All we can say is things will remain deathly quiet for a good while longer...

[Seal]

I am not a regular poster, but I do have very close links to the club.

I am not going to post idle speculation, I will only post what has been confirmed to me by very senior people within the club. In support of previous posts, I can confirm talks have been ongoing for some time, are at a very advanced stage, and the board have now recommended to SJM to accept the tabled offer. I have no idea on the potential buyers, their nationality or wealth, I am not privy to this. I do know that SJM wants/needs to release some cash as his businesses have struggled over the past 18months and additionally he requires significant funds to invest in the commercial project adjacent to the Reading Train station. You may have noticed he secured planning permission for this only last week.

Again, as you may already suspect, the decision to offload both the high earners and also the valuable players this summer is to provide a strong financial structure to ensure the Club is an attractive buy. Whilst I am hugely disappointed with Rodgers' start, the dealings were out of his hands and not something he could influence.

I'm lead to believe the due diligence should be completed soon, anticipate the sale being completed before the January transfer window opens, an opportune time for us. I have no idea whether the club will receive significant player funds.

Take The Insider's post with the largest pinch of salt. Details about any takeover are very few. From someone who knows a few different people at the club and media, I can't even give you what this lad has. There are talks ongoing with a potential buyer, and these are 'rumoured' to be at an "advanced stage". But other than that, everything is being kept very quiet, which is the SJM way.

I like the fact that he can 'confirm' that talks are at a very advanced stage, knows why we sold all our crown jewels in the summer, has information regarding SJM's business plans, yet doesn't know who the buyers are or even their nationality.

Call me a cynic but am I not convinced.

All we know is that SJM has said he would sell to the right buyer. Can't we just leave it at that and have faith in him doing a good deal for the future of the club, rather than speculating over a load of old b0llocks like "advances stages".

[Sun Tzu]

There is an interesting snippet in The Insiders post.

He mentions that 'the board' have recommended the deal be accepted to SJM.

Isn't the board made up of SJM and Ian Hill-Wood as non exec ?

I may be missing a subtle distinction between the board of the football club and the board of the holding company.

I also have no doubt that Nigel Howe and Bryan Stabler would have significant input, so this could just be semantics.

[Deathy]

There is an interesting snippet in The Insiders post.

He mentions that 'the board' have recommended the deal be accepted to SJM.

Isn't the board made up of SJM and Ian Hill-Wood as non exec ?

I may be missing a subtle distinction between the board of the football club and the board of the holding company.

I also have no doubt that Nigel Howe and Bryan Stabler would have significant input, so this could just be semantics.

Though that myself. There is no board as such.

[winchester_royal]

FWIW from what I've heard the Arabs are still fcuking about with the price.

[Deathy]

FWIW from what I've heard the Arabs are still fcuking about with the price.

Rich Arabs fcuking about with what, 5 to 10 million...? C'mon!!!

[(.)Boobies(.)]

Rich arabs my arse. This is all BS made up, imaginative yet no fun.

I've been 100% on three rumours of summer transfer dealings, and a little else here and there. I wouldn't throw my hat into a wind up. I have better things to be doing. There is interest, it is real, but wether anything comes of it, we may never know, such is how low key this is all being kept.

[Wimb]

Rich arabs my arse. This is all BS made up, imaginative yet no fun.

I've been 100% on three rumours of summer transfer dealings, and a little else here and there. I wouldn't throw my hat into a wind up. I have better things to be doing. There is interest, it is real, but wether anything comes of it, we may never know, such is how low key this is all being kept.

And hopefully low key is how it will stay until a firm bid comes in then by all means leak things if it gets someone else interested who may have even deeper pockets

Unless revealing said bid inspires Pompy to come and steal out investors at the 11th hour

[Royalwaster]

Rich arabs my arse. This is all BS made up, imaginative yet no fun.

I've been 100% on three rumours of summer transfer dealings, and a little else here and there. I wouldn't throw my hat into a wind up. I have better things to be doing. There is interest, it is real, but wether anything comes of it, we may never know, such is how low key this is all being kept.

I can vouch for Boobies - was spot on over the summer and not a wind up merchant. So I do have some faith in this rumour - also the selling spree is very much in line with trying to make the club an attractive proposition. Just hope the 'Arabs' are wrangling over money, so that they'll have more money to sink into the club!

[Sun Tzu]

I can vouch for Boobies - was spot on over the summer and not a wind up merchant. So I do have some faith in this rumour - also the selling spree is very much in line with trying to make the club an attractive proposition. Just hope the 'Arabs' are wrangling over money, so that they'll have more money to sink into the club!

Isn't the supposed selling soree a little sunk by the fact that at least 2 and possibly 3 of the sales were signposted months ago and were much more to do with the players wanting to go back to the Prem.

If we were trying to make the club as cash rich or debt free as possible we wouldn't have splashed 2 million on Mills would we ? We could have picked up a perfectly serviceable centre back for much less than that.

[gazzer, loyal royal]

the problem is not necessarily the price, but what the arabs do and don't want to buy.

[Deathy]

I can vouch for Boobies - was spot on over the summer and not a wind up merchant. So I do have some faith in this rumour - also the selling spree is very much in line with trying to make the club an attractive proposition. Just hope the 'Arabs' are wrangling over money, so that they'll have more money to sink into the club!

If we were trying to make the club as cash rich or debt free as possible we wouldn't have splashed 2 million on Mills would we ? We could have picked up a perfectly serviceable centre back for much less than that.

We didn't, we spent £1.1m on him (so far).

[Sun Tzu]

From a buyers perspective we've 'spent' 2 million though. We may not have parted with the cash but the add ons would be a liability that would fall on the new owner...

[wolsey]

From a buyers perspective we've 'spent' 2 million though. We may not have parted with the cash but the add ons would be a liability that would fall on the new owner...

...if we reached the Prem. When the perceived value is likely to be much higher than current asking price.

(Probably)

[Sun Tzu]

Possibly, although not sure how the accounts would reflect that !!

Wouldn;t any player have a higher perceived value if they were a Premiership player though ?

The point remains though that if there was a plan specifically to turn our best assets into cash spending 1-2 million doesn;t really fit with that. We could easily hae gone for another loan option, or a free trasnfer, or a cheaper player.

As ever with these things I'm sure it's a bit of one thingand a bit of another although I would still argue that the 3 sales were likely to happen even if SJM had announced he was staying until the carried him out in a box !!

[North Somerset Royal]

There is an interesting snippet in The Insiders post.

He mentions that 'the board' have recommended the deal be accepted to SJM.

Isn't the board made up of SJM and Ian Hill-Wood as non exec ?

I may be missing a subtle distinction between the board of the football club and the board of the holding company.

I also have no doubt that Nigel Howe and Bryan Stabler would have significant input, so this could just be semantics.

Though that myself. There is no board as such.

If there is no Board why do they have a room? http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDet ... 77,00.html

[Matt de K]

Maybe to cater for other businesses that don't have a boardroom?

[Deathy]

There is an interesting snippet in The Insiders post.

He mentions that 'the board' have recommended the deal be accepted to SJM.

Isn't the board made up of SJM and Ian Hill-Wood as non exec ?

I may be missing a subtle distinction between the board of the football club and the board of the holding company.

I also have no doubt that Nigel Howe and Bryan Stabler would have significant input, so this could just be semantics.

Though that myself. There is no board as such.

If there is no Board why do they have a room? http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/NewsDet ... 77,00.html

Surely almost every business has a boardroom? And...

"The Royals have a boardroom hospitality package throughout the season, and there is availability for Saturday's game with Middlesbrough.

This hospitality experience takes place in the prestigious and luxurious
Boardroom which overlooks the Atrium of the hotel and comes with
match seats which are located adjacent to the Directors' Box,
overlooking the halfway line.

The matchday package includes:
• Private Boardroom facility for ten guests
• Two course hot and cold buffet pre-match meal
• Premium seating adjacent to the Directors' Box
• Complimentary matchday programmes
• Half-time refreshments
• Three reserved car parking spaces in the Directors' Car Park
• Bar facility

The price is £1,250+VAT for ten guests."

££££££££'s

[Dirk Gently]

They have a Board - and a Boardroom (it's very nice!).

Every company, by law, needs a Board with a minimum of two members. But this Board doesn't meet at regular intervals like in many other companies, or make day-to-day decisions like in many companies.

The business of RFC is passed down to what is called the senior management team or senior management board. This consists of the department heads of everything to do with the football club, and they run it all in with delegated powers.

So the Board (legal entity) meets rarely, for AGM and for one-offs like appointing managers (where others join them) - but the senior management board (not board in a legal sense but often referred to that way) meets regularly.

[Sun Tzu]

Cheers for that Dirk.

I think it's fair to allow the Insider some slack on the term. Not unreasonable to have the management 'board' being the ones making recommendations to SJM with the company Board then making decisions.