Thames Sports Investment

[Silver Fox]

Don't you all realise, like tomorrow, "next week" never comes!

They are too busy being overawed by the emperor's new clothes, they cannot comprehend that he is in fact naked.

All signs point to this deal being a dud.

You guess

[Terminal Boardom]

Its pretty simple really; either the deal doesn't go through, enabling Ideal and a few others to basically spend the next 2 or 3 Years posting variations of "I told you so", or it does go through, enabling Ideal and a few others to basically spend the next 2 or 3 Years posting variations of "its all going to end in tears, mark my words!"

Oddly, these things aren't done at the convenience of the fans; at some point in the future, it will either be announced that it has happened, or that it has fallen through

Until then, why doesn't everyone simply calm down to a panic?

And therein lies the problem. A football club is the property of the town or district and those that run the clubs should be regarded as custodians who are, ultimately, responsible to the people. RFC has always been shit at communicating to supporters. Been like that way a long time, even before Madejski bailed out Smee. The frustration at the lack of information is fully understandable. And the longer that nothing is announced then the more extreme the speculation becomes. All that is required is for someone at the club to make bi-weekly statements on the current situation. Then, perhaps, people can get on with their lives safe in the knowledge that the custodians are actually doing something.

[Bring Back The SB]

This is a fun read


http://www.rumafia.com/person.php?id=204

If they take over, I will never sing "sack the board"

[Snowball]

Exactly.

Look, it was to be march, then April, now late May, maybe June, maybe July
and there are good, valid reasons to be, at the very minimum, "nervous"

How hard would it be for the club to issue a statement to settle fears?

It's the lack of communication that has me thinking something HAS gone wrong.

It also concerns me that the uncertainty may be affecting our transfers-in,
for example (allegedly) Mariappa has had our offer but is keeping options open


Now if we (some of us) REASONABLY feel concern, because of delays and near-silence,
wouldn't agents and players also be wondering?

We need some clear statements IMO, or at least stop winding it up here.

[M-U-R-T-Y]

Ideal has had a shocker here

[Cypry]

The club can't win here though can they?

If they don't say anything.........STGs say "OMG silence from the club, the deal must've fallen through..."

If they say they're confident it'll happen soon - STGs say "but they said next week before - every week they say next week"

If they come out and say the PL are dragging their feet - PL says "well, it's nice to get off on the right foot with you guys...."

Personally FL has been pretty much spot on with all things TSI to date, so for the time being I'll take his latest comments at face value - there are no "problems" and things should proceed as planned.....

As far as comments from Ideal goes - simply LOL - surely that load of old bilge is the product of a WUM?

[Mr Angry]

Its pretty simple really; either the deal doesn't go through, enabling Ideal and a few others to basically spend the next 2 or 3 Years posting variations of "I told you so", or it does go through, enabling Ideal and a few others to basically spend the next 2 or 3 Years posting variations of "its all going to end in tears, mark my words!"

Oddly, these things aren't done at the convenience of the fans; at some point in the future, it will either be announced that it has happened, or that it has fallen through

Until then, why doesn't everyone simply calm down to a panic?

And therein lies the problem. A football club is the property of the town or district and those that run the clubs should be regarded as custodians who are, ultimately, responsible to the people. RFC has always been shit at communicating to supporters. Been like that way a long time, even before Madejski bailed out Smee. The frustration at the lack of information is fully understandable. And the longer that nothing is announced then the more extreme the speculation becomes. All that is required is for someone at the club to make bi-weekly statements on the current situation. Then, perhaps, people can get on with their lives safe in the knowledge that the custodians are actually doing something.

And therein lies the problem.

A football club MAY have been the "property of the town or district" around the time that the reason games were played at 3pm on a Saturday was so that workers from the factories could go to games after the morning shift finished, and when players were paid the same as spectators and travelled to games on the same buses; if anyone has the romantic notion that, in the 21st Century, thats what football clubs are still like, then those people are going to be permanently frustrated and disappointed.

[Super Kevin Bremner!]

So the deal is 6 weeks overdue! Big firkin wow! Hands up if you've ever bought a house......

For those that haven't you'd think it would be a fairly simple process. It should take about six weeks all being well and you could probably get moved in at your leisure a week or so later.

The house buying process is tried and tested with thousands of transactions taking place a week. The solicitors deal with the paper work daily and are experts along with Estate Agents at making the process happen.

They're specialists, they do it every day, yet STILL it can take absolutely bloody ages to get the sale done. If someone tells you it could take 6 weeks to complete, set your mind on 12 weeks and budget for 14. Hopefully it'll be done with 4 months!

These things can drag.

There are all sorts of legal checks going on and these will take time. What's more, how many professional companies, well established, are out there that buy and sell clubs every day? Some? None?

It's deluded to suggest a 6 week delay is any major thing.

With the best will in the world, this could take A LOT longer but I wouldn't bother worrying. It's a complicated transaction with a complicated set of checks needed. I'd even suggest something as simple as 1 speciallist employee at the FA being on holiday could delay the process by a couple of weeks!

It's not like nipping in to a shop and buying a chocolate bar ffs!

[Arch]

How hard would it be for the club to issue a statement to settle fears?

What would the statement be?

[Ian Royal]

I didn't mention when we'd get the decision. I said that some people have said nothing will have been done yet by the PL because we're not officially in the PL. However, other people have said "they've heard" that it's about to be wrapped up. So I repeat. Which is it?

All of your answers have been posted and reposted numerous times, like most of your questions!

The Premier League have been conducting the FAPPT. That goes ahead regardless of whether we are officially a Premier League club yet or not. The Premier League can complete all tests/checks any time they like, but when they choose to make their decision public is anyone's guess.

It's only speculation on here that the announcement will be delayed until we are 'officially' a Premier League club, so the decision may come sooner, or indeed it may come after. Who knows, and what's more, other than you who really cares? It will be done when it is done.

Well I do for one, as the questions of if and when this goes through will, presumably, have a direct impact on the budget we can put into the playing and when we can deploy it.

I don't really see why. We've been told we'll operate in the same way as we always have done, just with a bit more cash behind us. We've got a massive increase in income without the takeover, so expect the playing side to be run almost identically with or without the official word on TSI. At worst we'll have just built up some debt which we can cut our cloth to deal with over the next couple of years.

The only thing the deal is likely to affect is whether we can afford to spend as much next summer, and whether we can go ahead with top category academy and the stadium expansion amongst other infrastructure type things.

The club is clearly active in the transfer market, so I don't get what your beef could be... other than this is just an excuse to continue to complain bitterly about everything.

[Ian Royal]

How hard would it be for the club to issue a statement to settle fears?

What would the statement be?

And how would it differ from previous statements that haven't stopped the likes of Ideal and RL doomsaying or handwringing.

[Royal Lady]

I'm hardly doomsaying or handwringing you twerp. I'm merely asking who we are to believe - because I was told by different sources and the same as others on here, that the deal was stalling - and that it was something to do with being able to show where the money was coming from. SJM said it would be finalised at the end of March. It wasn't. Then he kept saying "next week". Then people say, well it won't be done yet due to us not officially being a member of the PL. And others are still saying, it's being dealt with now and there are always delays. So for the final time, I'll ask, who are we meant to believe? SJM - who was obviously incorrect with his timings on a number of occasions, my sources, other people's sources or the people who reckon the PL aren't even looking at it yet? It's a right old muddle. That's been the only points I have made. If that's handwringing and doomsaying (whatever doomsaying is meant to be) then gawd help you lot if something ever goes terribly wrong at this club and I dare to offer an opinion on it!

[Geekins]

I would take it from that summary that no one knows - Anyone asked the Premier League what's happening? When Portsmouth went to the FL about the Fit and Proper Persons test they gave some answers. Just a thought.

[Royal Lady]

I would take it from that summary that no one knows - Anyone asked the Premier League what's happening? When Portsmouth went to the FL about the Fit and Proper Persons test they gave some answers. Just a thought.

I have, yes, and they didn't really say much - I posted the reply on here previously.

Precisely my point, no-one knows. But you still have people saying "it's nearing completion" or whatever like they're in the know. I would expect if that was the case, the club would make the same comments, wouldn't they?

[Geekins]

Sorry never read that from the PL - maybe if we all bombard them with letters/calls/emails etc they might come round to give us some solid answers. I think anyone on here stating thos or that really has to be taken with a pinch of salt and ignored, or we could adopt the Reading way that we hear no news until it's completed...

[melonhead]

I'm hardly doomsaying or handwringing you twerp. I'm merely asking who we are to believe - because I was told by different sources and the same as others on here, that the deal was stalling - and that it was something to do with being able to show where the money was coming from. SJM said it would be finalised at the end of March. It wasn't. Then he kept saying "next week". Then people say, well it won't be done yet due to us not officially being a member of the PL. And others are still saying, it's being dealt with now and there are always delays. So for the final time, I'll ask, who are we meant to believe? SJM - who was obviously incorrect with his timings on a number of occasions, my sources, other people's sources or the people who reckon the PL aren't even looking at it yet? It's a right old muddle. That's been the only points I have made. If that's handwringing and doomsaying (whatever doomsaying is meant to be) then gawd help you lot if something ever goes terribly wrong at this club and I dare to offer an opinion on it!

DOOOM!


DOOOM!


*wrings hands*

[Royal Lady]

@ Bendy.

[melonhead]

@ RL

[The Rouge]

Well I do for one, as the questions of if and when this goes through will, presumably, have a direct impact on the budget we can put into the playing and when we can deploy it.

I don't really see why. We've been told we'll operate in the same way as we always have done, just with a bit more cash behind us. We've got a massive increase in income without the takeover, so expect the playing side to be run almost identically with or without the official word on TSI. At worst we'll have just built up some debt which we can cut our cloth to deal with over the next couple of years.

The only thing the deal is likely to affect is whether we can afford to spend as much next summer, and whether we can go ahead with top category academy and the stadium expansion amongst other infrastructure type things.

The club is clearly active in the transfer market, so I don't get what your beef could be... other than this is just an excuse to continue to complain bitterly about everything.

Are you mental? TSI came in and provided the club with the money required to pay Jason Roberts, pay Jimmy Kebe's inflated wages, get Connolly etc..

Without them we wouldn't have done that.

With this season, the club will set out a budget for the year and beyond. Without TSI it would/will be less. Nicky Hammond maintaining that it wont affect transfer dealings probably means he is either supremely confident at this stage that it will go through, or he thinks by the time we have made our priority signings we will know what, if anything, is left.

[urz13]

Well I do for one, as the questions of if and when this goes through will, presumably, have a direct impact on the budget we can put into the playing and when we can deploy it.

I don't really see why. We've been told we'll operate in the same way as we always have done, just with a bit more cash behind us. We've got a massive increase in income without the takeover, so expect the playing side to be run almost identically with or without the official word on TSI. At worst we'll have just built up some debt which we can cut our cloth to deal with over the next couple of years.

The only thing the deal is likely to affect is whether we can afford to spend as much next summer, and whether we can go ahead with top category academy and the stadium expansion amongst other infrastructure type things.

The club is clearly active in the transfer market, so I don't get what your beef could be... other than this is just an excuse to continue to complain bitterly about everything.[/quote]

Let's not forget that, if the TSI deal did fall through, I'm sure we could find another owner relatively quickly were we to stay up after the first year. A premiership club is far more attractive than a championship club, afterall.