Thai owners

[loyalroyaldaz]

Has anyone else noticed that you never see Samrit and Lady Sweetcorn in the same room or photo?
Could it be?
Does SJM have a liking for the Thai Ladyboys?
Has he been Royaly Done up the arse again so to speak?

[Todd Margaret]

This isn't looking good. Another article from Thailand. It appears the club has been used as collateral in a ponzi scheme...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/58 ... -fund-scam

[multisync1830]

Has anyone else noticed that you never see Samrit and Lady Sweetcorn in the same room or photo?
Could it be?
Does SJM have a liking for the Thai Ladyboys?
Has he been Royaly Done up the arse again so to speak?

No

[multisync1830]

This isn't looking good. Another article from Thailand. It appears the club has been used as collateral in a ponzi scheme...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/58 ... -fund-scam

It would only be an issue if he was in a position to actually offer the shares... If he was, then the issue of ownership needs clarification

[Todd Margaret]

This isn't looking good. Another article from Thailand. It appears the club has been used as collateral in a ponzi scheme...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/58 ... -fund-scam

It would only be an issue if he was in a position to actually offer the shares... If he was, then the issue of ownership needs clarification

B.I.G. apparently holds 100% of the shares of the GBT Football Investment that owns the club. That's not going to be a good connection for us.

[Ian Royal]

This isn't looking good. Another article from Thailand. It appears the club has been used as collateral in a ponzi scheme...

http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/58 ... -fund-scam

Earlier article suggested the shares in us may not have been genuine - he isn't a direct owner afterall.

Not exactly encouraging.

[howser]

Not good with such reports coming out of Thailand about our " supposed" owners, but there of course lies one of the big problems, who exactly owns the club ?

Heavens above we can't have made another error in judgement over the sale, that would be unbelievable if that were so. The other ramifications of these types of press reports are, the more widley they are reported, will and must have an effect on who would be willing to come and play for Reading if these doubts and uncertainties continue to be bantered about.

There have been lots of critisism, on many of the threads from this site, about the lack of information that historically fails to come out of the club, especially to do with Anton running away and the long protracted selling to the Thai's saga, easy to presume that the reluctance of the " Three Amigos" to re-sign here and look for pastures new next season, is due more to the present state of the club than just salary and contract length issues.

[loyalroyaldaz]

Sooner or later the SJM fan club willl wake up and smell the coffee.

He has his Money Back, He has his Ego Regularly Rubbed and he can ride off into the sunset, drunk and in the back of his Bentley, laughing has he goes.

[Ian Royal]

Sooner or later the SJM fan club willl wake up and smell the coffee.

He has his Money Back, He has his Ego Regularly Rubbed and he can ride off into the sunset, drunk and in the back of his Bentley, laughing has he goes.

So why hasn't he?

[Royal Rother]

Maybe Samrit isn't directly involved because SJM / advisors, having done their research, said they wouldn't deal with him.

Remember how long it took to get things sorted after Samrit had appeared to be the main man? Dragged on for months and months. Probably good reason for that.

It's not good to read these articles from one perspective but it's not beyond the realms of possibility that we all owe gratitude to SJM that Samrit isn't involved.

[loyalroyaldaz]

Sooner or later the SJM fan club willl wake up and smell the coffee.

He has his Money Back, He has his Ego Regularly Rubbed and he can ride off into the sunset, drunk and in the back of his Bentley, laughing has he goes.

So why hasn't he?

Still riding the Ego wagon at the moment as well as living in the Penthouse at the Hotel of course maybe?

[Ian Royal]

Your argument isn't really very plausible and your bias is clearly on display. I could go into why I think that, but it isn't really worth the effort, so I'll just say I reject your hypothesis due to lack of evidence and credibility and skip right to the point where we can't reach agreement and move on.

[Royal Rother]

Ian, for goodness sake - if this catches on it could be the end of Hobnob!!

Buck your ideas up man!

[loyalroyaldaz]

The point is that we are not really sure who the players are in all of this.
There are four "named" owners but we dont know who or how many others are behind those names.
Does anybody really think Sassima is in this for the love of the game?
This BIG group is more and more shady the more you hear about it and yes Ian i dont have evidence other than what we have been told (very little), what we have read and our own imaginations. Infact i have as much info to form my opinion on as you do so climb down off that high horse before you fall eh.
I am no Fan of SJM and have never claimed to be anything other, again i form my opinions of what i know of the man, both in and out of football, and he is not the Messiah some would have us believe in my opinion.
Is it okay to have an opinion isnt it Ian?
One thing that cannot surely be denied is the lack of anything coming out if the club and it almost appears that it has been a conscious effort to keep the owners and more specifically their backers out of the picture.
Samrit was no doubt intended to be the front man but when that went tits up in came Sassima and we can all see she hasnt got a clue to the point where old SJM answers questions for her.

[Only one Trevor Morley]

So maybe Samuelson was right after all......

[PeterReadingborn59]

I don't believe it!
After being burnt by a Russian, it would be hoped that RFC and the FA would have completed sufficient ownership and wealth checks to give some assurance that the club's future was more secure. Next a story might emerge to link the club with a group from the west of the African continent, to complete the link of RFC with suspect places. I hope the RFC link to the report http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/584029/amlo-seizes-b183m-linked-to-fund-scam does not prove to be more significant.

[El Diablo]

I don't believe it!
After being burnt by a Russian, it would be hoped that RFC and the FA would have completed sufficient ownership and wealth checks to give some assurance that the club's future was more secure. Next a story might emerge to link the club with a group from the west of the African continent, to complete the link of RFC with suspect places. I hope the RFC link to the report http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/584029/amlo-seizes-b183m-linked-to-fund-scam does not prove to be more significant.

Dont have the time to dig into that - but , how do the date-lines tie into that article vs the RFC ownership takeover?

[multisync1830]

I don't believe it!
After being burnt by a Russian, it would be hoped that RFC and the FA would have completed sufficient ownership and wealth checks to give some assurance that the club's future was more secure. Next a story might emerge to link the club with a group from the west of the African continent, to complete the link of RFC with suspect places. I hope the RFC link to the report http://www.bangkokpost.com/lite/news/584029/amlo-seizes-b183m-linked-to-fund-scam does not prove to be more significant.

I got an email from a Nigerian who thinks I can help him get $400m out of the country. I have sent him copies of my bank statements, passport, driving licence and a utility bill (not sure why he wants that?) to help him sort out the finer points.

I can put him in touch with them if that helps.

Otherwise lets not jump to conclusions. Firstly he has been accused not convicted. Secondly apparently he does not have any shares or ownership so that being the case where's the fire?

[philM]

If there really were £50M worth of RFC shares put up as collateral in the scam, then that would be about 100% of the club.

That would also suggest that all of the shareholders who allowed their shares to be used in that way were partially involved in the scam.

GPT Football Investment and GPT UK Investment Ltd certainly have links back to B.I.G.

I guess we have to hope that Narin Niruttinanon isn't implicated at any stage.

[multisync1830]

The point is that we are not really sure who the players are in all of this.
There are four "named" owners but we dont know who or how many others are behind those names.

Reading Football Club ownership structure:
25% owned by GPT Football Investment Ltd and 25% owned by GPT UK Investment Ltd, which are both 100% owned by Narin Niruttinanon.
25% owned by RFC UK Investment Co Ltd, which is 100% owned by Sasima Srivikorn.
25% owned by Universal FICO Ltd, which is 100% owned by Sumrith Thanakarnjanasuth.
Read more at http://www.readingfc.co.uk/global/compa ... ztUMTqO.99

3 owners none of which are listed as Samrit.

Does anybody really think Sassima is in this for the love of the game?

No but did anyone think that the day she arrived?

This BIG group is more and more shady the more you hear about it and yes Ian i dont have evidence other than what we have been told (very little), what we have read and our own imaginations. Infact i have as much info to form my opinion on as you do so climb down off that high horse before you fall eh.

Shady but not yet ilegal. However as said BIG are not involved in RFC so why get het up about it?

I am no Fan of SJM and have never claimed to be anything other, again i form my opinions of what i know of the man, both in and out of football, and he is not the Messiah some would have us believe in my opinion.

I suspect it's a leap of faith to get to Messiah status but I have had many dealings with him over the years and always found him to be honourable. I agree he has made many mistakes and certainly went for TSI because he had to rather than wanted to but on the face of it at the time it did seem like a perfect fit. Rich Russian family with a small local connection. What's not to like? But that's my opinion

Is it okay to have an opinion isnt it Ian?
One thing that cannot surely be denied is the lack of anything coming out if the club and it almost appears that it has been a conscious effort to keep the owners and more specifically their backers out of the picture.
Samrit was no doubt intended to be the front man but when that went tits up in came Sassima and we can all see she hasnt got a clue to the point where old SJM answers questions for her.

I think you underestimate her to the point of offensive. I read that interview as SJM's over eagerness rather than her lack of acumen. She is a very powerful figure in Thailand with many successful businesses to her name. Obviously RFC wasn't on her radar until the development potential was shown to her but she is warming to the club I feel. Thai business people are quite shy generally and often stay in the background. A double box for Sassima was made so she could have her own space away from the others. So what?

Abramovich doesn't give interviews or express opinion or tell the fans eff all but has driven the club to the top and remains committed to the point a redevelopment of Stamford bridge is about to start involving massive costs. Silence isn't an issue provided things tick along. It's just too soon to expect them to start splashing cash or shouting from the roof tops giving it the big I am.

Finally if you believe Samrit has been dropped before the takeover why the worry?