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Post by myles on Jun 21, 2017 7:27:30 GMT
So, now the formal announcement of MApp’s departure has been made and the past week or so’s speculation has come to end with the news that the best manager we have had for many years is off to become a number two.
But where does this leave the club? What has precipitated this situation? And, most importantly, what’s the plan going forward.
When the news broke of the deal between Eales and Sartori collapsing, Eales said that he would always act in the “best interests of OUFC”. It makes a nice soundbite, but surely this is best judged by actions?
In January, Eales’ programme notes stated that he had, at that point invested around £8m, including the initial purchase of the club. Based on the published accounts, this would suggest he paid IL around £4m for the club, with the other £4m invested to cover the losses over the past two seasons. So, that leaves around £2m from the pot initially set aside for the project. Since then, it’s been reported that the club will have made a small profit last season thanks to increased commercial income, the cup runs and the initial payments for Roofe and COD.
Now, looking forward to this season, there will be further tranches of money from the Roofe and COD transfers, plus the potential for a further sale – certainly the received wisdom is that it’d be a bigger surprise if Johnson stays than leaves. So, one would think that club is in a fairly strong position financially, certainly in terms of providing a budget to help kick on from last year and seriously push for promotion in the coming season. But where are we?
Well, we had a manager who has stated that he wants to prove himself as a manager at the highest level. Over the past two seasons he has won promotion and then gone on to finish within touching distance of the play-offs despite not receiving the backing in January which, by all accounts, he had been pledged. He then makes a statement about how he intends to stay at the club provided the club's ambition continues to meet his own, i.e. a serious tilt at promotion to the Championship. We then have Eales making a statement about how he hopes to provide a top-six budget, but this is dependent on a player sale or sales (although a significant number of fans are of the opinion that this was a "promise" of a top-six budget).
In the background, we also now have a club with no effective Commercial Director since Christmas, no Academy Manager since February (despite the temporary, cosmetic promotion of Les Taylor), no MD since (in reality) February/March.
So, Appleton sees this, sees the budget he's being given, and realises he's being set up to fail here. If we end up plodding along in 10th-ish place he would be seen by the outside world as failing as he's not taken the club forward despite his chairman's public pronouncements about increasing the budget. That reputation he has rebuilt over the past couple of years gets trashed again. But, then along comes the potential for a takeover with some big money investment, so Appleton hangs around to see what this could mean for him. When the deal breaks down, within a matter of a couple of days the rumours of the Leicester move surface and it seems likely that this would have been bubbling in the background before then.
As a result, he's now been given a way out. It's certainly not a good move for career progression as he's effectively going back to what he was doing at West Brom nearly 10 years ago. But that move is almost certainly less harmful than being expected to deliver more with less in his current position.
So, in whose best interest is all this? Well, to my mind, this is reflective of the Eales’ character – it’s all about what benefits him. From the very first Fans’ Forum the signs were there. When he was questioned about his intentions, he clearly couldn’t understand why fans would be suspicious of an owner (any owner!). The thing that lodged in my mind most was Eales saying “What you should be saying is ‘thank you’ for me coming to the club”. A simply staggering statement before anything at all had been achieved, and in a situation where he certainly wasn’t a knight in shining armour rescuing the club from death’s door; there was even another offer on the table at the time!
And now we’re in a situation where the club’s infrastructure has been decimated and expenditure cut back. A situation where a debt written off by Ian Lenegan for £1 has now been ported to leave OUFC owing Ensco i.e. Eales £12m A situation which is not in the club’s best interests, but in the best interests of one man.
Obviously, we don’t know the ins and outs of the proposed Sartori deal, but it was clearly enough for Eales to accept it in the first instance. So, it seems reasonable to assume that it would have been in the ball park of Eales’ getting back what he’s put in (despite the assurance at that first forum that he’d write off the losses accrued on his watch); maybe around £6-7m, leaving Eales “just” £1m out of pocket. But he eventually went back on this deal. Is knocking back the investment from clearly a much more wealthy individual in the best interests of OUFC? Is taking a punt on MApp (had he stayed on!) exceeding his budget and getting us promoted in the best interests of OUFC? Or is it in the best interests of the individual who would reap the financial reward if that punt came off?
With the official statement announcing MApp’s departure finally released, as expected we get to read further platitudes thrown in Eales’ direction – he simply can’t see this opportunity to have his ego massaged further being passed up! Of course any speculation about budgets is "ill-informed". Of course Darryl will have back MApp. Well, that's if you want to ignore all the evidence to the contrary.
So, now we are less than two weeks away from the pre-season tour, manager-less, and with a squad of 15/16 players. Now is the time for Eales to demonstrate that he’s going to be acting in the club’s best interests and drive us further forward; I'd be more than happy to be proved wrong on this because it means the club will be progressing. But, if not, and it IS all about him, then now’s the time to get out too.
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Post by manorlounger on Jun 21, 2017 7:48:58 GMT
Perhaps something cropped up in the due dilligence which Eales had hoped wouldn't (or shouldn't have) The deal is pulled and it's back to fire fighting again. Agree that the statements from Mapp and Eales were cosmetic platitudes with clear reference to those of us less willing to buy all the "all is well" stand. If the first game of the season is at home and we lose, well, I wouldn't want to be the directors box.
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Post by horseman on Jun 21, 2017 9:31:51 GMT
So what you guys really mean is that because the shi* didn't hit the fan and that perhaps things might not have been as bad as you continue to suggest you still feel is neccessary to keep mentioning it.
I would think it's in the interest of all of us that nobody has had the opportunity to say look we told you so is it not?
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Post by arthurturner on Jun 21, 2017 9:45:12 GMT
So, now the formal announcement of MApp’s departure has been made and the past week or so’s speculation has come to end with the news that the best manager we have had for many years is off to become a number two. But where does this leave the club? What has precipitated this situation? And, most importantly, what’s the plan going forward. When the news broke of the deal between Eales and Sartori collapsing, Eales said that he would always act in the “best interests of OUFC”. It makes a nice soundbite, but surely this is best judged by actions? In January, Eales’ programme notes stated that he had, at that point invested around £8m, including the initial purchase of the club. Based on the published accounts, this would suggest he paid IL around £4m for the club, with the other £4m invested to cover the losses over the past two seasons. So, that leaves around £2m from the pot initially set aside for the project. Since then, it’s been reported that the club will have made a small profit last season thanks to increased commercial income, the cup runs and the initial payments for Roofe and COD. Now, looking forward to this season, there will be further tranches of money from the Roofe and COD transfers, plus the potential for a further sale – certainly the received wisdom is that it’d be a bigger surprise if Johnson stays than leaves. So, one would think that club is in a fairly strong position financially, certainly in terms of providing a budget to help kick on from last year and seriously push for promotion in the coming season. But where are we? Well, we had a manager who has stated that he wants to prove himself as a manager at the highest level. Over the past two seasons he has won promotion and then gone on to finish within touching distance of the play-offs despite not receiving the backing in January which, by all accounts, he had been pledged. He then makes a statement about how he intends to stay at the club provided the club's ambition continues to meet his own, i.e. a serious tilt at promotion to the Championship. We then have Eales making a statement about how he hopes to provide a top-six budget, but this is dependent on a player sale or sales (although a significant number of fans are of the opinion that this was a "promise" of a top-six budget). In the background, we also now have a club with no effective Commercial Director since Christmas, no Academy Manager since February (despite the temporary, cosmetic promotion of Les Taylor), no MD since (in reality) February/March. So, Appleton sees this, sees the budget he's being given, and realises he's being set up to fail here. If we end up plodding along in 10th-ish place he would be seen by the outside world as failing as he's not taken the club forward despite his chairman's public pronouncements about increasing the budget. That reputation he has rebuilt over the past couple of years gets trashed again. But, then along comes the potential for a takeover with some big money investment, so Appleton hangs around to see what this could mean for him. When the deal breaks down, within a matter of a couple of days the rumours of the Leicester move surface and it seems likely that this would have been bubbling in the background before then. As a result, he's now been given a way out. It's certainly not a good move for career progression as he's effectively going back to what he was doing at West Brom nearly 10 years ago. But that move is almost certainly less harmful than being expected to deliver more with less in his current position. So, in whose best interest is all this? Well, to my mind, this is reflective of the Eales’ character – it’s all about what benefits him. From the very first Fans’ Forum the signs were there. When he was questioned about his intentions, he clearly couldn’t understand why fans would be suspicious of an owner (any owner!). The thing that lodged in my mind most was Eales saying “What you should be saying is ‘thank you’ for me coming to the club”. A simply staggering statement before anything at all had been achieved, and in a situation where he certainly wasn’t a knight in shining armour rescuing the club from death’s door; there was even another offer on the table at the time! And now we’re in a situation where the club’s infrastructure has been decimated and expenditure cut back. A situation where a debt written off by Ian Lenegan for £1 has now been ported to leave OUFC owing Ensco i.e. Eales £12m A situation which is not in the club’s best interests, but in the best interests of one man. Obviously, we don’t know the ins and outs of the proposed Sartori deal, but it was clearly enough for Eales to accept it in the first instance. So, it seems reasonable to assume that it would have been in the ball park of Eales’ getting back what he’s put in (despite the assurance at that first forum that he’d write off the losses accrued on his watch); maybe around £6-7m, leaving Eales “just” £1m out of pocket. But he eventually went back on this deal. Is knocking back the investment from clearly a much more wealthy individual in the best interests of OUFC? Is taking a punt on MApp (had he stayed on!) exceeding his budget and getting us promoted in the best interests of OUFC? Or is it in the best interests of the individual who would reap the financial reward if that punt came off? With the official statement announcing MApp’s departure finally released, as expected we get to read further platitudes thrown in Eales’ direction – he simply can’t see this opportunity to have his ego massaged further being passed up! Of course any speculation about budgets is "ill-informed". Of course Darryl will have back MApp. Well, that's if you want to ignore all the evidence to the contrary. So, now we are less than two weeks away from the pre-season tour, manager-less, and with a squad of 15/16 players. Now is the time for Eales to demonstrate that he’s going to be acting in the club’s best interests and drive us further forward; I'd be more than happy to be proved wrong on this because it means the club will be progressing. But, if not, and it IS all about him, then now’s the time to get out too. But if DE is just in it for himself why didn't he bite Sartori's hand off?
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Post by Junior on Jun 21, 2017 9:48:44 GMT
GBT was very much still acting in his role as MD all the way to the end of his time at Oufc.. You only have to look locally at the new partners the club have in place to see that.
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Post by myles on Jun 21, 2017 9:54:51 GMT
But if DE is just in it for himself why didn't he bite Sartori's hand off? It's because he's in it for himself that he DIDN'T bite Sartori's hand off. Let's look at it in horseracing terms, as it's Royal Ascot time. Taking the Sartori bid would have been backing the odds-on favourite; it gives a much greater chance of a return (obviously, 100% in this instance!) but the returns aren't so great. Instead, he's chosen to back the 10-1 outsider - a horse where the jockey has chosen a different mount and where the stable has a much smaller staff, but where the potential reward if, just if, this punt comes off could be huge.
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Post by socrates on Jun 21, 2017 10:08:19 GMT
A rather brilliant summary of the situation.
I had been hoping, foolishly, that the delay for Mapp to Leicester was DE accepting defeat and trying to reignite the Sartori deal. No such luck. It's a gamble which has got off to the worst possible start - losing the man who was going to land the odds!
I feel sorry for the bloke, though. Going through a divorce tends to muddle one's thinking. It is a life crisis like no other and for his own sake I hope he calls up Sartori, says he was wrong and hands over.
I will disagree with you on one thing about Mapp staying this season, though. Had we had a similar season like last - which we probably would have considering his ability - I don't think his rep would have been damaged. Enhanced? Yes. Because football is a small, small world and those that count know exactly what conditions each manager is working under.
By the way, it is highly unusual for a manager to be given everything he asks for. There are probably only a couple of jobs like that in the world. You take the rough with the smooth. the ups and downs. And this closed little world will raise an eyebrow at Appleton jumping when it starts to get tough again. They all know how much he spent in the transfer market last term.
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Post by arthurturner on Jun 21, 2017 10:11:03 GMT
But if DE is just in it for himself why didn't he bite Sartori's hand off? It's because he's in it for himself that he DIDN'T bite Sartori's hand off. Let's look at it in horseracing terms, as it's Royal Ascot time. Taking the Sartori bid would have been backing the odds-on favourite; it gives a much greater chance of a return (obviously, 100% in this instance!) but the returns aren't so great. Instead, he's chosen to back the 10-1 outsider - a horse where the jockey has chosen a different mount and where the stable has a much smaller staff, but where the potential reward if, just if, this punt comes off could be huge. So the 10-1 shot is getting into the Championship so that Sartori or his ilk will come back and pay a shed load more?
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Post by socrates on Jun 21, 2017 10:45:56 GMT
Here's an idea for 'part of the plan'...
The Oxford Mail to start asking some difficult questions.
Their coverage today is disgraceful. Just regurgitated press releases. No original work whatsoever. It must have taken all of tne minutes to put together.
They could start by writing a piece addressing where the md is, the academey manager, the commercial director
It's so small time it's unbelievable
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Post by horseman on Jun 21, 2017 10:47:56 GMT
Myles you've just backed an Odds on loser when Mapps on record reason for exit was not where your money went.
What if Sartori was asking for 2/1 when Darryl the Books Odds were odds on so Darryl felt that laying 2/1 an odds on shot was not in the interests of his Busiess!
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Post by myles on Jun 21, 2017 11:01:21 GMT
So the 10-1 shot is getting into the Championship so that Sartori or his ilk will come back and pay a shed load more? Yes, that's exactly it. The "going rate" for a club in League 1 is around £5m. For one in the Championship it's around £20m. Eales has done Plan A for a couple of years - pumping cash into the club to fund a solid budget, used wisely by a decent manager and backroom team. Now Eales was taking a punt that his long-shot Plan B (smaller capital injection, budget propped up from player-trading, used even more wisely by MApp who has more than found his feet) would then net him an extra £15m or so. But now we will be on to Plan C - a new manager into the mix. A new manager who won't be as good as MApp (in all likelihood), who will make mistakes (just as MApp did) in his early days, weeks and months, and who (probably) won't have the same links MApp had with EPL clubs to pick up the rough diamonds. This long-shot is now looking even longer.
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Post by sussox on Jun 21, 2017 11:08:20 GMT
He was ever going to turn around and say something that would sound like sour grapes now was he.We'll never really know, but when he had been told so many things were going to happen that didn't, then at some point he was going to slipperys bluff. Myles you've just backed an Odds on loser when Mapps on record reason for exit was not where your money went. What if Sartori was asking for 2/1 when Darryl the Books Odds were odds on so Darryl felt that laying 2/1 an odds on shot was not in the interests of his Busiess
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Post by horseman on Jun 21, 2017 11:10:15 GMT
So the 10-1 shot is getting into the Championship so that Sartori or his ilk will come back and pay a shed load more? Yes, that's exactly it. The "going rate" for a club in League 1 is around £5m. For one in the Championship it's around £20m. Eales has done Plan A for a couple of years - pumping cash into the club to fund a solid budget, used wisely by a decent manager and backroom team. Now Eales was taking a punt that his long-shot Plan B (smaller capital injection, budget propped up from player-trading, used even more wisely by MApp who has more than found his feet) would then net him an extra £15m or so. But now we will be on to Plan C - a new manager into the mix. A new manager who won't be as good as MApp (in all likelihood), who will make mistakes (just as MApp did) in his early days, weeks and months, and who (probably) won't have the same links MApp had with EPL clubs to pick up the rough diamonds. This long-shot is now looking even longer. or he could be better than Mapp, have just as good if not better contacts, hit the ground running and now that Long Shot has quickly shortened in price.
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Post by Mark on Jun 21, 2017 11:23:27 GMT
Darryl ended up paying £4million to Lenagan when the alternative consortium said £1million (I think) was more like what they were prepared to pay for the club. As we are now a league higher, presumably the premium for a "nearly in the Championship" club has gone up again.
Meanwhile the Sartori investment/takeover (was never quite clear which of the two it was to be) fell through. Perhaps again the price they were willing to pay didn't match Eales's aspirations - potentially I wonder if it was the ported debt that became a stumbling block. Whether you say it's for instance £15million for a debt free club, or £7million for one that owes £8million to Ensco, adds up to the same.
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Post by myles on Jun 21, 2017 11:24:00 GMT
or he could be better than Mapp, have just as good if not better contacts, hit the ground running and now that Long Shot has quickly shortened in price. Yes all those things could happen. He could turn out to be better than the man many consider to be in the top 3 or top 5 OUFC managers of all time. He could have the contacts and the "draw" to bring in the needed players. He could smash it from day one. But based on past experience of football managers, how likely is that to happen? Still a long shot IMHO.
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Post by socrates on Jun 21, 2017 11:46:59 GMT
or he could be better than Mapp, have just as good if not better contacts, hit the ground running and now that Long Shot has quickly shortened in price. Yes all those things could happen. He could turn out to be better than the man many consider to be in the top 3 or top 5 OUFC managers of all time. He could have the contacts and the "draw" to bring in the needed players. He could smash it from day one. But based on past experience of football managers, how likely is that to happen? Still a long shot IMHO. not to mention that he is months behind every other manager in the land in terms of recruitment. look how that worked out last time... god willing, we will still be a league one club next season. so plan c is a two-season project. can he afford to do it next season as well?
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Post by foley on Jun 21, 2017 12:32:37 GMT
or he could be better than Mapp, have just as good if not better contacts, hit the ground running and now that Long Shot has quickly shortened in price. Yes all those things could happen. He could turn out to be better than the man many consider to be in the top 3 or top 5 OUFC managers of all time. He could have the contacts and the "draw" to bring in the needed players. He could smash it from day one. But based on past experience of football managers, how likely is that to happen? Still a long shot IMHO. The big problem is the lack of players in the building. It is possible that the new manager may have to do a MAPP and quickly get in a few players. However, there is a big difference this time. There is a strong spine of a team. So we know that Eastwood, Nelson, Raglan, Ledson, Lundstrom, Johnson, Hall, are all good/ very good at this level. That contrasts significantly with when MAPP came in. In addition we have a very good recruitment set up and good backroom staff who know the players and club. So it will be very difficult, but nowhere near as difficult as some managers find when they walk into the club.
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Post by foley on Jun 21, 2017 12:35:42 GMT
Yes all those things could happen. He could turn out to be better than the man many consider to be in the top 3 or top 5 OUFC managers of all time. He could have the contacts and the "draw" to bring in the needed players. He could smash it from day one. But based on past experience of football managers, how likely is that to happen? Still a long shot IMHO. not to mention that he is months behind every other manager in the land in terms of recruitment. look how that worked out last time... god willing, we will still be a league one club next season. so plan c is a two-season project. can he afford to do it next season as well? I am not sure that I agree with that. So whoever comes in is going to have to buy into the club's philosophy with MAPP. I suspect that there will be a whole list of potential players for any new manager (and indeed we are continuing to try and recruit). We are n a far stronger position than last time in my view. I would put money that we will be a league 1 club at least next season. We have a very good spine of a team and why we would get relegated with the players we have goodness only knows. Sure we may take a step back and say come halfway. So we may lose a season.
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Post by Gary Baldi on Jun 21, 2017 12:54:47 GMT
It could be a big bonus not having done a Mansfield and signed loads of players as early as possible. It will be hard for the new manager, but at least the slate is fairly clean and there won't be a lot of players he doesn't want in the club.
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Post by Eaststandboy on Jun 21, 2017 13:23:48 GMT
Would love to know the timescale, does DE want someone in place before Portugal? I hope so!
It would be a disaster to go there without THE manager.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 13:29:29 GMT
Would love to know the timescale, does DE want someone in place before Portugal? I hope so! It would be a disaster to go there without THE manager. A manager and at least a couple of additional players would be nice.
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Post by Toeby on Jun 21, 2017 13:43:36 GMT
Although not having a Head Coach is far from ideal, the benefit of this model is that life can continue, i.e. the lad from Celtic signing.
That's why I'm sure we'll be looking for a replacement with a similar style to Appleton.
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Post by lambchop on Jun 21, 2017 14:14:54 GMT
But if DE is just in it for himself why didn't he bite Sartori's hand off? It's because he's in it for himself that he DIDN'T bite Sartori's hand off. Let's look at it in horseracing terms, as it's Royal Ascot time. Taking the Sartori bid would have been backing the odds-on favourite; it gives a much greater chance of a return (obviously, 100% in this instance!) but the returns aren't so great. Instead, he's chosen to back the 10-1 outsider - a horse where the jockey has chosen a different mount and where the stable has a much smaller staff, but where the potential reward if, just if, this punt comes off could be huge. so you think all this is one big punt? You are Wilder, I claim my £5
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Post by lambchop on Jun 21, 2017 14:19:45 GMT
To be fare most new managers come in when the previous one has been sacked and therefore the team he inherits has bad player in.... in our case we have a very good side, inside that could easily push for promotion with a few additions... there's not one player you can say "I'd get rid of him for a start" which we have been far to familiar with in past seasons.
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Post by shosho on Jun 21, 2017 14:38:01 GMT
Although not having a Head Coach is far from ideal, the benefit of this model is that life can continue, i.e. the lad from Celtic signing. That's why I'm sure we'll be looking for a replacement with a similar style to Appleton. Said this the other week and was shot down. Aside from MApp leaving, the rest has remained and not been torn up. Job roles are the same, and thus, the hunt is essentially for the focal point of the operation. I would imagine another coach will taking the Head Coach role, expected to continue the good work already in place...bring in a manager, and they will want to see wholesale changes. The recruitment team I'm sure, will have an input in anyone incoming (outside of players) also, so will be intriguing to see what route we go down. The recruitment team find the players, the coaching staff add the value.
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Post by Paul Cannell on Jun 21, 2017 15:44:44 GMT
Perhaps something cropped up in the due dilligence which Eales had hoped wouldn't (or shouldn't have) The deal is pulled and it's back to fire fighting again. Yeah. But Sartori was doing the checking, like when you buy a house the buyer checks the house not the seller. Mr Eales pulled out on a frolic of his own, for a reason known only to him. That's his right but it was him who chose (the risk of) fire fighting.
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Post by scotchegg on Jun 21, 2017 16:03:54 GMT
Eales doesn't come across as someone who would be prepared to take a massive gamble with regards to his personal wealth. The idea of £20m for the club on promotion sounds great, but he would know that without a stadium deal there can only ever be a certain value on the club. And to maximise that he would probably need to invest another couple of million.
Alternatively, he had the chance to cash out. Touting out Ledson, Johnson and Nelson would get a few million back, along with the money coming in from Roofe and O'Dowda. This alone would cover the best part of his investment and he could still sell the club for a few quid to balance his own books.
He could point back to his 3 years in charge and some of the most successful times in our recent history, point the figure of blame at Kasssm and walk away with a reasonable reputation in the game.
But instead he is gambling on almost immediate promotion and hoping that the likes of JS are still looking at buying. Both are massive risks for limited gains.
If we accept that DE was looking to palm the club off onto FK and SD, then you have to wonder why he would refuse the one actual offer on the table? People have suggested that JS may have pulled out because of what he found, but if this was the case then why hasn't JS explained the issue?
So many claim to be In The Know, but I can honestly say that I haven't a chuffing clue what's going on!!!
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Post by Paul Cannell on Jun 21, 2017 16:28:30 GMT
Eales doesn't come across as someone who would be prepared to take a massive gamble with regards to his personal wealth. The idea of £20m for the club on promotion sounds great, but he would know that without a stadium deal there can only ever be a certain value on the club. And to maximise that he would probably need to invest another couple of million. Alternatively, he had the chance to cash out. Touting out Ledson, Johnson and Nelson would get a few million back, along with the money coming in from Roofe and O'Dowda. This alone would cover the best part of his investment and he could still sell the club for a few quid to balance his own books. He could point back to his 3 years in charge and some of the most successful times in our recent history, point the figure of blame at Kasssm and walk away with a reasonable reputation in the game. But instead he is gambling on almost immediate promotion and hoping that the likes of JS are still looking at buying. Both are massive risks for limited gains. If we accept that DE was looking to palm the club off onto FK and SD, then you have to wonder why he would refuse the one actual offer on the table? People have suggested that JS may have pulled out because of what he found, but if this was the case then why hasn't JS explained the issue? So many claim to be In The Know, but I can honestly say that I haven't a chuffing clue what's going on!!! Me neither, but I recall Sartori's statement said that Eales had pulled out rather than Sartori (as I keep saying). Your comment that "he is gambling on almost immediate promotion and hoping that the likes of JS are still looking at buying." is plausible, though the effect of losing the manager could be considered to be ahem a more than likely consequence. Even if he was able to secure the Appletonian retention it looks like a pretty cavalier, even rash, bet. The issue of funding the promotion charge remains unclear, how does (did?) he plan to fund that. I wonder if "Eales doesn't come across as someone who would be prepared to take a massive gamble with regards to his personal wealth." is relevant? Venture caps aren't noted for their caution (cf the Marussia disaster) and perhaps it's not his money, technically I think it's now ENSCO's. There, wrote all that and said nothing.
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Post by holdsteady on Jun 21, 2017 16:35:50 GMT
The new manager certainly has a far better chance of hitting the ground running than Appleton had, he will inherit proper footballers rather than some of the shite signed by Wilder and Lenaghan, that first season was essentially a write off as we had to look to ship out Newey, Hunt etc.
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Post by manorlounger on Jun 21, 2017 16:40:32 GMT
Perhaps something cropped up in the due dilligence which Eales had hoped wouldn't (or shouldn't have) The deal is pulled and it's back to fire fighting again. Yeah. But Sartori was doing the checking, like when you buy a house the buyer checks the house not the seller. Mr Eales pulled out on a frolic of his own, for a reason known only to him. That's his right but it was him who chose (the risk of) fire fighting. 😉
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