I very much doubt there's another 'chancer' out there tbh. Buying Sunderland would involve a big spend which may achieve nothing. Only a serious buyer can help and there's only one at the table.
I take that point, that by registering FPP, their interest became public, but a shell company is not a big deal, whereas personal privacy is. That's what I'm getting at. That said there is an argument both ways, I grant you. But do you seriously think Donald convinced them to do something they didn't want to do? If they wanted to buy us, they'd have walked away if his asking price was way out. I don't see the logic in how they then decided to do a deal that could theoretically end up just being a loan as some kind of second choice. More likely this was their first choice and they see the benefits in it as being greater than diving in and buying us in League One.
I have been told that we have two parties at the table and quite advanced. Take it as face value as that is all I know
I've never said Donald convinced them of anything of the sort, not once. They have other companies with which they could've loaned/invested/ bought ... ... there was no need to register a company at the SOL and no real benefit for Donald. And I've still no idea how their personal privacy could be compromised tbh. I may be missing something obvious but these people were flying into the country, going to matches, waving to the crowd, meeting the manager. I've no idea how using a proxy office would compromise their personal privacy, but I may be wrong.
[QUOTE="Smug in Boots, post: 13736155, member: 1001969" And I've still no idea how their personal privacy could be compromised tbh. I may be missing something obvious but these people were flying into the country, going to matches, waving to the crowd, meeting the manager. [/QUOTE] What I'm saying is that any time you put a public address out there (and you kind of have to of some sort) it's not ideal. No matter which address you use, I guarantee you'll have loads analysing it all (as we're doing now) to a degree that isn't ideal. Why bother? Just use the SOL and everyone wins. Donald doesn't care, the benefit to him is making their lives easier. The reason I asked about Donald convincing them, is that it's clear enough from what has happened that this was FPP's first choice to do it this way and not to buy us outright at this stage. I don't know why people get defensive about this or think it is Donald's fault that they wanted this deal.
Nope, I still don't get it, must be me. I just don't get why they'd care about a bunch of speculating football supporters. If they cared the last they'd do is register a company at the SOL which lead to a tsunami of speculation. It doesn't seem to have bothered them in the slightest.
But I'm saying that it's a world of difference between people knowing who you are and people having personal details or even linked business addresses. GOM and others have spent hours poring through the details of Donald's linked companies. Ed Woodward had people chucking stuff at his house in the last 12 months, so why even bother? Just register it to the SOL.
But registering at the SOL didn't stop any of that. Besides, they register a company at their London address and it could be for anything .... .... register in Sunderland and its for one reason only.
I don’t believe doing the loan was what FPP wanted. I believe my coworkers (from two separate conversations) when FPP were in the box next to them at “that game” that they were signing paperwork to takeover the club. Something happened - maybe talking to my pissed up coworkers - and they didn’t takeover the club, but did the loan as the loan gets them what they want in a more painful manner for the whomever I presume caused the deal to go sour. That last sentence is allegedly.
I was told by my 'not always reliable' journalist friend that the media is currently desperate for stories. Nothing is happening, no transfer window, no games ... ... and there's no better clickbait than Mag clickbait.
What reason? I think it was to do due diligence on us and agree a share valuation for a convertible loan.
They could have easily bought us without doing it either. That's why I'm saying this is ambiguous behaviour, it doesn't prove anything except that they were involved enough to want to price us up as an asset. I don't know why this insistence on the idea that they wanted to buy us outright. Nothing seriously contradicts the idea that they got exactly what they wanted.
It's because I've seen first hand proof from Fuhrman. I can't be expected to pretend I haven't just to play 'the speculation game'. It's like seeing a second gunman, on the grassy knoll, and joining in the speculation that Oswald was a lone gunman.