Here's the link. http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetail/0,,10400~2579056,00.html I like a lot of what he says, despite it all being very general, but i like this line the most. "That doesn't mean we have to be 'little old Watford' and be a soft touch. Those days have gone."
Was reading them and to be honest I am a little bit disappointed. Despite all his "goodwill".....the most important thing is money! He has admitted that he wants to make a profit out of the club....so for me this is worrying. Watford don't make a lot of money.....in fact we are usually losing money. We only way we make money is through player sales....and if we're selling players to give Bassini his profit then we stand no chance. It's hard enough to do well with investment.....it's really hard to manage with owners who wish to "take what they give"......so it's impossible when your owner (especially one who is not particularly wealthy) wants to get a profit. With all these improvements to the club and Bassini saying that he will pay off our entire bond payment......how much does he have to take from the club to get even, yet alone get a profit???? Bassini can make visual improvements like a pub....a pitch....stadium improvements etc.....but if it's with our own money then that's not much to be thankful for. He is using his mysterious and magical money to allow it to happen...but we're going to have to pay for it eventually. How will this happen? Increased prices? Countless more player sales? We can't count on our luck of buying players for cheap and selling them on for lots more forever....eventually our squad won't be good enough. As unreasonable as it is....the only type of person who I think can really help us is someone who loves the club, and doesn't mind making a fairly substantial loss to see his team stabilise and move forward.
I agree with you to a certain extent, but he also says that although he would like to make a profit, he realises this is a long term goal, and that first and foremost he wants to 'do something for the community'. It's a lot of waffle and jargon, but i have to admit it makes me feel a bit better about him...
You have to wonder what exactly is "long term" though. 5 years? 10 years? 20 years? This could possibly turn out as badly as our previous owners.......if he invests tens of millions into our team and we do not get promoted....what happens? Eventually he will say "Ok...I want my profit".....and what happens when we have nothing to give to him? If we've not already sold all our players then he might take us to the cleaners......
i think i'm way too trusting...even though i've heard things about him that would make me not want to trust him, when he tells us he wants what's best for the club, i find myself believing him. You're right though, he hasn't been specific enough, but i think we knew he wouldn't be.
What also is quite annoying is how this has gone from "I'll do a live interview"...to..."Too ill to take questions".....to...."Ok I'll do an interview with 3CR"..."Sorry I'm too ill I'll do some interview with them in the new year"......"Oh forget a live interview I'll ask for questions via the website so that I can hand pick them, answer them how I like with help from my advisers and not look like an idiot!"
that is the most frustrating thing about all of it...i agree...and a small apology here wouldn't have gone amiss, despite him apologising earlier...
I dont have a problem with him saying he wants a profit from the club in the future. Shows he has ambition for the club. Also like what he said about doing the stadium and not moving away. Having said that it is what happens on the pitch that counts. So the next 2 weeks are vital. If we emerge from the window with the squad we have now with 1 or 2 additions in midfield we will be fine.
As he's been out for so long, will someone (SD or LB) decide that with McGinn returning, that he is our "addition" to midfield?
When asked about defaulting on the bond repayments, he suggests that he could be trying to pay them off early. If that was done then he would not be answerable to anyone, whereas as long as money is due he can be pulled up on non-payment.
The one question I really wanted him to answer, namely where does you money come from, he dodged. Until he answers that question I'll find it difficult to trust him whatever other positive noises he makes.
No surprise that he ducked the question about where his funds were coming from and it still seems odd to me to develop the Red Lion, as if that were equivalent to the East Stand and just happened to be done first.
All in all there is nothing shocking there, most of it has been said before. Its nice to see a little more info coming out about his aims and what he wants from the club, but he accepts that this is a long term job not just a flash in the pan. Its good to see he has some connection with the club. How many of us support WFC because they are our local club? We will just have to see if he keeps his promises and whether the Red Lion will be open in march. I could be there for my birthday lol.
I think the intention of developing the RL first is to get it generating revenue and possibly making a profit. If it does that money can be re-invested faster than the East stand. Also, the East stand needs to be demolished completely and needs the SW corner complete first. So this was quicker and more efficient.
That is true. Although i suspect we would all prefer to see him working on the RL than leaving it run down and just promising. Its a bit of PR as he is seen to be taking the front foot and keeping promises and it helps keep us quiet lol. I would be annoyed if he waited 12+months to start on it, which it would take if he did the SW corner and then East stand.
For me the jury is still out on Baz. Like everyone was written, I too am concerned that we do not know the source of his financing and what has motivated him to get into a business that loses money for most. But so far he has not done anything to harm our club and he has completed a few small projects that he said he would..so no harm done!
we've heard great ideas and plans from previous chairman which never happened so its better to be realistic and let things move along without making big claims.
His motives, intentions, financial resources, capabilities and pretty much everything else about him remain a mystery, and so we will stay in a state of nervous apprehension for as long as he is the owner--until, that is, someone obviously worse comes along, then this period may come to seem like "the good old days". He met with the Supporters Trust, and they came away, well, if not convinced maybe a bit more re-assured than they were after his "no-show" at the Q&A. It does seem that in a personal setting when he is the right mood and feels in charge Bassini can be quite convincing, and can explain his plans with more conviction--he must have done that to Winter and GT and Lord A's representatives at some point. Pity he cannot do it in public, and to the fans (customers). He remains an enigmatic and erratic character, quite capable of bad/rash judgements (as well as good judgements) but for now he is the only owner we have, and our fate is quite literally in his hands. He was not asked about how he intends to finance the next round of bond repayments, which is crucial. The idea that he is planning to pay off the lot all at once is another typical statement out of the blue that raises more questions than it answers. He has not back-tracked on his stated programme of ground improvements (though the timetable has slipped), he has repeated his commitment to the Academy and has categorically denied involvement with the Russo's. All points in his favour.
