In the wake of Amit Bhatiaâs resignation during the week, someone on here asked: âwhat can we (the fans) do about all this?â The answer was not much other than to make sure the Mittals realise they have our support. After the FA Hearing debacle, once again we were left in the invidious position of suffering the effects knowing little, and having to speculate about the cause. Fortunately for us, on this occasion we donât have to wait so long to take stock of the situation. All stakeholders have seized the opportunity explain their position and understandings of whatâs going on to one extent or another. Weâve heard from both Bhatia and Ecclestone; and Warnock, journos, radio presenters, QPR fans groups, football fans in general and last but hardly least, we on this board have all offered enough thoughts and opinions to lay back the bullshit and get down to the bare bones of the matter. At the end of the day, the visions alluded to in Amit Bhatiaâs letter have become abidingly apparent. The âOfficialâ Vision As espoused by majority shareholder Ecclestone supported by Briatore and Paladini (âthe Goonsâ after Eccles and Bluebottle from the Goon Show). Radical change from traditional markets to a âboutiqueâ club offering a âsouvenirâ experience for tourists to get up close and personal to world famous premier league big hitters. High priced tickets maximising profitability and deterring less affluent loyalists to make room for random voyeurs with money to spend. Critical Evaluation of the âOfficialâ Vision Widely considered both a short sighted and short termist strategy in which the main attraction is the away teams such as top six and Euro opposition. Short sighted because the majority of prem teams are unlikely to attract the target audiences; and short termist because the strategy is not viable and shows the Goons ignorance of football in general and British-type football in particular. Prognosis: the ultimate sale of the club justifying critics condemning the Goons for all the trouble caused by their increasingly evident âQuick Profit and Runâ motives. The âOpposingâ Vision As espoused by minority shareholder Mittal supported by Saksena and Bhatia. Stabilise the club by providing sensible investment and the maintenance of strong foundations based on tradition, community, youth development and improved reputation as a top team. Moderately priced tickets to ensure sell-out attendances and the perceived popularity necessary to generate interest in the club from audiences across the globe (particularly Indian subcontinent). Critical Evaluation of the âOpposingâ Vision At face value, a surprisingly philanthropic approach coming from one of the worldâs wealthiest businessmen. Mittal surprised us even further by asserting that football is not a business, itâs an entertainment. But donât be mistaken, profitability is as much the end game for Mittal as it is for the Goons, itâs just that Mittal is prepared to wait longer and profit far more. The commercial value in promoting a resurgent QPR to the vast Asian markets is both extremely achievable and incalculable. Conclusions The difference between the Goons and the Mittals is that the latter has untold integrity and the former has none whatsoever. This is why we as fans, not to mention outsiders, even without access to the facts so readily jumped on the Mittal bandwagon. Their plan recognises, respects and caters for us as essential components of a global marketing strategy. No one in Asia or elsewhere is going to become enthused by a foreign team who canât even pull a home crowd. If we accept my summary of the visions in question, itâs quite clear why Saksena was sacked as Chairman and Bhatia was forced to resign. The two visions âforâ QPR are completely at odds with each other with nothing even remotely in common. It was not even a matter of principle or college day camaraderie. It was all about business, cold and simple. Question Weâre quite clear whose business model we support but one unanswerable question remains. When it comes to Rangers, weâre not just customers, weâre addicts. No chance of changing our allegiances even with the Goons at the helm. So how will we feel as we shout up them Rs next season knowing that the only âRâ that counts wants us the real fans, out of the mix?
Brixton, to dumb your excellant piece down to my level, you are saying that we are doomed. We cannot change our allegiance, but the owners of our chosen club do not care about us. There are 3 points I would like to make. 1) We need to keep making our voices heard. We have to get national press coverage somehow. This may be through a protest outside the stadium, or all turning our backs to the match for the kick off or something else. Obviously we will keep cheering for the team regardless of any protest. 2) We must keep encouraging Lakshmi Mittal to take over the club. I’m sure that if we chant his name every match, he will find out. 3) This is Q.P.R. – the situation could change at any point with no warning. The situation may not look encouraging now, but we must not give up.
No Roller, you read me wrongly on this one. I'm not saying we the fans are doomed... just marginalised by the current regime. Unlike dissatisfied customers in other markets, our addiction to the club says that we will go on supporting the Rs and therefore the Goons until they get bought out and leave (their vision cannot be profitable and will fail because their focus is on the away teams and no real investment in our team). What a horrible prospect, backing a vision that alienates us so emphatically and that consequently we have nothing but contempt for... That's my question: how will we cope cheering on Rangers whilst sitting among 'tourists' who've only come because Man U or similar are playing? These people won't be jumping up and down like we do when we score and won't be turning up for the Wigan game. It'll be like sitting in a morgue. Is the club doomed as a result? Who knows? Depends on who eventually succeeds the Goons. If Mittal loses interest, the chances of another wealthy benefactor coming along are slim - and with relegation, administration is a distinct possibility. Of course you're right about needing to pay the Goons prices, turn up and make a racket calling for Mittal and the boys to come back. To me, Mittal's vision is our only hope of progression. It includes us, offers the club long term stability and the owners a healthy return on their investment.
Excellent piece Brixton, but don't you think Bhatia and the Mittals will come back to the table with a better offer? Here's to hoping anyway.
There's every chance they will Dave. They've still got a 30% odd stake in the business which ain't doing much and which Eccles doesn't need to buy. Moreover if they really believe in their vision they unlikely to give up at first attempt. However, at the end of the day their patience won't endure forever. They can make their vision work elsewhere. West Ham for example.
This may sound incredibly naive, but we can’t allow ourselves to be marginalised. We have to find a way of supporting our team under our terms. We all know that whatever happens we will be at the matches, so we need to find a way of protesting. Maybe something on the lines of Man Utd’s green and gold scarves. Perhaps we should all take Indian flags with us, there must be something we can come up with. Clearly we don't support the vision, just the team. I don't see this as a problem. We have all been next to someone who doesn't celebrate as wildly as ourselves, and, dare I say, maybe next to someone who is wilder in their celebration. I'm sure most of the current season ticket holders will have renewed before the season starts - it wont be a morgue. Eccles and Bluebottle are not fools, just not football people, but they are businessmen. Their pride will not let the club fail, and they will know that the club may well be and its highest selling price now. I couldn't agree more. We have to make sure we are heard and keep being heard. I would rep you Brixton, but this stupid system wont let me!
The club's biggest asset to any buyer is it's potential, which is at it's highest point now. A turbulent summer followed by a disastrous start to the new season in front of a less than full ground will reduce the saleable price of the club as it finally dawns on the Goons that they haven't a clue. We, as supporters, have to be strong. Don't re-new season tickets and we can make our feelings clear when we have our first home game either in pre-season or the PL.
Really good, post Brixton, and I agree with Rollercoaster's view on using fan power should it come to that. I'm still hopeful that negotiations between the Goons and the Mittals are at an early stage. Eccles, knowing he had the richest man in the UK interested in the club, mentions a ridiculous figure of £100m. The Mittals respond with a figure that brings that into reality - We don't know the amount - £30m? (taking into account the clubs debts as against the payouts from being in the Prem, but then players cost and wages etc...). If Eccles had counter-offered £90m, the "common ground" area would have been set between £30m and £90m (£60m as the natural compromise subject to specific arguments on both sides). Eccles has decided he wants the common ground higher, so he doesn't counter-offer. His "insulting offer" statement is designed to make the Mittals bid against themselves. Whether the Mittals will do that or, having withdrawn Amit's beneficial services and knowing the fans antipathy towards the Goons and (possibly) the lack of any other potential purchasers, they watch to see how the Goons perform on their own is a matter of conjecture. One thing's for certain, when two billionaires fight these things out, they play hardball and it may take some time to resolve. In the meantime, the fans play their part by making their view known.
It's worth noting that the most expensive property sale in the UK, £57 million, was Bernie selling a mansion he hadn't even lived in to.... Yep, Lakshmi Mittal! Do you think Bernie thinks Mittal is a mug?
Thanks for all your replies to date. The purpose of coming up with a thread of this type was, as the title suggests, to clarify the information that came through in the days after Amit Bhatia's resignation. He placed great store in the difference in the visions for the future between the two groups. He felt he could not be part of a board pushing a vision so different from the one put together by the Mittal camp. I think we can see that now. There is no common ground. As you have said, the visions are one of two key considerations, the shares negotiations being the other. With these two strands separated and defined, we can now discuss the core elements within the context of our interests as fans. In the next few replies, I will address some of the very good points made above.
There's an old African saying that goes: 'when two elephants fight, the ground suffers'. In both this and the FA case, the ground comprises a number of layers including: club direction and development, the manager, the players, the fans (culture and dreams) etc.. As incidental as may be, we need to consider how the elephant fight affects us on the ground. It's clear the Goon elephant is abusing its ground much more than the Indian elephant...
========================================================== I'll make a good point, as soon as I can think of one!
Significant point this Sooper. These elephants have got history. The Goons brought the Mittals on board in the first place following cosy meetings in Eccles' Park Lane offices... Seems the billionaires were quite tight at the time. The strength of their relationship is evidenced by some easy share shifting as Mittal initially stumped up for 20% and then, not that long ago (around the end of 2010), another 12% or so. Neither elephant had any interest in getting too involved in the club. For Ecclestone, the club would be run by Briatore and in his absence by Paladini and Mittal's college boys (son-in-law Bhatia and his mate, financier Saksena). Mittal appears to have been quite happy with this arrangement for quite some time. I think the battle lines were drawn prior to Warnock's appointment (Briatore's incompetence) and intensified in the lead up to the FA Hearing featuring Paladini's improprieties. Over this period, Mittal and the boys would have become increasingly aware of the Goons' cynical and short termist visions being so out of step with their own ambitions.
One source I read (can't remember which, but certainly a quality source) had it that Mittal's opening volley was to the tune of £90m. £50m purchase price plus £40m to cover the club's debts. This in the context of Eccles' original purchase estimated at £14m for his original interest (don't know what his original percentage interest was). However, at the end of the day, the valuation is always going to be somewhere between what the vendor wants, and what the purchaser is prepared to pay.
Hear what you say on the Mittal's opening offer, Brixton. All I can say is that if Eccles is asking for £100m and is insulted by the Mittals offer of £90m, then Eccles is easily insulted! Perhaps Eccles' £100m is on assets and doesn't include taking on the debts, which means he finds an offer of 50% of his asking price insulting. Have been trying to visualise a "Goon elephant" - at the moment, I see a two-man pantomime beast with short front legs and a large Italian backside!
