It's not a case of believing or not believing it. I don't know any of you personally, I don't know where or how you get your information, so yes, I'll take it at face value and wait for an official announcement or statement before I form an opinion on it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Have to say Geoff always comes over very well on the radio, and his explanation why this deal fell through very much was in line with Burnsey's information, so more than likely very close to the reality of the situation. As we have seen over the Allams tenure, this moving of the goal posts is nothing new, and we shouldn't be surprised that is happened. What now for the club is a good question, all I can see is a disaffection of many supporters, a general bad atmosphere around the club, which is likely to see us drift back into the Championship next season.
Agreed. From what I've seen and heard, I like Geoff. I have no reason to doubt him as I have had previous chairmen of the Trust, but I'd still like to see the bigger picture, and hear what the club/bidders have to say. I'm not worried about the Championship either, I'm actually more concerned about the fan base in general.
I agree that is the biggest concern, as the fan's that are walking away are the hard core fans that have supported the club through thick and thin. I for one don't mind us being in the Championship, but would far sooner see Hull City in the EPL for no other reason than the income for the club should make us financially stronger for the future.
Like I said £106 million now is cheaper than £100 million in mid June if you were American and held the cash in dollars. Even with the £6 million extra the cost of buying the club is less now than it was in June. We may find out in due course what the offers were, what was included and what wasn't. I don't know, and I strongly suspect, neither do you.
Maybe it had nothing to do with the money. How about the buyers wanted to be in control well before the new season starts so they had time to sort the back room staff and playing squad. That's why negotiations began before the end of last season, 2 ball park offers 1 if we're promoted 1 if not. Things have dragged on and on and they've got so pissed off with it all they've walked.
I suspect this got to the point were it was more to do with principles that just money What you say is right about the exchange rate benefit, but if the US side thought they had an agreement, and 2 or 3 times the goal posts have been moved, then you get to the point whereby you just can't trust the people you are dealing with and you walk away.
I would expect the goal posts to change if my money was in dollars, the purchase was in pounds and the pound fell dramatically. If they had the money in cash in May or June they would be saving millions on the purchase irrespective of whether they thought the Allams were trustworthy or not. The goalposts moving 2 or 3 times with a live business is not unusual. How do you think our current injuries would affect the sale price? Do you think it is reasonable to move the goal posts to take them into account? I have no idea why the talks have broken down. The only "facts" we have is that the price went up after promotion and that Assem asked for £6 million for the SMC last week causing the Americans to walk. Given the collapse in the pound and the nationality of the bidders I don't see that as a problem if the Americans have $145 million in the bank ready to pay the purchase price. It only becomes a problem if they only have $25 million in the bank. How the Americans intended to pay for us is an issue for me, especially after Bartlett. We may get that information in September, or we may not.
The new higher price was agreed between Allam and Grieve last Tuesday, no doubt the exchange rate benefit played a large part in that increased price being agreed, but once that price was agreed it was done based on $1.32 exchange rate and all benefit was then used up and the change in the rate became an irrelevance. You can't then put it up by £6m two days later and claim it's down to the exchange rate benefit, as there no longer is one, you can't use that benefit twice. I can't believe people are having so much difficulty with this, it's very basic stuff.
I'm not having any difficulty with it at all. Its not about the exchange rate its about how much money the Americans were going to pay up front, how much they would be paying in interest, when the instalments were due, where the money was coming from to pay the debt and interest, etc. £106 million now in dollars terms is cheaper than £100 million in June. If they had the money in dollars to pay £100 million in May or June they'll still have it now with a few millions to spare.
Perhaps but no one has claimed they have. Burns has said they intended to pay a deposit and the rest over time.
I get all that, but the point I am trying to make, is that if you have an agreement with the party you are dealing with, and then they change to say sorry we did agreed but now I want more money, maybe the first time you accept, as possibly, as you say, the exchange rate when in their favour, so the increase in price the Allams wanted went up in £, but in real terms in US dollars it cost them the same or even slightly less. However if then you have a deal and they change the goal posts again, you get to the point as saying to yourself, we are wasting our time here, as it appears we will actually never reach a deal that will be signed off. It all comes down to integrity of the parties, if you strike a deal verbally then it follows through to the contract stage. This however seems not to have happened, as we know from our own experience that the Allams just don't have integrity, and thereby sits the problem.,
