Serious takeover talk

Quite right mate.

He's also been quoted, in response to someone asking if the deal was in jeopardy, "No, not at all."

He's also just said that 'once he's agreed a deal he doesn't go back on it.'

That's in response to being asked about the takeover.

I'm sure there are people clever enough to interpret these things in a negative way ...

... but I'm just a happy idiot who wants the best for my club.

 

Part of me think SD is playing a bit of a game and having some fun with this.

I suspect he knows it's done and is enjoying the banter with the press and people who are looking for it to fail

 

Exactly my thoughts too mate

 

Let’s face it he’s going to look extremely stupid if he’s saying the reports are rubbish and it doesn’t happen. And I don’t think he’s a stupid man

 

Having read everything from the talk in and Twitter comments afterwards I'm still certain that you are right about a deal being done, at least in principle. Price is obviously agreed, they must have finished due diligence by now and, although I'm sure they will be even more thorough than others, there's never been any suggestion that there's likely to be anything major to find so that should be fine.

If I had to guess it does seem very much like it's just the make up of the senior management team that's holding things up. Does Lowes stay, does Davison stay or do they want their own people, and the big one about what happens to Donald and Methven. Those discussions will naturally take quite some time but there's no rush, we all want it sorted but as long as it's agreed and there's a unified front by January it's all good really (sure it'll be announced a lot quicker than that mind!).

The good thing is, I seriously doubt any of these discussions could jeopardise the thing actually going through. As the major shareholder in Madrox, Donald is the only one they need to get agreement with. I trust him to do the best thing for the club, and selling now is also the best thing for himself, he won't want to risk being left with the club, finding we don't go up and not being able to fund us, and if we do go up he'll need investment to be able to compete. This is a great chance for Donald to remove risk, it's a great chance for the buyers to get a big club with as much of a blank slate as you'll ever see. It just seems too perfect not to happen, all sides will want it. I do hope Donald stays involved mind, he deserves to be part of the ride

 

I don't use twitter, etc but I'm told he's having great fun antagonising the likes of the Sun.

He's ridiculing people saying the deal hasn't been agreed which is a very dangerous game as you suggest.

 

I don’t think there is any love lost between him and the Sun after they ran that story about him leaving his wife for a pole dancer (or something like that).
So if he knows it’s done or even almost done I’m sure he will take great pleasure in knocking them down

 

i'm no expert at all in take overs, but it strikes me that if all the protagonists involved in this didn't have an agreement this would have ended with a statement some time ago. The fact its still rumbling on is a sign they are crossing T's and dotting I's....At least I hope so.

 

He is far from stupid.

When this is announced I hope he has a field day on twitter

 

Me too

 

I'd agree for one very simple reason, this takeover has been going on for weeks and he's been very good at (uncharacteristically) staying quiet about it; no comments, barely a like on Twitter. Something has definitely changed because suddenly he's openly discussing it at a talk in, commenting on lots of Twitter posts about it, liking a fair few tweets. There must have been some sort of NDA previously (whether official or just agreed between the parties); although not totally free to discuss all aspects of it it's obvious that something has changed to enable him to be a lot more open, and we know he's saying it definitely hasn't broken down and when someone said they don't think it'll happen he said not to be negative. That only leaves one logical answer as far as I can tell; either done, or all done bar the shouting and too far down the line to fall apart

 

Vey good points mate and, much as enjoy playing devil's advocate, can't find anything to argue with.

Looking from the outside those 4 people represent quite a cabal and, as absentee owners, the new people won't want them all in place imo.

 

does he post on here?

 

Thomas is made up after me finding this Sunderland top
@Steakhouse27
bought for him when he was born 14 years ago!! Now Daddy Stewart owns the club!

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6:47 am · 20 Aug 2018·Twitter for iPhone
That was a tweet from SD’s wife last year when he first bought the club.


Technically longest serving Sunderland supporter in the Donald clan. Crazy to think when I got him that 14 years later his Dad would own the club.
9:14 am · 20 Aug 2018·Twitter for Android
That was the reply from the person who bought the top. I think SD does care about the club.

 

Agreed. If I had to make an absolutely uneducated guess I'd say half of them will go:

Donald - very popular with the fans, good at communication, seems to have done a good job on the business side of things. They'll want someone else on the football side (rightly) but I think there's a role for him as a hands on face of the group. Keeping him will also make the deal easier to get done since he's always said his preference is to stay (ties in with him opening a branch of his business in Sunderland as well, he must be moving here which would be an odd decision if he thinks he might be out)

Methven - not as popular with the fans (I like him mind). PR seems to be his thing, also seems to have played a major role in getting these people to the table. Deserves loads of credit from the fans when it comes off and deserves a cracking pay off. We don't need any more investors attracted though, if O'Brien is joining we also have someone to do the business networking (arguably someone local businesses will relate to easier). For PR and more national/ global brand building I'm sure they'll have their own people, so I don't see him staying

Davison - could go either way but he was seen as something of a coup when we got him. Being a fan also (very slightly) works in his favour. The main thing is his experience at working at a level where these people presumably want to take us. He should be capable of operating at any level they can get us to which would make me think he's one they wouldn't be in any rush to replace

Lowes - I'll be honest I know nothing about her. The one thing I do know, however, is that she is about the one link left to the utterly failed regime. Being finance director when money was wasted left, right and centre (whether she had any chance of controlling or curtailing it or not) won't look impressive, so I'd guess that she goes.

That means 2 of the old guard as it were, but 2 of their own people (plus any new positions/ appointments they make). Enough to keep knowledge of the business and continuity, not enough to effectively work as a faction with their own aims.

Time will tell, but is an interesting discussion!

 

That's the point it's impossible to know.

 

exactly mate

 

Ignore the criticism, your a long standing member and help other supporters. If some of the info you have been passed isn't 100% correct, hey ho,
I like the mad crack on rtg but I'm also enjoying the sensible balanced opinions on here,.


Forgot to send this message the other day lol,

As others have said, i would like to see SD and CM stay in some capacity,.
They saved us and got us to this position after all.

 

Aye, I reckon he's just letting The Sun know that he's read it... they spouted sh*t about him when he took over the club and he probably sees them doing the same again.

 

Aye I do.

Ah sh*t. Covers blown.