Been thinking back to this interview from last week and as I cycled into work over past the stadium the other day, something finally clicked in my brain…. It may well be me putting 2 and 2 together and getting 7.4… but some of it matches what Dragan said (and may well be pretty obvious to others. The Echo have been spouting stories that go nowhere for years, no shock there… but over the last 6 months, they’ve mentioned the Council looking to replace the single lane Northam Bridge and replace it with a two lane each way affair. Nothing hugely exciting., but it’s the way I go to work, pegged currently for around 2030 ish. Anyone else who has the misfortune to drive that way over the last few weeks after 9pm has seen the crazy cones and the resulting markings all over the road. Seems as if the new road/bridge when it happens will be pretty different and will involve changes to the road, but also like they’re trying to accommodate something else…. Like maybe a station…?? With the memorandum of intent or whatever fancy term, would make perfect sense in terms of regeneration of an area that is always going to cause the Council issues that a station may well appear. But to my knowledge, that would only be a good investment if there was something else on site worth travelling for…. Maybe an indoor venue of sorts…? Dragan said in the interview that he would be investing over £200 million in the site and he wasn’t going to invest that kind of money unless he was absolutely sure it was worth investing. He did also go on to say something along the lines that this investment would help build up the coffers for extra revenue… so, sounds more than just an extension to the bar at the nee Dell pub. With planning permission already given for the site of the old gas storage tanks for apartments, seems the site may well be very different in a few years time. Granted… would all be more appealing if the product on the pitch was a bit better…!! Like I said… I may well be (and often am) wrong, but kind of makes sense with what both the Council and DS have said.
Sorry I’m late to this but who is the land owner of the gas works now, and are flats definitely being built there? I would have though that was a prime piece of land for us to buy if we had the opportunity.
Not sure who it is but I know permission was given for apartments. That said, it’s been an awfully long time since that happened… up to a year maybe, without anything actually happening. It’s a bit of a tricky site, but totally makes sense bearing in mind it’s right next to the stadium.
Thinking very FM here but even if the model is we sign players cheap and loan them to Goztepe to develop then just sell them at a profit then that is a benefit. It will take time but the fact that 3/4 of the PL are using multi club models shows that it is the popular direction at the moment and the people who run the clubs must think there is benefit to it.
We don't need to be part of a multi club model to buy players, loan them out and then sell them on. We could do that to anyone.
Possibly, it’s far easier and you have more control in the multi club system though. I’m not fussed by it, the main complaint I’m seeing is we are spending Saints money on players to loan them to Goztepe. Not sure how much we’ve spent on fees on players we’ve loaned them and the only player I’ve seen who is a complete write off is Lis who has been sold and I think we made a profit on anyway?
To some extent that's true but with the multi-club model you know from day one that they'll definitely go out on loan, and you'll know where they're going, who'll be training them and in what facilities and can presumably have basic agreements in place about any loan fees and wages. Without it you could easily sign players and then find nobody wants to loan them at all or nobody wants to pay their wages or whatever.
I suppose there is a slight benefit over a loan to another club, but not enough on its own to justify signing players for them. I'm not writing it off completely. I just think its a shame that the first good player they produce is likely going elsewhere. Now we are a few years in, its time that we start seeing the Goztepe > Saints pathway being used.
Apologies if this has already been discussed elsewhere, but could have significance for Šolak’s resources: https://www.ft.com/content/0c6cbb27-48e8-40b9-818e-13a4854abc9b
The article reports that BC Partners, a private equity firm, is facing a serious internal rebellion at United Group, one of its largest portfolio companies. The unrest follows the ousting of United Group’s founder and CEO, Dragan Šolak, in June. Key points: United Group country CEOs, representing over 90% of the group’s cash flow, signed a letter backing Šolak and opposing BC Partners’ handling of the situation. The executives accuse BC Partners of mismanaging the company and causing “long-term damage.” Šolak, who founded United Group in 2000, claims he is owed a €200m bonus and has involved Dutch regulators to investigate BC Partners’ role. BC Partners denies Šolak’s claims and asserts he is making them in his personal interest, not on behalf of United Group. A broader group of senior managers, including country CEOs, has criticized the sudden leadership change and the exclusion of local management from key decisions. The rebellion is growing, with more executives joining the protest and warning that BC’s actions are destabilizing the company. Overall, the piece highlights a deepening governance crisis within United Group and mounting pressure on BC Partners to re-instate Dragan.
