It seems certain now that the 49ers will have full control of Leeds United going into the new season, possibly before the week is out. Apparently they have a team of investors putting money into the club, they include sports stars nearing the end of their careers and ex political figures. Now I don’t personally think Americans are good owners when it comes to football, and what’s going on with getting these investors on board and how does that work, in the future, if we wish to sign a £40m player, do they all need to put extra in. Too many cooks is springing to mind. For me, it’s looking more and more likely that they want to turn us around for a quick profit, I mean what else have they got to gain. Did our stint in the PL make them realise how far behind we are and how much money is driving the likes of Newcastle and City. I have a big hunch that the 49ers didn’t enjoy what they saw in the PL and it might explain why they never pushed for full ownership sooner. With relegation they saw an opportunity to make some quick money, get us promoted, sell us on. Put your feet in the shoes of the smaller investors, the sports stars ending their careers, the political figures, why on earth would they want to invest in an English football team. They’re not going to be in it for the long term, they want a chance to make a quick profit. 49ers good for next season but I’m not expecting them to stick around but I don’t want them too either.
The LIV golf mess has highlighted the problems facing golf, football etc. Dofgy regimes getting their feet under the table. How long before some Arab state takes a fancy to us. 49'ers should be better than that or better than Radz as in theory they have access to the cash. Id suspect if they could get us to a top half pl side they'd jump ship. Who knows though, they have to steer us out of championship first
Suppose it depends what you mean by a quick profit. Is that one year and then flip straight away upon return to the PL ,or possibly three to five years giving them time to become an established PL club. Maybe more likely is 10 years when they've tapped into the huge American market, developed the stadium and increased turnover to make the club worth well in excess of £1Billion. If they're gonna do it then they should do it right and then reap the massive potential financial rewards.
Ultimately I think they're here for a profit. I know you can't separate football from money these days but when you hear the 49ers talk it's often coming from a very Americanised view of football clubs as brands even when they try to hide it. Having said that, they have a reasonable amount of cash. There are plenty of well meaning English owners who "get" their clubs culture but can't compete financially. I don't see the 49ers as good or benevolent owners but if it's within their interest to make us a lower to mid table Premier League club I think they might manage that. The problem with American owners is when they lose interest or realise it's a very different thing to owning a franchise in the States. How long will they be happy to throw money at chasing the Premier League if it doesn't happen?
Good point, the average investor is willing to wait what, 5-10 years. With promotion they get a buzz and take more interest maybe and wish to remain longer. To get to the status you’re possibly suggesting would take more investment, how does that work with those investing when we want to sign 2-3 £50m players, they’re not going to be in a position to all continually invest percentages so I’m guessing a complexity involved that we’ll never know. I guess it’s one of two ways, be in it for a few years and hope to cash in, the fear for them would be the amount of investment required to do that, the outlay being huge for the big gain, the risks involved, the one bad season to screw it all up, the unlikelihood of hitting that target. The alternative, immediate promotion and flip us and bank in excess of £200m profit with little outlay after the buying price and little risk. They’ve had a taste of the PL and they’ve seen spending £150m still gets you relegated, like Tommo said, they get bored when it doesn’t go text book to plan. If they’d not had a taste for three seasons maybe they’d think big, they’ve had a taste and my bet is a quick flip
They stated long term and invest in the stadium. If no plans are announced to build a new stand then i expect them to flip if we go back up.
In the short to medium term they will be good for us but the longer it goes on and the higher the expectations of the fan base go then the more chance it ends in a big fall out anywhere between 5 and 7 years.
49ers is an investment outfit not a business owner, however it will put people in place to ensure that value is gained to all shareholders and the INVESTMENT pays off for them. They being part of the 49ers sports know how to make money from sport, they have the contacts, the people and also know how to increase revenues especially inside the stadium. To realise the potential of Leeds Utd they know the capacity is holding them back so will plan to do the work already agreed and ready to go. The sooner this kicks off the better for revenues. Even bigger revenues are in the offing for tv rights and so they will back the board and management to ensure a quick return to the premier league.
At least surely an investment bank accountable to 60 major investors will be determined to run the club properly and aspire to push us towards pl top eight eventually
Employing the best possible coach is going to be key so gambling on a “could be a great coach” seems stupid so must be a top coach with a plan and a budget. Scott Parker Fulham 35% Bournemouth 51% Club Brugge 16% Carlos Corberan Ermis 40% Huddersfield 38% Olympiacos 19% WBA 51% Brenden Roger’s Watford 42% Reading 26% Swansea 45% Liverpool 50% Celtic 70% Leicester 45% Gerrard Rangers 65% Aston Villa 32% Graham Potter Ostersund 51% Swansea 42% Brighton 31% Chelsea 39% Only Roger’s from this group seems qualified as he has won titles and the FA Cup and has managed top players. He is still not my ideal candidate and everyone seems to want Potter but on paper a bit poo. Rafa Benitez however has a CV right at the top but ……
I don't read too much into win % Doc.... it's all contextual given the team and the division. Purely on the above, Rodger's actually looks fairly average to me when you consider what team he had and what division. Parker did well in the champ and shocking in the prem - with a team too good for the champ and too weak for the prem. Corboran had 2 seasons with Hudders and got progressively better with them. Potter's time at Brighton is an interesting one, because (not dissimilar to us)... he had a side that often dominated games but kept drawing or losing them until his final year. Maupay for example made Bamford look lethal. So depends if you put credence to the theory that there is only so much a manager can do (as I do) or whether he needed to be ruthless and demand a new striker... send his current ones for extra shooting practice - or all the other stuff that some seem to think manager's should be doing.
Rogers has apparently said he wants to take a few months out, he is not going to jump straight back in, I think we can rule him out unless the 49ers can excite him
Unlike rads they will surely employ the right people for the job. Last two seasons rads has looked an amateur.
If the 49ers are still buying despite the relegation then they will know that they have to invest to get us back to the PL to make a profit. We can take a punt on the scale of investment based on the fact that the what, £400M value dropped to £170M with relegation, so if they can gain promotion with something like £100-£150M spent then they're still in the black. They'll be conducting due diligence on what went wrong and in particular the player and managerial investment needed to make this happen. Personally I don't care if they flip us - no one was going to try a hostile takeover with them already owning nearly 50% and if we go up we'll be more attractive to a wider range of buyers. I can see the complaints about Middle East buyers evaporating (moral objections as well as 'buying the trophies') if some nations SWF is willing to put in Man City / Newc type money.
Brizzle is right they know what the clubs worth in the prem and what it’s worth in the Championship. They already own 44% so will only be paying Radz £80m or so to take full control. Radz only paid £50m and will have already had that back from selling shares over time to the 49ers as the value of the club increased. So Radz will have got back £130m for his initial £50m investment and the 49ers getting us promoted know the value rockets up to £400-£500m straight away.
