Sorry about that then !, I make my own Chinese takeaway by the way, gan to Iceland (the shop not country) teehee, get black bean sauce, sweet and sour, pilau rice, frozen chicken pieces, noodles pan fry the lot, I use water not oil, and hey presto a concoction of colculations MMMMMMMMMM, tuck in with prawn crackers.
Just landed back in the UK lads. I can't say too much on the subject with any evidence or proof. My feeling following a conversation yesterday is in the next 12 months the club will be sold and the potential buyers are Chinese. I could have got completely the wrong end of the stick, but I asked the question and got a cryptic answer, followed by a facial expression. Those 2 things led me to the above conclusion.
Its like any business, it needs enthusiasm and investment. It's difficult for someone to invest millions if they have lost their enthusiasm for the business.
Can't see how things could be much worse than an owner who doesn't seem interested in investing even the bare minimum. The old saying about the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result seems to be totally lost on Short.
Quite agree. He has no enthusiasm for it anymore. It's as if he regrets even getting involved in the first place.
SUNDERLAND have been in contact with consortiums from China over a possible takeover. Owner Ellis Short will listen to offers of more than £150million for his rock-bottom Black Cats. And SunSport understands business associates of the American billionaire have spoken to different Far East firms within the last month. Discussions with any of the possible investors are yet to have progressed past the sounding-out stage. And one group looking to buy an English club told SunSport they have been put off by Sunderland’s perilous Premier League position and Short’s asking price. But Short is certainly keen on selling to a Chinese party, having seen the likes of Aston Villa, West Brom and Wolves be bought by consortiums from the cash-rich Asian country in recent months. In fact, Sunderland have long been relying on Short’s cash to keep their head above water - as he himself pointed out a year ago. Writing in the club’s matchday programme last August, he said: “The assertion that I have been unwilling to spend money to fulfil the ambitions of the club and its fans is completely wrong. “I have never taken money out of the club. In fact, I have funded significant shortfalls each and every season. “The amount that I fund, every season, exceeds the collective total amount funded by every owner the club has ever had. Got to be careful what you wish for sometimes. I'd absolutely love it if some mega wealthy Chinese group bought us and ploughed money into the club, but on the flip side look at Blackburn.
How much did he pay to acquire Sunderland? WBA were recently bought for £175m so £150m is about right, drop into the Championship and you can scrap that valuation, Villa sold for £75m.
Only 7 teams have "nett spent" more than we have over the past 5 seasons - so he's invested more than 12 others have - (In order) Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, West Ham, Liverpool, Leicester then us! Not sure how to read it though - he has undoubtedly thrown money at the club - Maybe this is why he's not investing as heavily as we all want him to (Not saying I disagree with you Blunham - just a lack of investment would mean he hasn't spent when, looking at the table, he has) 73 million nett over the last 5 seasons http://www.transferleague.co.uk/pre...tables/premier-league-table-last-five-seasons Think our biggest problem is we look at what teams like Palace are spending and say "Why can't we?" (completely valid question to which I can only think the answer is wages) - @Bri OBE said something about Ellis Short's role in the FFP to do with wages which means he is unable to flout the rules - Sorry if I got the wrong end of the stick when you mentioned that but it was ages ago Bri so you'll have to re-enlighten me!) All in all - I have no idea! What exactly happens to this apparent massive TV money windfall we get every season - apparently £71.7m for last season?
Our wage bill is (or has been) ridiculous by all accounts. I think playing staff wages have eaten up 80% or so (may have misremembered that figure but it was high) of our income, that's before you consider stadium upkeep, non-playing staff wages, etc. I personally don't understand the "Ellis is a tight arse" line - even this summer just gone, we had the 10th highest net spend in the Prem. You can blame him for appointing the wrong backroom staff / board of directors, but it's wrong to say he's refused to spend imo. What guarantee is there that some rich foreign owner will get his backroom appointments spot on? Look at Cardiff, QPR, etc. It's a risk.
The problem is mate, in my view, Ellis Short knows what's needed to get you out of the relegation 'hole' you consistently find yourselves in. You need players, whether that costs you £10m or £100m is up to your scouts, staff in charge of doing deals and your owner, but to only half fix the problem is pointless, he might as well just throw nothing at it and stop delaying the inevitable. You can't go at things half-hearted in this league, you'll get eaten alive, you're seeing it now unfold in front of you, your luck is bound to run out, just like Wigan's did and Villa's did.
He's definitely spent but he's spent a lot of it badly. He may have consistently pumped money in to keep us afloat but if he and his advisers/staff had spent better on players and managerial appointments he may not have had to have pumped that money into the same extent. The money wasted on dross is in ironic contrast to the reluctance to shell out for M'Vila. He never appears to have fully understood what he was getting into and now that's become apparent to him, he's lost interest. That, to me, is the attitude of a man lacking character and intelligence.
