If you dissect the accounts you will see everything there - unless you think they are rigged. The facts are in the accounts but I assume you are not really interested in facts only half baked opinions. The only thing you are right about is that she owns the majority shareholding which could be very valuable if the Club succeeds and she sells. As, however, you are convinced that she wants to run the Club into the ground and will never sell there is no value in that. Debt free, 3 seasons in the Premiership, ahead of time in a 7 year plan etc etc - If that is your definition of ' nearly ruined us ' then you must have strange ideas about success and failure.
Not at all, the facts are indeed important. I dont believe she wants to run the club into the ground, even she is not that stupid. Being an accountant to say she didn't nearly ruin us then perhaps its best you did retire, it also suggests to me you are a tad smitten with her because clearly the club did nearly hit the brink under her decision making as owner. Have you seen within those accounts no return, success with "Delias". The accounts I looked at saw a 1.6 million payout to the directors. I could be wrong as I certainly do not know about such things. Loans turned to shares? That seems to have been a theme from the past. I do take exception to people claiming this has been a one way stream of give,give give. I do not think she gives a toss about fan opinion (probably not a bad thing to be honest) but not the image she portrays. Where are the figures relating to Delias? I couldn't find any direct mention (the hotel was in there). I don't think the books are cooked, I do think she's getting more out than you are letting on. I don't think she is money motivated, ownership, to do as she wanted was her aim. I don't want her or her husband making decisions about football.
Ok, I hate myself for it but I have to ask. Why the obsession with "Delia's"? Overall catering profits have increased massively since a Delia Smith took over the running of the operation. I don't know how it breaks down but why is the restaurant a particular problem for you? Bad burger?
No, I just see it as her pet project. I'm curious as to whether it actually makes money or was just a means of her doing what she's always wanted to do. I'm not "obsessed" with it, I'm just trying to establish whether it is beneficial to the club. I'm sure catering profits have increase at all clubs over the last 20 years. I just do not see in the accounts a separate entity that is the restaurant and wonder if the club is supplementing it financially. It may well be that it is, I don't know. I've never trusted her since the whole Bryan Gunn debacle. I find her very manipulative.
Fry is considered to be one of the most intelligent and charismatic people on Earth it is an honour to have him represent us.
Carrabuh, the directorship payments disclosed are I believe only the executive. So Delia's not paid a penny. If you're worried about that, I do know that a year or two ago McNally was in the top three football directors in terms of salary (somewhere round the million mark). Converting loans to shares is actually effectively a donation to the club in the form of a debt write-off - see Abramovich. It wipes the cost of the loan off the balance sheet, could mean the club can then borrow more elsewhere. Take Evans for example, he's loaned c.£70m to Ipswich and is therefore able to get a very healthy rate of interest on that. Converting it into debt (usually) makes it worth a lot less (short term).
You stated earlier that she has not taken anything, now you only "believe". How is exchanging loans for shares not getting anything in return. You are surely getting a higher percentage of the club under your ownership.
I think you're confusing me with 1950 I didn't say you're getting nothing, I said it works as a debt write-off (though in Abramovich's case he kind of gets nothing as he's already 100% shareholder I believe) which technically reduces the value (in this case). Yes, Delia will increase her shareholding, but the debt is almost certainly much more valuable than the dead equity, and when you're already majority shareholder the extra equity doesn't really affect your share of the vote so much. From the company point of view, getting the debt turned into equity is absolutely great.
Stole this from another site but fair point. "The reason that Adams has come in to all this criticism is because the team got off to a flier.Had we struggled in the first 6 games [we would have had the same discussion then]and then put a few results together to find ourselves 6 points off the top most fans would be comparing him to sliced bread…Come on Norwich fans..Give the bloke a chance." Yes he is learning and of course he is going to make mistakes but he is Norwich through and through , of course he wants us to do well and don't we all. We all have our opinions and all think we could do better but could we really???
I believe she increased Carrow Road catering profits from 75k to somewhere just short of a million so it seems unlikely that the restaurant part of that is making a huge loss. If part of the attraction for Delia was to have a pet project, then indulging her could be a wise business decision. I thought she already stepped away from the catering anyway.
I may be naive but i genuinely believe that Delia wants our club to do well and at the start the huge challlenge of sorting out the mess and putting our house in order appealed to her workaholic nature. If someone wants to buy us and run it as a way of making money then she deserves to do well out of it . Nearly all Prem clubs are owned by foreign investors and when you look at other clubs like Hull and the owner insisting on a name change that only he wants Cardiff changing their home colours because Tan thinks red is lucky the mess at Leeds Fulham even Leicester are run by an Asian consortium that could pull out at any time yet we are moaning about Delia having too much control over the one thing that she is respected for Worldwide catering. This board is becoming like an episode of The Twilight Zone. As Rick said yesterday we are on the same points total as Lambert in this League and 6 points from auto spot.
Others have already adequately answered the majority of the points but I am amazed by your final comment ' I find her very manipulative ' I have met and spoken to Delia many times over the years and, perhaps because she is driven by her strong religious beliefs, have always found her to be exactly the opposite. At golf this morning one of our four deals with Delia on a weekly basis and I just asked him whether he had ever found her to be manipulative. He was genuinely surprised at the question and replied along the lines of ' never - sometimes she is too straightforward for her own good ' I also asked him about her current day to day involvement with the Club and his impression was that she had virtually stepped back ' leaving the catering/hospitality side to the team she has put in place, Board matters to Alan and the day to day running of the Club to David ' Why have you found her manipulative?
This is ridiculous! Delia is essentially a city fan and because she is rich and famous has been able to invest in the club. She may not be a brilliant owner of the club, but there is no doubt she is doing what she does because she wants the club to succeed to suggest anything else is frankly just bloody stupid!
Totally agree, GPB. These allegations are based on personal emotions that have nothing to do with fact. The trouble with these boards is that anyone can make such allegations without any convincing evidence or argument. Just say what you feel, whether there is any truth in it at all.
I don't find her to be genuine (certainly not in public). She becomes uncomfortable when she gets an awkward question (her eyes roll all over the place) and plays the doting mother super fan role to avoid answering. She has had nobody challenging her throughout her reign, or questioning her and she has never been made to answer for errors. She comes out when everything is great and hides behind the others when its not. I think she has scant regard for opinion outside of her clique. I think she makes stupid decisions and blames others. Being religious is certainly not going to help my opinion of her and just shouts reasons to make those stupid decisions. I NEVER said she didn't want whats best for the club (except with relation to selling where I don't think she has any intention, regardless). What I did say is: 1. She wanted total control (despite originally say nobody should) 2. She has got plenty out of the club and is not this financial martyr that some make her out to be 3. She has made some shocking decisions throughout her time 4. I have doubts whether the restaurant makes money and is being supplemeted by the club to save face. 5. She hides when the flak is flying 6. She had no intention of selling, even when they said they were looking to sell. 7. She is manipulative and has been given a free ticket with the whole St Delia image people make of her I certainly think the evidence is available for 1,2,3,5 & the second part of 7. Like Delia, fine, but I cannot stand it when people think the sun shines out of her arse.
Isn't it just, absolutely pathetic Why no mention of any of the positives? Correct me if I'm wrong here but there have been plenty. We've won two league titles and three promotions in total in the past dozen years, as well as a nail-biting play-off defeat in Cardiff, a day I'll never forget, even got a kiss off the old girl herself that day. We've had our highest finish for 20 odds years as recently as two seasons ago, and three years of top flight football in times of extreme financial disparity unlike ever before, beating United, Arsenal and Citeh teams worth in excess of £200m. We've signed some of the best players to ever wear the shirt - Huckerby, Ashton, Roberts, Holt, Hoolahan, players that will be remembered and talked about in 50 years. Sell-out crowds week in, week out for years with a healthy waiting list and ballots for away tickets. Debt free in a climate where everyone is heavily in debt and our neighbours have debts almost into nine figures. Why no mention of any of the good things? It does quite obviously make Carrabuh look ridiculous to continually harp on about the negatives without giving any credit where it's due to those he doesn't like. He does make good points at times, just a shame he trots out so much complete and utter bilge the rest of the time. It is almost pantomime season I guess, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he's been dusting down his villains costume, it's a role he seems to thoroughly enjoy for some reason. That and telling us people from Ipswich are smelly
