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Panic Over - New Investment?

Discussion in 'Charlton' started by 777, Jul 4, 2012.

  1. 777

    777 Member

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    As suggested by Chicago Addick in his blog yesterday:

    I’ve sat on this for a few days now, as like other Addicks I search around in the dark for clues. The euphoria of winning, sorry walking the League One title after many years of hurt, is suddenly becoming a distant statistic as once again the team we love enters into the murky world of boardroom mistrust and rumour.

    For those of you that don’t follow Charlton Life, their forum is awash with scaremongering and unanswered questions. Yet amongst the thousands of comments a couple stand out. Three or four posters, each one I recognise as having some good connections within the club have sources they say, each one different, that suggest that all is not well behind the scenes.

    The main source of rumour is that we offered a deal to a potential new signing (I believe a current Premiership player) but then we reneged on the deal. Others suggest that all is not well in the boardroom, with potentially Slater and Jimenez wanting the club to go in different directions and an unknown backer pulling out his investment.

    Since these rumours broke we have seen Peter Varney and Alex Newall resign from the board. While Peter leaving was a red flag, more surprising was the departure of Alex Newall. Newall only joined the club in February and was announced as a beneficial owner.

    I was confused to what this meant at the time. Newall’s company Hanover Private Office has strong business links with Tony Jimenez, Michael Slater and one Kevin Cash. I suggested that Newall was only on the CAFC board to protect his client’s assets, which is pretty much what him and his company do.

    Rumours suggest that we have lost one of our unknown backers, it may not have been Cash, no one knows if he is involved anyway, but that would explain why Newall after just 4 months has gone.

    I didn’t expect us to go out and sign 10 players before pre-season training started but after the success of last season’s recruitment plan, I would’ve thought that Powell would have been encouraged to go and get a couple in by now, perhaps a marquee signing to carry the momentum through the summer and stimulate more season ticket sales.

    There have been many rumours of players that Powell has interest in, some substantiated with stories of money offers. However despite placating ourselves with the fact that contracts don’t expire until June 30th, the Euro’s, summer holidays etc, the real issue now, if not a cash issue, is a budgetary issue. Quite an alarming one at that.

    Further stories floating around are Tony Jimenez’s renewed efforts to bring in either new backers or additonal ones from the Middle East. Remember Jimenez was involved in brokering the deal with Zabeel Investments in 2008.

    All this amongst the backdrop of some investment being made by the club in recent days. Johnnie Jackson signed a new and improved contract and the club further added to it’s academy staff by employing Nathan Jones, Sergei Baltacha and ex-Leeds centre-half Chris Fairclough as the club moves towards it’s category two status at a cost I believe of over £1m.

    Then we have Martin Prothero, Varney’s replacement, who I would be pretty sure is more expensive. Prothero is very respected in the game and from an outsiders point of view has given up a very good job at Umbro to join the Charlton’s board.

    I think these latest whispers are further realisation that the board is very different now to what is was under Murray’s control. Murray and his various partners made plenty of mistakes but no one could question their genuineness or their absolute wish to do whatever was best for the football club and it’s fans.

    As fans a lot of us felt we had good access to the previous regime and some of us had built an element of rapport with some of the decision makers. Slater and Jimenez operate very differently despite Slater’s concerted effort to engage with fans.

    This morning it emerges, although yet confirmed, mind you nothing at all apart from this “planned boardroom restructure” has come from the club, anyway another well connected individual is suggesting that some fresh investment has entered the club which has to be positive.

    Where does all this leave us? Who knows, but we didn’t know much before. Personally I was always under the impression that the new owners were planning for us to grow organically, investing in an academy to provide a conveyor belt of young talent blended with the strategic purchases of young, hungry players. Then if the owners felt the need to offload a young saleable asset, then they would and hopefully the manager would get the majority of those funds to re-invest in his playing squad.

    Sadly a worthy long-term ownership plan looks to be undermined by some short-term investment and/or investors. Keep calm and carry on.
     
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  2. SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious

    SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious Well-Known Member

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    It's still too difficult to gage what is/has gone on. The news I relayed earlier this week was that there wasn't any ''panic'' but with nothing else being said. If it is a case of a director up and selling, then one would like to hope that the new guy sitting at the table is of more wealth and willing to throw some money in.

    But, it's still guess work from what I can see. Every man and his dog has an opinion on it with very few stories matching. Just going to have to wait and see I guess. The scaremongering seems to have stopped for the time being though <ok>
     
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  3. charltonnutnut

    charltonnutnut Member

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    Sporting game switched back to Lepe's ground. The board are acting like little kids. It's embarrassing.
     
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  4. SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious

    SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious Well-Known Member

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    Cawley said there are a few paragraphs from Slater in tomorrows SLP. I get it delivered, so as long as the paperboy turns up before I leave for work I'll post it here first thing tomorrow morning.
     
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  5. TrickyCharlton

    TrickyCharlton Member

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    It is frustrating how little news has been advanced about the situation from official sources, even if they said don't worry we are looking into players and we only want someone who will fit with the current ethos of the team and club, so its taking longer than expected.

    That would in all probibality be a lie but at least it would mean they are acknowledging that there are some seriously worrying rumours circulating. The total lack of attention to the rumours worries me more than anything else.

    Hopefully we will have some news on what is going on sooner rather than later.
     
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  6. Sat In Greenwich

    Sat In Greenwich Well-Known Member

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    maybe we cant get players that are better than our current lot. whats the point in signing another doc, euell or russell. they wont get in the team.

    we probably dont even know how good our players are. last season lets face it, they werent really tested. maybe the lot we have now can be pushed a level further. i'd hope this is the case cos i'd find it hard dropping any of them myself
     
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  7. SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious

    SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious Well-Known Member

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    The stories about us being out bid for the stevenage player were incorrect as posh only bid earlier today, and that was rejected.

    I'm aware the same was said for Jacobs (think that was his name), but we really don't know if that was the case either.
     
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  8. Leftbehind

    Leftbehind Active Member

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    always a good read from CA
     
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  9. The Rifleman

    The Rifleman Member

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    There is no new investment just yet, though TJ is apparently working hard on this. The money man who has pulled out is deffo Kevin Cash, though quite why I have no idea.
     
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  10. Tewkesbury Addick

    Tewkesbury Addick Active Member

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    Good to see you back, Rifleman - I have to say Kevin Cash is a great name for a money man. <ok>
     
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  11. CAFCAlex

    CAFCAlex Member

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    Nice informative blog by Chicago Addick that. Better than some of the tripe that others have served up on this forum over the last week.

    Cheers WSW for posting.
     
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  12. SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious

    SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious Well-Known Member

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    Slater basically says he has heard the gossip but "consistently said that we will operate the club on sound commercial principles".

    Says we bought a squad last year that we thought could challenge in the championship, we are active in this window but suggests it is more difficult.

    It doesn't discuss or squash rumours of money, but does echo exactly what AH source had told him. So we now know AH and slater go down the local together <laugh>.

    I can still see people drawing negatives from the article though...
     
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  13. Iwantabettertakeover

    Iwantabettertakeover Member

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    Why do some of you see it that people are negative... They're not negative, just concerned for something they care about... The fact remains whilst no real positive news comes through, which Slater's latest uninspiring statement confirms, people will draw their own conclusions.

    I think we need four or five quality signings to get us anywhere near the competitive side Slater said he wanted challenging for the Championship... I don't believe our present squad is good enough to achieve that...

    We've had what we've had, many fans talking of problems at board level, boardroom reshuffles, virtual silence from our manager & no signings... whilst I agree none of this has to point to negativity, it's not giving us a lot to be positive about either..
     
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  14. SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious

    SuperChrissyisfantasticPardswasatrocious Well-Known Member

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    Did Slater say the objective was to compete for the Championship this season? The plan was for consolidation this year, which I think a team that amassed 101 points in League One should be able to do. Some new faces are needed, but this team also deserves their chance to see what they can do.

    I expected nothing more from him in this ''statement''. I imagine we'll hear about Varney towards the end of his tenure. R.E Powell silence, I guess he is working like a mad man discussing players and getting his own future sorted. If the story is correct that he is near to this then I imagine we'll hear from him then.
     
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  15. deleted.....

    deleted..... Well-Known Member

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  16. Iwantabettertakeover

    Iwantabettertakeover Member

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    I think he intimated he wanted a team that could compete at the higher end of it... Much of what Slater says is cryptic anyway, so everyone will come to their own conclusios... Whether he wants promotion this season or not, we shouldn't underestimate the quality in this league, and whilst I agree we have a team that can consolidate, I don't agree that all fans should be happy to settle just for that?

    Plans that offer consolidation often lead to disappointment... Last time I heard a mass acceptance for consolidation, we got relegated from the Premier... You can't put a date on when promotion happens, but signing good players has always helped most clubs.
     
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  17. Iwantabettertakeover

    Iwantabettertakeover Member

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    #17
  18. Charltonpat

    Charltonpat Member

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    They're totally taken in by any fabrication they see on social media Alex and the club is right not to be bothered with these rumour monger types. Slater has put them to rights in the SLP and I hardly heard a murmur from these so-called fans groups when the club achieved promotion in style last season.
     
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  19. ForestHillBilly

    ForestHillBilly Well-Known Member

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    Maybe iss the famous Daily Malice?
     
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  20. GrahamMoorerules

    GrahamMoorerules Member

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    Is the daily malice Nick Davidson?.........Had a good run in with him over Chris Solly and Scott Wagstaff on forum on ow,and someone posted he was the daily malice,is that true?.....
     
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