News item on BBC. Sam to be offered club presidency if deal to pay off Langstone agreed with the following options: - £8m payable within 30 days, or £10m with £3m now and the balance at the end of the season, or £13m with £5m this year and the balance on promotion to the Prem. Over to you Sam!!!! A great opportunity to get this burden off us and more evidence of the owners' shrewdness and willingness to put their hands in their pockets.
Hi BfB, hope you're doing ok. Excuse my ignorance, but what does a club presidency involve? The thought of him having any influence in the club worries me.
Hi Clingo, doing fine mate although rusty rather than tanned after 3 weeks holiday in south of England - back to Portugal next year. To quote Joey from Friends, "How're yu doin?" In most organisations the presidency is an honorary position and does not include any decision making powers (policital presidencies excluded of course). I have been as against Sam having any involvement in the City as anyone else but this seems to be a solution which could keep everyone happy and as others have said on here it was Sam who started us off on the roller coaster we currently occupy. Without his input and cash (regardless of how he bundled it all up at the end - when he got bored) at the outset we would not be where we are now. Mind you if this goes ahead the reaction to him in the Directors' Box when he appears for home games will be very interesting. Will he wear blue or red?
"... sources close to Langston say those offers are unacceptable." http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18630505 no great shock there!
Thanks BfB. Yes, I fully appreciate he was the catalyst for much change at the club, even if it was a case of throwing us in at the deep end. Apart from his dubious business ethics, I worry about him opening doors of influence to some of the less desireable elements of the "fan" base with whom he used to hold council. However, in view of the post from H, all this could be moot.
I am pretty sure he would have no influence and certainly not be allowed to bring in his neanderthal comrades. However, no surpise that "sources close to Langston say this is unacceptable" but it could be the first shot in a negotiating process and there may be a few more quid in the pot perhaps with no honorary role in the club - the price for more cash in his wallet?
clingo, I read the report and viewed it similar to any transfer... rarely is the first offer accepted. Now that figures are being made public, hopefully with a bit more negotiation, this matter can be cleared up once and for all. Its been a monkey on our back for far too long. Agree with what both you and Andy said about Sam though. There is no saying where we would be right now had he not stepped in when he did but I just don't see the need, or relevance, in offering him a position (albeit an honorary position) in the club. If we're moving on, lets move on
I think it was always on the cards where Sam would try and get back into the club. He won't accept a role that has no influence, is the club priming Sam to accept a share-holding in the club by means of turning the Langstone debt into shares? This would give him a say on proceedings but not overall control.
we should pay him off and wash our hands with that dirty git......in no way will i step into the stadium if he`s given a seat................he fed us the dream while taking us down a dark road of lies,lies and more lies.........we are still paying for the mess he caused and we had 2 sell our souls for finance>>>>>fk whats going on with our club lads............ive even contemplated us going bust just 2 start again,a fresh start with us the fans incharge>>>>well not me but the more sensible ones <clingo for president>
Hi H Yep, I would love to see us move on and distance ourselves from Sam. That said, I'm having the same fears as Taffthefish and that Sam is trying to creep back into our now progressive club. It's a strange thing say, and maybe my lack of understanding should guide me to be careful what I wish for, but I'm hoping his refusal is about the money and not the status. Guys, please don't let this excellent thread turn into another disrupted discussion.
its not so much the dept that was always gonna happen in the modern game>>>>>it was the sitting infront of us lying and playing the friend......all that while knowing each pound he spent on us he would be making a fiver>>>>or so he thought>>>>he held us 2 ransom before going bust for extra cream on top of the clotted he`d already spooned on>>>>>this fella really put us in the jam and im not sure i could hold my peace if i bumped into him down the ground>>> keep him well away from our door
RB, totally agree mate. He came to our local told us he was investing another couple of million, that his missis thought he was mad but it made no difference he loved the club , supporters etc etc, left with us all cheering and backslapping him and one another....and forgot to tell us that we were all signing up to a loan deal with an hefty APR rate. "Dont you ****ers worry" he said, "the club is in good hands" We all laughed when he called us ****ers..but he was right! Love to have a chat with him know though, just to say, sorry sam, my hand slipped. If he comes to our gaff again and calls me a ****er I,ll get the locals to smash the windows of his Audi now and nick it..Tosser
Hand on heart, how many can honestly say they weren't spellbound by Sam during his early reign? He did give us hope and a sense of belief when there was none. Is giving Sam an honorary position such a big thing? He will never be allowed near our clubs finances and our debt will be erased. Personally I think it would be a small price to pay to allow this club to move forward. Sam for all his failings and mismanagement made people sit up and take notice. Let's get the monkey off our back and finally realise the dream he sold us. Sorry if people disagree but it's a small price to pay in my eyes. Why the jax feel the need to comment on this or the rebranding is beyond me. I can only assume it is motivated by the fear of us readdressing the balance and taking our rightful place above them again.
Morning Bob. Take your points mate, and yes, we all enjoyed those initial times with Sam. Afterall, he dragged us out of nowhere. That said, it's now clear that his intentions were dubious to say the least, and I think we've paid a high enough price already. I'm afraid just by having him at the club in any executive or non executive position would send out the wrong signals. Ultimately, it's the new regime that will make the decision as it is their money, but, I thought the the idea of rebranding was to move the club forward with a new outlook. Sam's return would mark a potentially dangerous step back in my opinion.
Alright fella! In the old days Sam was never reigned in m8 because he ruled the club by fear and ignorance.The current incumbent is much more savvy when it comes to business acumen. Equally he would never be allowed to satiate his hunger for adoration by the City core because they are now aware of who they are dealing with. He would be a false deity for those who chose to worship him. This would be a very small minority with no influence over the majority. I say, step forward and take your seat El Presidente.
Sam oops Langstone have allegedly rejected all the deals put forward. Which actally means Sam doesn't have the clubs interest at heart, no surprise there methinks. I still thank Sam for pulling us out of the lower reaches of the league and giving us some exciting times along the way, but I never doubted for one moment he wasn't going to make money out of it, as we all know it's a business. What I won't forgive is him holding us to ransom because his deal with the riddler did not come to pass. I still think Sam had a way back in up until the Malaysians tipped up. Can't see him being shown a warm welcome if he did show up at the CCS.
