Take over 3

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SalisburyKev said:
A good piece in the Wobby about what we might expect from them;

http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/sp...rd_follow_similar_path_as_Pozzo_run_Granada_/

I think we are a slightly different 'project' to Granda though as we already have promising youth, so may concentrate on more 'quality' signings. No real mention on if they had to invest in the infrastructure though!
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Have to say this is the most reassuring article I have read re WFC since GT came back.... very promising <ok>
 
As always in these foreign takeovers, its a case of do we want to progress as a club with more investment, or keep our unique identity as a club, albeit struggling to get by. We can only hope that the Pozzi's, who have real experience in football, understand how the fans engage with their club. Watford is unique in that its academy system is renowned around the continent it seems for the way its structured and the results it produces. The Pozzis tend to run a tight ship, so I still think the academy will play a big part in the clubs future I also can't see us becoming a feeder club for Udinese. Instead, like Granada, the quality that a club like Udinese might provide in their loan players can help us push forward.

As well as this, the fact that we have no real scope to move to a new stadium means we will still keep our identity as opposed to becoming a franchise that some clubs these days seem to be heading following moves to 'identi-kit' stadiums. As OFH said, we don't know the truth behind Bassini's reign and the financial position at the club, thus it is hard to judge how well his reign was. Subsequently, I see the takeover as good for the club, should it be concluded.

As for the managers position, Dyche deserves a chance, but as we all know new ownership of the club may mean they want to bring in their own man, as they have the right to. On that front we can only wait and see what develops.
 
The thing that I keep coming back to, just what was in the safe that Baz wanted and someone else had given instructions that he should not have access to?

Yes, we can have some fun suggesting that it was his pen or even his sandwiches I suppose, yet there has to be a serious reason behind this episode. What did he want enough to call in the police and did he get the keys in the end? Cash flow forecasts, cheque books, documents relating to contracts undertaken, yet outside of the normal everyday business come to mind. Yet if he was so secretive how come that a senior member of staff kept the keys? If someone instructed the staff member that he should not give Baz access they must have known what was in there and come to the conclusion that it would damage the club if he was allowed to continue.

This all went on a week before the takeover talks commenced seemingly. Was this the trigger to re-open talks that had been underway in the early part of the year, but Baz had effectively prevented from going forward?

Any other suggestions? We might as well speculate while we wait for some news.
 
oldfrenchhorn said:
The thing that I keep coming back to, just what was in the safe that Baz wanted and someone else had given instructions that he should not have access to?

Yes, we can have some fun suggesting that it was his pen or even his sandwiches I suppose, yet there has to be a serious reason behind this episode. What did he want enough to call in the police and did he get the keys in the end? Cash flow forecasts, cheque books, documents relating to contracts undertaken, yet outside of the normal everyday business come to mind. Yet if he was so secretive how come that a senior member of staff kept the keys? If someone instructed the staff member that he should not give Baz access they must have known what was in there and come to the conclusion that it would damage the club if he was allowed to continue.

This all went on a week before the takeover talks commenced seemingly. Was this the trigger to re-open talks that had been underway in the early part of the year, but Baz had effectively prevented from going forward?

Any other suggestions? We might as well speculate while we wait for some news.
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this does seem to be the weirdest part of the whole story...
 
If something is too good to be true, then it probably is not true. Bas was on the verge of becoming too good to be true--delivering on promises, seemingly learning on the job, making the right noises. But we can now see that behind the scenes and beneath the surface it was a different story-- a "club in turmoil" as the WO said. Reports of staff and suppliers not paid, the Inland Revenue not paid (fatal) bond deadlines missed. His erratic behaviour seems to have returned--threats of libel actions, an amazing bust -up over access to a safe. What on earth was that about? How can that happen in a serious business? It looks like GT departing was to clear the decks for the takeover -- the new owners would not want him on board if Pozzo jnr is to be Chairman. Bas may be reluctant to sell, but has no choice if he has no money left. The sooner he goes the better.

But what are the intentions of the new owners? Their business model seems to be to regard players as "investments".Good business idea--it is impossible to make money by running a football club, but it might be possible to make money by finding (then selling) a Ronaldo every couple of years. You need to "process" maybe 100 young footballers to find one Ronaldo, but it looks like a workable plan. So Watford is now part of a "footballer factory" devoted to seeking and developing saleable football talent . The Pozzo's obviously think that having three clubs in three different leagues will bring economies of scale and widen the pool of talent they can recruit from. Watford is in the right league, in the right location and has the right infrastructure to be a good fit in such a strategy. But the forward development of the club itself, and the position of the club in the community is secondary to this. The best thing you can say about the new owners is that they are better than Bas (serious business men, better funded, have a clear plan) and they are not buying the club out of vanity, or with unrealistic expectations of making us a "Premiership team" . But they represent an approach to running a football club we have not seen before-- will we like it?
 
Well if nothing else this has got the punters out in force. A few days ago only 3 clubs were more fancied to go down next season. Now we are as short as 8-1 for promotion. For once I really hope the bookies are not wrong!
 
i'm sure many share those concerns Roger, and to be honest, we won't know the full extent of the changes until they start unfolding...i admit to being nervous, and i flit between downright against this, to hugely excited about it. Right now, i'm nearer the nervous but if you asked me why, it would only be because it's so very different to what happens at Watford, or in the UK for that matter. It's a new approach, and obviously a successful one for Udinese, and the Pozzos, and Granada, which we can take comfort from i suppose. I just don't want to lose what is essentially Watford, that would be a real shame, but if we want to improve, and have stability, maybe we can't have it both ways.
 
Si said:
Well if nothing else this has got the punters out in force. A few days ago only 3 clubs were more fancied to go down next season. Now we are as short as 8-1 for promotion. For once I really hope the bookies are not wrong!
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This is indeed interesting. Bookies don't make money by getting things too wrong. They clearly believe that something is going to happen that will improve our chances this season. I doubt if they would adjust the odds by this much if they thought that Baz was going to remain the owner - unless people have stated betting heavily on us, which I doubt.
 
NZHorn said:
Si said:
Well if nothing else this has got the punters out in force. A few days ago only 3 clubs were more fancied to go down next season. Now we are as short as 8-1 for promotion. For once I really hope the bookies are not wrong!
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This is indeed interesting. Bookies don't make money by getting things too wrong. They clearly believe that something is going to happen that will improve our chances this season. I doubt if they would adjust the odds by this much if they thought that Baz was going to remain the owner - unless people have stated betting heavily on us, which I doubt.
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Well footie bets generally need less money going in to change the odds hence why next manager markets change almost hourly and I suspect one or two with money to spend saw our previous odds which I think was in the 16-1 range as too generous. I know we were up to 80-1 for the title. Best now is 50s. I'd still consider this bet a risk so either money has gone on or the bookies have felt the need to adjust their odds.
 
To answer Rog's question - will we like it? Personally yes I would. As you state you cannot make money running a football club and as such a different business model needs to be worked (assuming we have no wealthy Russians or Arabs in wait). The model that the Pozzo's have developed seems to be based on football is the primary reason they are there - of course they do not throw monay away, but they are there because of the football, not because it is a cash cow that can be milked with little personal risk as some owners have clearly done in the past.

I hope and pray this deal goes ahead and we can hunker down and build a smashing little club that if focussed on football, developing players and maintaining the whole ethos of what WFC is about.
 
wear_yellow said:
To answer Rog's question - will we like it? Personally yes I would. As you state you cannot make money running a football club and as such a different business model needs to be worked (assuming we have no wealthy Russians or Arabs in wait). The model that the Pozzo's have developed seems to be based on football is the primary reason they are there - of course they do not throw monay away, but they are there because of the football, not because it is a cash cow that can be milked with little personal risk as some owners have clearly done in the past.

I hope and pray this deal goes ahead and we can hunker down and build a smashing little club that if focussed on football, developing players and maintaining the whole ethos of what WFC is about.
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Agree with this. For all their faults they do seem to be owners of teams who are more focused on developing and selling on talent than throwing wages at them. It's something we've learned to accept and fits Watford.
 
The question about will we like it becomes redundant if you consider the alternatives.

From all that has come out it sounds as if Baz has been forced into a corner from which he cannot escape. Should this deal fall through what is the alternative? More unpaid invoices, more rows in the offices, a winding up application from HMRC?

Clearly the man is hoping to get out with the best deal he can, but at the end of the day there is no future for him at Watford with so many revelations about the true nature of things at the club. He cannot continue as if nothing has become public knowledge, although my suspicions are that there are many things that have not seen the light of day.
 
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