You're Stewart Donald right now, what do you do?

He should put his head in the sand.....

Oh wait

 

Kitten...If Donald stays for another 18 months as you suggest then at our current rate of demise we'll be in the Conference by then.
PP was the wrong appointment and he hasn't taken long to prove that, the two managers that the fans wanted have now got themselves gainful employment elsewhere and we're left with a massive gamble on the likes of Philips or an up and coming manager from the lower leagues, whoever that is can't be any worse than our current incumbent.
This has to be the biggest mess we've been in in my 60 years supporting this club.

 

I would "like" your post but there's nothing I like about your last sentence which is unfortunately absolutely spot on.
Not totally convinced that PP is the whole trouble because it would appear that yesterday he avoided bringing on some of the senior players which suggests a problem behind the scenes. That said, if the players won't play for him, shifting him is the easier answer - DiCanio MkII.

Could also suggest that IF Wyke's goal had stood(anyone got a clear view of it BTW?) PP's strategy would have worked. Even so the majority of fans would have still been unhappy that we set out to nullify Gillingham rather than just steam-rollering them as befits our status.

 

I really do not think the yanks are interested in buying the club. If they were, they would have done so. This 10m loan looks like SD was struggling to get any form of financial input/backing and therefore he has taken the only loan option available and to do it he has in essence signed over all of the club as liabilities.

That doesn't sound like a takeover nor like the 'interested party' is interested. I would imagine if the payments for the loan defaulted and they seized control of the club that they would flip it to anyone in an attempt to get their money back.

 

Agreed, I think he has to avoid being scatter gun or they'll think nahhhh this is a total mess.

I know a lot of people either want him to fail so they take over, or want him to default so they take over, but the only realistic proposition for them to come in as ot stands is to do well and make progress. If they don't want in now, they sure as **** won't want in if it's been 4 seasons. They clearly aren't sure that's the type of investment they want to make (a really long term plan) and that's fine, a lot of big investors would say exactly the same.

So effectively, we need this tit end to start getting decisions right and stop shopping at Heron Foods for players and managers.

 

This is what I believe too. Too much has been read into them doing due diligence via a company that can be set up without major expense or effort, and not enough into the outcome of it that clearly stopped them going ahead with a 'proper' takeover.

At some point people have to realise that this wasnt Donald's decision to reject it.

Maybe they liked the idea at first because getting in at this level would be cheaper and yield returns just for getting to the PL, but the likelihood (imo) is they've looked at how much cash is needed to get there and how many teams fail in doing so, and they've decided that for now it's way too early for them. No problem there but we either get to the championship and show signs of life, or my gut feeling is that they'll eventually just buy a club further up the ladder.

 

The senior players you mentioned have downed tools as a result of Jack Ross losing his job.
Parkinson can't get them playing and was just filling up the subs bench yesterday, I would put the U23s in and leave them in the cold completely but as PP is totally useless he hasn't got the gonads to do this and send the right message to his squad.
I'd like to have been a fly in the wall in the dressing room these past few weeks.

 

You know on this thread km I’m quite warming to you, sensible posts without too much “here’s the facts so this is my interpretation and it’s definitely right”, so well done and I agree with lots of it. Although you slipped with that holier than thou "at some point..." ****e

I’ll tell you what I know, not think, but know, it comes virtually from the horses mouth, the only way it could be closer would be if I was riding it or mucking it out, but absolutely right, and smug knows it too from a slightly different angle.

The Americans walked because of demands around involvement and returns, and most importantly the assumptions used in the various business models. They were brought back by an intermediary who is also a local businessman, who has links. They’ve kept the deal alive by tying the assets into a loan arrangement to stop any shenanigans. The important thing is, they’ve kept it alive, not him, because they still want it, but like all good businessmen they’ll do things on their timetable at their price, if they ultimately want it to happen. They’re not currently, or at least two to three weeks ago, interested in any other transaction in the uk football market.

So imho, based on talking to people, and my own view, our current predicament actually helps our long term future, it’s more likely that he’ll have to sell on terms that suit a prudent investor. Look at the three promoted clubs, they’re out of their depths in the championship, and with Donald’s shallow pockets we would be relegated by now, but I’m not saying if we were in the championship we wouldn’t have new owners by now. The sale was predicated on a turnaround analysis and curve, and the assumptions used were challenged and a different curve was created but not agreed. The position on that curve was probably shown positively from one side as on the up, negatively on the other as still more to come, even promotion would keep us on the downside unless there was significant investment in the playing squad, which by the way was valued very optimistically.

Mike Ashley, who owns your club btw, , doesn’t buy businesses when they’re on the up, he buys them at the bottom and makes them better, profitable, successful and saleable. He strips the fat and makes them lean and profitable. Give sd his due he’s done that, he just needs to make them tick on the pitch, Let’s hope for his investments sake, he can before somebody else has to step in to do that bit right.

A few more facts that can add to your argument/ analysis

There was a sale prospectus for safc done about three or four years ago that was widely circulated to American investment companies.

If you dig deep enough there is a link between lone star and Kildare and mad.

That's my twopenneth.

 

I know he is banned the Mag cnut but that made me laugh.

 

A lot to unpack but can we start with the fact I'm not a mag?

I agree with much of the rest and the info is appreciated. I heard at the time that they came back with 50+ issues regarding Madrox's assumptions and forecasts, which doesn't seem out of kilter for where we've ended up, but as I have no frame of reference for that (is 50 more or less than we'd expect for a football club? I reckon I had 1 core question at a 1/10th scale to SAFC but with a much simpler business model). If they initiated the loan, that's a source of comfort, because although they're saying 'not now', they're not saying 'never'. Business projections are tough and I imagine at this level, with the complexity and volatility of a football club, the logic test is far, far more open to questioning.

That said, I think we're agreed that we do need to get on the upward curve to coax them on board? I don't think we can afford to stagnate because it won't shift SD and it won't prompt them to come back to the table. Defaulting/SD selling for next to nothing aren't realistic options imo.

 

If one of us won the £160million euro lottery , do the rules allow us to chuck say half into the club just as a gift , or interest free loan with no particular repayment requirements?
Speaking for myself ,I reckon I could get by with just the remaining £80 m in my account

 

Obviously surmising but CM and SD saying only ever an investment,.
Is this back peddling after over valuing the club for this league?
Efl rules make this a hard league to get out of (unless you go the wrong way with shìt decisions)
I would like to think fpp want the club but have given SD the opportunity to take us to the next level, (whether SD negotiated that or not) ?
Championship and SD gets asking price saving FPP work,
Not gaining promotion could either see them takeover for ten million, keep or flip,
or get repayed and walk.
The latter doesn't bear thinking about unless SD has decided to cut his losses if he can't deliver.


TC leaving, CM stating this was never a takeover then disappearing doesn't look good.
Shambolic.

 

I mean put it this way, it's almost inconceivable that Methven was the problem for FPP and Donald knew he wanted to leave while doing the negotiations, because then all parties would be happy if he left and the takeover completed. I'd suggest that it's more likely there were fundamental DD issues and Methven's resignation has more to do with his inability to corral the fanbase into supporting them without question. Now he's being challenged in meetings, he hates it and is walking away rather than justify their lack of ambition.

 

Grayson and Parkinson are identical in playing method and post and pre match comments.

neither should have been within a 100 miles of being employed as a safc manager.

Safc need a rabble rouser in charge. Eg Reid, allardyce and Keane. Straightforward really

 

About the only thing of merit he has done was to take a razor to the club costs, especially wages when he first arrived.
Playing hardball with some of mercenaries was long overdue..
Now all that is unravelling. Paying off ross, the inevitable paying off of PP and his gang of losers, the massive hit we will have to take with grigg. A bloated squad who have given up and who no other club would want.
It's a bigger mess than when he arrived.
That he has scooted off down his rabbit hole speaks volumes for his lack of intestinal fortitude. He is not fit to be the head of our club

 

If hr has any sense he will try and find a way to get out.. The abuse he is getting is just not worth it..

 

Keane only ever got results when he was able to spend money..lots of it.
When the money tap was turned off he didnt have a clue. His cluelessness was further amplified when he went to Ipswich.
Even his stints as assistant manager ( bib boy ) have been a waste of space.
This belief amongst supporters that players and teams will only improve with a regimental sergeant major type at the helm is an utter crock.
The managers that succeed these days know how to organise a team and play effective football. Throwing teapots and hurling profanities is for dinosaur football aficionados. I can only assume it makes the jumpers for goalposts crew feel better that their team's players are having to take freezing showers and players are being shamed and insulted every minute .

 

I think Donald is in an absolute hole and if I was him I'd just be hoping for a way out that doesn't cost me a fortune. Parkinson was, in some ways (by going against what every fan wanted) a ballsy decision. I actually respect the fact that he went with what he thought was right, rather than going for a populist decision just to keep the fans happy. It always seemed an odd choice though and it's massively backfired on him. If it was less because of balls and more because he was cheap then the old saying about buying cheap paying twice (I might be paraphrasing) will likely be proven true.

Trouble is if he sacks him, who does he bring in? I thought Stendel and Pearson were by far the best options (whether realistic or not, who knows) but both have new jobs now. I didn't want Ainsworth but even he won't look at us currently whilst he's happily enhancing his reputation at Wycombe. It would cost him a fair bit to sack him and then it would have to be another risk with a replacement, I'm not sure he'll want to go down that route.

So there's no obvious solution to the manager issue, the squad needs a hell of a lot of work regardless of who the manager is, and we now look highly unlikely to get out of league one so we're about to take a massive financial hit when the parachute payment stops and that is looking like being compounded by a huge drop in season card sales next season. He's not a massively rich bloke (for a football club owner) so I think he'll now be focusing on how to get out without losing the lot that he's put in. If the Americans are still interested that might be his lifeline, but they won't be prepared to pay much at this stage.

 

So who do you think would be a good manager? You seem to want to criticise just about everybody who has held the post at SAFC.

 

You're Stewart Donald right now, what do you do???????

I would be having a bit of a cry.