Clarification from Paul Barber on Dick Knight Selling his shares

[Wozza]

I do find this whole situation incredibly boring, is it only me that couldn't give a stuff?

Quite an unusual question to ask on a thread with 350+ posts and 13k+ page views...

 

[Jim D]

Here you go.

Here's a thought...... If this offer goes ahead Dick is likely to receive several hundred (maybe several thousand) applications. Each of these will have an 'Albion life story' as part of the submission. Is this the basis for another book? It should be ready for next Christmas and there will be a ready market of several hundred buyers.

 

[Giraffe]

Quite an unusual question to ask on a thread with 350+ posts and 13k+ page views...

 

[Tooting Gull]

Here's a thought...... If this offer goes ahead Dick is likely to receive several hundred (maybe several thousand) applications. Each of these will have an 'Albion life story' as part of the submission. Is this the basis for another book? It should be ready for next Christmas and there will be a ready market of several hundred buyers.

Yup. 27,000 people claiming 'I was always there through thick and thin, Goldstone, Withdean, Carlisle away, you name it...'

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I started this thread on 7th November 2008 If I knew there was no alternative then, he sure as hell did.

http://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/showth...hlight=finance

Lots didn't believe me but this is what I said:

"Really worried about Falmer finance now
I work for a company that regularly raises finance for a variety of reasons, and projects. We never have a problem doing this and even in the current economic climate are considered a very safe bet.

However today our bank have told us they are no longer offering finance, not just to us but anyone. Basically it wouldn't matter what we did the finance would not be available.

We are a safe bet. Arguably a football club is not. Yes they will have an income generating asset once completed but its not exactly something a bank could easily sell if repayments were not forthcoming.

Basically I believe the whole one year delay thing is in preparation for not being able to CURRENTLY raise the funds. Unless a private investor stumps up all or a large part of the cost there is no way they will finance it in the current climate.

I am not normally scaremongerer and up to now believed finance of the stadium would not be a problem but sadly the world is a very different place now and thanks to Lewes District Council the club are trying to raise finance at probably the worst time in financing history.

It doesn't mean it won't be built but can't see how they can raise the finance through banks for some while. This may change in the new year or they may have a significant private investor waiting in the wings, but if not then don't expect the financing to be announced anytime soon."

Posting the same "look at me" post in TWO threads ? Who says DK has the drop on marketing

 

[Tooting Gull]

Posting the same "look at me" post in TWO threads ? Who says DK has the drop on marketing

I think that's fair enough every now and then, if you got slaughtered on here and turned out to be bang on the money.

In fact I might go looking for the thread I posted on circa 2007-8 about Amex and how they were the clear solution as a huge local employer, embarrassing a few people who said they would NEVER get involved in a big way with the Albion...

 

[Commander]

I agree with you to some extent, but what Dick said last night at the book signing was that he would have been quite happy for Bloom to have started as Vice Chairman, and for Dick to hand over Chairmanship to Bloom in due course - he had envisaged a symbolic handover at the first match at the stadium (either Spurs or Doncaster), with Dick them stepping down. But Bloom wanted the chairmanship from day one. Personally, I think that what Dick wanted would have been a reasonable compromise -- let Dick see through the stadium project to completion and then hand over the running of the board and club to the man who'd stumped up the dosh.

Why on earth would someone who was putting in £120 million to a league 1 football club only become vice chairman? If I was putting in that kind of money I would want absolute, full control!

 

[El Presidente]

Why on earth would someone who was putting in £120 million to a league 1 football club only become vice chairman? If I was putting in that kind of money I would want absolute, full control!

Stuff that, I'd be demanding a nosh from the fittest WAG at the club.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Stuff that, I'd be demanding a nosh from the fittest WAG at the club.

I'm no expert, but isn't £120m a little above the going rate?

 

[symyjym]

Dear Lord, he really needs to get over this doesn't he. Clearly Perry was trying to be kind and let him face up to reality. He shouldn't be having a pop at him now.

To say that Perry was clearly trying to be kind to him is just a little bit patronising.

Maybe it would have saved the DK a lot of trouble and money if the Bloom family stepped up to the plate in 1997? Where were they then?

Could they have connected as well as DK did with the fans, and taken us through the worst years in our history?

I am happy with the takeover choice, but I haven't got a problem learning about Brutus's part in the final outcome.

 

[Giraffe]

Posting the same "look at me" post in TWO threads ? Who says DK has the drop on marketing

I'm going to charge £1 for every viewing.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Quite an unusual question to ask on a thread with 350+ posts and 13k+ page views...

Fair point, I shall leave you all to it.

 

[chimneys]

I am happy with the takeover choice, but .

So what choice was that? It was TB or nothing!

I'm relieved that you are happy though, albeit I note like many others on here when it comes to TB, there's a but!

Incredible!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I think if I was sitting there at Withdean saying look the banks won't give us any money, I tell you what I'll pay for it all, all £100m, then another £20m on training facilities, then a further £8m per year for god knows how long just to keep the club afloat, all on top of what I'd already put into the club, I would probably want to run the show and make sure it was done properly. You really can't blame Bloom for wanting that. And Dick Knight should have gracefully accepted that, however galling it must have been.

It wasn't the fact that Bloom would take over as Chairman that DK found "galling", it was the fact that he wanted to do so immediately and without any discussion. As the book makes clear, DK decided that it was in the best interests of the Club and the fans to give way to Bloom's demands - although he hints that other (high risk) options were available to him.

 

[symyjym]

So what choice was that? It was TB or nothing!

I'm relieved that you are happy though, albeit I note like many others on here when it comes to TB, there's a but!

Incredible!

DK wanted to officially hand over the keys to the Amex once it had been built. This was not much to ask for considering all the hard work for the Amex was on DK's watch.

The question really is whose corner was Martin Perry fighting in, not what Bloom or DK wanted.

It would have been a nice ceremony for the handover to be at the Amex and I am sure Perry could have fought harder for that to be the outcome considering DK had taken it to the point of construction after fighting for a home for twelve years.

 

[attila]

It wasn't the fact that Bloom would take over as Chairman that DK found "galling", it was the fact that he wanted to do so immediately and without any discussion. As the book makes clear, DK decided that it was in the best interests of the Club and the fans to give way to Bloom's demands - although he hints that other (high risk) options were available to him.

Exactly.

 

[Tooting Gull]

It wasn't the fact that Bloom would take over as Chairman that DK found "galling", it was the fact that he wanted to do so immediately and without any discussion. As the book makes clear, DK decided that it was in the best interests of the Club and the fans to give way to Bloom's demands - although he hints that other (high risk) options were available to him.

But there is no discussion to be had. If you're putting up that money, you're the chairman if you want to be, and Bloom did. And it would have been the same in any company Knight worked for in his whole life.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Exactly.

You claim to be some sort of stockbroker, John. Any chance of some advice as to whether we should consider spending a quid or so on getting our hands on a few Albion shares?

 

[dougdeep]

You can't really argue with someone that has put £180,000,000 into the club and is putting in more every month.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

But there is no discussion to be had. If you're putting up that money, you're the chairman if you want to be, and Bloom did. And it would have been the same in any company Knight worked for in his whole life.

That's one way of looking at it. But it ignores the question of what exactly does the Chairman of a football club do.

Stuff like building up a relationship with the big names in the game, realising that there's more to running a football club than paying for the stadium, establishing a rapport with the fans ...

DK had genuine concerns about TB's inexperience in these matters and felt that a DK/TB "double act" would have been a better way to go about it - leading in time to TB taking over as Chairman.