I'm liking the new 'Bloom era'

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

We *probably* would have done. However we would have been destined to be at Withers probably for another 20 years or so!

 

[Buzzer]

And anyone who says that Bloom bailing us out was always part of the plan is also kidding themselves. If that was the case then why was DK effectively sacked?

 

[mona]

And anyone who says that Bloom bailing us out was always part of the and is also kidding themselves. If that was the case then why was DK effectively sacked?

Now for another binfest.

 

[Jim in the West]

He's had umpteen proper salutes. Lord knows he was orchestrating them on an almost weekly basis at one point at home games.

Eternally grateful for saving the Albion when he did but just as grateful to Bloom for saving the Albion from DK's failure over Falmer funding. And also very grateful, as HT says that the club has moved away from being run like some village school PTA group.

Onwards and upwards

Just to set the record straight, DK didn't "fail" over the Falmer funding - there was the little matter of a world-wide credit crunch. The UK came within a few days of being completely bankrupt. Far, far larger organisations than B&HA FC came to grief as a result.

That's not to say we shouldn't be eternally grateful to TB - he is an absolute hero. But let's not forget that DK got us Falmer (with a lot of help, obviously) - but he was the guy who kept the whole project going, against HUGE odds. And the whole Falmer campaign was immensely professional. It was NOT being run "like some village PTA group". There are quite a few clubs much larger than ourselves who are making a pig's breakfast of getting planning permission for new stadia, in theoretically far easier situations than ours. Fortunately we had (and have) a bunch of very professional guys running our club. The main difference now is that the bloke at the top has got some money.

 

[Simster]

It was NOT being run "like some village PTA group". There are quite a few clubs much larger than ourselves who are making a pig's breakfast of getting planning permission for new stadia, in theoretically far easier situations than ours. Fortunately we had (and have) a bunch of very professional guys running our club.

I suspect he was alluding to the perception that there was some sort of inner circle of fans who were consequently rarely seen criticising the man at the top. And even worse, rounding on those who did.

But we've been here before, so no binfest on my account please.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

Just to set the record straight, DK didn't "fail" over the Falmer funding - there was the little matter of a world-wide credit crunch. The UK came within a few days of being completely bankrupt. Far, far larger organisations than B&HA FC came to grief as a result.

That's not to say we shouldn't be eternally grateful to TB - he is an absolute hero. But let's not forget that DK got us Falmer (with a lot of help, obviously) - but he was the guy who kept the whole project going, against HUGE odds. And the whole Falmer campaign was immensely professional. It was NOT being run "like some village PTA group". There are quite a few clubs much larger than ourselves who are making a pig's breakfast of getting planning permission for new stadia, in theoretically far easier situations than ours. Fortunately we had (and have) a bunch of very professional guys running our club. The main difference now is that the bloke at the top has got some money.

Word Jimbo.

By the same token - of course we all love the Bloom era.

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

By the same token - of course we all love the Bloom era.

Sorry I mean of course - we are all loving the Bloom era.

 

[algie]

And anyone who says that Bloom bailing us out was always part of the plan is also kidding themselves. If that was the case then why was DK effectively sacked?

That my friend is crap.Just answer one question then.

When Perry presented the council proof of funding before they gave the nod for Falmer,who do you think is responsible for the cash flow?
It certainly wasn't no bank loan as they weren't lending.It had to be a bloody good source before the council panel gave there thumbs up.
It was Bloom of course and as he has said countless times before he wasn't expecting to pump so much in at once but he did.

 

[cardboard]

But what about the children of Mile Oak

 

[Deleted member 2719]

incidentally, what would have been the reaction had bloom not stepped in to fund falmer? knight and perry stated over and over again the funding was in place and there would be no problems with it. how exactly would they have got out of a pretty big hole whereby they would have had to turn around and basically admit we couldn't actually afford the stadium?

All we heard for months on end is how we shouldn't worry about where the funding was coming from.

Then the economy collapsed and there was still not a peep from the board about how the stadium was being funded. Just as well Tony Bloom stumped up really, because Knight's legendary status may well have been severely compromised if he hadn't. Does anyone seriously believe we'd have a stadium if it wasn't for Bloom?

I appear to have beaten you by a minute. And we're both right, aren't we.

Yes you are both right Knight saved us originally but what a blagger he was.

Just hope Tony doesn't gamble too much of his fortune while running potentially the biggest club on the South Coast.

 

[Buzzer]

Just to set the record straight, DK didn't "fail" over the Falmer funding - there was the little matter of a world-wide credit crunch. The UK came within a few days of being completely bankrupt. Far, far larger organisations than B&HA FC came to grief as a result.

That's not to say we shouldn't be eternally grateful to TB - he is an absolute hero. But let's not forget that DK got us Falmer (with a lot of help, obviously) - but he was the guy who kept the whole project going, against HUGE odds. And the whole Falmer campaign was immensely professional. It was NOT being run "like some village PTA group". There are quite a few clubs much larger than ourselves who are making a pig's breakfast of getting planning permission for new stadia, in theoretically far easier situations than ours. Fortunately we had (and have) a bunch of very professional guys running our club. The main difference now is that the bloke at the top has got some money.

firstly, of course the global crisis made the whole thing a whole lot more difficult but I seem to recall bring told countless times right up to the convertible loan stock issue becoming public that funding was in place, there's no need to worry and that some or a bank funding was in place. Admittedly nothing was ever explicit but there were nods, winks and lots of "don't worry. It's all good".

Clearly it wasn't. For whatever reason, the banks did not like the business model and TB bailed us out. Unfortunately for DK he really should have kept absolutely schtum about progress but so eager was he to want Falmer to succeed (Christ, we all wanted and needed it to) that he was feeding us half-truths and hope rather than solid facts. I'm under no illusions that if TB had told DK from the outset that he would underwrite it then DK would still be chairman. It was an eleventh hour rescue that cost DK his dream.

I can't comment on the Falmer project team and I'm sure they're all very professional. My quip about village PTA is to do with day to day running of the club. Of ticket allocations in bins, of faxing bank and credit card details, of forty note funds being unacknowledged by the club, of replica tops not turning up in time for the start of the season, of useless marketing by the club and missing opportunity after opportunity to reach out to their target audience [bit about DK and his clique deleted. Subject has been done to death]

It sounds like I'm anti - DK and I'm not. Genuinely, he saved us back in 1997 but in 2009 he made promises that he couldn't keep and without TB we'd be looking at Withdean and all that would mean for us.

 

[Buzzer]

That my friend is crap.Just answer one question then.

When Perry presented the council proof of funding before they gave the nod for Falmer,who do you think is responsible for the cash flow?
It certainly wasn't no bank loan as they weren't lending.It had to be a bloody good source before the council panel gave there thumbs up.
It was Bloom of course and as he has said countless times before he wasn't expecting to pump so much in at once but he did.

Well, we will have to agree to disagree, amigo.

 

[KneeOn]

firstly, of course the global crisis made the whole thing a whole lot more difficult but I seem to recall bring told countless times right up to the convertible loan stock issue becoming public that funding was in place, there's no need to worry and that some or a bank funding was in place. Admittedly nothing was ever explicit but there were nods, winks and lots of "don't worry. It's all good".

Clearly it wasn't. For whatever reason, the banks did not like the business model and TB bailed us out. Unfortunately for DK he really should have kept absolutely schtum about progress but so eager was he to want Falmer to succeed (Christ, we all wanted and needed it to) that he was feeding us half-truths and hope rather than solid facts. I'm under no illusions that if TB had told DK from the outset that he would underwrite it then DK would still be chairman. It was an eleventh hour rescue that cost DK his dream.

I can't comment on the Falmer project team and I'm sure they're all very professional. My quip about village PTA is to do with day to day running of the club. Of ticket allocations in bins, of faxing bank and credit card details, of forty note funds being unacknowledged by the club, of replica tops not turning up in time for the start of the season, of useless marketing by the club and missing opportunity after opportunity to reach out to their target audience [bit about DK and his clique deleted. Subject has been done to death]

It sounds like I'm anti - DK and I'm not. Genuinely, he saved us back in 1997 but in 2009 he made promises that he couldn't keep and without TB we'd be looking at Withdean and all that would mean for us.

Being honest though. Would TB have turned around and said "Well you cocked up the funding, I aint funding it, off to Witdean with you"? No. Because he loves the club. I don't think funding was ever in doubt. If not a bank, then TB. We always had that safety net to fal back on and i think that, even if he never ever said it for fear of jepodising it, Dick knew that, and to an extent, TB knew that he may have to fund the stadium, given not in one go, but he had to have known he was one of, if the the richest fan we have.

 

[Digweeds Trousers]

no DK no Albion.






no TB no Albion

 

[KneeOn]

no DK no Albion.






no TB no Albion

Fair assesment of the situation.

 

[NMH]

no DK no Albion.






no TB no Albion

Ah, there it is - some sense from the gallery

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Clearly it wasn't. For whatever reason, the banks did not like the business model

You have a point here. Whilst the banking meltdown was going on other clubs and businesses were still able to refinance and/or borrow. If the Albion business model had clout then I guess funds would have been available. Banks didnt completely stop lending during the crisis.

 

[Brovion]

no DK no Albion.



no TB no Albion

Yes, a very neat summing-up there Diggers. We have just been SO lucky that those two people came along at exactly the right time(s). And also in the right order. I maybe doing him a disservice but I don't think Bloom has the same level of people or presentational skills that Knight had and he wouldn't have been the right man to fight the battles that Knight fought - money alone wouldn't have defeated Archer, got us back to Withdean and got the Falmer project to the level it was when he handed over the reins.

 

[gjh1971]

Knight was also responsible for the Wilkins sacking farce quoted as saying 'He would have been sacked even if we acheived promotion', and the farcical famous five player signings stated before he signed anyone, then franctically buying substandard players such as Irish student Shane McFaul and Aldershot reserve Jonny Dixon to make the signings up to five.

Now we are signing flair Spanish imports despite the arctic conditions and it's only the first week of January.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

As Digweeds Trousers pointed out - we needed both DK and TB.

The one thing that does seem to get overlooked though is that DK was the one that finally got rid of Archer. Even after DK took over Archer was a shareholder for quite some time - thanks to DK "persuading" him to sell his shares we finally got rid of the !