Dick Knight is on his way out

[The Large One]

The case for Knight continuing to run the club has always been a good one. However his age is a factor. It has to be. The bigger factor though is the apparent lack of decision making power he has had in recent months. Bloom is investing heavily in the ALbion, more than anyone else in the history of the club has done. It is therefore only right that he has a big say in what is happening. It is one thing to let Knight run the club on behalf of shareholders who have invested relatively small sums of money, but this is a significant chunk we are talking about. It therefore makes sense for the club to be run by someone representing Bloom. This clearly can not be Dick Knight as he is another shareholder, so it need to be someone appointed by Bloom. If Gary Stevens is that man then so be it. It is only the same type of scenario as Karen Brady. Although Karen Brady's business acumen was more widely known when she joined Birmingham.

Someone already does run the club on a day-to-day basis - Ken Brown. Irrespective of any petty snipes that might pop up on mentioning his name, that is what he is there for. Therefore, to bring anyone else in, Brown would have to be sacked. Or paid off very handsomely.

Similarly, most of Tony Bloom's interests are kept an eye on by his uncle, who is also a shareholder and a Board member.

If I'm reading you right, it would also imply Tony Bloom is not happy in the slightest with the way Dick and the rest of the staff are running the club. While there may be disagreements from time to time in the Boardroom, what evidence - apart from the gossip and rumour on here - is there to suggest Tony Bloom wants wholesale changes in the running of the club?

Of course, if he is putting in the millions we are speculating on, he might well want a greater say in the running of the club - that's understood. The scenario you would be talking about would have to mean Tony Bloom taking a far more pro-active role in the running of the club - not something one he would be able to do effectively from Australia.

My point is - how can Tony make any decent judgement calls on the internal workings of Brighton & Hove Albion from such a distance? What would putting his 'own team' in achieve?

And if the answer is 'he is doing it because he can', then that is a slightly worrying scenario.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Saturday's rumour also had Ken Brown catching the next train out of town.

 

[drew]

What a load of elephant wank, we were dead and buried. By all means criticise DK for some mistakes, but to claim there was a queue of people looking to take over is rewriting history.

So DK was the only person on the planet that was ever going to save the Albion. How many clubs in the last 20 years have gone out of existence having gone into administration. Can't think of one myself but I'm sure you will correct me.

Also, was it DK who identified the change in the clubs constitution that the FA forced Archer to reverse or someone else?

 

[Notters]

Saturday's rumour also had Ken Brown catching the next train out of town.

Any particular reason for that? Because he only wants to work with Knight?

 

[Notters]

So DK was the only person on the planet that was ever going to save the Albion. How many clubs in the last 20 years have gone out of existence having gone into administration. Can't think of one myself but I'm sure you will correct me.

Also, was it DK who identified the change in the clubs constitution that the FA forced Archer to reverse or someone else?

Most clubs who have gone into administration have still had a ground to play in, haven't they?

 

[sir danny cullip]

And if the answer is 'he is doing it because he can', then that is a slightly worrying scenario.

Why did Bloom put his foot down (allegedly) and hasten the exit of Adams? Becuase he had the power to do so. Why did Bloom (allegedly) want to bring in a more high profile manager over the summer? Because he had the power to do so. Why does anyone increase their influence within a football club? Because usually they have the financial weight to throw around and feel, rightly or wrongly, that they know a better way of doing things.

My main concern with the whole thing is that if these rumors, that Bloom wasn't fully behind the decision to appoint Slade permanently, are true he may not be given as favourable financial backing as another manager Bloom had appointed himself.

 

[Easy 10]

So DK was the only person on the planet that was ever going to save the Albion. How many clubs in the last 20 years have gone out of existence having gone into administration. Can't think of one myself but I'm sure you will correct me.

I'd wager that only a FAN would bother rescuing a club that had finished 91st, had no home to play at, and required a £500k bond to be lodged with the FA, refundable only on the provision that the club returned to Brighton.

Plenty of clubs have been on the brink, but I'm not sure they were also having to try and sort out somewhere to play their home games the next season, or finance somewhere to return to (didn't Withdean cost something like £2m to knock into "shape" for league football ?).

Yep, they were queuing up.

 

[The Large One]

So DK was the only person on the planet that was ever going to save the Albion. How many clubs in the last 20 years have gone out of existence having gone into administration. Can't think of one myself but I'm sure you will correct me.

DK (and his consortium) was the only one who saved the Albion.

No-one else did step up to the plate without getting so few guarantees. Others wanted to see the books (as did he), but those others dropped out when they were refused access. Dick didn't. And in the end, all the books told him were the Archer had fed him a series of lies.

Incidentally Aldershot, Newport County, Maidstone and Scarborough all went to the wall.

Also, was it DK who identified the change in the clubs constitution that the FA forced Archer to reverse or someone else?

Someone else. So...?

 

[The Large One]

Why did Bloom put his foot down (allegedly) and hasten the exit of Adams? Becuase he had the power to do so. Why did Bloom (allegedly) want to bring in a more high profile manager over the summer? Because he had the power to do so. Why does anyone increase their influence within a football club? Because usually they have the financial weight to throw around and feel, rightly or wrongly, that they know a better way of doing things.

My main concern with the whole thing is that if these rumors, that Bloom wasn't fully behind the decision to appoint Slade permanently, are true he may not be given as favourable financial backing as another manager Bloom had appointed himself.

Rumours, allegedlies, rumours, more allegedlies and further rumours.

I'm not swiping at you, (I myself was responding to a given scenario set down by Giraffe) just saying that there seems to be little more than hearsay being bandied about at present. Some substance to this story (assuming there is one at all) would be nice.

Even the story of the 50m shares thingy on the other thread is still asking more questions than providing answers.

I'm sure we'll be told eventually, but until then...

 

[Gritt23]

So DK was the only person on the planet that was ever going to save the Albion. How many clubs in the last 20 years have gone out of existence having gone into administration. Can't think of one myself but I'm sure you will correct me.

Maidstone United went out of business in 1993. They were reformed within days, but dropped from being a league side to playing in the Kent County League (basically the spot in the non-league pyramid that a "new" team was permitted to enter).

What was the difference between them and so many others who rise like a phoenix from the flames? They had lost their ground! Sound familiar?

Make no mistake about it, whether you love him or doubt him now, the man DID save this club.

 

[Icy Gull]

?

Make no mistake about it, whether you love him or doubt him now, the man DID save this club.

I cannot imagine there is an Albion fan who would argue with that

 

[1swedegull]

If there is a power struggle going on it will no doubt come to the fore and be non rumour IF bloom is pulling the strings then fair enough but the money that has been funded for players such as Murray and Davies (all be it how much of a season they have had) has to be applauded . let us not go down the road of 10 years ago when dk came to the fore thats when the club rose and if it is time to move on or go into the shadows then only he will decide but with out his support , norman cooks support or whoever wants to put money into brighton and hove albion football club then embrace it cos as someone said above we could have been in a much worse state then we are now.

 

[Dave the OAP]

doesw it really matter who is running the club?

the controls should be in place to stop another Archer/Stanley scenario.

I think it should be Paul Cammilin

 

[Notters]

the controls should be in place to stop another Archer/Stanley scenario.

They are, aren't they? Dick Knight has said repeatedly that no one person will ever have a majority shareholding again. Though I suppose all it would take is two crooks to get a majority.

 

[The Large One]

I cannot imagine there is an Albion fan who would argue with that

I can think of a few.

 

[Icy Gull]

They are, aren't they? Dick Knight has said repeatedly that no one person will ever have a majority shareholding again. QUOTE]

That can be changed again once he has left surely??

 

[Icy Gull]

I can think of a few.

Are they a bit special?

 

[ewe2]

Well it needs sorting !

 

[Pavilionaire]

I don't see why Tony Bloom couldn't run the club from Australia provided he had his man on the board. After all, Abramovich seems to manage his Russian businesses and Chelsea pretty well.

 

[southwickseagull]

If there is any truth in all this i think that as with Russell Slade, every Brighton fan should get behind Dick Knight and let fan power rule. Nobody can deny that HE saved our club and should be the one to take us to Falmer. Tony Bloom is a gambler and they all lose in the end, so dont let him gamble with our clubs future.