Dick Knight knows NOTHING...

[BigGully]

Big Gully, do you really think that DK alone signs the cheques? There is a Managing Director, club secretary and other directors involved.
Those 'wealthy friends' are fellow directors.

No I do not think DK signs the cheques.

DK actually holds very little financial clout, if any.

Its the Board Members and friends no doubt.

I said for DK to keep them happy is maybe worth recognising.

 

[BigGully]

So basically BigGully, your point is that DK and the board do not really deserve our respect and recognition for the way they have run the club, because they are just doing what every other board of Directors have done at those clubs who have gone down the pan in recent years and have been every bit as as reckless with money - the only difference being, we have Directors here who are doing actually doing this within their budgets ?

E10, I just havent said that.

I am sure they deserve great respect, but I was just pointing out a different view to the initial one that started this thread.

I think there is very little financial constraint, happening at Brighton.

And I have tried to put this to you.

I as a fan remain happy that we run as a competitive club.

But we achieve this by spending many millions of pounds that we just dont generate.

To somehow pin our 'success' on the disciplined constraints of DK whilst pinning Bournemouths 'failures' on the recklessness of their Chairman whilst maybe gleening some satisfaction from this, is worth another look.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

It becomes a little relevant when you make a booking for 20 rooms rather than the 1 room you and your bird might book with a cut out offer from The Sun...!!

It cost tens of thousands, which ever way you wrap it up.

Another indication that DK thankfully aint no different to the rest.

That's my problem with your arguments - you generalise and exaggerate to make your point.

A typical double Hilton room on a Monday night would be around £100. 20 rooms - if that is what is needed - would cost £2000, but for that many rooms you'd probably get a discount.

So the stop over cost would be perhaps - at most - £2k - that's hardly "tens of thousands of pounds".

It makes your other supposition hard to take seriously when you use rhetoric and hyperbole and not sensible debate.

 

[BigGully]

That's my problem with your arguments - you generalise and exaggerate to make your point.

A typical double Hilton room on a Monday night would be around £100. 20 rooms - if that is what is needed - would cost £2000, but for that many rooms you'd probably get a discount.

So the stop over cost would be perhaps - at most - £2k - that's hardly "tens of thousands of pounds".

It makes your other supposition hard to take seriously when you use rhetoric and hyperbole and not sensible debate.

I am guessing you aint the clubs accountant.

I think you'll need to multiply your £2k by how many times they stop over in a season.

 

[BigGully]

Then come back with your figure

 

[Yorkie]

How many times do they stop over? You tell us.

 

[BigGully]

How many times do they stop over? You tell us.

Well how many away games do they play in a season including Cups, Pre Season Friendlies etc ??

Will stay on most of them, if we said at least 75% we wont be too far out.

 

[BigGully]

Is it the wrong time to ask what the Luxury Coach costs to get them there and back !!!

 

[BigGully]

Either way I am sure it is as I said ...... tens of thousands of pounds.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Yep, but that only becomes relevant if it does go pearshape.

Absolute rubbish, directors knowingly allowing a business to trade whilst insolvent are commiting a criminal offence - full stop! The eventual outcome is not relevant.

In reality, all ailing business trade whilst insolvent before they go bust, if they are not careful then legal action would be instigated.

Some businesses may do so - defence often used by individual directors is that they didn't realise

I think we are using the term to show that we have not returned any profits in recent history.

Lack of profit does not mean that a business is insolvent and it was YOU who first used this term in post 42:
"But dont kid yourselves .... nearly in every aspect we mirror a successful, financially solvent football club ......... but we aint a successful and solvent football club."
Here you say that the club is not solvent so either expound, and if you have evidence give it to HMRC, the police etc or pipe down.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

A large proportion of the "debt" (you say £12m but I've not see this figure anywhere as fact) is loans from current Directors that are not, in effect, having to be serviced. I understand the Directors will have those loans converted to shares in the stadium holding company (although I'm no great authority on all this - Lord B or someone can probably give the definitive).

'fraid not. I know very little about the detail.

But I've worked out this much about Dick Knight ...

He's incredibly careful about who he lets near the Albion. He can smell a rat a mile off. And he can smell an "investor" who is motivated more by personal greed than the wellbeing of the club and its fans. When he smells them, he sees them off.

The people with money who have occasionally splashed out on players have also pitched in to pay the electricity bills and dull stuff like that. These guys are fans, first and foremost. Their money is, essentially, a gift.

Dick Knight's "prudence" is that he has attracted enough money to keep the club afloat and, over the years, achieve real success on the field. OK, the balance sheet shows debts. But much of the debt is represented by loans from people who will not let the club sink and who are happy to see DK at the helm.

 

[BigGully]

Absolute rubbish, directors knowingly allowing a business to trade whilst insolvent are commiting a criminal offence - full stop! The eventual outcome is not relevant.

Some businesses may do so - defence often used by individual directors is that they didn't realise

Lack of profit does not mean that a business is insolvent and it was YOU who first used this term in post 42:
"But dont kid yourselves .... nearly in every aspect we mirror a successful, financially solvent football club ......... but we aint a successful and solvent football club."
Here you say that the club is not solvent so either expound, and if you have evidence give it to HMRC, the police etc or pipe down.

You name me a company that didnt go into insolvency that wasnt at some time before that, trading whilst the directors had knowledge that the company was insolvent but of course wouldnt admit it as it is an offence ? It only becomes apparent if they dont trade through it.

You dont wake up and think shit were insolvent I am off to the official receivers office. It occurs over time, and many successful companies trade through times of real financial difficulties and survive and sometimes prosper, that is what I meant by if it goes pearshape.

I know its an offence but in real life it happens all the time, I think its also an offence to have preferential creditors too, but we all have them to different degrees.

The term solvent was to highlite that there has not been any profits in recent history, it was never to say that the club was in some way acting illegally.

 

[The Large One]

'fraid not. I know very little about the detail.

But I've worked out this much about Dick Knight ...

He's incredibly careful about who he lets near the Albion. He can smell a rat a mile off. And he can smell an "investor" who is motivated more by personal greed than the wellbeing of the club and its fans. When he smells them, he sees them off.

The people with money who have occasionally splashed out on players have also pitched in to pay the electricity bills and dull stuff like that. These guys are fans, first and foremost. Their money is, essentially, a gift.

Dick Knight's "prudence" is that he has attracted enough money to keep the club afloat and, over the years, achieve real success on the field. OK, the balance sheet shows debts. But much of the debt is represented by loans from people who will not let the club sink and who are happy to see DK at the helm.

Which begs the point - seeing as he seems to know so much about the intricacies of running Brighton & Hove Albion, where the players stay, knows the inside of Dick Knight's wallet in terms of generosity and/or prudence, how much day-to-day financial care is taken, which director pays for which amenity, and so on, it implies Big Gully must be fairly high up the chain, and close to the management and directors of the club.

So... who is he? Any guesses anyone?

 

[BigGully]

Which begs the point - seeing as he seems to know so much about the intricacies of running Brighton & Hove Albion, where the players stay, knows the inside of Dick Knight's wallet in terms of generosity and/or prudence, how much day-to-day financial care is taken, which director pays for which amenity, and so on, it implies Big Gully must be fairly high up the chain, and close to the management and directors of the club.

So... who is he? Any guesses anyone?

What bit makes you think that ..... ?

What are these intricities ... ?

 

[Dover]

I was the berk at the last fans forum, who let passion, or my balls, rule my brain, and asked about the size of the mortgage the club would need.

For that I apologise for my behaviour, and my stupidity.

But I do know this, Mr. Knight has been instrumental in saving this club, and I for one trust him and his board.

 

[Easy 10]

What bit makes you think that ..... ?

What are these intricities ... ?

Frankly nothing. I think you are pissing in the wind with your assertions.

Anyone can spout conspiracy theories over the stability of the finances at the Albion. YES there are expenses that have to be met just like at any other football club operating within the League. You seem to be implying that the Albion squad is being flown club-class up and down the country, staying in the Ritz, dining out on oysters and caviar every night, arriving in individual Hum-Vee's with diamond-studded hubcaps, and then being chaufferred from our luxury hotel to the ground by Tom Hanks and Britney Spears to an away fixture at Walsall.

Personally, I prefer to go by track record. Dick Knight has overseen two years in exile at Gillingham, financed a return to Brighton courtesy of a £2m (ish) upgrade of a municiple athletics track to accomodate League football, and overseen an eight year legal battle to finally ACHIEVE planning permission for a stadium to be built in an AONB. And we are WELL on the way with that.

Yet after all this, on the home straight, you would prefer to imply that the club is bordering on insolvent and that the board is every bit as profligate as a Peter Ridsdale who's just had his new credit card drop throught the letterbox onto the mat.

If you've got evidence that this club is going bust then by all means present it. I think thats called put up or SHUT UP

 

[BigGully]

Frankly nothing. I think you are pissing in the wind with your assertions.

Anyone can spout conspiracy theories over the stability of the finances at the Albion. YES there are expenses that have to be met just like at any other football club operating within the League. You seem to be implying that the Albion squad is being flown club-class up and down the country, staying in the Ritz, dining out on oysters and caviar every night, arriving in individual Hum-Vee's with diamond-studded hubcaps, and then being chaufferred from our luxury hotel to the ground by Tom Hanks and Britney Spears to an away fixture at Walsall.

Personally, I prefer to go by track record. Dick Knight has overseen two years in exile at Gillingham, financed a return to Brighton courtesy of a £2m (ish) upgrade of a municiple athletics track to accomodate League football, and overseen an eight year legal battle to finally ACHIEVE planning permission for a stadium to be built in an AONB. And we are WELL on the way with that.

Yet after all this, on the home straight, you would prefer to imply that the club is bordering on insolvent and that the board is every bit as profligate as a Peter Ridsdale who's just had his new credit card drop throught the letterbox onto the mat.

If you've got evidence that this club is going bust then by all means present it. I think thats called put up or SHUT UP

Jeeeeez where have I said that ?

Any chance of your views on what I have said, which part do you honestly find so unbelievable ??

I have said that I applaud that the club continue to spend decent money to run the club in a way that still make us competitive.

I have always said that thankfully we have some people that are willing to throw money at the club to keep up this competitiveness.

But to somehow think that we as a club are wonderfully prudent is farce.

I expect and hope that we can be like this because we are a club that have these patrons.

But as a club that spends far more than we generate, can you honestly beleive that we are any more prudent than our fellow clubs that go down the tubes.

We have all heard and accepted that Chelsea might be in dire straights if Abromavich walks, what be us if Tony Bloom walks.

Its no more than an observation and I susepct that Knight might of been instrumental in keeping these benefactors on board, that is his real success.

I have never said that we will go the way of Leeds, but my God if certain people walk away and no-one replaces them, how will we repay the debts.

I aint saying that I think it will happen but its a debate about the original thread, thats all.

 

[Easy 10]

"Jeeeeez where have I said that ?"

It is all spin, I am afraid guys.

We are all supposed to cheer as our Chairman swipes down those greedy players and agents that the management wants and then goes and negotiates with an agent and player whom he buys for £300,000 and a likely biggish weekly wage.

You cheer him twice but actually it doesnt really add up on the 'principle scale'

We dont work on real budgets coz we are skint, there is no money.

Thankfully we work on the whims of Board Members and our Chairman.

I as a fan am grateful, that DK is not quite as financailly constrained as some here would like to think.

I see a team that travels first class, flies mid weeks to games, pay competitive wages and bonuses and pays £300,000 for an untested striker.

A club that leases its training facilities for somewhere in the region of £10,000 per month and has a beautiful state of the art stadium costing £50,000,000 happening very soon and running at a £2,000,000 loss.

Evereytime I go to Withdean I cant get over the staffing, leased portacabins, leased ground and offices and wonder how much must this all cost ?

All to cater for 4-5,000 paying customers.

So dont be so naive to think that we are so bloody prudent and are not like those 'silly' other clubs, because we are not .

Although we celebrate the fact that we can do all those things and wish it to continue, we continue to trust that everything will be ok, just like Bournemouth did.

They fly to only the furthest away games, yes obviously.

And they travel in a luxury coach and stay over at the Hilton, Marriott or other top grade hotel for nearly all away games.

We really are a decent paying club by all accounts and I hope that Murray is a great success.

But dont kid yourselves .... nearly in every aspect we mirror a successful, financially solvent football club ......... but we aint a successful and solvent football club.

So I am asking where is this financial prudency you owe a debt of gratitude to DK for ??

Dont fall for the 'held to ransome' rubbish.

I am pleased that DK is as reckless as most other Chairman in their quest for footballing success and personal adulation.

You dont get it do you, I am actually pleased that we spend a decent amount, on everything I have said.

But the thread is about DK and the Club's prudency.

Gladly it doesnt exist

Jeeeeez where have I said that ?


to somehow think that we as a club are wonderfully prudent is farce.

 

[BigGully]

"Jeeeeez where have I said that ?"

and which bit do actually disagree with ??

and which bit do I say that I actually think or hope that we might fail as others have ??

I will say again that all is dependant on our benefactors.

 

[NMH]

Dick Tight hasn't actuallly delivered anything yet so I would save the arse licking until Falmer is built

That's just another rendezvous you won't keep. You still owe him an arse kiss that you welched on, so what chance you'll give it a french one even after Falmer Stad?