Dick Knights shares, final chapter?

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

Spot on as usual, Large fella.

What gets me annoyed is the delight that some people on here seem to take in the failure of DK's share scheme. What many of them forget is that a couple of hundred fans who wanted to own a piece of the club they support - in most cases for purely symbolic or sentimental reasons - have been denied that when it could easily have been sorted by the club, as a few others have pointed out.

The actions of Mazars seem utterly despicable. I hope it's simply them being mercenary and that they weren't put up to it by anyone at the club who was under the sycophantic illusion that they were doing what TB wanted. I happen to believe that TB couldn't have cared less if DK's offer had proceeded.

And is what he said at the NWSS meeting in Horsham earlier this month.

 

[AZ Gull]

What gets me annoyed is the delight that some people on here seem to take in the failure of DK's share scheme. What many of them forget is that a couple of hundred fans who wanted to own a piece of the club they support - in most cases for purely symbolic or sentimental reasons - have been denied that when it could easily have been sorted by the club, as a few others have pointed out.

Just out of interest NAN, given that Dick Knight clearly knew the process he would have to follow if he wanted to sell his shares (because it was laid out under his Chairmanship), why hadn't he followed those rules (and approached the club about his intentions) BEFORE the book went on sale?

Why did he hold out the possibility to supporters that they might be able to purchase a very small stake in the football club, when he knew full well that he may not be able to deliver on that possibility?

It is interesting that you suggest the actions of Mazars have been despicable. I have absolutely no idea whether they have acted in good faith or not, but the one person who comes out of this the worst, in my eyes, is Dick Knight himself. I'm left with the impression, rightly or wrongly, that he attempted to engineer a situation that would result either in his personal gain or embarrass the club.

 

[Ernest]

I can't BELIEVE there were 270 people STUPED enough to buy his BOOK

 

[vegster]

I can't BELIEVE there were 270 people STUPED enough to buy his BOOK

Why ? some people are surprisingly still reading your posts too.

 

[Fef]

Dick's 'you can buy my shares' stunt has done him no favours with many fans, and has reduced his 'affection level' greatly.

If he did want to let us supporters have shares in the club, he's had many opportunities while he was chairman; the 'Alive and Kicking' appeal and the forty notes fund were ideal chances for this to happen.

If he had just gone quietly he would have been remembered as a legend by almost everybody, but his stupid ego made him poke the club with a stick. Such a shame.

 

[Ernest]

Why ? some people are surprisingly still reading your posts too.

You underestimate my INTELLIGANCE

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I can't BELIEVE there were 270 people STUPED enough to buy his BOOK

I think it sold over 5000 and could have been well over 10000 if BHAFC had allowed him to sell it at the club shop

 

[Ernest]

I think it sold over 5000 and could have been well over 10000 if BHAFC had allowed him to sell it at the club shop

I've just FAINTED with shock

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Just out of interest NAN, given that Dick Knight clearly knew the process he would have to follow if he wanted to sell his shares (because it was laid out under his Chairmanship), why hadn't he followed those rules (and approached the club about his intentions) BEFORE the book went on sale?

Why did he hold out the possibility to supporters that they might be able to purchase a very small stake in the football club, when he knew full well that he may not be able to deliver on that possibility?

It is interesting that you suggest the actions of Mazars have been despicable. I have absolutely no idea whether they have acted in good faith or not, but the one person who comes out of this the worst, in my eyes, is Dick Knight himself. I'm left with the impression, rightly or wrongly, that he attempted to engineer a situation that would result either in his personal gain or embarrass the club.

You'd have to ask DK about the first part! But I understand that he and the publishers mulled over the form of words in the offer, knowing that they couldn't definitely say that shares would be available (and I've just had a look at the wording) in case of a hitch in the process. But I don't think he imagined that anyone would want to stand in the way of fans having a purely nominal number of shares. I'd have quite liked one myself.

 

[The Large One]

Dick's 'you can buy my shares' stunt has done him no favours with many fans, and has reduced his 'affection level' greatly.

If he did want to let us supporters have shares in the club, he's had many opportunities while he was chairman; the 'Alive and Kicking' appeal and the forty notes fund were ideal chances for this to happen.

If he had just gone quietly he would have been remembered as a legend by almost everybody, but his stupid ego made him poke the club with a stick. Such a shame.

How could anyone have got shares on the back of contributing to the 40 Notes Fund? It wasn't a club-run fund.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think it sold over 5000 and could have been well over 10000 if BHAFC had allowed him to sell it at the club shop

You wonder whether the club would have sold his book without the share offer.

Again, Knight's judgement has to be called into question. His book is not just an essential read but also an essential reference point for years to come, the sort of book you'd want your kids to read as they grow up to be proper Albion fans. I would have thought the need to get that story out there and widely read was more important that the symbolic but ultimately futile ownership of a handful of shares by a handful of fans.

 

[Lincoln Imp]

You wonder whether the club would have sold his book without the share offer.

Again, Knight's judgement has to be called into question. His book is not just an essential read but also an essential reference point for years to come, the sort of book you'd want your kids to read as they grow up to be proper Albion fans. I would have thought the need to get that story out there and widely read was more important that the symbolic but ultimately futile ownership of a handful of shares by a handful of fans.

You pose a question in your first paragraph and conjure up an answer and associated conclusions in the second. Your answer is wrong. The club refused to stock the book because it wasn't given pre-publication sight of the manuscript.

 

[Pavilionaire]

You pose a question in your first paragraph and conjure up an answer and associated conclusions in the second. Your answer is wrong. The club refused to stock the book because it wasn't given pre-publication sight of the manuscript.

How do you know the reason they weren't given pre-publication sight was because Knight didn't want them to know about the share offer?

And I wouldn't say I was conjuring anything up. For years fans were saying the Dick Knight autobiography would be a "must-read" book, then when it comes out it's not even in the club shop. There's nothing else in the book that I regard as likely to have made the club not stock it on their shelves, it would have been quite a moneyspinner for all parties if they had of done and not stocking it on first appearances makes the club look petty.

 

[Fef]

How could anyone have got shares on the back of contributing to the 40 Notes Fund? It wasn't a club-run fund.

Fair enough, scrap the forty notes fund then. Alive and Kicking was a club-run money raiser.

 

[Ernest]

Fair enough, scrap the forty notes fund then. Alive and Kicking was a club-run money raiser.

You got your name on your seat at the AMEX if you donated

 

[Lincoln Imp]

How do you know the reason they weren't given pre-publication sight was because Knight didn't want them to know about the share offer?

And I wouldn't say I was conjuring anything up. For years fans were saying the Dick Knight autobiography would be a "must-read" book, then when it comes out it's not even in the club shop. There's nothing else in the book that I regard as likely to have made the club not stock it on their shelves, it would have been quite a moneyspinner for all parties if they had of done and not stocking it on first appearances makes the club look petty.

The share offer wasn't in the manuscript the club asked to see. I am not saying that the club was being reasonable or unreasonable in asking to see it, or that DK was being reasonable or unreasonable in saying no. I'm just giving the facts. I absolutely agree with you that there is nothing in the book that should have stopped the club selling it, but that was its decision.

 

[Ernest]

If it was a simple let the club read the book first before they stocked it why didn't the pot less pillock allow them ? Or did he prefer to use their refusal to publicise the book along with not wanting them to know about the shares until the book was on sale ?

 

[Creaky]

If it was a simple let the club read the book first before they stocked it why didn't the pot less pillock allow them ? Or did he prefer to use their refusal to publicise the book along with not wanting them to know about the shares until the book was on sale ?

They've had ample chance to read it since first published - still not available in the club shop though

 

[drew]

They've had ample chance to read it since first published - still not available in the club shop though

If, as others have said, there is nothing in the book other than the share offer to upset the club then why didn't DK and/or his publishers allow the club the see it. The club, or maybe TB, may have been concerned about how DK told the story of TB taking over (or maybe any other aspect of his dealings) so they had every reason to ask to see a copy before stocking it. For all they knew, it could have been very derisory of the current chairman so why should they stock it in the shop. As it turned out, it wasn't but then DK added the share sell off which was not in accordance with club procedure so he has shot himself in the foot.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

Once the book had come out, the club could have stocked it. A club employee was asked to read through it and okayed it, but I understand a couple of other people within the club then objected to some things in it. Not TB, because he said he had no plans to read it.