In all of these scenarios, what’s in it for the investor? How is Feliciana going to repay the loan from Lomtadze (with interest)?
If I was Rob, I think I’d focus on selling the club to Lomtadze, rather than having to find a different billionaire to sell to in order to pay off the loan from the first billionaire I’d found. Having said that, it looks like Sheikh Jassim has finally lost interest in Man United…
Well for 1) the stand needs to be replaced as it's structure is becoming more & more uncertain and could be closed in a number of seasons if it's not done.
2) If the long term aim is to be a Championship side, the attendences would also improve and increase. I believe that Rob was really annoyed in our Championship season because he believed that we missed out on 24 sold out matches because of COVID.
3) If the potential is there to increase or improve the ground, the asset's value also improves. Just like with a house price, if you had 2 the same but one has Planning Permission to extend, that house will always be worth more.
At the moment, there is legislation that states that we need another access route into/out of the stadium if we want more capacity.
Perhaps in the spirit of HS2 the access road could start 50 feet away from the car park go massively over budget and after much thought stop just short of a random field in west Wycombe.
Re point 3. Comparing football grounds to houses is ridiculous. If you extended your house from a two bed to a 4 bed it's value would rocket. However, doubling the size of Adams Park would have little effect on its value, particularly in view of its current inconvenient location. There is always demand for houses, but how many interested buyers would there be for a football ground.
Interesting point, if you believe any of the Couhigs plans (and there's good reason to be cautious at least) this does seems to be the approach with the value of the club the question, it's not that putting the road in or increasing the ground automatically adds value to the asset for resale (and the Couhigs don't own it anyway), more that it's almost impossible to increase the ground without the road, or to significantly increase income and take advantage of Championship football should it arrive without some upgrades that will probably be needed at some point anyway.
Valuing football clubs is notoriously random as they tend to change hands when distressed , they are nearly always based on potential rather than proven results and there aren't always many takers.
The club is now very well placed to push for promotion without necessarily adding to the squad = repayment of loan if achieved
the terrace needs rebuilding/refurbishing and FA roof needs work = potentially higher attendance if in Championship, obviously new access pending. I’m not sure what the increase in capacity would be with the new terrace but could be fully used if required by closing a few of the back rows of the FA, I’m guessing 3 or 4 rows if new access not granted
The club has a number of players that would attract a reasonable - big fee in the transfer market = repaying loan
In conclusion, this is probably what Rob is thinking.
If none of the above happens, bail out to the investor. Interesting times ahead
That's more a safe guard for the club's future isn't it? And if we moved surely the arrangement would be moved to the new ground as part of any negotiations.
Otherwise you could have the situation where all sides wanted a move yet couldn't do it for 50 years!
But I do think there are a lot of people that still have rose tinted football spectacles on that think football clubs are all about what happens on the pitch, and either are naive to or try and forget there’s some pretty basic and straight forward business practices needed to make sure the football club exists.
apolgoes if it comes across that I think it’s devious. It’s not at all - it’s basic and good business to put the building blocks in place to increase the clubs value. Especially as they can’t (I don’t believe) borrow against the stadium itself. Adding value to the proposition (the football club they own) is that they have and will continue to do. And that’s completely fair enough.
The opposite - Doing nothing and bumbling along hoping for promotion and throwing money down the transfer drain - is a 100% a death knell.
I've said It for years, and I still say it now. We have a great stadium but in the wrong place, if we were in the town center I'm absolutely convinced our attendances would be higher.
Many grounds are shit to get to, park and then get away from. Reading is no joy. But we have a reputation of being shit and difficult to get away from. Reality is that 45 minutes after the game you are usually well on your way home. When we visit Reading later in the season I would wager it would be worse. I took longer getting out of Stevenage’s car park last season after the league cup.
But where in the town centre would that stadium be situated? It took donkeys’ years to get the Hillbottom Road site. Perhaps we could persuade Morrisons to go elsewhere - that’d be a decent spot.
I agree. But people seem to think they can go to a mass attended event and can leave their seat, be in their car and home before James Alexander Gordon has got to the Forfar result.
Going to any event with thousands of people is going to incur a delay. So I’m surprised people are surprised it takes a few minutes to clear the ground.
Quite, this is the problem unfortunately. Though re Eric's idea, perhaps our new multi billionaire friend could go have have a chat with Wycombe Abbey, they have so much room
I did hear a rumour a few weeks ago that new owners are on the horizon (and that they weren’t British or American) which fits with this guy being involved.
Apparently a new stadium is on the agenda and quite grand ambitions of climbing the pyramid.
Comments
Like HS2!
Yeah. And if your new investor has building companies as part of their portfolio, Guess who wins those contracts? (Tory donors in HS2’s case)
Maybe with this new investment we can clear some of our debts.
In all of these scenarios, what’s in it for the investor? How is Feliciana going to repay the loan from Lomtadze (with interest)?
If I was Rob, I think I’d focus on selling the club to Lomtadze, rather than having to find a different billionaire to sell to in order to pay off the loan from the first billionaire I’d found. Having said that, it looks like Sheikh Jassim has finally lost interest in Man United…
Next year sell Low and Forino for combined £10m, pay off Lomtadze and then Rob will sail off into the sunset with his pockets bulging!
Simples!
Well for 1) the stand needs to be replaced as it's structure is becoming more & more uncertain and could be closed in a number of seasons if it's not done.
2) If the long term aim is to be a Championship side, the attendences would also improve and increase. I believe that Rob was really annoyed in our Championship season because he believed that we missed out on 24 sold out matches because of COVID.
3) If the potential is there to increase or improve the ground, the asset's value also improves. Just like with a house price, if you had 2 the same but one has Planning Permission to extend, that house will always be worth more.
At the moment, there is legislation that states that we need another access route into/out of the stadium if we want more capacity.
Perhaps in the spirit of HS2 the access road could start 50 feet away from the car park go massively over budget and after much thought stop just short of a random field in west Wycombe.
Re point 3. Comparing football grounds to houses is ridiculous. If you extended your house from a two bed to a 4 bed it's value would rocket. However, doubling the size of Adams Park would have little effect on its value, particularly in view of its current inconvenient location. There is always demand for houses, but how many interested buyers would there be for a football ground.
Interesting point, if you believe any of the Couhigs plans (and there's good reason to be cautious at least) this does seems to be the approach with the value of the club the question, it's not that putting the road in or increasing the ground automatically adds value to the asset for resale (and the Couhigs don't own it anyway), more that it's almost impossible to increase the ground without the road, or to significantly increase income and take advantage of Championship football should it arrive without some upgrades that will probably be needed at some point anyway.
Valuing football clubs is notoriously random as they tend to change hands when distressed , they are nearly always based on potential rather than proven results and there aren't always many takers.
The club is now very well placed to push for promotion without necessarily adding to the squad = repayment of loan if achieved
the terrace needs rebuilding/refurbishing and FA roof needs work = potentially higher attendance if in Championship, obviously new access pending. I’m not sure what the increase in capacity would be with the new terrace but could be fully used if required by closing a few of the back rows of the FA, I’m guessing 3 or 4 rows if new access not granted
The club has a number of players that would attract a reasonable - big fee in the transfer market = repaying loan
In conclusion, this is probably what Rob is thinking.
If none of the above happens, bail out to the investor. Interesting times ahead
I imagine Rob is thinking this is the first, small step towards selling the club to a Kazakh
So will our club song become 'Georgia On My Mind'?
Ozzy Osborne’s “ The Almaty Dollar” surely
If things go ill for Gaz at QPR, maybe he could be singing "Leaving on a Midnight Train for Georgia"?
That is the big elephant in the room.
As much as we all love the ground, is it worth ploughing tonnes of money into changes, for what will only ever be at max about 15,000?
Or is that seen as our absolute glass ceiling anyway? And based on being in the championship and giving the away team about 6,000?
I thought the club had agreed a 50 year lease with FALL to play there
You word this like it's some devious hidden scheme.
The MO from day 1 was clear.
Do us up, sell us on from a better position so everyone gains.
Wasn't it?
That's more a safe guard for the club's future isn't it? And if we moved surely the arrangement would be moved to the new ground as part of any negotiations.
Otherwise you could have the situation where all sides wanted a move yet couldn't do it for 50 years!
Oh, it’s 100% NOT devious or hidden.
But I do think there are a lot of people that still have rose tinted football spectacles on that think football clubs are all about what happens on the pitch, and either are naive to or try and forget there’s some pretty basic and straight forward business practices needed to make sure the football club exists.
apolgoes if it comes across that I think it’s devious. It’s not at all - it’s basic and good business to put the building blocks in place to increase the clubs value. Especially as they can’t (I don’t believe) borrow against the stadium itself. Adding value to the proposition (the football club they own) is that they have and will continue to do. And that’s completely fair enough.
The opposite - Doing nothing and bumbling along hoping for promotion and throwing money down the transfer drain - is a 100% a death knell.
I've said It for years, and I still say it now. We have a great stadium but in the wrong place, if we were in the town center I'm absolutely convinced our attendances would be higher.
Many grounds are shit to get to, park and then get away from. Reading is no joy. But we have a reputation of being shit and difficult to get away from. Reality is that 45 minutes after the game you are usually well on your way home. When we visit Reading later in the season I would wager it would be worse. I took longer getting out of Stevenage’s car park last season after the league cup.
But where in the town centre would that stadium be situated? It took donkeys’ years to get the Hillbottom Road site. Perhaps we could persuade Morrisons to go elsewhere - that’d be a decent spot.
Ban private schools, take Wycombe Abbey's land and build it there
I've never seen where these options were, but I'm sure others have said the current site wasn't even in the first 10 choices.
Anyone know where these other supposed choices were?
Would Booker be any better? Still not town centre, but perhaps better exit/parking etc.
The council were all over it when Wasps were part of the deal, so we know it's a possibility if the right money could be sorted out.
That and a few sandwiches for the right councillor.
Came quite close to being at Four Ashes I understand.
Reading is easy if you are willing to walk for 15 minutes after the game. Much like AP is easy if you’re willing to walk for 10 mins
I agree. But people seem to think they can go to a mass attended event and can leave their seat, be in their car and home before James Alexander Gordon has got to the Forfar result.
Going to any event with thousands of people is going to incur a delay. So I’m surprised people are surprised it takes a few minutes to clear the ground.
Quite, this is the problem unfortunately. Though re Eric's idea, perhaps our new multi billionaire friend could go have have a chat with Wycombe Abbey, they have so much room
I did hear a rumour a few weeks ago that new owners are on the horizon (and that they weren’t British or American) which fits with this guy being involved.
Apparently a new stadium is on the agenda and quite grand ambitions of climbing the pyramid.
We shall see