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Andrew Harman bid for WWFC

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  • @A_Worboys is The Woodlands Bar members only as I would be keen to hear AH’s plans?

  • @TheDancingYak Actually the American's have already had one presentation opportunity giving an outline of their intentions. Did they not state their interest was "short term"?
    So, try and calm down dear before your haemorrhoids implode.

  • @fromtheside Regrettably it is I’m afraid.

  • I'm assuming you went to the meeting to hear him out. I did not so I'm only going by what people who went said on here, which seemed to be largely positive with a few caveats with regard to the equity and the possibility of an academy. As far as I can see the club does not owe him money with Adams Park as surety. The thought that he might call back his money is certainly a worry post-Hayes...as is the thought that if we get into bed with the Yanks they might do the same...but him calling a meeting should not derail a fantastic bid from the money men. If it is a fantastic bid. As for questions...in my opinion the board well and truly ****ed this up!

  • @TheDancingYak , quite a brave post, as the Harmania has been stoking up a fair bit. Very valid points, especially the second one.

    But then whatever the Americans say, it's pretty clear their aim is to "spruce" us up, and sell us on.

    And who the heck would that be to!?

  • @A_Worboys Hope you're feeling better Andy.

  • So Dancing Yak I expect you will have lot of questions to put to Harman at his presentation tomorrow in the Woodlands Bar - details above - hear the details from the horses mouth so to speak...should be fun as I understood the Americans will be at Adams Park too...perhaps they can pitch at the other end of the bar!

    The key for me is the Americans will have known through their lawyers exactly what they were doing when they loaned £500,000 BUT put a charge on the stadium just before they present a bid to buy the club - loan sums to be paid back in 12 months so we are told - if their majority stake (or minority if they switch to that scenario at the last minute?) does not go through ... and if they didn't know about the Trust clause 102 or were not told this was a problem by the Board...well ...they don't have very diligent lawyers and I hope you ask that question of the Trust Board.

    Kinda puts a gun to the head of the Legacy Trust members who would STILL be unaware of ANY details of Harman's minority offer if the Board had THEIR way.

    In an ideal world every Legacy Trust member who attended would have got to hear Harman in the proper environment of the meeting on Monday, Harman having been given the courtesy as the Americans have, of seeing up to date accounts so the details in his offer could have been firmed up .

  • At least one of those caveats (his indecision over it being debt or equity) is the very thing that makes it a none starter for me. It’s more than worrying.
    It’s the same vagueness sharky gave

  • @TheDancingYak, I have concerns about debt or equity so I will be asking him about that tomorrow.

  • Statement on behalf of Wycombe Wanderers Trust

    Trust, together with Bill Luby and Jim Collis, agree to postpone Legacy Members meeting.

    https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2019/january/statement-on-behalf-of-wycombe-wanderers-trust/

  • Harman hasn't seen the latest accounts this year! You can't make any final decisions until you are given the courtesy of seeing the books - something that has been denied to him!

    The Americans have had months to pour over the figures so of course their presentation on Monday should be slicker, less vague and have precise figures as they may even now be having their accountants looking through last weeks turnover for a final tweek!

    Harman has been given none of this to work on.

    Why last minute? - So I understand (but ask him yourself) because he was requested to put a bid together only very recently by worried Trust members!

    And the £500,000 loan info too only came out a week or so ago, thanks to whistleblowers on this site.

    Stop being worried and get yourself along to hear what he says tomorrow and consider his proposal after listening, Then hear what the Americans have to say on Monday - Simple!

    The bigger question you may what to consider though is what happens to the club if the Americans bid is rejected, because it is not what the members want, and the club then have to pay back the loan in 12 months.. that is the Americans doing, not Harmans...

  • Things are not looking good for The trust board. 2 years to manage the process and their key preferred bidder is forced to delay things at the last minute because the trust board failed to adequately demonstrate a transparent process to provide the members they represent with enough information and comfort that all options had been suitably explored and investigated .

    The vote of no confidence must go ahead now as by definition they agree they have messed this up in an incredible display of incompetence , otherwise they wouldn’t see need to delay.

    How can anyone have confidence in the board to get it right in future , we can’t afford them to blunder at every step going forward as they have to date. They must step down or be removed for the good of the club now.

  • The final nail in the boards coffin on this matter has been nailed by the two American bidders in their statement. How the board allowed this statement to be made without edit is alarming in its naivety and stupidity:-

    “ Above all, we want the best outcome for Wycombe Wanderers so we both encouraged and welcomed the Trust’s decision to open up this process.”

    All along the issue with this has been the railroading and “closed” approach the board has taken . Their preferred bidders just confirmed it in writing .

    The board are oblidged, legally , and morally ,to have taken an open and even handed process to fairly identify the best possible financial outcome and model for our club.

    They now have it in black and white , an admission that is was a “closed” process .

  • Two years to sort out a deal and coming up.against unexpected tricky details? That sounds familiar.

  • Ignore Harman and they get stick, Delay things to consider a "formal" bid (not whatever it was before), and...they get stick.

    Not an easy gig is it!

  • It's the fact we are in this situation at all @Malone

  • @Malone if i was them I would get shot of it sharpish. First one to show them £3 million cash in a case gets it .

  • People seem to misunderstand my intentions here.

    Let me be clear:

    I haven’t seen anything from the American bid that allays any fears that their bid is worthy of the club and there has already been substantial questioning of it that fills me with confidence people will continue question the motives behind it and if it is a good deal long before any vote is counted.

    At the moment, it doesn’t convince me and those that have questioned how it’s come about are right to do so.

    On the other hand we have AH’s bid. Which was always spoken about with a wink and a nudge by those questioning the current board, as if it were actually some holy grail bid fronted by an ex-player and all the romatacism that comes with that.

    Now we’ve heard some of it, and there’s at least one gapping hole in the whole thing - debt/equity.

    I can’t personally be there tomorrow (family 40th birthday party) so you’ll forgive my tactic of deliberate bluntness in hopefully raising it as a majory questioning point for others in my absence.

    I hope there will be as much questioning and investigation into AH bid has the Americans. We can’t afford the luxury of crossing our fingers hoping and the romantic view of ex-player turned owner when it could come crumbling down as easy as some slick Americans.

  • That club statement is astonishing. In the first couple of paragraphs they imply that this late expression of interest happened in the last week and that’s why the meeting is being postponed at the last minute. A later paragraph admits how wrong that is with...

    “The Trust have been in discussions with Andrew for a number of months and he will be offered the opportunity to make a formal bid...”

  • I’ve saved the whole text, because unless they’re mad I fully expect this to be re-edited to try to appear less culpable. As it stands it’s an admission of gross incompetence.

  • The good news is that it looks like we’ve missed out the first part of Marx’s (or Engel’s) observation on history repeating itself and gone straight to the the “rotten farce.”

    This is great fun.

  • All Legacy Members need to see the details of the American bid NOW.

  • The full statement from Bill Luby & Jim Collis:

    "We are extremely grateful to everyone in the Wycombe Wanderers community who has given us such a warm welcome and education over the past several months.

    You have left us in no doubt that the spirit of your community is the driving force behind Wycombe Wanderers FC and is the primary reason you have been on such an extraordinary journey on and off the field since the Trust took over in 2012.

    We remain committed to earning your support to become stewards of this unique and special club.

    Above all, we want the best outcome for Wycombe Wanderers so we both encouraged and welcomed the Trust’s decision to open up this process.

    In our conversations so far, we hope we have shown that it is our desire to work in true partnership with the whole community to help Wycombe Wanderers fulfil its potential in a sustainable way.

    We believe that we have a financial and operational commitment that will enable a bright future for the club but first we feel it is right for all stakeholders and bidders to have had their voice heard before the final vote.

    We will be keeping in close contact with the Trust, and the club and look forward to coming back to Wycombe and making our formal presentation in the near future.

    Good luck against Plymouth tomorrow!

    Bill Luby and Jim Collis"

    https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2019/january/comment-from-bill-luby-and-jim-collis/

  • I can read it two ways @drcongo. One is the way your implying, the other is “we’ve been speaking to him for months and he’s only come out with something solid now. Now that he has, lets hear it. He’s welcome to bid”

    I’m slightly more inclined to think it’s the latter, mostly because it’s a joint statement with the Americans.

    As you can see from my previous statements I have though AH bid is as much of a fly in the boards ointment as it is a real bid.

    By inviting him into the formal bid process now, the board and yanks could trying to wrestle the narrative back with a “put up, or shut up” reposts.

    Either way, this is a shit show. And Marlowchair is probably about right in regards to the suitability of the people running the process.

  • They must be getting a bit fed up of the incompetence and time they are spending on this in all fairness

  • I wouldn't describe it as gross incompetence - I'd say willful abuse of process.

    How the hell has Trevor Stroud not resigned as chairman already? How can he possibly expect to stay on and oversee this? For the love of the club, man, just go. This clinging on by your fingernails is embarrassing. You have clearly lost the confidence of the supporters - the people you are supposed to be representing. It's over. Resign.

  • @thedancingyak when tne harman bid was mentioned on here there was a lot of sneering and sniffing about not existing and people were clutching at straws just to upset the board and Harman 'and his mates' should put up or shut up. Now he's put up it's...why is he doing it now? As the sides have already been taken by some like the board he cannot win. I think it's good to have competition and I laud the us bidders for recognising tbat to have credibility there needs to be transparency. That suggests to me they are confident in what they are proposing which is a good thing. You're right hard questions need to be asked...but at least we are possibly asking them of two bidders rather than just waving one bid through because otherwise we're told we are doomed. That's just my opinion of course. If we had had a proper debate with established facts and figures perhaps all this unpleasantness could have been avoided. Hey that sounds familiar as well...

  • But can he ?? is he the fall guy for his employer ?? and the North Dean Mafia ?

  • Can they still be called a power group now?

  • Clearly not ideal at all. But I think you have to give them some credit for listening, recognising the mistake and making the right choice eventually. It takes some courage to admit the fault at such a late stage and suffer the personal loss of face as a result.

    That doesn’t answer any of the questions about how we got here in the first place. But at lest we appear to have reached a more satisfactory outcome allowing both parties to present on equal terms.

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