Takeover

[ben1987]

I'm not particularly interested in what ifs and maybes tbh. The truth is we will never know so let's stop pretending we were inside the board room. We absolutely could have spent wiser so to use that as something to knock a old owner doesn't really make much sense in this context either

Of course it makes sense. We are discussing the ownership of our club aren’t we?

I was saying I would rather keep the prince as an owner rather than an unknown potential conman - then you quoted my post saying anyone could have brought those players in. I was replying saying clearly they wouldn’t have as our most recent ex owner obviously wouldn’t. So it’s perfectly relevant.

A number of people have gone on record to say the prince personally sanctioned and acted as guarantor for a number of our larger transfers even offering to mortgage his private residence.

I know who I believe.

One of them had a track record of running us on the cheap, dirty underhand tactics to try and gain sole ownership in order to turn a fast profit and lied to the fans regularly (Beattie flu)
The other saw us smash our transfer record several times while running the club sustainably and brought the club and stadium back together.

 

[ben1987]

Totally agree. However I suspect the decision to put the club up for sale isn't entirely his own.

Saudi officials/government don't tend to pit themselves against each other and it's fairly likely we'll end up in the same division as Newcastle in the next 3-5 years.

The interviews he gave last year didn't sound like a man coming to the end of his patience. I'm sure he was drained by Wilder's chaotic departure but he seemed a bit galvanised and excited about the future, despite the change of plans.

I made the point a while ago that it's not unrealistic to think that Henry Mauriss was referred to us by Staveley and her group, or some associate of it, upon losing the race to buy Newcastle. I could be way off, but the dots join up in my opinion.

You could be right - they could be eyeing up a juicy introducers commission on a potential deal.

 

[TJB.]

There needs to be something in place by which potential new owners can have their bids ratified by fans of the club before any deal can go through. That way, bidders will have to win fans over by presenting them with forward-thinking, realistic plans to take a club forward and how they intend to fund them.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney did this when they took Wrexham on, but they only had to do this because Wrexham were fan-owned. Most clubs aren't fan-owned and therefore new buyers don't need to justify themselves to the fans, but there's got to be something implemented which means that they do need to take that step (of course, there would need to be a secure process in place to prevent sabotage from outside parties wishing ill fortune on individual clubs).

Take us here, for example. We could be flogged tomorrow and have absolutely no say in the matter. Mr. Mauriss claims to have funds to buy the club, but how will he take us forward? Why is he the man for us? What are his goals and aims? How do we know he doesn't just intend to load us with debt and cripple us for years to come? There is plenty to be concerned about based on that article there, yet a deal could be completed in a week if the EFL are satisfied with the paperwork and we'd have to deal with the consequences if Mauriss turned out to be a charlatan.

There needs to be a collective will from the football community to stop these sorts of sales happening in the way they do.

 

[PaddysMad]

Maybe some sort of investment might be coming wasn’t there Saudis around Shirecliffe not long ago.

Around the time Mauriss was announced.

 

[Champagneblade]

Feel like this best sums up this bid:

 

[TJB.]

wasn’t there Saudis around Shirecliffe not long ago.

Satnav was fucked.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

We turn a profit because the prince is running us on the cheap yet because we had premier league money, off the back of McCabe appointing Wilder, people credit the Prince when tbh he's just been extremely lucky. We need a owner willing and able to spend big money if we wish to progress. The prince can't so that. This new guy? Doubt he can either.

Let's hope we can find someone who can.

 

[Blade58]

Maybe some sort of investment might be coming wasn’t there Saudis around Shirecliffe not long ago.

Around the time Mauriss was announced.

Interesting. Hadn't heard that

 

[dc_blade]

Interestingly, when Adam Crafton, one of the authors of this piece, tweeted out the story, he added some information that I don't see in the article as pasted above:

"EFL do not currently believe American businessman has provided relevant materials for them to scrutinise £115m takeover bid."



Dollars to donuts this guy doesn't have the money to buy the club. And if he somehow scrapes together the cash he certainly doesn't have the money to run it.

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

I don’t know why the EFL don’t dismiss this out of hand as the terms ‘convicted fraudster’ and ‘fit and proper’ don’t belong in the same sentence. Mauriss seems to be yet another Walter Mitty type character who wants to own a football club without the means to do so.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

I don’t know why the EFL don’t dismiss this out of hand as the terms ‘convicted fraudster’ and ‘fit and proper’ don’t belong in the same sentence. Mauriss seems to be yet another Walter Mitty type character who wants to own a football club without the means to do so.

Because that guy is just a middleman.

 

[bladesmanluke]

Even if this guy was the second coming of Jesus Christ and didn't have an ulterior motive, he'd still be scraping together change to buy the club so how on earth does he think he can afford to run it?

 

[Snowflake]

Because that guy is just a middleman.

...but is on board at the request of the potential buyer. So “fit and proper “ don’t tie in with his choice of running mates

 

[Bladeloyal]

We turn a profit because the prince is running us on the cheap yet because we had premier league money, off the back of McCabe appointing Wilder, people credit the Prince when tbh he's just been extremely lucky. We need a owner willing and able to spend big money if we wish to progress. The prince can't so that. This new guy? Doubt he can either.

Let's hope we can find someone who can.

I doubt we will ever find someone for the blades that feel entitled .

 

[Torrix1889]

It gets murkier....jailed ex JJB Boss evidently brokering the deal....and who took over JJB....that's right, Mike Ashley who almost sold Newcastle to Mauriss...

 

[Eddiecolquhounsleg]

Because that guy is just a middleman.

I know, but don’t alarm bells start ringing at the EFL when terms like that are used about anyone involved in the supposed takeover of a football club?

 

[Nick Jansky]

We turn a profit because the prince is running us on the cheap yet because we had premier league money, off the back of McCabe appointing Wilder, people credit the Prince when tbh he's just been extremely lucky. We need a owner willing and able to spend big money if we wish to progress. The prince can't so that. This new guy? Doubt he can either.

Let's hope we can find someone who can.

Why do we need someone who can spend big money? Plenty of clubs achieve success (which is relative in any case) without having to spend big, and there are many examples of large investment not delivering success. Or worse, leaving clubs with mountainous debt.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Why do we need someone who can spend big money? Plenty of clubs achieve success (which is relative in any case) without having to spend big, and there are many examples of large investment not delivering success. Or worse, leaving clubs with mountainous debt.

Name one club that has success without spending big. Clubs around our size like Leicester, Brighton, wolves, Southampton all what we should be aiming for ( taking out the freak Leicester title win)

 

[Lower Drop Blade]

Fuck me if EFL are concerned he must be a right fuckwit

 

[Booker4]

I'll be the first to admit that much of the detail provided on the buyout, bonds, etc is beyond my understanding! However if the takeover happens then presumably he will have passed he fit and proper test that proves he has the funds, if he fails then we continue as we are under the Prince. I take some comfort that it's not a leveraged buy out but is bond that has to be repaid just another similar arrangement to that of a leveraged buyout? Will he be charging the club for the interest rates from the bonds, or am I just way of track here?!

 

[Rodley]

Doesn’t fill me with confidence……

- Won’t be a ‘leveraged’ deal, however he’s raising money via a bonds issue from his Clear TV company that will become repayable at some point in the future.

- Using a convicted conman as his advisor on the deal.

- Still going through the ‘fit and proper’ test

- exclusivity period is over but he’s still keen, I suppose this is where we see how many are queued up behind him?!!!!

- Some of the networks he claims his TV company work with deny knowledge of working with him and others have not responded.

This sounds like a typical Blades takeover scenario to me.

Worrying stuff.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Name one club that has success without spending big. Clubs around our size like Leicester, Brighton, wolves, Southampton all what we should be aiming for ( taking out the freak Leicester title win)

Well, it depends how you define success doesn’t it. If you are talking about establishing yourself in the EPL for a period of time a big lump of the division has done so by making good use of the television money & astute commercial operations. Everton are an example to anyone who thinks just throwing money at it is a panacea.

 

[robbiez666]

I’d rather have an owner with the funds to take us forward - the team, ground and training facilities. One or two seasons in the PL every ten years and a ground and training set up that are falling apart is crap.

The Prince doesn’t have the funds - unfortunately it sounds like this new guy doesn’t either.

Do these people actually still exist though? A random person with lots of money who wants to waste it on a club in a shit northern city? Without any ulterior motives and happy to lose millions every year for no guarantees of success?

 

[Blade58]

Why do we need someone who can spend big money? Plenty of clubs achieve success (which is relative in any case) without having to spend big, and there are many examples of large investment not delivering success. Or worse, leaving clubs with mountainous debt.

I agree, we don't need someone who can spend big money. On the other hand, we don't need someone who hasn't got a pot to piss in either. What's the point? At least our current owner, who also hasn't got a pot, is trying to run the club as a sustainable business. Who's to say what this yank will try and do? I'm coming to the conclusion it's better the devil you know.

If we are to have a new owner, surely for the sake of our beloved football club, we all want an owner who is not going to fk us over good and proper and having read that article, I'm far from convinced that this bloke has the resource to run our club, nor the clubs best interests at heart.

McCabe had many faults, but one thing he did do right was to not see the club go under. I'm of the impression PA is at least of the same mould. Having now read that article, can you sit back in the comfort of knowing Mauriss is also of the same mould, because I certainly can't

 

[BushBlade]

Well, it depends how you define success doesn’t it. If you are talking about establishing yourself in the EPL for a period of time a big lump of the division has done so by making good use of the television money & astute commercial operations. Everton are an example to anyone who thinks just throwing money at it is a panacea.

Could you name three clubs that have done that recently? There’s always an exception in football but generally, whilst you can potentially self-sustain once you’re established, it tends to take quite a lot of investment to get a club into that position. There isn’t enough TV money to pay sufficient transfer fees and sufficient wages.
And whilst I’m not arguing it’s impossible, any club that achieves it has to be very well run, not OK, not well run but exceptionally well run. I don’t believe we are. If PA is in it for the long haul, he may yet learn and improve the way the club is run but if he sells us to this clown, I predict a long period of failure before administration and yet another new owner. Think Sunderland.

 

[bertieblade]

Seemingly this is still alive

Finance expert on what Henry Mauriss 'bond' takeover means for Sheffield United

The American businessman has had an offer to buy the club accepted by Prince Abdullah but the EFL is yet to give it the green light

t.co

 

[nickwr37]

Seemingly this is still alive

Finance expert on what Henry Mauriss 'bond' takeover means for Sheffield United

The American businessman has had an offer to buy the club accepted by Prince Abdullah but the EFL is yet to give it the green light

t.co

Midway through the article he quotes 'Morris'! Is that an omission or a play on something else he's privy to re the potential takeover.......Clear TV does not appear to be a mega money spinner having reviewed what I could when this news first surfaced. What will be.

 

[Blade58]

Seemingly this is still alive

Finance expert on what Henry Mauriss 'bond' takeover means for Sheffield United

The American businessman has had an offer to buy the club accepted by Prince Abdullah but the EFL is yet to give it the green light

t.co

One has to ask why the EFL, after what appears to be a hell of long time, not sanctioned Mauriss’s plan?

Smells of fish and personally I have my doubts about this so called “quiet billionaire” as Jim Phipps liked to put it

The future of our football club is at stake here and as things stand I don’t want this fella anywhere near it

 

[1889]

Absolutely no way McCabe sanctions any of the big signings.

I know Mcburnie divides opinion but the prince personally acted as guarantor on that transfer as McCabe didn’t want us spending that type of money on a forward.

We’d have gone with loans and a few 4/5 m players if McCabe had won

As a supporter of the Prince and his tenure at Bramall Lane and admittedly with the benefit of hindsight, I’m not sure that’s the most positive argument Ive seen put forward, in support of his financial backing and judgement

 

[biggiesablade]

As a supporter of the Prince and his tenure at Bramall Lane and admittedly with the benefit of hindsight, I’m not sure that’s the most positive argument Ive seen put forward, in support of his financial backing and judgement

The Prince admitted he's not a footballing man and presumably listened to Wilder. He spent in good faith we all know how's it turned out but his intentions was good