[retired_pnkbttrflis]

That excuse is being saved up should we go down I'd guess. Not heard anything about that recently so checked owlstalk, someone had actually started a Vote Yes topic :*)

Agree on the transfer policy.

BRING BACK THE 'FRO

[retired_cmartin281]

I like the inclusion of a Dave Allen section on the board.

I really hope Wednesdayite dont agree to the deal, as it would be another nail in the coffin, so to speak.

And I could just picture Dave Allen laughing maniacally, whilst sat in his leather backed chair with hands clasped (Mr Burns style) at the thought of destroying the spanner in the works in those pesky tWednesdayite members. All whilst stroking his pets (Kaven Walker) head.

[retired_cmartin281]

having said that, I dont think there's a chance in hell that there will be a majority 'Yes' vote.

[retired_pnkbttrflis]

Originally posted by OWLSFAN:
That excuse is being saved up should we go down I'd guess.

Or even just saved for the following day. I may have sort of stuck up for the guy in the past over some thing, but what he's come out with today is an absolute ****ing disgrace. I think
what makes it even worse in my eyes is that he's done this after many members will already have voted; he already knows what the outcome will be, this isn't even an offer to spend more if he gets the shares, its a blatant threat and something to be used should we be relegated.

The article says this is a point of principle to Allen. As I see it, the only real objective we have for the rest of this season is to stay up. Now if Allen was going to put more money in, it would surely indicate that we we'rent entirely confident in the current squads ability to stay up. Is he really going to decrease our chances of staying up over something which is only a matter of principle to him, but means so much to the members of Wednesdayite?

"How do Wednesdayite - and clearly they're not - expect to own the club?" Oh just **** off mate. They're more fans than you'll ever be. I don't expect they ever will own the club, but I feel a shitload safer that a fans group has a stake in the club than if it was run by people with no connection to the club whatsoever.

"If they don't accept the offer, which was made in the best interests of the club, then the door is slammed". How very mature. Close communications with people whose main aim is to help the club as you also claim to do. I think we, the fans, are perfectly able to decide for ourselves what is in the best interests of OUR club without your help.

Yet again, the Telegraph fails to mention that this 3.5 million Allen has put in is a loan, but thats not exactly new. He's getting interest on this, he's not short of money, it could well be a good investment for him FFS. Disgrace. Nothing new there though.

One good thing I suppose, is that signings are planned from the savings made by players leaving. Which means we can look forward to around 175k at least (assuming no-one else leaves) to be spent, but of course we won't know if it is, because any transfer fees will be undiscloed for some reason.

Seen me this ****ed off in here before? No, me neither. More rant later if I can be arsed, just once more I'll say this is a ****ing disgrace. Article is below for anyone who hasn't seen it.


http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/7277/wanchor8gi.png

[retired_hipznbutt]

I wish people would lay off Allen a bit. I think the club is moving in the right direction and at the end of the day he is doing the right thing by it.

He didn't have to fund signings from his own pocket and in effect the supporters group can do the same thing by "selling" the shares back, holding onto the shares is not in the interest of the club. Allen has enough money invested in the club to make me think he has to stick by it long term to get a return on it.

I am in full support of his stance after the Bates fiasco, Ken Bates was going to be a quick fix, a short term answer that would probably have left us in more trouble than we are in now at the end of the day. It would seem to me that the supporters group should be the ones getting the flack here.

Give the man his shares back and let him get on with the job of fixing the mess that previous boards have left us in and turn the club into a self-sufficient business that doesn't rely on a chairmans deep pockets to fund signings.

[retired_pnkbttrflis]

If he'd made an offer for the shares that the fans thought was in the best interests of the club to sell, then he wouldn't have to be making threats like this. Do we know how the new signings are being funded? Loan presumably? With interest?

He does have money invested in the club and he will have to stick by it long term, but that is nothing to do with the issue here. People have become members of Wednesdayite under the assumation that Wednesdayite will continue to hold a share of the club. Personally I think it is in the interest of the fans to hold a share in the club, at least this way we cannot be just ignored.

This isn't a personal issue, I've stuck up for Allen in the past on other issues as people on here can verify, but this is out of line. Bates has nothing to do with it, Wednesdayite now is a whole different group of people to WISA who were in with Bates.

On the last point, he can do that perfectly well without these shares. Putting a third of a million into the playing staff will do next to nothing to solve our financial problems.

[retired_hipznbutt]

What I got from the article was that the transfer fees for Burton and Tudgay have come out of the clubs coffers not from Allen himself.

What he says in the article is that he is not going to fund any more signings from his own pocket if the supporters group are not willing to do the same.

From my understanding of it if he gets the shares back he gifts £300k to the club. Gift is the key word, he will hand over £300k out of his own pocket, no repayment, no interest.

I don't see the supporters group problem with giving back the shares. What has Allen done wrong? The club is healthier financially, the playing staff has improved and I think we have a real chance of staying up giving us a chance to consolidate next year. I don't know the exact number of shares but do they own enough to give them any kind of influence over boardroom decisions? I doubt it.

[retired_pnkbttrflis]

Don't quote me on this, but from what I remember, the group is actually the largest shareholder. If you look on Owlstalk, you should be able to find out on there, I think it's been posted on there, orwhat someone understands to be the case anyway. Wasn't that recent.

You can ask what the fans have to lose, you also have to ask what Allen has to gain from getting these shares back if he is prepared to put that before the health of the club. Yo've also got to take into account that Allen had to hand over the shares to someone when he did. If not, he would be over a certain amount, and be forced to make an offer to buy out all the other shareholders.

It's perfectly within Allens rights to make his offer, as it it the fans to reject the offer, that isn't really tha main problem, what is totally out of order is some of the atatements he has made, and also some of the reporting by the paper.

[retired_kritty925]

Ok, so signing Tudgay and Burton has put us 300K over budget, does this mean that if we signed any of the many players we were linked with for the mystical 750K that’s how much we’d be over budget. That would then mean he would have offered the 750K to Wednesdayite for the shares. Some how I don’t think that would have happened.

Surely if we were offering 750K earlier in the season that would have been budgeted for so how comes this 360K hasn’t. Maybe because the mystical 750K never existed. With a club in a financial situation like ours, we must be on a rigid budget. Also do this mean that our total transfer budget was what we paid for Graham and who every else joined for a fee (can’t think of anyone else at the moment).

Also a 300K gift is hardly going to make a dent in to our troubles if he was really that bothered why not make the gift more substantial.

Now he’s willing to cut off his nose to spite his face by refusing to sanction any more transfers unless Wednesdayite sell their shares just because they sided with someone else. All this is doing so showing how small minded and petty he is and in the end it will all backfire on him. What he really wants is a board full of yes men so he can do what he likes and with Wednesdayite there he has no chance.

What I really want to know is why has this only just come about now, why not do it at the start of the season when most fans would have more receptive towards it rather than when we are struggling in the league. All its doing is giving him an excuse if we go down and trying to cover his own back.

Thing is I’d still take Allen over Bates any day of the week.

[SJCyclist]

If we'd got Bates we'd have 10 points less than we have now because he would have put us into administration and relegation would be a certainty. Allen doesn't seem to have many friends outside the media but we were in serious finacial sh!te way before he turned up. And from what I can see we are in a much better position and are moving in the right direction. You can't expect him to keep pouring money into a football club knowing that he's not going to get it back if your not willing to do the same yourself. Of course he's not as much of a fan, he's running a business that is £18 million in debt.