Wandy

They aren't doomed yet mind. They did beat them 4-0 a few months ago after all. They just need to make sure they dont concede another goal. Get an early goal and I think they will turn it around.

I think you tend to err on the side of pessimism when it comes to this takeover business but you are spot on to highlight this. He did rave about that Sheik Khaled fella and in the end it turned out to be a huge bullet dodged. I quite enjoy watching the dentist fella on Wraith's show as he does come across well. But his endorsement of Khaled means that anything he says needs to be treated with a large dose of salt.

Knew it wouldn't be long before Bally would be back in the frame. Here's a poser for you.....just for one game, the second leg. | RTG Sunderland Message Boards (readytogo.net)

2nd. Briefly, for a few hours after an early kick off, before getting bumped back own again by 5pm. Lol.

You think? By who though? The media are barely giving this story a second glance so they certainly wont put the spotlight on him.

How on earth Beloff was not removed is absolutely astounding. It gives a sense of the scale of the task we have to win this.

I wonder if the PL have presentable evidence for the arbitration that MBS played a part in the piracy?

It's been said many time before anyway, but....why is there even a question of whether the state will control the club? There is no rule in the O&D test that says a state cannot control a club, is there?

So are we winning or losing arbitration, in your opinon?

Yeah but we know that the only judge's opinon that really counts is Beloff's. And considering he played a big part in rewriting the very test that we could not get through, I don't hold out much hope that he is going to see things from the Saudis' point of view. I honestly think the PL believe they have arbitration in the bag by securing Beloff as the deciding QC.

The arbitration decision will come a long time before the CAT case is resolved though. The CAT case could drag on into next year. Which will no doubt be exactly what the PL intend to do. To be honest, I think the odds are massively, massively stacked against us in the arbitration. Not because we do not have a strong case, but because Beloff, the supposedly "neutral" QC who has the final say, is very obviously going to side with them. I mean he literally re-wrote the O&D test for the PL to exclude buyers with a link to piracy so he is hardly going to go in hard against the very rules that he came up with himself, is he? We just have to hope that the CAT case is approved, the evidence that Ashley holds is extremely strong and also that the court has the power to force the takeover to happen because I'm not holding out much hope of arbitration going our way. I think the odds are generally stacked against us, to be honest. But I maintain that nobody outside of the claimant & defendant has a clue on the intricate details of what is happening in the background.

Ashley is not just seeking compensation, that is clear. But what about if the court decision awards in his favour, but only grants him the financial compensation. Is that a possibility?

What's the relevance of the June 9th date in reason 4? Is that to do with seeking an extension to the arbitration?

All in your opinion. Clearly, you are on the negative side of the fence. Fair enough, but there is fuck all to show that the PL will win. Nobody, absolutely nobody, knows what is going on behind closed doors.

To be fair you could say it the other way too. It's like a tense and boring cup final, this.

It didnt take a genius to work either of those things out either. I'm on the fence as to whether this goes through, but Jacobs has no clue. Just like everyone else. He's riding the wave of clicks to promote his online presence.

But you choose to regard Jacobs' sources higher than Kennedy's? Right.

He's been on the money in terms of the takeover not happening yet. If that's being "on the money" then there are a lot of people who can make the same claim.

And how exactly would Jacobs know that? Is he privvy to some confidential information that nobody else is?

Ashley and his legal team will surely have fully expected this request for an extension by the PL. They know very well by now what kind of people they are dealing with and what tactics they are going to use, so today is hardly a win for the PL.

I take this lastest news as a positive. If the arbitration is in July then surely the outcome of it will be well before the beginning of the new season. If we lose the arbitration then the takeover is as good as done and we can all move on, one way or the other.

Not sure, as I haven't seen the article yet. I assume it means both.

Absolutely. But I just want to see an article that says Masters is in deep shit & the PL dont have a leg to stand on. Seems to me that most of the media just love pissing on our hopes and really dont want it to happen.

Apparently there's an article in The Athletic regarding the takeover, and Masters' position is described as being "as strong as it's ever been".

Me neither. And based on nothing more than a hunch, I believe the Saudis will walk for good if this doesnt get approved before the summer transfer window closes. And I wouldnt really blame them either.