Positive Optimism - Saudi Takeover Edition

[BennyBlanco]

What are the rules on posting articles behind a paywall? 
 

I’m happy to do it if it’s not an infringement of the rules. People can make their own minds up then. I definitely didn’t see it as a positive article. It was critical of PIF and brutal when it came to what CAT could mean for the real.

[Robster]

Personally, I no longer have the energy to read long articles on the subject.

A friend is trying to get me to play the PL FF again this year. Have told him no fucking chance.

[Menace]

In an ideal world we bin off PIF, they don't seem that arsed at all. But then again who would be willing to pay £300M+ for this shower of shite.

[TRon]

1 hour ago, Ben said:

If the evidence is as explosive as Keith says then an out of court settlement would probably our only option, however if this doesn't happen before the end of August then they are buying a championship club.

 

I'm assuming you are talking about August 2022 right?

[Guest HTT II]

They can all go and fuck off, all of them. No of them have this right to OUR club at all!

[Mike]

2 hours ago, BennyBlanco said:

What are the rules on posting articles behind a paywall? 
 

I’m happy to do it if it’s not an infringement of the rules. People can make their own minds up then. I definitely didn’t see it as a positive article. It was critical of PIF and brutal when it came to what CAT could mean for the real.

 

Nah, to be safe.

 

[Ben]

1 hour ago, TRon said:

 

I'm assuming you are talking about August 2022 right?

Not really, I don't think Bruce is good enough to keep us up with the current squad and I don't think he's got the balls to ask Ashley for more funds for players.

 

 If come the first of September we are still in limbo I reckon we are down.

[TRon]

38 minutes ago, Ben said:

Not really, I don't think Bruce is good enough to keep us up with the current squad and I don't think he's got the balls to ask Ashley for more funds for players.

 

 If come the first of September we are still in limbo I reckon we are down.

 

Right. The way things are panning out I just wouldn't even give much thought to any settlements before this season starts. Been waiting every day for this trumpeted July arbitration and they managed to kick that down the road by 6 months so it's on the shelf now for me. Will probably get buried 6ft under when 2022 comes round. 

[nufcjb]

About the Saudis, are they not put through tests like this when they invest in some other business? Like F1 for instance and they buying shares in Mclaren. Are they not questioned by the authorities there like what the PL are doing right now?

[Ben]

2 minutes ago, nufcjb said:

About the Saudis, are they not put through tests like this when they invest in some other business? Like F1 for instance and they buying shares in Mclaren. Are they not questioned by the authorities there like what the PL are doing right now?

Aye its just plain not fair along with everything else the Premier league have done to us.

[Jackie Broon]

1 minute ago, nufcjb said:

About the Saudis, are they not put through tests like this when they invest in some other business? Like F1 for instance and they buying shares in Mclaren. Are they not questioned by the authorities there like what the PL are doing right now?

 

There are no other tests like this for ownership of any other type of business as far as I'm aware, other than for board members of NHS trusts but that is supported by specific legislation.

 

That's why I think the test itself will almost certainly be eventually be found to be an unlawful restriction of competition and/or trade.

[Ben]

It still sticks in my throat a bit that I'm backing Ashley to find skeletons in the closet of Masters and Co when I think of the things he has done over the years, apparently there is a story bubbling away about another one of his dodgy deals involving Dietmar Hopp.

[Beamish]

5 hours ago, gdm said:

Seriously tho at what stage do we start blaming KSA for their part in all this. It’s been a shambles from the beginning 

Totally agree, also Staveley is as much to blame.... everything she touches turns to shit.

[Wilson]

2 hours ago, Beamish said:

Totally agree, also Staveley is as much to blame.... everything she touches turns to shit.

 

Well I hope she eventually gets to touch us, it'll be a major improvement on the last 10 years.

[Teasy]

8 hours ago, gdm said:

Seriously tho at what stage do we start blaming KSA for their part in all this. It’s been a shambles from the beginning 

 

You're talking as if both sides just want the same thing and have both simply made mistakes or fallen short.  If that was the case I'd blame both sides.  But the fact is the PL are merely taking any opportunity they can to stop this takeover because it threatens the monopoly of their owners (the big six).  So no, at no point will I blame the people who actively want to take over NUFC and give us the competitive Football club we've wanted back for almost 2 decades.  I'll blame the side deliberately sabotaging it instead.

[Shearergol]

2 hours ago, Beamish said:

Totally agree, also Staveley is as much to blame.... everything she touches turns to shit.

Hi @Sean 

[Dr Jinx]

2 hours ago, Beamish said:

Totally agree, also Staveley is as much to blame.... everything she touches turns to shit.

But she’s not though. Nobody could have foreseen the level of opposition they’ve experienced.

 

We know the story about how this came about, Staveley was invited to a yacht party by MBS’s people, or got an invite. She’d been requesting an audience for some time.

 

Once interested, they decided that PIF was the best vessel to make the investment (because of the slight separation between State)

 

Perhaps, if they were being clever, they could have opened an investment firm in America and done it through that. But they had no reason to think that PIF would be rejected as they are internationally respected as a wealth fund.

 

Not that corruption in football is news to any of us, but honestly I had no idea how far Qatar’s hand was up the PL’s arse before this takeover began. Or the sway some of the wealthier clubs had..

 

[Wolfcastle]

3 hours ago, Ben said:

It still sticks in my throat a bit that I'm backing Ashley to find skeletons in the closet of Masters and Co when I think of the things he has done over the years, apparently there is a story bubbling away about another one of his dodgy deals involving Dietmar Hopp.

 

Way things are I'd be happy, again, for Masters and co to return fire on Ashley as an improper not fit owner. That's what drives me bezerk. That they've condoned Ashley's ruining of the club was bad enough but to put more effort into preventing us from getting rid of him than the PL has put into anything,you cant help but take it personally

 

*On Staveley, she did okay helping broker the Man City takeover.  Bet if they could turn back the clock the big four (and mid-table non-entities Spurs obviously)would have blocked that as much as they are now, as much as Ashley did then, ironically.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2021 by Wolfcastle

[Consortium of one]

3 hours ago, Jackie Broon said:

 

There are no other tests like this for ownership of any other type of business as far as I'm aware, other than for board members of NHS trusts but that is supported by specific legislation.

 

That's why I think the test itself will almost certainly be eventually be found to be an unlawful restriction of competition and/or trade.

Wasn't the O&D test set up to protect clubs (and communities) from shysters?  If so, it's just that the O&D was used to block someone who could have good good for a club.

 

Assholes can always find a way to use a good thing for a selfish purpose.

[Kanj]

44 minutes ago, Dr Jinx said:

But she’s not though. Nobody could have foreseen the level of opposition they’ve experienced.

 

We know the story about how this came about, Staveley was invited to a yacht party by MBS’s people, or got an invite. She’d been requesting an audience for some time.

 

Once interested, they decided that PIF was the best vessel to make the investment (because of the slight separation between State)

 

Perhaps, if they were being clever, they could have opened an investment firm in America and done it through that. But they had no reason to think that PIF would be rejected as they are internationally respected as a wealth fund.

 

Not that corruption in football is news to any of us, but honestly I had no idea how far Qatar’s hand was up the PL’s arse before this takeover began. Or the sway some of the wealthier clubs had..

 

 

 

For the millionth time - she and her associates had been seeking the majority equity to acquire a football club - and her heart was set on NUFC - which would be the easiest and best draw to go from a 300 million investment to double that in a matter of years with investment and nurture. She found one of the largest SWFs in PIF, one who had a Governor (CEO) who is well respected by the global financial community. They then added developers in the Rueben Brothers who would also be interested in taking a small piece. 

 

The blame may be on the false dawns and/or confidence but there is no way you'd forsee it dragging 15 months and the league wanting this type of investment / owner. You only have resistance to this type of buyer when you have other motives. Plain and simple. 

 

I have issue with the media blitz and confidence when the results don't back it up. 

 

Right now, all i can think of is figure out a way to settle before CAT and call off the case or terminate this pursuit and source another buyer. Fast. 

[et tu brute]

40 minutes ago, Kanji said:

 

 

For the millionth time - she and her associates had been seeking the majority equity to acquire a football club - and her heart was set on NUFC - which would be the easiest and best draw to go from a 300 million investment to double that in a matter of years with investment and nurture. She found one of the largest SWFs in PIF, one who had a Governor (CEO) who is well respected by the global financial community. They then added developers in the Rueben Brothers who would also be interested in taking a small piece. 

 

The blame may be on the false dawns and/or confidence but there is no way you'd forsee it dragging 15 months and the league wanting this type of investment / owner. You only have resistance to this type of buyer when you have other motives. Plain and simple. 

 

I have issue with the media blitz and confidence when the results don't back it up. 

 

Right now, all i can think of is figure out a way to settle before CAT and call off the case or terminate this pursuit and source another buyer. Fast. 

 

 

There is only one group of people to blame for this takeover going through and it's not the consortium. Do youy really think Ashleys going to settle and call it off with the amount of money he has paid out so far - not  chance in hell that's going to happen. This will be played out (however long) until there is a definitive decision made, through either one of, or both of the cases involved. PIF wiill just wait and see in the background as officially they have withdrawn. They want a premier league club and to get that they will have to wait, as if this deal is knocked back, then they won't be able to buy another premier club for a very long period of time (if at all). The money and exposure is not in the other leagues, they want the premier league and that's why they have not turned their attention to buying another club outright so far. 

 

If you really think another buyer would give us anything like the possibilities of this consortium then you're living in cloud cuckoo land. If ths deal does fail, it ill be then sold to another Ashley type owner or a hedgefund consortium. 

 

Edit: I do have one criticism of Staveley though, and that is she really seems to struggle when put uunder pressure for answers. Not sure if she is the best person to be the spokeperson, but to be fair the Ruebens and PIF do not want any public attention with the takeover.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2021 by et tu brute

[gdm]

2 hours ago, Teasy said:

 

You're talking as if both sides just want the same thing and have both simply made mistakes or fallen short.  If that was the case I'd blame both sides.  But the fact is the PL are merely taking any opportunity they can to stop this takeover because it threatens the monopoly of their owners (the big six).  So no, at no point will I blame the people who actively want to take over NUFC and give us the competitive Football club we've wanted back for almost 2 decades.  I'll blame the side deliberately sabotaging it instead.

Playing devils advocate that’s absolutely guess work until there is proof. 
we couldn’t even get arbitration off the ground coz by all accounts KSA didn’t send the required info 

[Jackie Broon]

8 minutes ago, gdm said:

Playing devils advocate that’s absolutely guess work until there is proof. 
we couldn’t even get arbitration off the ground coz by all accounts KSA didn’t send the required info 

 

That's absolute guesswork too, no one really knows what the issue with disclosure was. The arbitration has been watertight so far, no ITK or journalist has accurately predicted anything, everything that has been revealed has been completely out of the blue.

[Jackie Broon]

Something I hadn't realised before tonight was that the statement the club released on Monday was in fact a joint statement by the club and the PL.

 

That definitely seems to suggest a thawing in the relationship between the club and PL.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2021 by Jackie Broon

[Dr Jinx]

Perhaps the PL have indicated they would accept a slightly repackaged submittal? The silence is interesting at least, you’d think if this really was delaying tactics by either side, it would have come out at by now.