The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[Small Rodent]

I'd be happy with an American consortium. We could all chant "U-S-A! U-S-A!". An Arab investor would also be okay as we could shout "U-A-E!" at him and, at a push, I'd be willing to put up with a Saudi Chairman so we could holler "K-S-A!" for "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".

If we appointed any manager that was unemployed we could chant our support with JSA! JSA! JSA!

[Toronto Villa]

Well of course. If Klinsmann were proffered as the potential manager then obviously I'd bloody take him - not just over the current incompetent, but over many of the terrible alternatives currently floating around in ominous unemployment.

My point really was that he got it very right with Germany at a point where they had been badly embarrassed in the euros and despite being the hosts had largely been written off for the world cup, he brought in a lot of youngsters and got a really good coaching team in place.  That Loew is an excellent tactician isn't in doubt but Klinsmann in a team manager/director level role (which is how we treat the manager in the current setup) with a technical coach below him would be perfect, and would have been all along.

That is true, actually. And it would be wrong to portray him as some sort of footballing simpleton - he's Jurgen Klinsmann, for God's sake. If he had the right team he'd be a terrific manager.

I think Klinsmann could only be tempted away from the US by a lot of money, a huge transfer budget and a goal of CL football within 3 years. He's a huge name in the game and irrespective of whether he has club management experience or not he'll be in a position to make those demands. If he is tempted into club management anywhere else it will be at a club that is far more CL ready than we are.

[pauliewalnuts]

I have to say, if his big announcement is that he is instructing such-and-such a firm of consultants to seek investors, I will be massively underwhelmed

That is precisely what I worry about.

If he's just going to announce he'd consider selling, then we are absolutely fucked, because it's not going to happen quickly enough to put off at least one more entire season of just about scraping by and limping along.

If we survive this season, look how close it is likely to be. Who on earth wants even more of that?

If the new owner isn't on the phone to Randy, reading the long number off his credit card by the start of the summer, I think we're fucked.

[PaulWinch again]

I have to say, if his big announcement is that he is instructing such-and-such a firm of consultants to seek investors, I will be massively underwhelmed

That is precisely what I worry about.

If he's just going to announce he'd consider selling, then we are absolutely fucked, because it's not going to happen quickly enough to put off at least one more entire season of just about scraping by and limping along.

If we survive this season, look how close it is likely to be. Who on earth wants even more of that?

If the new owner isn't on the phone to Randy, reading the long number off his credit card by the start of the summer, I think we're fucked.

Indeed, and we would be in big big trouble.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'd be happy with an American consortium. We could all chant "U-S-A! U-S-A!". An Arab investor would also be okay as we could shout "U-A-E!" at him and, at a push, I'd be willing to put up with a Saudi Chairman so we could holler "K-S-A!" for "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".

I would be fundamentally against a Russian bidder as Russia can't be handily-abbreviated into a three-letter salvo. A magnate from the Central African Republic would be ok though.

The problem with a Russian owner would be that, you just know, within a week of him taking over, the government would grow some actual, proper bollocks and apply sanctions over the Ukraine - ones aimed specifically at our new glorious owner.

[peter w]

If we do get a Russian billionaire I tell you what Ukraine can go and bollocks off.

[pauliewalnuts]

It would be a good test of Cameron's credentials as a Villa supporter.

[UK Redsox]

[UKRedsox Mode]Although, won't the KKK have their hands full as they're already running the LA Clippers?[/UKRedsox Mode]

The KKK took my Blakey away.


I take you've seen that Sterling's been banned for life for his latest racist outburst

[cdbearsfan]

[UKRedsox Mode]Although, won't the KKK have their hands full as they're already running the LA Clippers?[/UKRedsox Mode]

The KKK took my Blakey away.


I take you've seen that Sterling's been banned for life for his latest racist outburst

I saw it on BBC News after I'd posted. Ah well, I nearly made myself sound like a convincing basketball fan for about twelve seconds... it would help if I was able to name any player other than Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan.

[peter w]

Alton Byrd.

[cdbearsfan]

Nope. Did he found a theme park in Staffordshire?

[UK Redsox]

Alton Byrd.

You must be another who watched basketball on Channel 4 in the eighties

[john e]

Meadowlark lemon is the only basketball player I could name apart from that magic fella

[Somniloquism]

Off the top of my head, Byrd, Rodman, Johnson, Jordan and Shaq. After that I would be struggling. Oh, and the one that was in Parks and Rec ( or was that Baseball).

[garyshawsknee]

Karim Abdul jabarah. ...I think, the guy in airplane.