The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[Risso]

I accept that Lerner is fine as an owner in the same spirit that I accept the Queen on banknotes.  There is no real harm in it.

The twin broadsides hit us when, as Paulie and others point out, the owner facilitates the appointment of incompetent people.

The second devastating broadside is when those incompetents take advantage of the absence of the owner to make decisions that are disastrously beyond their intelligence.

It is like the example quoted by my son when he interviewed Tyson Fury.  Namely that he is the worst kind of fool, a fool who thinks he is a genius.

There's a very real problem with Lerner as owner, and that's that he's not putting any serious money into the club at the moment.  Whether that's because he can't or just doesn't want to is unclear, but is probably a mixture of the two.  That we were prepared to buy some Coratian kid to replace Guzan isn't proof of very much.  Just about everything we spent [wasted] last summer was internally generated from the sales of Benteke and Delph.  We don't really have much in the way of saleable assets now, so we're going to have to rely on Lerner to support us, and if that support isn't forthcoming, I think we're going to have a hard time getting out of the Championship.  The appointment of Hollis et al is all well and good, but if they don't pick the right manager, and he isn't given enough backing, then nothing is going to change.

Maybe football clubs will eventually have to start not relying on a benefactor, and with all the money flowing in try and live within there means
the more you got the more you waste it seems to me

That's a fine and noble ambition, but our income is about to face a rather large decrease.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I've felt for some time now that Lerner is more than open to bringing in another investor as the chance of selling the club is remote at the moment. Maybe he would prefer to sell part of his shares to bring some fresh money rather than constantly having to put his hand in his pocket to bail us out. Right now we're going to need that money to rebuild and there won't (hopefully) we a cheaper time to invest in the club.

[pauliewalnuts]

I've felt for some time now that Lerner is more than open to bringing in another investor as the chance of selling the club is remote at the moment. Maybe he would prefer to sell part of his shares to bring some fresh money rather than constantly having to put his hand in his pocket to bail us out. Right now we're going to need that money to rebuild and there won't (hopefully) we a cheaper time to invest in the club.

Selling part of his shares wouldn't bring in new investors to the club, though, it'd put money in his pocket. He'd then have to get the new part owner to agree to invest in the club in terms of cash injections etc etc.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I've felt for some time now that Lerner is more than open to bringing in another investor as the chance of selling the club is remote at the moment. Maybe he would prefer to sell part of his shares to bring some fresh money rather than constantly having to put his hand in his pocket to bail us out. Right now we're going to need that money to rebuild and there won't (hopefully) we a cheaper time to invest in the club.

Selling part of his shares wouldn't bring in new investors to the club, though, it'd put money in his pocket. He'd then have to get the new part owner to agree to invest in the club in terms of cash injections etc etc.

Obviously that would be part of the T&Cs of selling a minority share. A new investor would want to have at least first option to buy in the future the remaining shares. It would also give them a great learning experience on the running of a football club. It's not an original concept, we only have to look at how our neighbours across the city were acquired.

[Chris Smith]

I've felt for some time now that Lerner is more than open to bringing in another investor as the chance of selling the club is remote at the moment. Maybe he would prefer to sell part of his shares to bring some fresh money rather than constantly having to put his hand in his pocket to bail us out. Right now we're going to need that money to rebuild and there won't (hopefully) we a cheaper time to invest in the club.

Selling part of his shares wouldn't bring in new investors to the club, though, it'd put money in his pocket. He'd then have to get the new part owner to agree to invest in the club in terms of cash injections etc etc.

Obviously that would be part of the T&Cs of selling a minority share. A new investor would want to have at least first option to buy in the future the remaining shares. It would also give them a great learning experience on the running of a football club. It's not an original concept, we only have to look at how our neighbours across the city were acquired.

That is how the recent Everton investment is being reported. Buying in with the suggestion he will be facilitating future investment.

[Des Little]

Does anyone share my belief that all these board acquisitions don't seem like a Lerner-led move? This all seems to me like someone else is re structuring the club from the top down, maybe because they know the long term plan.  I simply don't believe a bloke trying to sell a club would be making all these changes...it just doesn't ring true.

[john e]

Does anyone share my belief that all these board acquisitions don't seem like a Lerner-led move? This all seems to me like someone else is re structuring the club from the top down, maybe because they know the long term plan.  I simply don't believe a bloke trying to sell a club would be making all these changes...it just doesn't ring true.

Apart from the fact he said this is exactly what he would do if he didn't find a buyer

[ciggiesnbeer]

Reads to me like Lerner is just doing what he said he would do. Backing off the new chairman and let him take a stab at organizing things.

[tomd2103]

Reads to me like Lerner is just doing what he said he would do. Backing off the new chairman and let him take a stab at organizing things.

Yep.  I think Hollis has been given free rein to appoint who he wants and sees fit.  He'd shown better leadership of the club in a few months than Lerner has in the best part of a decade. 

[mr underhill]

It's like Randy 'Rip Van Winkle' Lerner has just woken up after 20 years with the shummanites. Sadly, it's too late.

[brian green]

Could be Mr U.  I still think all the sackings and appointments at VP are a prelude to something.  After a decade of laissez faire cronyism I just don't see Randy Lerner as a born again pragmatist. Once a prat always a prat has the ring of actuality about it.

[The Laughing Policeman]

Could it be that Randy has a buyer but nothing will be announced until our future is confirmed either way because the price being paid is dependant on our league status.

[fredm]

Could it be that Randy has a buyer but nothing will be announced until our future is confirmed either way because the price being paid is dependant on our league status.

And the appointments are not really from Randy but on someone elses instructions?

[The Laughing Policeman]

It makes slightly more sense to me than the idea that it has taken Randy ten years to realise that you need people on the board who know how to run a football club.

[mr underhill]

you might be right - I love a good old TBAR-eque type take over  conspiracy thread. what we need now is Trees giving us the heads up on unusual plane movements