The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[Percy McCarthy]

Up date from the Meaning Evil...things appear to be progressing , albeit at a snails pace !. Can´t say I´m overly excited by the Di Matteo rumour, in addition, the name of Keith Wyness ( see...  http://www.nsno.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=14293.0 )  is now cropping up with some regularity.2 weeks more, max, I say...Godzvilla!

" The Chinese group who are hoping to buy Aston Villa could soon undergo the Owners’ and Directors Test, the Birmingham Mail understands.

Villa’s potential new owners are closing in on a takeover as Randy Lerner looks to offload the club following relegation to the Championship.

Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness is involved with the group and will hold a senior role at the club if a deal can be struck.

Talks are said to be at an advanced stage and the aim is to have an agreement in place by the end of the month.

In order for it to go through, the consortium must pass the test which was formerly set up to determine whether a person was ‘fit-and-proper’.".

That article hardly says anything. Absolutely anybody who buys us will have to do that test. It's like saying 'Villa's prospective new owners could be about to pay Randy Lerner some money'.

[Steve R]

I am beginning to think that it's not a Chinese pharmaceutical company taking us over as much as Keith Wyness pulling a deal together using money provided by Chinese backers.

Wyness appears to be a bit of a ducker and diver, but at least he seems to know a few people in the game. Not 100% optimistic for the future if this deal happens.

[old man villa fan]

I am beginning to think that it's not a Chinese pharmaceutical company taking us over as much as Keith Wyness pulling a deal together using money provided by Chinese backers.

Wyness appears to be a bit of a ducker and diver, but at least he seems to know a few people in the game. Not 100% optimistic for the future if this deal happens.

100% more optimistic than being run by the guy that has been sitting in a dark room for the last few years.

[Yossarian]

Reading Everton fans opinions on Keith Wyness is a sobering experience.

I hope they aren't as bad those Clevland Browns supporters' opinions that we all conveniently ignored when Randy first took over.

[TonyD]

Everton have rarely spent money.

[Steve67]

Everton have rarely spent money.

They often give that impression but spent good money on two Belgium lads for starters.  They do ok if you look at their dealings overall.

[Steve R]

I am beginning to think that it's not a Chinese pharmaceutical company taking us over as much as Keith Wyness pulling a deal together using money provided by Chinese backers.

Wyness appears to be a bit of a ducker and diver, but at least he seems to know a few people in the game. Not 100% optimistic for the future if this deal happens.

100% more optimistic than being run by the guy that has been sitting in a dark room for the last few years.

A dislike for Lerner doesn't make Wyness a good option. One of the things he did at Everton was to build a good new training ground, sell it and then lease it back. Hmmm.

[Villafirst]

Still not confident of the buffoon Lerner concluding a deal, he's just about fucked everything up for the last 6 years; he appears far away and deluded and you wonder at his sanity.

[pauliewalnuts]

We really have to trust in Randy that he'll sell us to owners he thinks will do the best for the club.

Unfortunately, that relies on assuming Randy is capable of getting a decision like that right. Not encouraging.

[ozzjim]

I think he will have the best of intentions.  But get it woefully wrong. Mind you if it's only the Chinese left in, there isn't much choice. My worry is the complete lack of any real details about who is behind the Chinese bid.  The Rui Kang stuff is clearly a front for someone with much more money but who?

[pauliewalnuts]

I think he will have the best of intentions.  But get it woefully wrong. Mind you if it's only the Chinese left in, there isn't much choice. My worry is the complete lack of any real details about who is behind the Chinese bid.  The Rui Kang stuff is clearly a front for someone with much more money but who?

Even this ^^^^ is just conjecture, really.

We don't know anything about it.

[ozzjim]

True. Wyness following a load of Villa stuff is about the only real indication of his involvement.

One things for sure if Lerner sells to someone that wants to bring in fucking Pulis it will be a final kick in the bollocks.

[Jimbo]

I can only hope Hollis has stipulated that Randy is wrapped in an iron sleeve, shackled and locked in a fortified tower somewhere in bleakest Alaska while any negotiations take place.

[pauliewalnuts]

Looks like someone has been busy on wikipedia turning Wyness into a proper genius.

Wyness' tenure at Everton was met with a mixed response from fans and opinion remains divided on his outsourcing preferences and pursuit of the stadium build in Kirkby.[citation needed] He was criticised by shareholders for pursuing Everton's relocation whilst an active director of Soccer Range Stadia – a stadium management company he set up.[citation needed] However, the company had absolutely nothing to do with stadium management and was in fact a leisure use for football and he had offered Everton a chance to participate in the revenue streams that would have come from this concept.[citation needed]

Wyness outsourced in-house operations to reduce the short-term cost.[citation needed] The club's catering arrangements were outsourced to Sodexo UK, and the club shops were outsourced to the sports retailer JJB Sports, who later filed for administration.[citation needed] The JJB deal turned the £1.5 million loss the club was making on merchandising alone into a profit of £800,000.[citation needed] He also was responsible for negotiating the new Kitbag deal which has taken club sales to £10 million. The savings were also significant in terms of staff time and it was soon recognised that the club was not equipped to handle a retail operation.[citation needed]

The club's land assets, such as the Eileen Craven site on Walton Lane in Liverpool, were sold and developed into housing areas to help the club keep trading without selling players.[2] For one year, Everton was in the top 20 of the Deloitte's table of clubs,[citation needed] but moved out of that list the next year after the merchandise and catering operations were outsourced and could no longer be included in turnover.[citation needed]

The former training ground Bellefield was also earmarked to become a housing development by Wyness. However, plans were later rejected by the Planning Inspectorate.[citation needed] It was felt by the club that this was a highly political decision by the local council linked to the potential move to Kirkby.[3] Wyness was the main power behind the development of Finch Farm; he sourced the finance and the design for Everton's new training facility, which opened in November 2007.[4] He arranged for Everton to purchase the training facility and sell it on to a third-party company and lease it back. It is considered one of the top training facilities in the Premiership.[citation needed]

He was responsible for co-ordinating the acquisition of the David France artefacts which together with a donation from the club's collection formed The Everton Collection, regarded as "most important football memorabilia collection in the world" by the auctioneers Sotheby's.[5] A charitable trust was established which attracted National Lottery funding, meaning that Everton did not have to pay for the maintenance of the memorabilia.[citation needed] The collection is held at the Liverpool Records Office.[citation needed]

The relocation of the club to Kirkby was a very contentious issue. Although the board all agreed, he was left to be the only director to face the fans and argue the case in public.[citation needed] It was recognised that staying in the city was the preferred option but no deliverable option could be found despite many attempts.[citation needed]

Wyness was also an advocate of Game 39.[citation needed]

There were many media comments that his departure was linked to the dysfunctional nature of the board and the actions of Sir Philip Green who was interfering in the running of the club.

In May 2009, he wrote to the Liverpool Daily Post lambasting Liverpool City Council's decision to spend £265,000 fighting the Kirkby Project.[6]

Many in the Premier League and within clubs have said he was the best CEO of his era and were disappointed to see him go.[citation needed] In his five years, the average position of Everton was 6th and the turnover had doubled to approx £80 m.In real terms, Everton (with their resources) should have been 10/12th.[citation needed]

[Sexual Ealing]

Looks like someone has been busy on wikipedia turning Wyness into a proper genius.

Wyness' tenure at Everton was met with a mixed response from fans and opinion remains divided on his outsourcing preferences and pursuit of the stadium build in Kirkby.[citation needed] He was criticised by shareholders for pursuing Everton's relocation whilst an active director of Soccer Range Stadia – a stadium management company he set up.[citation needed] However, the company had absolutely nothing to do with stadium management and was in fact a leisure use for football and he had offered Everton a chance to participate in the revenue streams that would have come from this concept.[citation needed]

Wyness outsourced in-house operations to reduce the short-term cost.[citation needed] The club's catering arrangements were outsourced to Sodexo UK, and the club shops were outsourced to the sports retailer JJB Sports, who later filed for administration.[citation needed] The JJB deal turned the £1.5 million loss the club was making on merchandising alone into a profit of £800,000.[citation needed] He also was responsible for negotiating the new Kitbag deal which has taken club sales to £10 million. The savings were also significant in terms of staff time and it was soon recognised that the club was not equipped to handle a retail operation.[citation needed]

The club's land assets, such as the Eileen Craven site on Walton Lane in Liverpool, were sold and developed into housing areas to help the club keep trading without selling players.[2] For one year, Everton was in the top 20 of the Deloitte's table of clubs,[citation needed] but moved out of that list the next year after the merchandise and catering operations were outsourced and could no longer be included in turnover.[citation needed]

The former training ground Bellefield was also earmarked to become a housing development by Wyness. However, plans were later rejected by the Planning Inspectorate.[citation needed] It was felt by the club that this was a highly political decision by the local council linked to the potential move to Kirkby.[3] Wyness was the main power behind the development of Finch Farm; he sourced the finance and the design for Everton's new training facility, which opened in November 2007.[4] He arranged for Everton to purchase the training facility and sell it on to a third-party company and lease it back. It is considered one of the top training facilities in the Premiership.[citation needed]

He was responsible for co-ordinating the acquisition of the David France artefacts which together with a donation from the club's collection formed The Everton Collection, regarded as "most important football memorabilia collection in the world" by the auctioneers Sotheby's.[5] A charitable trust was established which attracted National Lottery funding, meaning that Everton did not have to pay for the maintenance of the memorabilia.[citation needed] The collection is held at the Liverpool Records Office.[citation needed]

The relocation of the club to Kirkby was a very contentious issue. Although the board all agreed, he was left to be the only director to face the fans and argue the case in public.[citation needed] It was recognised that staying in the city was the preferred option but no deliverable option could be found despite many attempts.[citation needed]

Wyness was also an advocate of Game 39.[citation needed]

There were many media comments that his departure was linked to the dysfunctional nature of the board and the actions of Sir Philip Green who was interfering in the running of the club.

In May 2009, he wrote to the Liverpool Daily Post lambasting Liverpool City Council's decision to spend £265,000 fighting the Kirkby Project.[6]

Many in the Premier League and within clubs have said he was the best CEO of his era and were disappointed to see him go.[citation needed] In his five years, the average position of Everton was 6th and the turnover had doubled to approx £80 m.In real terms, Everton (with their resources) should have been 10/12th.[citation needed]

I read that earlier and did think that it ehcoed the stylistic flourishes reminiscent of a certain K Wyness.