The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[Billy Walker]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but there is also a good interview in the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/19/tony-xia-revamp-aston-villa-top-three-world-owner

It all sounds very very strange. This isn't like Sheikh Mansour or even Roman Abramovitch - you knew who they were and how secure their megawealth was. Tony, for all his right-sounding ambitions - cannot say anything like the same thing.

Abramovitch always struck me as more than a bit dodgy to be honest. 

[mrfuse]

Apologies if this has already been posted, but there is also a good interview in the Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/19/tony-xia-revamp-aston-villa-top-three-world-owner

It all sounds very very strange. This isn't like Sheikh Mansour or even Roman Abramovitch - you knew who they were and how secure their megawealth was. Tony, for all his right-sounding ambitions - cannot say anything like the same thing.

I don't believe he is mega wealthy myself, but there is some wealth there in the group. How much, we probably won't get to the bottom of but what's more important is that in the short term someone is willing to pump some investment in and long term, being in the Premier league takes care of a lot of the finances. Nearly everyone makes a profit in the Premier League now.

We need desire and brains. Not neccessarily an Abramovich billionaire.

which is why I like this comment,

Xia promised to pump significant funds into the club but said he would not attempt to copy what he called the “money-burned” model of teams such as Manchester City. “I don’t think that’s a healthy model and it can’t last long,” he said.

[Monty]

I agree with that, but it's about having a track record of success which proves that seeking to you is not a risk. I can only hope that Hollis has seen evidence that we haven't yet (in fact of course he has - I just hope it's compelling).

[aj2k77]

Comparison to Carson Yeung?

1 was Hong Kongs most expensive hair dresser and most fortunate roulette player. The other studied at Harvard and owns a company that has modelled 600 cities in China.

Noses and nonsense go hand in hand, make your own opinions based on the facts we know about them, not bitter nose wet dreams.

[Monty]

Yeah, the Carson Yeung comparisons are very lazy. Doesn't mean he'll be a brilliant owner, but of he screws up I'm sure hell find his own way to do so.

[paul_e]

I agree with that, but it's about having a track record of success which proves that seeking to you is not a risk. I can only hope that Hollis has seen evidence that we haven't yet (in fact of course he has - I just hope it's compelling).

I don't see how it could be any other way, Hollis is an auditor by trade, and by all evidence he was a very good one, I just refuse to believe that he'd be hoodwinked by a bullshitter as some people seem to want to believe.  That's why i found some of the companies that are part of the group and linked them on here to show that the diversity and size that is being talked about is reflect on the stock exchange.

I think some people saw the blog from the bluenose who was vocally anti-yeung and just took it as fact when actually a lot of his comments were disproved very easily.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I agree with that, but it's about having a track record of success which proves that seeking to you is not a risk. I can only hope that Hollis has seen evidence that we haven't yet (in fact of course he has - I just hope it's compelling).

I don't see how it could be any other way, Hollis is an auditor by trade, and by all evidence he was a very good one, I just refuse to believe that he'd be hoodwinked by a bullshitter as some people seem to want to believe. 

Hollis worked for KPMG, auditors of FIFA

[Jimbo]

Some sad obsessed Nose has found evidence that he owned/lived at a residence in Boston for a time at the house owned by his Professor.

I think we should all just sit back and let the Small Heath Scrutineers do our digging. They've got our backs on this one.

Just like the only possible reason Villa supporters said that the Yeung takeover looked suspect was because we wanted it to be the case.

I don't recall Villa fans digging around the internet to unearth a scoop. We just hoped he'd be like the Kumars and he was.

They definitely did. There was plenty of it in the BCFC thread on this very forum.

Yep, there was plenty of it going on.

There are a number of differences. If I recall correctly, at the time of their takeover, a lot of knuckledraggers were whooping and salivating over their impending success, making plans for the Champions League, rubbing their hooves in fervent anticipation at finally being "bigger dan da viy-ull!"

All I've heard from Villa fans is caution. Some of us are choosing to take it at face value, a wait-and-see approach; others are rightly probing for information about this bloke and his businesses. Healthy scepticism. In the end, we can't do anything about any of this, all we can do is wait.

And yet, there's this twisted idea that some of the more literate members of the great unwashed are doing us a favour because they know a thing or two about dodgy characters from China. That we should listen to them, because what they have to say will be in some way balanced, objective, sane. That our clubs have anything in common other than we share a city, and we both have Chinese owners. These are people who spent money on a mock funeral and flew a plane over Aston celebrating our demise, for Christ's sake.

All fans of that rabble ever want is for Aston Villa to be dragged down to their level. It consumes their every waking moment, and probably their darkest, blood-blackened dreams. Our takeover was on their message boards hours before it appeared on ours. I was contacted by several crowing noses before any Villa fans, who I assumed had paused to take in what was happening at their club. They were all over it like cockroaches in a Small Heath pantry.

The apes are hoping and praying Dr X will be a charlatan, just like their Hong Kong hairdresser is a charlatan, and they're dressing it up as a quiet word of caution. I don't need some dribbling halfwit from Sheldon to tell me anything about my club, no matter how obsessed he is with us.

They may yet get their wish, this may end badly, but consulting them about Aston Villa is like asking an Israeli his opinion on Palestine. We'll find out in due course ourselves. 

[TonyD]

We know more about the surface of the moon than we know about the background of our Tone.

[Pat McMahon]

If there were 3 bidders and this shyster was the best of the bunch who the fuck were the other two the Cosa Nostra and isis

I understand there were several "tyre kickers" sniffing around but not too many serious bidders.

[wozwebs]

The interview with Hollis has put my mind at rest at the moment. Speaks very highly of our Tone and one thing you can say about Hollis in the short time we've known him - he doesn't suffer fools gladly!

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-steve-hollis-explains-11357357?

One concern I do have though is do you think King and Bernstein were trying to put Lerner off this deal and hence why they walked?

[john e]

If there were 3 bidders and this shyster was the best of the bunch who the fuck were the other two the Cosa Nostra and isis

What makes you think he's a shyster?  We're currently being run by a guy who was very high up at one of the biggest auditing companies in the world.  Do you honestly think that Hollis wouldn't spot the sort of obvious 'iffy' things that have been reported on here?

The issue is that we're struggling to find info so some people are filling the info black hole with comparisons to Carson Yeung and getting all nervous because of it.  I'm quite uncomfortable with some of it which seems to be that he's going to be shit purely because he's Chinese and operates like most Chinese businessmen.

I sell used vehicles for a living, I can spot a 'wrong un' a mile of
I doubt he will even pass the FA's fit and proper test

You can turn it into a Chinese thing or a nuckledraggers thing if that's the way you roll
But I'm saying the blokes a fraud

[wozwebs]

Wife just walked in and said "How long will it be before you're all shouting Xia out?" Cheeky mare. At least sales in bed sheets will tumble locally.

[Dave Cooper please]

All I'd like to say is:

And if we can get this chant started on The Holte all is good.

[Stirchley Villain]

If there were 3 bidders and this shyster was the best of the bunch who the fuck were the other two the Cosa Nostra and isis

What makes you think he's a shyster?  We're currently being run by a guy who was very high up at one of the biggest auditing companies in the world.  Do you honestly think that Hollis wouldn't spot the sort of obvious 'iffy' things that have been reported on here?

The issue is that we're struggling to find info so some people are filling the info black hole with comparisons to Carson Yeung and getting all nervous because of it.  I'm quite uncomfortable with some of it which seems to be that he's going to be shit purely because he's Chinese and operates like most Chinese businessmen.

I sell used vehicles for a living, I can spot a 'wrong un' a mile of
I doubt he will even pass the FA's fit and proper test

You can turn it into a Chinese thing or a nuckledraggers thing if that's the way you roll
But I'm saying the blokes a fraud

You didn't even know who he was 12 hours ago. And didn't you sell me a Ford Fiesta with a dodgy gearbox?