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Post by jdh80 on Jan 23, 2023 23:04:13 GMT
Facebook wankers ? That's generous. Usual pathetic drivel. He's got a point though, some of our fans on the facebook group are well the W word is probably the best one to use. There has been some comments today since the non-takeover news was announced on that facebook group that are just embarrassing One comment "I;m not coming back with the current owners" fine f off then your glory hunting c word Another comment: "The owners just want to take take take" really??? -- They have given us the team back in the town (Many on here will tell you about their travels to Ashford/Sittingbourne for HOME games). -- They have given us a ground and have built that ground up with the extension of the Manchett Stand and the building of the Genco stand and also the purchase of the extra land on the riverside (Ready for future developments) -- They have given us a team who have brought success during their time in charge (3 promotions in 4 years, and recent NLS championship) The current owners have certainly given us a lot over the years and as a club we are sustainable, not racking up huge debts like a number of clubs in this league
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Post by tim on Jan 23, 2023 23:20:09 GMT
Well said Anyone you puts the owners down really needs to look at themselves Before they took over I was bracing myself to see my club die for a second time! Sorry but we donāt need you, Iād rather go down than have supporters like that!
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Post by jdl on Jan 23, 2023 23:57:11 GMT
Anyone any idea what the sticking points were? My feeling is that the existing directors wanted to stick with the current business model - ie no unsustainable spending on players to keep/get us up, but Mr M wanted to do more of a Thompson. Only a guess, of course, I have no insider knowledge or psychic powers, but that's my gut feel. I would put money on the current owners wanted to take all the money out of the club that is owed to them or more then the prospective new owners were prepared to offer.So I think it's fair to say supporters need to be prepared for more of the same as regards to investment in the team. That was my other gut feeling. But I preferred the first one!
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Post by jdl on Jan 24, 2023 0:02:14 GMT
Well said Anyone you puts the owners down really needs to look at themselves Before they took over I was bracing myself to see my club die for a second time! Sorry but we donāt need you, Iād rather go down than have supporters like that! It's madness. Without Oliver and Terry we wouldn't have a club, let alone such a successful one, with such an excellent ground. How come even these idiots don't understand that? It's not exactly difficult to grasp. Someone gives you the best present you've ever had and then keeps giving you more and more, and then you turn on them because they won't spend even more on you. It's totally mental.
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Post by sword65 on Jan 24, 2023 1:42:57 GMT
The thing is if Alan Manchett, an alleged Stones supporter, is not willing to part with money to buy the club then who else is going to be interested? I think once Alan saw Ā£4million floating out of the window he thought 'f**k that' and pulled out.
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Post by Bernie on Jan 24, 2023 5:19:08 GMT
None of us knows.
Maybe he saw some of the more unhinged Facebook posts against the current owners whoāve done nothing wrong and thought āf*** that for a game of soldiersā. We might all dream of buying the club and being super successful and popular, but the reality is more likely kids on social media abusing you in return for your family fortune going down the drain. So well done boys, youāve possibly just cost the club millions of pounds and a brighter future.
Or maybe itās a negotiating tactic and the deal will be back on next week.
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Post by stones1 on Jan 24, 2023 7:14:13 GMT
Itās a shame really. Iām sure Terry and Oliver donāt want to be in this position but ultimately the two have every right to protect their own financial interests as well as those of the club. If Alan couldnāt guarantee payment for the purchase now whatās to say he would be able to finance the club going forward to the level some are expecting/demanding.
A quick search on companies house reveals some of his financial history so maybe not the end of the world in some respects. Besides, the only reason it was announced a few weeks ago was because Alan had been flaunting the fact he was buying the club which forces a statement that now looks ridiculous but Iām not sure thatās entirely the clubs fault either, to be honest.
The land that the club is on is so valuable in terms of property development and I think that Oliver and Terry couldnāt easily have some it hundreds of times to someone who didnāt care for the club and just wanted a quick payday - so thank God they have the right interests at heart. Though reading some of the comments last night I canāt say Iād do the same in their positionā¦
Either way; this league is crap and relegation is part of football and not the end of the world the younger / more deluded / premier league / arseholes of the fan base think it is. Happy to go back to winning more in a weaker league than this.
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Post by steveh21 on Jan 24, 2023 7:44:58 GMT
This is a business negotiation and Terry and Oliver ..and Alan..must treat it as such. I trust them to make the right decision as all of them are successful businessmen.
I dont think the deal is dead.. just a few obstacles to overcome. It might not happen for a while but I think something will over the next few months.
Re this league.. I love it and would be gutted if were relegated again. This is where a club of our size should be imo.
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Post by grovergreenstone on Jan 24, 2023 8:10:44 GMT
Jesus Christ boys, I hate facebook, never go there, but it seems you guys live on there and just return here to bitch about the kids over there. You guys need something better to do.
I think you need to remember all of the younger fans (under16) were not even at primary school, or only in the first year or 2 when the Gallagher was built. They don't remember anything about Maidstone not playing at home. They only know, the Gallagher. So its no good going on about the old days going to dartford or sittingbourne. It means nothing to them. They only know the Gallagher, and they want a rich owner like what you see on TV.
So telling people to F off, and using the C word about them really makes you no better yet you all think you are like royalty compared to them. Give it a rest .
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Post by jdl on Jan 24, 2023 8:15:20 GMT
I think we need a bit of perspective here.
At the end of the day, we are no worse off. In fact, with Hak gone and George getting the team playing well again, we are in a much better place.
The deal falling through is worrying, but I also found the deal itself worrying! Those of us who lived through the Thompson years will never be able to fully relax in those circumstances.
Having a fresh injection of money would have been nice, but not exactly vital. We already have the infrastructure we need in place and we have the potential support to fund a successful NL club.
Our problems were on the pitch and in the dressing room, and hopefully we are in the process of getting that sorted out. We aren't struggling in the NL because of a lack of funds, we're struggling because we couldn't win games.
With the right management in place, we can do well in the NL, and perhaps even, in time, go further. We don't actually need a big injection of money at the moment. In fact, that might have been the very thing we didn't need - we had enough instability, without adding more.
My only concern on that front is that Oliver and Terry clearly have reached the point where they want to step back and hand the club over to someone else. But they knew right from the start that this was a risky 'investment' and they might struggle to find safe hands to pass it on to.
In football, especially at our level, you don't 'invest' unless you can afford to lose the money. This sounds harsh, but I'm sure Oliver and Terry went into this with their eyes open - they knew what they were taking on, and they might be in it for a longer run than they expected.
But, while that may still be a concern for us in the longer term, in the short-medium term, nothing has changed. It's on the pitch that we need to sort things out, not in the boardroom. And, at least there, things are looking much better.
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Post by 61666 on Jan 24, 2023 9:15:34 GMT
Disappointing to hear the Manchett news, but not the end of the day, especially with George now in charge. However, I do sometimes wonder exactly how the club is run and by that I mean the structure and hierarchy. Presume Terry and Oliver have the say in all thing financial, but who does the hiring and firing? Is it Bill, or does the manager have the most 'power'? Either way, last season excepted, general management hasn't been great since Jay left. We had the Clown, who certainly flattered to deceive, then sold us down the river. A series of 'safe' appointments followed and Hak did well in NLS, but as we now know, that was/is his ceiling. It will be interesting to see how George gets on. Clearly his own man, but early signs are that he brings a bit of imagination and flair too. Good! Maybe Terry and Oliver are sensing that and as even primary school children will tell you, in any experiment, you only change one variable at a time - otherwise, you don't know which one is working. I refuse to go near the palaver of Facebook, but the excitement of the possible Manchett takeover on this forum shows that too many people think money is a magic wand that just has to be waved to bring success. As others have said, regardless of whether we survive, the rest of the season has interest now, likewise hope for the next one, whichever league of we are in. More investment will be good, but needs to be at the right time and right conditions.
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Post by Andy on Jan 24, 2023 10:10:57 GMT
The sort of stuff on facebook says a lot more about its participants than the club's owners. Not everybody possess the skills of business management or investment management, but they can certainly let rip on how other people should spend their family fortune and inheritance. Means nothing. In the meantime we are probably back to where we were which means inadequate funding to guarantee success in the National League, but we can still enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. For those who dont enjoy it, there must be other more pleasurable options in their lives to supporting the Stones.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2023 10:17:30 GMT
A sticking point might be the ground holding company. Oliver and Terry are technically still owed millions by that company due to the director's loans they put in to build the stadium. If they're not prepared to exit without a new investor giving them that money back then it's going to be tricky to find someone willing to go down that route.
The last time I checked (some time ago admittedly) the amount owing to Oliver and Terry had reduced, which makes me think they probably get the club to pay the holding company some sort of rent for the facilities, and then take that back out as loan repayments. That is a slow process and it would take many years for them to recover their money by doing it that way. The exit choices they have are thus:
1). Simply write the loans off and walk away (unlikely - would you write off that sort of money?) 2). Find an investor who is willing to buy both the club and the ground holding company for an amount that would effectively pay Oliver and Terry back for their investment (we're talking about a tidy sum) 3). Sell the club only to someone willing to inject cash into it, but keep the ground holding company as a separate business at least for the time being. The club continues to pay rent to the ground holding company which over time, Terry and Oliver can withdraw as directors' loan repayments. This is not ideal for them because the loans get paid back very slowly. Also in this scenario, any new investor is unlikely to make any capital investments in the facilities as they are only running a business that is effectively a tenant of the ground holding business.
This won't resolve itself easily. We don't know exactly what put Mr Manchett off but when you look at how everything is set up, it doesn't exactly look like a cracking investment.
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Post by jackster on Jan 24, 2023 10:53:50 GMT
Not a cracking investment ?
Wow, what an understatement.
The existing owners have spent Ā£millions between them and their total personal profit over the years has been a big fat zero.
No investment income, no dividends, no salary, sweet F--- all in effect.
The kids on facebook havn't a clue about life in the real World, let alone financing and running a business.
It is amazing enough that Terry and Oliver have provided massive interest free loans, plus endless hours of work and hassle to create and build the club.
We have much to be grateful for !
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Post by sword65 on Jan 24, 2023 11:54:06 GMT
One of the problems maybe that Manchett wants the club but not the ground holding company.Manchett wants to progress to the football league and so will need a grass surface,whereas the ground holding company want profits so will want to keep the 3G pitch which makes solid profits every year.So if they are unwilling to give up 3G then what is the point of buying a club that can't progress.As gor the Facebook group, I resigned from the group after the Zouma scandal having received personal threats and abuse from the moronic element of our so called supporters. I am no angel, I know that,but these morons make me look like Mother Theresa.
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