FPP to take full control

I think you're right with all of that @sad-eyed prophet

That's why I don't think there was a bid to own us in October last year, because I think one thing we all broadly agree is that FPP have shown no intention to be majority owners while we are in League One.

I do also agree that if we'd have managed automatic promotion this season, it would be a very different discussion they were having. I doubt they'd have done a deal with a low end PL club if we were a potential top half Championship side.

 

Yes,I think you're right. Can you remember when the loan was provided......genuine question? I can't remember,but it would be interesting to know?

 

No, they initially intended owning us in league one and wanted to take over straight away. The reason they didn't is one word which rhymes with "Ronald".

 

Yeah, Late October I believe is when the agreement was dated.

 

Agree. It clearly looks like a takeover was 'expected' even if no written bid was tabled. This could be one way Donald could truthfully say no bid was made.

FPP are bound to be still very interested even if they only have $12M invested - of their own money, not MSD's - plus its a sporting venture for them done not solely for profit. Even Donald (I know, I know) said that one of the reasons he did the loan was so they could stay involved and 'have the fun'.

If FFP (or just Furham) is still interested in going further they won't be the slightest concerned about the fans hating Donald, reduced season ticket sales, or any fan action. MSD invested in the Miami Marlins who have the 3rd lowest attendance in MLB because they saw a growth opportunity in a potentially large untapped market, and they are doing the same thing here regardless of how bad things are for us at the moment and how we all feel. They also won't care about fan open letters. Their attitude will be that they know fans get pissed off when their team is not doing well, and if they even think about it all, they may see it as a further indicator of the depth of feeling (i.e. $$$) that they can ultimately tap into. If it's MSD doing the investment at Southampton and not a separate company set up by the FPP members then I think that may be significant. If they had wanted to do that as a commercial loan with us I think would have done.

 

I don't know how these things work, but we've seen the Due Diligence done by FPP variously costed at sums ranging anywhere between £1 million and £3 million. Now even at the lower figure, surely they would only fork out that kind of money to facilitate a complete takeover, not a 'mere' loan of £9 M? Do they recoup that money at any point, or is that now wasted? would they even break even with a repayment of the loan + interest, or have they had their fingers well and truly burnt by their brief flirtation on Wearside?

 

Dd would be high but perhaps not at that level but it still would be a lot of money

 

Said it a few times, but it would be a shock if it was over £1m on a deal this size. There are a lot of moving parts, but you'd have to be merging 2 airlines and all of their subsidiaries to be getting to £3m level of DD cost. Not sure where the £1m came from but it's a shocking figure and they've been jipped.

The MSD and FPP thing is still relevant to us. Platek is directly involved with the Southampton deal and Phelan is still pretty much the top director at MSD. There are pretty clear rules that they would not be able to get around that make it a very clear either/or proposition for those two (unless they plan to resign their directorship at MSD Capital!). Platek being involved as a director of the UK company is pretty much the death knell for him, as is the fact that Phelan cannot claim to be separate from any MSD companies.

Agreed Furhrman could theoretically do it on his own.

 

Correct.

 

So does anyone really know what’s going on?

 

Forget about FPP for the immediate future, the appointment of Rodwell and today this new secretary from Eastleigh are SD's men. He's going nowhere.

 

And we laughed at Mike Ashley

 

Show him the money and he'd be here today ...

... gone tomorrow.

 

We're stuck with these ****ers.

 

exactly only problem is no one gonna pay his asking price in league one

 

No

 

I think everyone wants to see you right, because everyone wants to see us taken over by people who actually care for the club.

If your contact received a text from furnham, saying he had brought the club. Would it be worth asking your contact to speak to furnham, and ask what went wrong?

 

I didn’t say my source didn’t know. I am just saying that a deal to sell the club was as good as done. And my source definitely was in a place to know that. But nothing is final until it is final.

 

I am hardly likely to tell you who my actual source is am I? You can think whatever you want, it doesn’t matter. All I will say is that I know, not think, know that a deal was as good as done. But I am just an anonymous account on the internet so it doesn’t really matter what I say. If I wanted to find out exactly why it ended up not happening I could do but it would hardly be a subtle enquiry and then I wouldn’t be able to post it on here anyway.

 

Fair enough, like I said, in the end it's an anonymous account vs the owner who had a lot more to lose by lying, but everyone is entitled to an opinion, and nobody can rule anything out.