Tony Evans

[Whelan]

Fair enough, the board aren't actively trying to sell the players!

 

But they sure as hell aren't going to be trying to hard to keep them! Torres and Gerrard want to see some sign of intent, not a 12 million budget, plus what you can raise through selling players, except Yossi, cos that money has been used to pay Fulham for the manager!

[johnmerrick]

I'd agree, I'd be surprised if discussions weren't taking place. However, I doubt very much that Broughton or anyone else can put a timescale on when talks will lead to a sale, and it's that uncertainty which will cause players of the ilk of Torres questioning how long it will be until the club are in a position to compete for major honours.

 

There probably won't be a timescale as such but an agreement can be made pretty quickly. Once that is in place the players will be told and I think they will stay based on it.

 

If it doesn't happen before August 31st then so be it. It will then make the January transfer window interesting.

 

Don't forget Torres and Gerrard want to see evidence that the club is moving forward. A sale would indicate that.

[Best Believe It]

Fair enough, the board aren't actively trying to sell the players!

 

But they sure as hell aren't going to be trying to hard to keep them! Torres and Gerrard want to see some sign of intent, not a 12 million budget, plus what you can raise through selling players, except Yossi, cos that money has been used to pay Fulham for the manager!

 

I think you might have been expecting too much from the board. They're not a collective that want the best for the club.

[Best Believe It]

There probably won't be a timescale as such but an agreement can be made pretty quickly. Once that is in place the players will be told and I think they will stay based on it.

 

If it doesn't happen before August 31st then so be it. It will then make the January transfer window interesting.

 

Don't forget Torres and Gerrard want to see evidence that the club is moving forward. A sale would indicate that.

 

A sale would indicate that, but the club has been "for sale" for years now. A stadium has been on the cards for years. Massive investment has been on the cards for years. Nothing has happened, except that we've had fewer and fewer amounts to spend in the transfer market.

 

There is very little to make the players think that this will all be sorted out soon and that we won't be in exactly the same position - but obviously with a year's more debt - in 12 months time.

[Whelan]

I think you might have been expecting too much from the board. They're not a collective that want the best for the club.

 

But that is the crux of it!

 

The board have no ambition to improve the team, ergo they are involved in the players leaving!

 

They sure as hell are not going to come out and say so, so we get all this phoney war bollocks.

 

They have no intention of fighting to keep the players, and in my mind that the same as wanting them to leave, they know the damage it is going to do the team and they are happy with that.

[johnmerrick]

Fair enough, the board aren't actively trying to sell the players!

 

But they sure as hell aren't going to be trying to hard to keep them! Torres and Gerrard want to see some sign of intent, not a 12 million budget, plus what you can raise through selling players, except Yossi, cos that money has been used to pay Fulham for the manager!

 

What evidence is there to suggest that the board are not trying to keep the best players?

 

Unless someone is ITK, then what has happened to suggest this?

 

Apart from a Journalist speculating?

[johnmerrick]

A sale would indicate that, but the club has been "for sale" for years now. A stadium has been on the cards for years. Massive investment has been on the cards for years. Nothing has happened, except that we've had fewer and fewer amounts to spend in the transfer market.

 

There is very little to make the players think that this will all be sorted out soon and that we won't be in exactly the same position - but obviously with a year's more debt - in 12 months time.

 

I thought the club was put up for sale in March this year. Also, the investment they were looking for was just extra cash input wasn't it? But they couldn't agree. I bet the investors wanted the yanks out of the picture and they couldn't agree.

[BolshieBastard]

I do wish people would stick to facts instead of listening to rumour etc.

 

There's NO buyer in for the club. Broughton has said so. He's hardly going to say so in the full glare of publicity if there was.

 

He has suggested potential bidders will come forward by the end of the 'transfer window.'

 

Well if there's no bidders now, why say this? He's just talking a sale up. He's no nearer finding a buyer now than he was when he was appointed.

 

The club wont be sold so long as the owners or at least one of them, wants over 600 mill. Just why someone thinks the owners cannot block a sale leaves me speechless! Of course they can and will if they dont get a bid they want.

 

Broughton could bring a potential buyer to the table but they can reject it just like they did with purslow.

 

We arent being sold anytime soon unless something spectacular happens.

[stringvest]

The other thing to bear in mind is that any prospective buyer will do a lot of work to understand the state of the club and its potential before making any bid. This will necessitate access to a significant set of company confidential data, independent assessment and due diligence (for both sides). This doesn't happen in one month, and probably not two. And that's before a bid is made.

 

So you have to assume that if bids are made in the next month, some or most of the activity I've described must have already happened.

[Antynwa]

It does in the short term, and it certainly does if you are going to be selling the club for 400 million rather than the 500 milliion you wanted.

 

I go back to the post I made a while ago.

 

If we sell Gerrard, Masch and Torres we will only get about £90 Million. £40 Million of which will go on interest.

 

Even if we sell everyone at the club it will still reduce the value of the club ten fold, we'd only make about £100 Million selling everyone else. And that only pays off the remaining interest I'd imagine!

[johnmerrick]

The other thing to bear in mind is that any prospective buyer will do a lot of work to understand the state of the club and its potential before making any bid. This will necessitate access to a significant set of company confidential data, independent assessment and due diligence (for both sides). This doesn't happen in one month, and probably not two. And that's before a bid is made.

 

So you have to assume that if bids are made in the next month, some or most of the activity I've described must have already happened.

 

Won't the bidders have a lot of the data anyway? I thought this would be a big factor in how much they bid.

[Sinos]

I go back to the post I made a while ago.

 

If we sell Gerrard, Masch and Torres we will only get about £90 Million. £40 Million of which will go on interest.

 

Even if we sell everyone at the club it will still reduce the value of the club ten fold, we'd only make about £100 Million selling everyone else. And that only pays off the remaining interest I'd imagine!

 

You'd also reduce the value of the club by £90mil because they're considered intangible assets on the club's books.

[stringvest]

You'd also reduce the value of the club by £90mil because they're considered intangible assets on the club's books.

 

not strictly true. Any purchaser will factor in the cost of replacement, forecast the time it will take to do that, and any potential short term impact of their sale; e.g. if wold take longer to get the team in a position to qualify for the CL etc.

[Albertini]

Whereas I'm taking what he said with a pinch of salt, until it is proven correct!

 

Don't blame you or anyone for taking that position. I don't agree with it because i think there is too much happening relatively soon to suggest that this is some charade.

 

Due diligence has been done (no doubt at significant cost), information memorandum have been sent out, first bids are expected in around 10 days, RBS sending emails out to people regarding looking forward to new owners.

 

Most importantly for me Hicks hasn't come out and denied any of what Brougthon said.

 

You can be sure had Broughton overstepped his remit with his really quite startling comments about the owners that ego maniac would have been giving interviews re-asserting his authority. It hasn't happened.

 

Well, firstly you've had to pay for the times this week so I don't know what's been written there. I do know that TB has not been working for the past week or so so therefore won't have written much since the press conference. I doubt that Tony Evans has written much either. I'd like to see how you can demonstrate that one or two articles following a press conference equals a drop in standards. Roy Hodgson has been in post for 5 days now, and since then there's been a significant drop in journalistic standards from Tony Evans, who may have written one article, and Tony Barrett who has been on leave!

 

Secondly the op I was referring to basically said they'd been nowhere near the mark since Rafa left. Not since the press conference.

 

Tony B has been away although he is watching this thread as he's pm'd me.

 

As i have said i feel the important points from Broughton's comments weren't reported at the time or since and information Oli Kay & Tony Evans gave on Talksport and through Twitter directly contradicted the chairman yet weren't printed in the paper.

 

My interpretation of what the OP meant was that they haven't reported fully what has been said and have been busily contradicting the chairman's comments on other media outlets but not their own.

 

I understand that the piece Tony B did was limited for space and he felt that the comments regarding Gerrard & Torres were more important in the space he had.

 

I don't agree with that - to me Broughton's comments were far more important - but i can understand him taking that position.

[Liverbnz]

You'd also reduce the value of the club by £90mil because they're considered intangible assets on the club's books.

 

 

They aren't intangible, and assets are valued at cost not sale price.

[Lurtz]

My interpretation of what the OP meant was that they haven't reported fully what has been said and have been busily contradicting the chairman's comments on other media outlets but not their own.

 

 

Is about right. I could possibly have been more eloquent and slightly less insulting but I was bloody annoyed with what I'd just heard.

[Albertini]

The other thing to bear in mind is that any prospective buyer will do a lot of work to understand the state of the club and its potential before making any bid. This will necessitate access to a significant set of company confidential data, independent assessment and due diligence (for both sides). This doesn't happen in one month, and probably not two. And that's before a bid is made.

 

So you have to assume that if bids are made in the next month, some or most of the activity I've described must have already happened.

 

Don't agree with that assessment.

 

I beleive that the club have appointed independent auditors (probably one of the big 4, PwC, E&Y, Deloitte, KPMG) to perform one set of due diligence.

 

That will then get farmed out to bidders as part of the memorandum of information (hence the delay from when Broughton was appointed to bids expected this month) for them to come back with questions and requests for more information.

 

It is not practical to have each bidder's accountants running through the books all at the same time.

Edited July 6, 2010 by Albertini

[gkmacca]

Forget Evans, here's an OK! bombshell:

 

ALEX Gerrard has exclusively revealed she and hubby Steven Gerrard will try for another baby soon.

 

OK! columnist Alex Gerrard has opened up about her marriage to England footballer Steven Gerrard, saying the pair are planning to try for a baby in September.

 

The mother-of-two revealed to us: "I'm happy with my two girls; they're at a lovely age and are loads of fun...

 

"Although I think Steven might like a boy at some point in the future."

 

She went on: "Lexie starts school in September so that means the house will be quiet, so you never know, we may start trying then!"

 

OK! Magazine: First For Celebrity News :: Latest Celebrity News :: Alex Gerrard: Steven Gerrard and I will try for a baby in September

 

Good work, orange lady!

[TaksimRakiClub]

The cost of players (Eg Torres £20m) was always treated as an intangible fixed asset and written off over the length of contract (amortised) to the profit and loss account.

 

Torres is halfway through a six year contract and has thus been amortised by 50% to the point where he is sitting on the balance sheet at a current value of £10m.

 

If he's sold for £50m the profit and loss account will show a profit on disposal of assets of £40m and a £10m intangible asset will have been converted into a £50m tangible asset (a combination of cash and debtors dependent upon the terms of the agreement).

 

And Cecil will be halfway to his objective of realising a £100 debt reduction on behalf of RBS.

[johnmerrick]

Forget Evans, here's an OK! bombshell:

 

 

 

OK! Magazine: First For Celebrity News :: Latest Celebrity News :: Alex Gerrard: Steven Gerrard and I will try for a baby in September

 

Good work, orange lady!

 

She then goes on to say that the School is in Madrid!

[johnmerrick]

Don't agree with that assessment.

 

I beleive that the club have appointed independent auditors (probably one of the big 4, PwC, E&Y, Deloitte, KPMG) to perform one set of due diligence.

 

That will then get farmed out to bidders as part of the memorandum of information (hence the delay from when Broughton was appointed to bids expected this month) for them to come back with questions and requests for more information.

 

It is not practical to have each bidder's accountants running through the books all at the same time.

 

Ah. Interesting.

[hamstrung]

Not sure if its amusing or frightening that anyone would:-

 

a) Believe that what Broughton said means we're more than likely to have ace, shiny new owners by the end of August and everything will be peachy.

 

b) Believe any apparent "good news" about the ownership situation from anyone.

 

And elephant man, enough of the ITK nonsense, or I'll be forced to take negative action.

[Timão]

Fair enough, the board aren't actively trying to sell the players!

 

But they sure as hell aren't going to be trying to hard to keep them! Torres and Gerrard want to see some sign of intent, not a 12 million budget, plus what you can raise through selling players, except Yossi, cos that money has been used to pay Fulham for the manager!

 

Get a fucking grip.

 

5.5m to pay Fulham for a manager on a one-year roling contract?

 

The thing is simple: If a big money offer for Torres and Gerrard came in, the club may have to consider it but that is about it.

 

Of course, THEY could put a stop to it all by declaring clearly that they have no intention of leaving whatsoever.

 

Stop portraying them as the fucking victims, they get paid a kings ransom to play for us, Gerrard has won every trophy bar one here, Torres has been injured for two years.

 

If they want to leave, fine, but it will be down to them, and they can choose. They have a contract, the club have said they do not want to sell, so it is down to them.

 

They want to leave the sinking ship, fine, leave, and take everybody else who does not want to stay and fight with you.

[Kopite Pete]

I beleive there have been a number of people in discussions with Barcap - in fact, if I was a betting man I would say such discussions are going on right now.

 

People are saying that this is a forced sale and RBS hold all the cards but what I don't understand is why didn't G&H accept the investment offer if the only other option was a forced sale. I cant help but feel that G&H are happy to be where we are now. Still 100% owning us and calling the shots. Plus I wouldn't rule out them raising £100m this summer by selling assets.

[hamstrung]

Get a fucking grip.

 

5.5m to pay Fulham for a manager on a one-year roling contract?

 

It has been reported that the Yossi money is to pay off Fulham. Think it covered something else too but I forget what - maybe paying Rafa? Depends how much stock you put in what Bascombe says I suppose, but its not exactly without precedent.