City for sale ?

[Steven]

According to the Cunning Fox, City could be up for sale?

Source

TCF Editorial: City for sale ?

01.05.2006 - The Cunning Fox

City's new chairman Andrew Taylor has been quoted saying that he would step down as chairman, if a sugar daddy appeared with a large money bag. Why no one would like to invest heavilly in Leicester City is for TCF a great mystery.

As long as the club isn't officially for sale it will always be difficult to carry out a takeover. In the past years the club has been a buying object for several consortiums, but this has been "air castles" without substantial money available.

The problem with takeovers are the fact that people cannot do as Roman Ambramovic did at Chelsea, get the cash freed and start a rebuilding of the club instantly.

Leicester City will if they want to compete at the highest level have a sugar daddy or a influantial chairman with a large moneybag, without it they will be living a life in the shadows of English football.

Clubs like Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest, who has in the last seasons fallen into the grown financially has all had trouble getting an investor on board that could manage to keep the club floating. The fact that a lot of managers also has been sacked makes it even more difficult.

We all know what has happened at Hearts in Scotland, were a new magnat has come in and made the club into something that no one really knows the answer of.

The strange thing is that the club looks able to keep focus no matter what happens. They have this season sacked John Robbertson, George Burley and Graham Rix, and it's been a rotation in the playing squad. It might tell us more about the quality of the SPL than the way the club has been ran.

This is not the ideal picture of a takeover. In recent years clubs like Fulham, Reading, Wigan and of course Chelsea has done well with a great backing from their chairmen, both with money and of course also wise decission making in picking the right man to do the job to take the club up.

Sheffield United and Reading has a good financial base and has done several investments to bring their club up were it is today, in the Premiership, and without money it would have been impossible.

City looks lost at the moment in what way they will bring the club forward and everything looks at the moment as a heavy load for City's manager Rob Kelly. Without money it will even make it harder for a man that has really made the most of it this season.

To be able to create a good football team you need to be able to strengthen the team in certain areas. Players such as Richard Stearman and Pat Kisnorbo has allready been linked with moves away from the club and to get new players in, you need to pay them a good salary and maybe a transfer fee.

In fact City could be a very attractive buying prospect. There are money available out there and people abroad could look at this club as a fantastic oppertunity to invest. But TCF is uncertain if "the bride" really is up for sale.

There has never been any news about the club being a selling object and no one at the club has said it like that. A person with money would of course want total controll over the business and bring in his own men, this is probably not something the club would like to considor.

The club should be guided in the right direction and a person or a consortium that could raise £ 10 million or more and have a good plan for long term investments should be given a chance to take over the club.

But in the world of business it's never that easy. The Micky Mouse investors at City today, which they can be described as when you compare them with the guys at Fulham, Wigan, Reading and a lot of the the other Premiership clubs, wants to protect their investment and would not hand over anything, if they are not getting paid.

All these Micky Mouse investors helped the club financially and gave City a life a few years back, but the way forward looks extremely dark with the lack of funds they are able to raise at the moment.

TCF is affraid that City will have great trouble getting back in the best company and stay up without large investments either from the current owners or new owners.

Put the club up for sale, make it public and hopefully someone can see what a fantastic buying object this club is. A fantastic fanbase that deserves more than a football team struggling to stay up in the Championship.

[dandannieldanok]

What the el' is all of that, someone explain, my concentration span is low and i trailed off

[Cobbo]

The (not so) Cunning Fox is as reliable as bloody Virgin Trains.

[Steven]

The Chairman has said he will step down if someone waving a few quid came along and the TCF are for it if the new owner is not a dipstick.

[dandannieldanok]

i dont think a sugar daddy will be good for the club. firstly, i dont think one will come and buy us and if they did they wouldn't benefit the club in the right way. Hearts have turned into a business rather than a football club. The risk is too much, we have to be patient and continue to build on what we have. as long as we can keep hold of our assets like Stearman and Fryatt, Kelly can create a promotion winning side within the next 3-5seasons at most.

[Guest]

i dont think a sugar daddy will be good for the club. firstly, i dont think one will come and buy us and if they did they wouldn't benefit the club in the right way. Hearts have turned into a business rather than a football club. The risk is too much, we have to be patient and continue to build on what we have. as long as we can keep hold of our assets like Stearman and Fryatt, Kelly can create a promotion winning side within the next 3-5seasons at most.

Unfortunately football is a business now. Fortunately football is a business; if it wasn't, there'd be no City.

[ivarti]

Every club with a bit of success in the Premiership has owners with money, without it you are totally lost. But if fans like to be down in the lower end of the Championship then they should start supporting another club, Leicester City belong in the Premiership. City's fanbase is among the top teams in England, without PL football the base will decrease. Chelsea has money, more than anyone, so where are they, on the top. Leicester City will not be able to compete in the topflight with the current board and the money available at the club.

Mentioning Hearts, you must be totally lost. Hearts won the Scottish Cup and they qualified for Champions League. Would be fantastic if that happened to Leicester.

Money rools, without you are doomed.

[Thracian]

The initial comment is based on an ancient quote and I cannot see a single fact or piece of new supposition presented on which to base the altogether flimsy article. On the one hand the chairman would step aside for an investor, on the other hand the writer is not sure the club is up for takeover. So what does it say?.

Well, just one thing that may be relevent....

"In fact City could be a very attractive buying prospect. There are money available out there and people abroad could look at this club as a fantastic oppertunity to invest. But TCF is uncertain if "the bride" really is up for sale," says the Cunning Fox.

Ignoring the prose I would love someone to justify the above paragraph.

Can anyone make a genuine case for Leicester City being a good investment. It is a serious question I'm posing.

Would someone from the Foxes Trust, for instance, or indeed anyone else, be willing to make a serious case which might persuade a businessman to invest in Leicester City?.

[Steven]

The initial comment is based on an ancient quote and I cannot see a single fact or piece of new supposition presented on which to base the altogether flimsy article. On the one hand the chairman would step aside for an investor, on the other hand the writer is not sure the club is up for takeover. So what does it say?.

Well, just one thing that may be relevent....

"In fact City could be a very attractive buying prospect. There are money available out there and people abroad could look at this club as a fantastic oppertunity to invest. But TCF is uncertain if "the bride" really is up for sale," says the Cunning Fox.

Ignoring the prose I would love someone to justify the above paragraph.

Can anyone make a genuine case for Leicester City being a good investment. It is a serious question I'm posing.

Would someone from the Foxes Trust, for instance, or indeed anyone else, be willing to make a serious case which might persuade a businessman to invest in Leicester City?.

I think the Club has good potential, but right now I cannot see anyone but a romantic wanting to invest in City big time. <_<

[Nationwider]

To invest: To commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return.

Really, how many more times....

Unless you are a diehard City fan investing for an "emotional" return, there is no investment to be had.

[Guest seanfox778]

imagine if 92 russian billionaires (they don't have to be russian) took over all the football

league clubs

[Jon the Hat]

To invest: To commit (money or capital) in order to gain a financial return.

Really, how many more times....

Unless you are a diehard City fan investing for an "emotional" return, there is no investment to be had.

Beat me to it....

And these days even the sugar daddy fan wanting an emotional return would think twice. Everybody wants one, but unless he is willing to put up millions every year indefinately, the fans will trun on them eventually, and who needs the hassle. in order to do it properly you would need to be worth at least 50 million and have other interests to balance the football losses.

Unfortunately most people on here seem to think that if you are worth a million quid you are rich. 20 years ago maybe.... There just aren't that many people who are worth that kind of money around. Let alopne city fans. So we'd better get used to supporting our club financially as well as emotionally, becasue if we want success it's going to get more expensive.

[Thracian]

I agree with you about the potential.

[Foxes_Trust]

The initial comment is based on an ancient quote and I cannot see a single fact or piece of new supposition presented on which to base the altogether flimsy article. On the one hand the chairman would step aside for an investor, on the other hand the writer is not sure the club is up for takeover. So what does it say?.

Well, just one thing that may be relevent....

"In fact City could be a very attractive buying prospect. There are money available out there and people abroad could look at this club as a fantastic oppertunity to invest. But TCF is uncertain if "the bride" really is up for sale," says the Cunning Fox.

Ignoring the prose I would love someone to justify the above paragraph.

Can anyone make a genuine case for Leicester City being a good investment. It is a serious question I'm posing.

Would someone from the Foxes Trust, for instance, or indeed anyone else, be willing to make a serious case which might persuade a businessman to invest in Leicester City?.

Agreed Thracian, the entire article is a poor one and is taking a small quote out of context to make a big issue of it.

From conversations we have had with several major shareholders, they would sell if a money bags appeared & seemed to have the clubs interest at heart, however the club isn't up for sale & shouldn't be flogged off to the first person flashing some cash.

When you look at the ownership experience at Derby recently, we shouldn't be so quick to criticise & write off our current set up, which admittedly we are one of the top 15 shareholders.

Under the current set up we have still have a reasonable playing budget in comparison to many in the same division, the top financed sides in our division have not gone up this year.

As far as putting forward a case for sale to businessman, you have that the wrong way around. We would certainly want to meet any potential owners of the club, but we would be grilling them to ensure their ownership was in the clubs best interests & rally the fans via the media if we felt otherwise.

[Thracian]

Agreed Thracian, the entire article is a poor one and is taking a small quote out of context to make a big issue of it.

From conversations we have had with several major shareholders, they would sell if a money bags appeared & seemed to have the clubs interest at heart, however the club isn't up for sale & shouldn't be flogged off to the first person flashing some cash.

When you look at the ownership experience at Derby recently, we shouldn't be so quick to criticise & write off our current set up, which admittedly we are one of the top 15 shareholders.

Under the current set up we have still have a reasonable playing budget in comparison to many in the same division, the top financed sides in our division have not gone up this year.

As far as putting forward a case for sale to businessman, you have that the wrong way around. We would certainly want to meet any potential owners of the club, but we would be grilling them to ensure their ownership was in the clubs best interests & rally the fans via the media if we felt otherwise.

What you say is interesting, although I remain somewhat concerned for our long term future because of the last paragraph and the fact that Rushden and Diamonds, having had a benefactor for years who left his club (apparently adequately funded) in the hands of the fans representatives, have now dropped out of the Football League barely minutes, so to speak, after his departure .

Perhaps I am wrong but what I sense I suppose is an inbuilt (perhaps even understandable) antipathy towards businessmen.

The impression I get is that the Trust, on behalf of the fans, would actually like to own/control the club, but doesn't have the means.

And, your last paragraph, far from suggesting an investor would be involving himself in, as Stephen suggested, a romantic adventure - instead gives the impression of a relationship that would be bogged down by inbuilt suspicion, dogma and the feeling that a gun was forever being held at the investor's head.

In other words, if you don't do what we approve of, we'll get the fans onto you.

In some ways I sympathise with the Trusts/fans outlook. They want/need to protect something they love.

But I cannot see any significant investor being encouraged by this scenario. As I've said before, what the Trust seems to be touting for is a benefactor not an investor.

There might be a long wait.

[Middo]

Best not be true

[Master Fox]

Bring on the Sugar Daddy...!

LCFC on the up...!

[wirralsimon]

I don't think anything has changed. If there was a rich man looking to spend big and get Leicester back in the big time he would have stepped out the shadows when we went into administration, so any discussion about how we make the club more or less attractive to that person is irreleavent.

Simon

[Thracian]

I don't think anything has changed. If there was a rich man looking to spend big and get Leicester back in the big time he would have stepped out the shadows when we went into administration, so any discussion about how we make the club more or less attractive to that person is irreleavent.

Simon

How on earth do you know that?

[The People's Hero]

I don't think anything has changed. If there was a rich man looking to spend big and get Leicester back in the big time he would have stepped out the shadows when we went into administration, so any discussion about how we make the club more or less attractive to that person is irreleavent.

Simon

That was very formal there with your name at the bottom... I was expecting to see 'Kind Regards' just above it...

[BartonFox]

As far as putting forward a case for sale to businessman, you have that the wrong way around. We would certainly want to meet any potential owners of the club, but we would be grilling them to ensure their ownership was in the clubs best interests & rally the fans via the media if we felt otherwise.

You would, would you? Utter tosh!!!

Surely that is something you should be doing now, no?

So I take it you are happy at the current running of the Club and the catalouge of disasters that keep rolling out of Castle Greyskull?

I look forward to your non-response once again

<_<

[Foxes_Trust]

You would, would you? Utter tosh!!!

Surely that is something you should be doing now, no?

So I take it you are happy at the current running of the Club and the catalouge of disasters that keep rolling out of Castle Greyskull?

I look forward to your non-response once again

<_<

Ah, Barton the club critic is back - what is your agenda exactly?

Funny you never e-mailed us to reveal your identity isn't it!

Perhaps we should ask any other posters to let us know.

Anyway back to the topic, we would gladly meet any potential investor, presumably you have 10 lined up do you? - we hold our breath in anticipation.

[BartonFox]

Ah, Barton the club critic is back - what is your agenda exactly?

Funny you never e-mailed us to reveal your identity isn't it!

Perhaps we should ask any other posters to let us know.

Anyway back to the topic, we would gladly meet any potential investor, presumably you have 10 lined up do you? - we hold our breath in anticipation.

I am a former FT member, disappointed and let down by the spineless and rudderless leadership of an organisation I once believed in. Check your past correspondance over.

My agenda is to see the Club run in an efficent and proper manner with the interests of the fans at the crux of it. I'd also like to see the organisation that claims to be the voice of the fans act in the best interests of the fans and not spout out Club rhetoric to keep TD and the likes happy.

What makes you think any potential investor would care one iota what you think, the current administration doesn't.

So are you, the fans representitives, happy with the CEO and Board of Directors that have been running the Club since we came out of administration?

[The People's Hero]

I am a former FT member, disappointed and let down by the spineless and rudderless leadership of an organisation I once believed in. Check your past correspondance over.

My agenda is to see the Club run in an efficent and proper manner with the interests of the fans at the crux of it. I'd also like to see the organisation that claims to be the voice of the fans act in the best interests of the fans and not spout out Club rhetoric to keep TD and the likes happy.

What makes you think any potential investor would care one iota what you think, the current administration doesn't.

So are you, the fans representitives, happy with the CEO and Board of Directors that have been running the Club since we came out of administration?

This part does, I believe, have some resonance.

[Foxes_Trust]

I am a former FT member, disappointed and let down by the spineless and rudderless leadership of an organisation I once believed in. Check your past correspondance over.

My agenda is to see the Club run in an efficent and proper manner with the interests of the fans at the crux of it. I'd also like to see the organisation that claims to be the voice of the fans act in the best interests of the fans and not spout out Club rhetoric to keep TD and the likes happy.

What makes you think any potential investor would care one iota what you think, the current administration doesn't.

So are you, the fans representitives, happy with the CEO and Board of Directors that have been running the Club since we came out of administration?

So with 1,000's of e-mails you expect us to pick you out from the initial membership, seems like you are still hiding behind your message board disguise then....

We do not run any of our press releases or comments via the club before issuing them & there have been a number of times when the club has complained about our stance over an issue or took issue with something in our monthly Fox column.

So gives us 3 examples of where we haven't acted in the best interests of the fans, lets talk specifics.

Any organisation needs to listen to its customers (fans) to be successful. In our initial conversation with the new chairman he clearly understands this.

Are we happy, overall yes in terms of the most important thing of keeping the club on a sound financial footing and that they have increased the level of consultation with fans in comparison to any previous regime at LCFC.

Have the those involved in running the club made mistakes in the past 3 years, yes the main one has been the One Year Kit deal, others including the Pepsi Max tournament & the abandonded Pop Concert are those that clearly spring to mind. These major failures were all in Paul Mace's remit, which isn't a co-incidence and obviously he departed.

Over the last 12 months it has been clear to us that additional drive was needed to run the club, in particular develop the commercial side & the initital signs from the new chairman are good.