It's Milan's Club

[Silly Fox]

Whilst I have every sympathy for MA, we as supporters have to recognise that the dynamics of the way the club is owned have changed dramatically.

In business, which our football club is, the owners will always appoint someone who will run the ship how they want it to be run. This person will only be removed if the business' performance nosedives or there is a disagreement as to the way the business is to be taken forward.

There are essentially two sides to having Mandaric own our club. On the plus side, he brings a lot of wealth and experience to our club which opens loads of doors to us that were previously closed. On the flip side, Mandaric owns the club and by rights he has the say on how it is to be run and its direction. If MA didn't agree with the direction then he had to go - that's why you see many Chief Execs leaving retail businesses (they don't fit the direction so they go).

It is a moot point as to whether Manadaric should interfere with team affairs i.e. deciding on transfers, input as to who we should buy/select. But, as owner, it's his prerogative to get involved if he wants to. Whether the manager likes it or not, he is not in charge of the overall direction of the club. Manadaric has invested to get a return - if that investment is threatened of he feels threatened then the manager will go.

Having Manadaric as owner was always going to bring a circus element to our club - history tells us that. But that maybe the price we fans have to pay if we want to return to the Premiership. It will be a rollercoaster and we must be prepared for managers to come and go, even if it seems unjust.

[THEBIGJOHNSTEADER;]

Oh so it wasn't all a horrible dream then/ a day of tripping balls

[Sooper Steve's shin]

Our posts clearly crossed, SillyFox - you took the words out of my mouth.

I liked Milan's analogy with climbing a mountain: if you're trying to get a group of people to the top, some people will inevitably fall by the wayside.

Unfortunately, this time it was a (seemingly) likeable bloke who looked to have a bit of passion about him. We can't be too sentimental, though, and we don't know what went on outside the public view. Both Milan and Martin Allen seem to be good communicators and very capable of winning over the media/fans. Personally, I take what either one of them says with a hefty pinch of salt.

[Ultra]

It is OUR club. Many fans have invested their lives in it.

The fact that the deeds to it are presently in the possession of an obscure American holding company, fronted by a megalomaniac Red Star Belgrade fan, is a mere detail.

Customers of any business have a right to pass judgement on its performance and the way it is being run. And that is precisely what many of us are now doing.

The club will always be bigger than any individual - player, manager or owner!

[The People's Hero]

It is OUR club. Many fans have invested their lives in it.

Nice sentiment but simply not true.

[breadandcheese]

Yes it's Milan's club. He owns the shares and is running the show, BUT:

We are the ones who follow the club through thick and thin. Milan in taking over the club calculated his risk and how much he is prepared to lose, his worst case scenario. If this happens, he cuts and runs. He won't be happy, but he does it.

At the moment, his risk is not so large. He hasn't paid fully for the shareholding of the club, picking it up cheap, with peanuts paid if we get promotion. All our transfers are backed by loans that he makes to the company, which will have to be repaid at some point. He is earning a salary and no doubt putting some expenses through the business (peanuts in the scheme of things but still a perk). He has sold McCarthy for £650,000 and if the rumours about Fryatt are true, he will sell him for £1.5mill, so he has been able to release capital back into the business to offset risk.

Should the worst happen and he leaves because things aren't working out, Leicester could have crippling debts owing Mandaric money, with a threat of admin again. It will be up to us to support our team with begging bowls once again. We will still be here.

SO, yes, it is Milan's club he can do what he likes, but we have a very large vested interest as we're the ones who have to pick up the pieces should it all go tits up.

I must stress that I don't think Milan is the antichrist and I think we will achieve promotion sometime in the next 5 years, but I'm trying to make the point that we must remember that although Milan owns the club, we have a deeper interest for its wellbeing.

[Geo V]

Merge these threads please Mods as we are posting the same stuff in different threads!