ALK Capital or Farnell/Elkashashy takeover

[Vegas Claret]

I'd agree with that although I do believe it will be sold and I believe there is still a desire for that to happen before the next window closes if not opens. Which of the two, or even a mystery third bidder (and I don't know about a third should anyone be curious) I don't know.

we deffo need it to happen pre window

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

You can imagine us announcing the takeover on 30th January.

[jrgbfc]

Unless we're throwing silly money around it won't be that easy to attract players in January if we're in the thick of a relegation scrap.

[clarethomer]

Unless we're throwing silly money around it won't be that easy to attract players in January if we're in the thick of a relegation scrap.

If you havent already worked this out... Silly money is required whether you are 1st or 20th in this league..

[Top Claret]

Our lot want 200 million and tother lot wanted to pay 180 and now with Covid they have come in with a revised offer of 100.

My advice to Garlick is ripp their hands off, if we get relegated with our contact problems 60 million would sound generous

[ClaretTony]

You can imagine us announcing the takeover on 30th January.

They can’t announce any change of ownership until a sale has been agreed and the potential new owners have passed the Premier League’s owners and directors test. Thankfully that’s far more vigilant than the Football League’s.

[Top Claret]

Anyone know how much Garlick paid for his shares?

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

They can’t announce any change of ownership until a sale has been agreed and the potential new owners have passed the Premier League’s owners and directors test. Thankfully that’s far more vigilant than the Football League’s.

Do you think it will happen in the next few weeks? And which party would you see as the favourites?

[ClaretTony]

Do you think it will happen in the next few weeks? And which party would you see as the favourites?

To know who are favourites you would probably need to speak to Garlick or John B I suspect. I think there is a desire to get it completed as soon as possible.

I have huge gaps in the info I have but from what I know, if what I know is correct, I’d very much prefer the ALK deal ahead of the Elkashashy/Farnell deal. I have serious concerns about Farnell.

[claret54]

we deffo need it to happen pre window

Not in my view. I prefer that we operate the way we are today. With directors who are Burnley fans and who are more likely to have the club's long term interest as a priority.
Investors want a return on their investment. Usually in football it's a short term outlook (5 years). So tell me how will they achieve that. How will BFC generate more profit through more investment. Be interested to hear what you think.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Not in my view. I prefer that we operate the way we are today. With directors who are Burnley fans and who are more likely to have the club's long term interest as a priority.
Investors want a return on their investment. Usually in football it's a short term outlook (5 years). So tell me how will they achieve that. How will BFC generate more profit through more investment. Be interested to hear what you think.

You’d prefer to operate as we are with a chairmen who has zero interest in reinvesting in the squad? His long term interest is likely to see us end up exactly where we were when he took over.

[Top Claret]

You’d prefer to operate as we are with a chairmen who has zero interest in reinvesting in the squad? His long term interest is likely to see us end up exactly where we were when he took over.

It's hard to believe how nieve some people can be

[boatshed bill]

Anyone know how much Garlick paid for his shares?

Can anyone actually state in all honesty that MG's preference is to sell?
Maybe he feels under pressure to sell up?

[Top Claret]

It has been quite obvious over the last couple of years that he has been wanting out. I honestly can't see what pressure he is under to sell up

[boatshed bill]

It has been quite obvious over the last couple of years that he has been wanting out. I honestly can't see what pressure he is under to sell up

OK.
I just wondered.
He never seems to make any statements about it (not that I have seen)

For what it's worth I think he's been a very good chairman: just look at our progress in recent years.

[Top Claret]

OK.
I just wondered.
He never seems to make any statements about it (not that I have seen)

For what it's worth I think he's been a very good chairman: just look at our progress in recent years.

He has been a good chairman, although his street cred is now starting to wear thin.

[Pommieclaret]

Put up or shut up!!!

[Danieljwaterhouse]

No third bid from what I am told - and I've not had anything to suggest there has been. I was just sort of joking with the comment above.

I mentioned it a couple of weeks back on this thread.

[Royboyclaret]

He has been a good chairman, although his street cred is now starting to wear thin.

Only "wearing thin" with those people who don't understand the financial difficulties under which our Club has been operating throughout the whole of this year.

[Dyched]

Only "wearing thin" with those people who don't understand the financial difficulties under which our Club has been operating throughout the whole of this year.

Most fans think the longer you stay in the Premier League the more money you have. Which isn’t how it works. The longer you stay, the more it costs.

[Royboyclaret]

Most fans think the longer you stay in the Premier League the more money you have. Which isn’t how it works. The longer you stay, the more it costs.

People need to understand that this has been an exceptional year in terms of finances as a result of the pandemic.

No chairman could have handled the situation better than Mike Garlick.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

People need to understand that this has been an exceptional year in terms of finances as a result of the pandemic.

No chairman could have handled the situation better than Mike Garlick.

How is he handling it well? I get he’s probably your friend but what exactly has he done to bring you to that conclusion? Allowing a club at the end of last season to have a subs bench full of kids? Allowing the best manager we’ve had to spend 1 million? Drag out takeover talks for over a year?

[Royboyclaret]

How is he handling it well? I get he’s probably your friend but what exactly has he done to bring you to that conclusion? Allowing a club at the end of last season to have a subs bench full of kids? Allowing the best manager we’ve had to spend 1 million? Drag out takeover talks for over a year?

My friend?....I don't even know the man......How could he allow the manager to spend more when there was zero finance available during the summer months?

[Wokingclaret]

People need to understand that this has been an exceptional year in terms of finances as a result of the pandemic.

No chairman could have handled the situation better than Mike Garlick.

Yep keep quiet, 17 others are proving otherwise, well so far

[bfcjg]

When will people wake up to the fact we are about to lose our identity, our connection with the town, our independence, our uniqueness of being owned by fans, we will be dropped like a hot brick when we have served our purpose then what ? All the we need investment to get us to the next level fanatics will be long gone after we get to the semi finals of some minor competition. The rest of us will still be supporting the club, once again owned by fans, rebuilding as we did after the Orient game. UTC.

[Dyched]

People need to understand that this has been an exceptional year in terms of finances as a result of the pandemic.

No chairman could have handled the situation better than Mike Garlick.

Yes of course. But I always wanted to highlight way we don’t spend a lot on players each season before the pandemic hit.

[ClaretTony]

I mentioned it a couple of weeks back on this thread.

You may well have done but the info I have suggests the opposite

[Royboyclaret]

Yep keep quiet, 17 others are proving otherwise, well so far

Proving otherwise??

Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, are projected to lose over £100million in this financial year. Similar situation at Barcelona and Real Madrid. Burnley will be one of the least badly affected.

[gandhisflipflop]

When will people wake up to the fact we are about to lose our identity, our connection with the town, our independence, our uniqueness of being owned by fans, we will be dropped like a hot brick when we have served our purpose then what ? All the we need investment to get us to the next level fanatics will be long gone after we get to the semi finals of some minor competition. The rest of us will still be supporting the club, once again owned by fans, rebuilding as we did after the Orient game. UTC.

When will people wake up to the fact it isn't 1987 anymore. Football has moved on. The club needs to move away from this small time small town mentality that still reeks havoc in certain sections of our fans. If you want to call me a 'next level fanatic' for always striving for more from our club then fine, but there's literally no point in even being in football if you're just going to settle and not want to be the best however unrealistic it may seem. That's what keeps you coming back, the 'maybe this time we will witness something special'. I can assure you I was here long before the PL and will be here long after. It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

[Wokingclaret]

Burnley will be one of the least badly affected.

Until we rejoin the Championship

[taio]

Burnley will be one of the least badly affected.

Until we rejoin the Championship

Possibly. But all relative nonetheless especially when you consider our club, unlike other clubs, is not underpinned by exceptionally wealthy owners.

[arise_sir_charge]

People need to understand that this has been an exceptional year in terms of finances as a result of the pandemic.

No chairman could have handled the situation better than Mike Garlick.

FFS.....I reckon any person on here could have decided “not sure so let’s pull the shutters down and do absolutely nothing”....it’s hardly the work of a business mastermind.

[Wokingclaret]

Possibly. But all relative nonetheless especially when you consider our club, unlike other clubs, is not underpinned by exceptionally wealthy owners.

We've history of betting the ranch in the Championship

[ClaretTony]

When will people wake up to the fact it isn't 1987 anymore. Football has moved on. The club needs to move away from this small time small town mentality that still reeks havoc in certain sections of our fans. If you want to call me a 'next level fanatic' for always striving for more from our club then fine, but there's literally no point in even being in football if you're just going to settle and not want to be the best however unrealistic it may seem. That's what keeps you coming back, the 'maybe this time we will witness something special'. I can assure you I was here long before the PL and will be here long after. It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

I agree with that although there is a sadness to us losing our identity but the fact is that the chairman is ready to sell. He clearly has no qualms about it and is happy to sell to foreign investors.

I’ve always said I want our football club to be the best it can be. Hopefully we will be able to compete more under new ownership but it will always take away that little part of me that has enjoyed us being local. But then I remember, it’s only been good to be locally owned during the good times. I’d have done anything to get investment in and new owners during the Teasdale regime.

[taio]

We've history of betting the ranch in the Championship

Not while Garlick has been chairman.

[Wokingclaret]

Well good luck with bouncing back.....

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

My friend?....I don't even know the man......How could he allow the manager to spend more when there was zero finance available during the summer months?

What about the windows before the pandemic?

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

FFS.....I reckon any person on here could have decided “not sure so let’s pull the shutters down and do absolutely nothing”....it’s hardly the work of a business mastermind.

It is to some on here.

[dsr]

When will people wake up to the fact it isn't 1987 anymore. Football has moved on. The club needs to move away from this small time small town mentality that still reeks havoc in certain sections of our fans. If you want to call me a 'next level fanatic' for always striving for more from our club then fine, but there's literally no point in even being in football if you're just going to settle and not want to be the best however unrealistic it may seem. That's what keeps you coming back, the 'maybe this time we will witness something special'. I can assure you I was here long before the PL and will be here long after. It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom.

But then again, you need to keep one eye on what might happen. You can argue that to get to the next level we need to find new owners. Blackburn Rovers did that. But you need to at least consider the idea that if we do get new owners like Blackburn did in hopes of being like Manchester City, then we may indeed finish up like Manchester City - but are more likely to finish up like Blackburn.

If there were prospective owners like Manchester City found, the deal would already hve been done.

[Dyched]

What about the windows before the pandemic?

What windows were these?

We spent around

£20m 2019/20
£30m 2018/19
£32m 2017/18
£40m 2016/17

Player sales

£12m 2019/20
£7m 2018/19
£45m 2017/18
£1m 2016/17

That’s just transfers. I bet our wage bill has double since the 2016/17 season. Not to ignore all the other costs that have gone out in that time ground improvements including the 2 new corner stands, training ground etc etc.

[Devils_Advocate]

But then again, you need to keep one eye on what might happen. You can argue that to get to the next level we need to find new owners. Blackburn Rovers did that. But you need to at least consider the idea that if we do get new owners like Blackburn did in hopes of being like Manchester City, then we may indeed finish up like Manchester City - but are more likely to finish up like Blackburn.

If there were prospective owners like Manchester City found, the deal would already hve been done.

If we dont take any outside investment and a decade on from dropping out of the Premier League we find ourselves like Blackburn as a mid table Championship then Id be ecstatic

The reality is we could be a well run local club and still end up in the lower leagues a lot worse off than Blackburn are now

Thats not me either for or against investment one way or the other but with the money right through the leagues we might find our natural place is a lot lower than we think

[Dyched]

But then again, you need to keep one eye on what might happen. You can argue that to get to the next level we need to find new owners. Blackburn Rovers did that. But you need to at least consider the idea that if we do get new owners like Blackburn did in hopes of being like Manchester City, then we may indeed finish up like Manchester City - but are more likely to finish up like Blackburn.

If there were prospective owners like Manchester City found, the deal would already hve been done.

I don’t care who buys the club if we do a Blackburn. Good young english players winning the PL, very decent PL seasons there after, a Cup victory and then back mid to top half fighting for the Play Offs? New owners that are not bothered putting money in every month. Where do I sign?

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

What windows were these?

We spent around

£20m 2019/20
£30m 2018/19
£32m 2017/18
£40m 2016/17

Player sales

£12m 2019/20
£7m 2018/19
£45m 2017/18
£1m 2016/17

That’s just transfers. I bet our wage bill has double since the 2016/17 season. Not to ignore all the other costs that have gone out in that time ground improvements including the 2 new corner stands, training ground etc etc.

Imagine if we actually got any money from being in the premier league for 5 consecutive seasons. Also you’ve left off the players we’ve sold for quite large amounts since 2016.....

[Duffer_]

Whilst we may be less badly affected by covid in terms of revenue, we are suffering disproportionately from covid in other ways.

I would say our finances have been managed very well during the vast majority of MG's tenure. He has sought to make the club self sufficient, been creative in terms of player reward (bonus vs base), historically backed the manager, and provided for bumps in the road (eg relegation clauses). No club was prepared for covid. None of us can criticise for him not wanting to plough his personal wealth in to fill the gap from covid but there were other options.

We could have sold a major asset, eg Tarkowski, this summer and invested in re-balancing the squad. There were rumours that this would have resulted in SD walking but it is not clear if that was because deals were struck without his knowledge, because he didn't believe he would be given the sale proceeds to re-invest, or because he thought it was wrong from a football perspective.

We could have taken on debt to fund new player acquisitions. I understand this would have been difficult because we are not generating large cash surpluses to service the debt repayments. There might have been more appetite for such exceptional measures in exceptional times had MG not been looking to get out.

I can understand why some supporters are viewing MG's exit strategy as self-serving. MG is looking at more than doubling his personal wealth from the sale of his shares. I am sure that wasn't his motivation when he got involved and I have expressed some "sympathy" with his position before. If he genuinely sees himself as a steward of the club he could choose to reduce his personal gain in the interests of the club. For all I know he may be considering how he could do this. I think it is reasonable for us all to think about what we would do in MG's position before we judge him too unfairly.

Sure, our revenue hasn't been hit as hard as Man U but our financial inertia and the open warfare between SD and MG has made the covid impact way tougher on us than most around us.

Edit: but ultimately MG will, rightly imo, be judged by how he leaves us. If he cuts and runs then all his previous good work will be overshadowed.

[dsr]

I don’t care who buys the club if we do a Blackburn. Good young english players winning the PL, very decent PL seasons there after, a Cup victory and then back mid to top half fighting for the Play Offs? New owners that are not bothered putting money in every month. Where do I sign?

Ah. I'm afraid you have misunderstood. I hope you're just being a smart alec rather than genuinely missing the point, but just in case you are, I was referring to the hopeless Venky's who didn't know what they were doing, not the richest benefactor in football coming in to make his club temporarily as rich as any in the country.

Or perhaps you didn't know Jack Walker had died? Try to keep up.

[Dyched]

Imagine if we actually got any money from being in the premier league for 5 consecutive seasons. Also you’ve left off the players we’ve sold for quite large amounts since 2016.....

We spent around £5m more than what we sold in 2015/16 so not sure what that point is.

Imagine if I left off our wage bills over those years

It’s okay saying we sold players over time for large amounts like Michael Keane, Andre Gray, Ings, Vokes, Heaton. But you’ve also ignored that their replacements wages are far more than they ever got. Tarkowski was bought whilst Keane was here but has since signed a new contract that will far out do what Keane got here. Wood will be on more than Gray. Some of our second string Vydra, Brady, J Rod will be on far more than what our first choice players were on 4-5 years ago.

My point is you can’t just look at what we’ve received and spent.

Gray sold for about £18m. Wood bought for about £14/15m. That £3/4m profit probably would have gone to Chris Wood over the past few years on wages.

[Dyched]

Ah. I'm afraid you have misunderstood. I hope you're just being a smart alec rather than genuinely missing the point, but just in case you are, I was referring to the hopeless Venky's who didn't know what they were doing, not the richest benefactor in football coming in to make his club temporarily as rich as any in the country.

Or perhaps you didn't know Jack Walker had died? Try to keep up.

I was just pointing out that we could do a lot worse thatn having a Venkys like owners sitting mid table with a decent squad and good manager.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

FFS.....I reckon any person on here could have decided “not sure so let’s pull the shutters down and do absolutely nothing”....it’s hardly the work of a business mastermind.

You're missing the financial buffer we've built up over the years.

Or as the divs like to call it, Dry Powder.

Without that financial reserve we would be in a far worse position than we are financially and we have Garlick/the board to thank for that.

[dsr]

I was just pointing out that we could do a lot worse thatn having a Venkys like owners sitting mid table with a decent squad and good manager.

Of course we could. But that's no argument for ditching what we have now.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

I was just pointing out that we could do a lot worse thatn having a Venkys like owners sitting mid table with a decent squad and good manager.

I'd rather stay in the PL though..