BaldyOzBud Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Stating the obvious but the best people to own St.Mirren FC are the fans of the club. Motherwell and Hearts are the model clubs we could be doing with following but to get there we would need a wealthy individual to put up the money and allow the fans to pay them back over a period of say 5 years. Or the selling consortium would need to agree to be that lender, and accept their money over 5 years. 10,000Hours didn't fail becuase the fans didn't want to own the club, there were 1100 live direct debits in place ready to fire despite the many misgivings and false starts the bid had. A fans bid could be resurrected if the Argie bid is off the table for whatever reason (still haven't heard anything on that either way) but it would need someone with a lot of energy, who the support could trust from the off, and who had a bit of savvy to kick start it again. Someone like Gordon, if he had the time, Tony Fitz, someone in that mould. The fan ownership model is undoubtedly the way to go in Scottish football, we are obviously bereft of a Saints supporting sugar daddy these days, but a consortium of wealthy local business owners who were willing to take a bit of a punt would be just as good as a single " Anne Budge " type saviour given the commitment made during the 10,000Hours bid. Where are the Coates family these days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluto Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 The fan ownership model is undoubtedly the way to go in Scottish football, we are obviously bereft of a Saints supporting sugar daddy these days, but a consortium of wealthy local business owners who were willing to take a bit of a punt would be just as good as a single " Anne Budge " type saviour given the commitment made during the 10,000Hours bid. Where are the Coats family these days? Getting thinner on the ground.... But Ayrshire...? http://www.heraldscotland.com/sir-william-coats-1.910788 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaldyOzBud Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Getting thinner on the ground.... But Ayrshire...? http://www.heraldscotland.com/sir-william-coats-1.910788 D'oh! I'll reluctantly not make any " this thread has gone off the spool " jokes.... except for this one... canny help maself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabinho Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 In truth the house analagy doesn't add up. If you're selling a house, of course you want to get top dollar - because you'll need to buy another house, unless you plan to live under a rock. If you're selling something with no intention or need to buy another one, and you can't get rid... Maybe you should look at the price you're asking. Ok obviously the house analogy doesn't tie in 100% because a football club isn't a house, that's why it's an analogyMy point is, if after 5 years something is still for sale there's a chance it's overpriced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Pityme Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Sorry, you've lost me there. Did you mean "It's"? And what has Kello got to do with anything. It's more courgette than cucumber? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Fitzy Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Why would it be "very attractive"? The club hasn't made a significant profit in any financial year since Stewart Gilmour became Chairman. Turnover is flat. There's no sign of significant new revenue coming in either from sponsorship, TV Rights, or from any significant commercial activity within the club. The facilities at SMP have only modest potential for income generation. The dome was put in as an after thought to try to generate some income on non matchdays - at a guess I would say it turns a small profit but nothing significant. And the training ground at Ralston is not owned by St Mirren, it's owned by Renfrewshire Council and let to St Mirren on a medium term contract which restricts St Mirren's ability to use the facility to generate income. There doesn't even seem to be the prospect of a large latent support returning to St Mirren if results start going the clubs way because the last major trophy won in 2013 did not see any significant increase in supporter numbers either before or after the final. I'd imagine to any outsider looking in the club would appear to be at the top of their potential right now and the club is still struggling year on year to turn a profit. Ok, I'll rephrase it as "more attractive than buying a debt ridden club", who you immediately have to bail out. Buying St Mirren would be a case of getting straight down to business on an even keel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Dickson Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 What people need to remember is that the period since the club went up for sale has comfortably been the most successful period in the clubs modern history. A major title, two cup finals, three semi finals, and two 8th placed finishes. Relatively speaking, it's been a golden era for the club. Contrast the last 6 years or so with the 15 or so before it: In the period between 94 and 09 we achieved no titles, no finals, one semi final and the highest league position we achieved was 10th in the top flight, most of the time we were in the bottom half of the second tier. To portray the period of us being for sale as some barren period in an otherwise glorious history couldn't be further from the truth. I alluded to this in my post Top Cat. The problem is that the success of that period has finally dispelled any notion of St Mirren being a club with huge latent potential. The club has the potential to drag along a big crowd for the likes of a major Cup Semi or a Final but regardless of the outcome the crowds will drop back drastically back to usual levels for league football. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Dickson Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 Stating the obvious but the best people to own St.Mirren FC are the fans of the club. Motherwell and Hearts are the model clubs we could be doing with following but to get there we would need a wealthy individual to put up the money and allow the fans to pay them back over a period of say 5 years. Or the selling consortium would need to agree to be that lender, and accept their money over 5 years. 10,000Hours didn't fail becuase the fans didn't want to own the club, there were 1100 live direct debits in place ready to fire despite the many misgivings and false starts the bid had. A fans bid could be resurrected if the Argie bid is off the table for whatever reason (still haven't heard anything on that either way) but it would need someone with a lot of energy, who the support could trust from the off, and who had a bit of savvy to kick start it again. Someone like Gordon, if he had the time, Tony Fitz, someone in that mould. I agree completely Div, however fans also need to be careful. This shouldn't just be a money making venture for the consortium - as the Hibs set up appears to be for Tom Farmer. If a fan ownership model was to be resurrected it would have to be on the basis of a much more realistic price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Back to the house analogy . If you were bidding for a house you really wanted , and were gazumped at the last minute and were so disappointed that you missed out , that you made several others aware of how you were so badly done by , would you not be quite interested if the property went back on the market ? Especially if you might now be in a position to get yourself a better deal than you originally thought you had. Wondering if the English consortium previously interested , have tidied up their bid , with a view to making a move at the end of the season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_the_saint Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 perhaps not only the English consortium that came close recently but any of the other (apparently as many as 50 over the last five years?) are keeping a close eye on the situation at the club until the end of the season. There may be parties that would only want to buy the club if we were in the premiership or there may be others who see an opportunity to get the club at a reduced price if we get relegated and make a quick return to the premiership - from an outsiders perspective, there isn't too much competition to win the championship; part time clubs and clubs just treading water make up the majority of teams in the championship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saint in exile Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Is it done yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrong Planet Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 perhaps not only the English consortium that came close recently but any of the other (apparently as many as 50 over the last five years?) are keeping a close eye on the situation at the club until the end of the season. There may be parties that would only want to buy the club if we were in the premiership or there may be others who see an opportunity to get the club at a reduced price if we get relegated and make a quick return to the premiership - from an outsiders perspective, there isn't too much competition to win the championship; part time clubs and clubs just treading water make up the majority of teams in the championship. > there may be others who see an opportunity to get the club at a reduced price if we get relegated If we end up in the Championship I'd be surprised if the club remains on the market simply as the return the selling consortium could expect to get back would be so much reduced. It would be akin to dumping shares in a recession rather than toughing it out in the hope that 'value' returns via promotion back to the top tier. Very interested to hear conflicting views on that specific scenario however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 I reckon one of the reasons the club has stuck on the market for so long is the recession , the cutbacks everywhere , and the lack of spare money about . IMO relegation , would have our club viewed as a " doer upper " , rather than a property than a property that has been completely refurbished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmac Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 My gawd, still going on about this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_the_saint Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 > there may be others who see an opportunity to get the club at a reduced price if we get relegated If we end up in the Championship I'd be surprised if the club remains on the market simply as the return the selling consortium could expect to get back would be so much reduced. It would be akin to dumping shares in a recession rather than toughing it out in the hope that 'value' returns via promotion back to the top tier. Very interested to hear conflicting views on that specific scenario however. That's the other way to look at it, the current owners would delay the sale rather than any prospective owners kaiboshing (sp?) the deal. Looking at it both ways, it would be fair to say that we are never going to be sold after Xmas during a season - seeing as we are constantly struggling for league safety every season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluto Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 kaibosh is fine, though I would have used kibosh. There are other spellings, too... Good word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddiecat Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 Just a thought, why has a local businessman been appointed onto the board, the BOD are selling shares, is he buying them and has therefore been drafted onto the board to see how things work in the mad world of a football club, and will then be better placed to announce he is the major shareholder and what his plans are ? just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beyond our ken Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) What people need to remember is that the period since the club went up for sale has comfortably been the most successful period in the clubs modern history. A major title, two cup finals, three semi finals, and two 8th placed finishes. Relatively speaking, it's been a golden era for the club. Contrast the last 6 years or so with the 15 or so before it: In the period between 94 and 09 we achieved no titles, no finals, one semi final and the highest league position we achieved was 10th in the top flight, most of the time we were in the bottom half of the second tier. To portray the period of us being for sale as some barren period in an otherwise glorious history couldn't be further from the truth. Yet you relentlessly campaigned for the removal of the manager in position for the bulk of that period? Edited March 6, 2015 by beyond our ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTony Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 (edited) LeAnn Rimes definitely has a song with a lyric like that. I, erm, like a bit of modern country... LeAnn Rimes, Little Big Town, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts... What can I say? Anyway... These fcuking Argies!? What's the script. I know LeeAnn Rimes and I've heard of Lady Antenellum. The other's I'll need to check out. At least we all get to read about some stuff we wouldn't otherwise know about when it comes to music on here. Edited March 7, 2015 by iTony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTony Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Think that was always going to be the case when the club is sold to private investors mate. We have long established that only Gordon Scott and Ken McGeoch were the only two St.Mirren fans with the appetite and the finance to even think about funding the purchase of the club, and both failed at different stages with their proposed bids. The supporters were the only other viable option and that bid also failed. That left us inevitably being sold to an outside investment group, and you are never going to get the detail behind any such bid until it's completed unfortunately. I was disappointed that neither of those two options didn't come to fruition. Still, we move on and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTony Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 You could have corrected that about 5 posts ago and saved the forum members from our my drivel. More trusting? Nope. More positive? Possibly. I prefer to wait and see what the Argentines, if indeed they do take over the club, have to say before making my mind whether to write them off or not. Indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTony Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Has Gav taken over Div's account as this is a seriously misleading thread? Some amount of brown tongue action going on right enough. Anybody else stating we were "sold" (© bluto for meaning of the word sold) would have been crucified. Is there really ? Odd that you, of all people, would notice such actions going on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTony Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 That might be a credible argument - if you weren't making it all up. Irony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTony Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 Did we not finish 7th in the league and win the League Cup under Lennon ya trumpet? Whooosssssssssssshhhhhhhhhh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iTony Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 I would suggest the Club is vastly underutilising its resources. St Johnstone allegedly pull in more than £1M per annum than we do from their commercial activities. And allegedly they employ six marketing staff to our one. And they have a smaller fan-base and fewer resources. Can more be made from commercial activity? Certainly 10K Hours thought so. We have a huge empty void, car park and spare ground that does not generate any income. Surely these areas could be used to generate some income? (Sunday markets, wee concerts, hire for local groups and clubs etc?) I appreciate that some investment may be required in some areas but not all areas. The biggest problem at the moment is inertia. I reckon people with the correct outlook and drive could generate far more than we do just now. I am not blaming the current BOD either. I know they are trying to extract themselves from a situation they do not want to be in so it is no surprise they have lost all enthusiasm. However I still think resources are underutilised. Yeah, I agree with this. If only we could attract people from Church groups or the like to hold their services at the ground or people like ROAR (Reaching Older Adults in Renfrewshire) to hold one of their lunch clubs in the hospitality suite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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