Bury FC: 1885 to 2019 inc. petition

[Disgruntledgoat]

I understand all that. I also admit that I am not an expert in football ownership and financing, yet I can't help relate and question it to against other circumstances.

If I want to own a house and need a mortgage to support my ownership, then the mortgage provider has a duty of care to ensure that ultimately I can afford it.

They do due diligence and many financial checks; if they didn't do checks and I couldn't afford it, then yes I would lose my home akin to Bury getting expelled.

Yet, the mortgage lender itself would face legal questions and in some cases compensation. How is the EFL not completing the due diligence any different?

They have allowed someone to purchase the club without proof they can fund it, regardless of whether he was a charlatan who wanted to asset strip them.

When you add that into the equation, well it is even more damming. It might not have stopped him anyway - if he did show funds - but there's legal responsibilities.

Did the EFL meet them? That's my question.

The EFL's responsibilities aren't legal, they only have to satisfy themselves that a club can fulfill their fixtures. As important as we all think football is, it is essentially a members club of private businesses.

This is why there are a number of other chairman today demanding that the rules be overhauled. It's a minefield and there have been various proposals in the last few years to tighten it up, none of which came close to being agreed by all members. Leeds were run by somebody with an actual conviction for fraud for a time.

I am agreeing with you that the current set up is insufficient because it is based on the assumption that people who buy football clubs actually want to run a sporting enterprise successfully. Off the top of my head one solution would be to have the prospective owner place an amount equal to the first years fixed costs in a bond to be held by the FA and released on invoice by the club throughout the season.

 

[Disgruntledgoat]

They want him out of their club and he won't sell up because he wants to line his own pockets before he leaves

He's not holding on to make sure the club gets the right sort of custodian it needs. He's holding out for a pay day and the club is stuck in limbo as a result

Nothing illegal with that of course, but it's perfectly understandable why they want rid of him and, as you say, he's a massive tit to top it all off

So yeah, what happened at Bury was undoubtedly worse, but Newcastle fans have every right to hate Ashley and football would be better if jerks like him weren't involved in it in my opinion

I know you hate the club and it's fans, but come on, we're all here for the love of this game at the end of the day and some empathy wouldn't go amiss

I really don't hate Newcastle that much, just their supporters bizarre sense of entitlement and seeming desire to have the business spend beyond it's means consistently.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Will be the first of many sadly. Charlatans are often allowed into these clubs because of the perilous positions the clubs get into and then predators sniff an opportunity and pounce to try and make a quick buck.

What is needed is for the leagues to implement wage controls and transfer fee caps. Hard as it might be to do other sports have done it. Football clubs are supposed to compete. Given the Newcastle example Ashley is faced with either gambling in the clubs long term future for success (hello Leeds) or selling the club which he obviously hasn’t found a suitable buyer for. In the meantime he takes the fan anger at not being able to compete.

The leagues will not be interested in this though because the entirety of football now evolves around 2 clubs that stretches to occasionally 6 and of your name isn’t Liverpool or Man United then no one is bothered about you whatsoever and if you haven’t found yourself a billionaire owner then tough luck is basically the authorities message.

Ashley isn't selling because he's greedy and wants to line his pockets

I don't think he cares what happens to Newcastle once he sells it

He's had offers on the table in the past but, like most men in his position, he doesn't want a lot of money he wants ALL of the money

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

I really don't hate Newcastle that much, just their supporters bizarre sense of entitlement and seeming desire to have the business spend beyond it's means consistently.

That's not their desire at all

Their view is that if Ashley isn't prepared to compete then he should sell up and leave, but he won't because he hasn't had the "right" deal yet (I.e. the deal that will make him personally the most money, not the deal that means the club will be in good hands once he steps aside)

That's where the anger comes from

They want him to either show some adventure or get out of the club, which he could do in either case, but he's choosing the half way house of keeping them in limbo whilst he tries to find someone who will fill his pockets with silver

Just because they aren't going the way of Bury doesn't mean they don't have grounds to complain, because they absolutely do

 

[coollino]

That BBC 5 live interview is insane.

 

[Gwladysstreetlad]

These are real families and real people. All affected and hurt by this. Gutted for them. So sad.

 

[Eggs]

....it’s very sad seeing these old clubs with such rich history fade into oblivion.

I fear the EFL is not fit for purpose and club governance needs to be strictly regulated to ensure they are competently run.

 

[Nymzee]

Sad day, hopefully out of this some good will come and a change to the way the EFL handles Bolton and any future crisis clubs.

Fingers crossed a possible Phoenix club can keep hold of the stadium.

 

[Eggs]

Sad day, hopefully out of this some good will come and a change to the way the EFL handles Bolton and any future crisis clubs.

Fingers crossed a possible Phoenix club can keep hold of the stadium.

...ironic, I saw Tony Hibbert score a screamer for Everton in an FA Youth Cup game v Manchester United at Gigg Lane. He was a central midfielder in those days and I recommended him as a full back to a lower league manager. Funny how things work out.

 

[barneygumble]

...ironic, I saw Tony Hibbert score a screamer for Everton in an FA Youth Cup game v Manchester United at Gigg Lane. He was a central midfielder in those days and I recommended him as a full back to a lower league manager. Funny how things work out.

I smell lies.

 

[Eggs]

I smell lies.

....honestly, it was the most incredible strike and makes a mockery of the fact that he played so many first team games without a goal.

 

[Simon Buttle]

Phil Neville on the BBC basically saying that the Salford City thing stopped him and Gary from helping Bury and that they are both obviously gutted about what has gone on.

 

[SpongeBob brown shoes]

 

[Bluerover]

...ironic, I saw Tony Hibbert score a screamer for Everton in an FA Youth Cup game v Manchester United at Gigg Lane. He was a central midfielder in those days and I recommended him as a full back to a lower league manager. Funny how things work out.

Wow!! Did you riot???

 

[Eggs]

Wow!! Did you riot???

...ha, ha. No I didn’t riot.