TAKEOVER *NOT* CONFIMRED

[WestYorksRoyal]

I was of the understanding that the Thais own the car park for the royal elm park development whenever that comes to fruition.

I think that's right from what was in the Chronicle. Saw some plans for "Royal Elm Park" which covers all of the current car park. There is a multi-story car park included in the development that will be used on match days. The residents will love that.

Let's hope the residents are 100% aware that they are buying a property next to a football ground and what comes with that.

It's a bit like people buying a house next to Heathrow and complaining about the Planes, that's why the house was cheap.

Would the development just be residential? I'd love to see more food and pubs near the ground.

[rabidbee]

Can owner of the Club, Training Ground and Stadium bring them all under the Club again?

FFP implications might prevent this, since the clubs accounts showed a profit on the sale of these. The issue the EFL had was that these were not show at a fair value rate, so if the club buys them back for £1 each the FFP rules/EFL might insist the club records this at Fair Value again, otherwise clubs will just keep selling and buying back their stadium.

Suspect they may have to create an umbrella company with the 3 separate companies underneath that.

In that appearance at the Common committee the other week, Rick Parry said something about the EFL not liking clubs selling stadiums to their owners to generate a profit and had now closed this loop hole. So they might be very supportive of everything being brought back under one company.

[tmesis]

Interesting interview

Does make you wonder what the hell Smudger Smith was going on about. Clearly absolute nonsense fed to him there

Yes, the interview does make that "leak" even more damaging for him and his follow up about things changing already seem even more bizarre. Of course, Howe, could be painting a very specific picture but IF TRUE, does appear that we are still a good couple of weeks away from a decision being made on which opportunity (as Howe put it) the club/owner will move forward with.

It was a politicians interview. Not lying, but also being diplomatic. Certainly relatively complimentary of Dai which will be a stick for conspiracy theorists to beat him with, but what do you expect him to say when the survival of the club depends on dealing with him?

But I'm rightfully skeptical when people say Dai is committed to selling. Last May he was committed to funding the club, this autumn he was going to sell. He's unreliable and clearly has limited communication with people working for him.

I always hang onto hope, but this hell only ends when everything is confirmed.

I do feel "committed to selling" really means no more than being willing to sell at the right price. That 'right price' might have lowered though.

The thought of the club being sold but Dai keeping the stadium is a bit of a nightmare, as he'd basically have us over a barrel, unless we got owners rich enough to build us a new stadium somewhere...and I'm not holding out much hope of that.

[WestYorksRoyal]

If he kept the stadium, the rent would surely be negotiated alongside the sale. Any sensible buyer would want to lock in a fair rent for 5-10 years. So whilst it's not the best outcome, it would not be the disaster some fear.

[Brogue]

for anyone who hasn't heard the interview, its here https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0h753jn

[Stranded]

If he kept the stadium, the rent would surely be negotiated alongside the sale. Any sensible buyer would want to lock in a fair rent for 5-10 years. So whilst it's not the best outcome, it would not be the disaster some fear.

This. If it gets a deal done, then continuing to pay rent (remember the club pay Dai rent now) is not a big deal esp if the deal is worded along the lines of "Rent will be X for Y years. Club will have the right to purchase the stadium at (set price) at any point up to and including (agreed date)"

[72 bus]

If he kept the stadium, the rent would surely be negotiated alongside the sale. Any sensible buyer would want to lock in a fair rent for 5-10 years. So whilst it's not the best outcome, it would not be the disaster some fear.

This. If it gets a deal done, then continuing to pay rent (remember the club pay Dai rent now) is not a big deal esp if the deal is worded along the lines of "Rent will be X for Y years. Club will have the right to purchase the stadium at (set price) at any point up to and including (agreed date)"

That's what Ashley did with Headingley and why he was interested in the SCL

[Snowflake Royal]

I find it shocking this interview shows Dai and Pang have been lying to us for months about trying to sell.

[RFCMod]

Ever since the Chinese guy came in to buy Reading Gaol I have this recurring nightmare that this is a grand wind up by Yongge that sees the consortium make an offer for the football club and Dai selling to them only to reveal its his long lost son and we're screwed well and truly

Its been a long week

[Royal_jimmy]

I was of the understanding that the Thais own the car park for the royal elm park development whenever that comes to fruition.

I think that's right from what was in the Chronicle. Saw some plans for "Royal Elm Park" which covers all of the current car park. There is a multi-story car park included in the development that will be used on match days. The residents will love that.

Anyone who decides to live there can have no complaints

[YorkshireRoyal99]

I was of the understanding that the Thais own the car park for the royal elm park development whenever that comes to fruition.

The Royal Elm Park development is still well in discussions at the moment. Some of the noise from the developers seems to be that "significant work" will be undergoing there at some stage this year, although what that is I don't know.

[yuomi]

I find it shocking this interview shows Dai and Pang have been lying to us for months about trying to sell.

Pretty much this. In the last 12 months, the club have said that they've been "discussing", "seeking", and "actively working towards" a sale, and yet now, if NH is to be believed, we're once again at the start of the process. It's a combination of lying to and treating fans like idiots that reaffirms what an appalling custodian of the club Dai has been.

tbqh i've no reason to believe Howe given the route we've taken to get here, and my default is to treat any news to do with the club with suspicion until it's confirmed and something actually happens. Although that probably comes from sagas like Tommy Smith, Pedro Mendes, Rodrigo Riquelme etc etc.

[Stranded]

I was of the understanding that the Thais own the car park for the royal elm park development whenever that comes to fruition.

I think that's right from what was in the Chronicle. Saw some plans for "Royal Elm Park" which covers all of the current car park. There is a multi-story car park included in the development that will be used on match days. The residents will love that.

Anyone who decides to live there can have no complaints

Have you met people? People will complain.

People complain when they move next to a pub or a music venue that is too loud, so they'll happily complain about their nice area being full of "football hooligans" 25 times a year

[Sutekh]

I think that's right from what was in the Chronicle. Saw some plans for "Royal Elm Park" which covers all of the current car park. There is a multi-story car park included in the development that will be used on match days. The residents will love that.

Anyone who decides to live there can have no complaints

Have you met people? People will complain.

People complain when they move next to a pub or a music venue that is too loud, so they'll happily complain about their nice area being full of "football hooligans" 25 times a year

Like the divots who move into the country next to a church or farm and then get upset and complain when the church bells ring or a cockerel wakes them up at daybreak

[Snowflake Royal]

I think that's right from what was in the Chronicle. Saw some plans for "Royal Elm Park" which covers all of the current car park. There is a multi-story car park included in the development that will be used on match days. The residents will love that.

Anyone who decides to live there can have no complaints

Have you met people? People will complain.

People complain when they move next to a pub or a music venue that is too loud, so they'll happily complain about their nice area being full of "football hooligans" 25 times a year

Used to get people who moved within a few hundred yards of a sewage treatment works then complain about the smell and want compensation for the effect on their house value.

So you are 100% spot on.

[Hendo]

Anyone who decides to live there can have no complaints

Have you met people? People will complain.

People complain when they move next to a pub or a music venue that is too loud, so they'll happily complain about their nice area being full of "football hooligans" 25 times a year

Used to get people who moved within a few hundred yards of a sewage treatment works then complain about the smell and want compensation for the effect on their house value.

So you are 100% spot on.

Same as people who move within spitting distance of Heathrow and complain about plane noise.

[Forbury Lion]

If he sold the club but kept the stadium and/or training ground, the buyers may (should) negotiate an option to buy at a later date.

It makes sense for the owners to buy the stadium and training ground and then ask the EFL if they can being them all together as one entity because then that entity could take out a secured loan from a bank/third party against those assets as a way of funding the club, otherwise they are limited on what the owner can put in directly under FFP, if they were separate entities then the stadium company would have to borrow money and then loan it to the club company which could be seen as owner funding.

Obviously not really wanting the club to sell to someone who immediately borrows money against the club.

[tmesis]

If he kept the stadium, the rent would surely be negotiated alongside the sale. Any sensible buyer would want to lock in a fair rent for 5-10 years. So whilst it's not the best outcome, it would not be the disaster some fear.

This. If it gets a deal done, then continuing to pay rent (remember the club pay Dai rent now) is not a big deal esp if the deal is worded along the lines of "Rent will be X for Y years. Club will have the right to purchase the stadium at (set price) at any point up to and including (agreed date)"

If the owners can't afford the stadium now, how will they be able to afford it in 5-10 years? Barring a surge to the premier league, there's no way Reading FC is going to generate those sort of profits.

[rabidbee]

If he kept the stadium, the rent would surely be negotiated alongside the sale. Any sensible buyer would want to lock in a fair rent for 5-10 years. So whilst it's not the best outcome, it would not be the disaster some fear.

This. If it gets a deal done, then continuing to pay rent (remember the club pay Dai rent now) is not a big deal esp if the deal is worded along the lines of "Rent will be X for Y years. Club will have the right to purchase the stadium at (set price) at any point up to and including (agreed date)"

If the owners can't afford the stadium now, how will they be able to afford it in 5-10 years? Barring a surge to the premier league, there's no way Reading FC is going to generate those sort of profits.

They might have other sources of income?

[tmesis]

I was of the understanding that the Thais own the car park for the royal elm park development whenever that comes to fruition.

I think that's right from what was in the Chronicle. Saw some plans for "Royal Elm Park" which covers all of the current car park. There is a multi-story car park included in the development that will be used on match days. The residents will love that.

Anyone who decides to live there can have no complaints

This is assuming the car park will be available, to any worthwhile degree, to fans.

When the Royal Elm Park thing was first on the table, Nigel Howe's message to the fans worried about parking was pretty much "Tough. You have to find somewhere else to park, or use public transport"