TAKEOVER *NOT* CONFIMRED

[WestYorksRoyal]

We can also remember he was involved in the sale to Zingarevich and the absolute shambles that was throwing money at Burns to buy rubbish from Scotland for excessive amounts whilst Madejski was busy dodging tax, if you like.

You mean the part where he was the CEO for the most successful era in our history? Nobody gets all signings right to digging up a few from the late 90s is ridiculous.

The sale to AZ was a fatal error. Catastrophic. But it was done with good intentions, they were tricked. It was somebody with a connection to the area and apparently buckets of cash. And SJM with Howe's help even rescued us once when it went wrong.

And yeh, I don't agree with SJM's tax dodging. But it doesn't change the fact he was a good owner for this club.

The only point I've made is that Howe isn't some sort of faultless paragon of virtue.

Can meet in the middle there. But I do think he's acting with the club's best interests in trying circumstances.

[Snowflake Royal]

You mean the part where he was the CEO for the most successful era in our history? Nobody gets all signings right to digging up a few from the late 90s is ridiculous.

The sale to AZ was a fatal error. Catastrophic. But it was done with good intentions, they were tricked. It was somebody with a connection to the area and apparently buckets of cash. And SJM with Howe's help even rescued us once when it went wrong.

And yeh, I don't agree with SJM's tax dodging. But it doesn't change the fact he was a good owner for this club.

The only point I've made is that Howe isn't some sort of faultless paragon of virtue.

Can meet in the middle there. But I do think he's acting with the club's best interests in trying circumstances.

I'm sure he's trying. But I also don't trust him to be completely honest and transparent. For good reason probably.

[Sutekh]

Nigel's apparently been having problems persuading buyers recently....

[SouthDownsRoyal]

We usually get an update from STAR at the start of the week, be interesting to see what Howe says as he seems to have spun them a load of nonsense to date.

And will continue to do so

[SouthDownsRoyal]

I don’t believe Dai has ever had any intention of selling us. He’s been going through the motions and basically there’s nothing we can do about it as he doesn’t give a oxf*rd.

He can just let this happen and he’s so far removed from the club he doesn’t care about all of the protests etc. We’re going the same way as his other clubs and the only thing we can control is either to die silently or kicking and screaming.

I agree but why doesn’t he not just sell up and forget about reading fc forever why just hold on to it putting some good money after bad for nothing?

[Hound]

I don’t believe Dai has ever had any intention of selling us. He’s been going through the motions and basically there’s nothing we can do about it as he doesn’t give a oxf*rd.

He can just let this happen and he’s so far removed from the club he doesn’t care about all of the protests etc. We’re going the same way as his other clubs and the only thing we can control is either to die silently or kicking and screaming.

I agree but why doesn’t he not just sell up and forget about reading fc forever why just hold on to it putting some good money after bad for nothing?

Think that’s the main problem in all of this. No one really knows what his intentions are and why he’s behaving as he is. It’s impossible to be optimistic with that being the case

[SouthDownsRoyal]

I don’t believe Dai has ever had any intention of selling us. He’s been going through the motions and basically there’s nothing we can do about it as he doesn’t give a oxf*rd.

He can just let this happen and he’s so far removed from the club he doesn’t care about all of the protests etc. We’re going the same way as his other clubs and the only thing we can control is either to die silently or kicking and screaming.

I agree but why doesn’t he not just sell up and forget about reading fc forever why just hold on to it putting some good money after bad for nothing?

Think that’s the main problem in all of this. No one really knows what his intentions are and why he’s behaving as he is. It’s impossible to be optimistic with that being the case

I agree finding it hard to be optimistic

If I owned a football club, had put a lot of money into it and it hadn’t worked out and my team were a basket case and I was putting (minimal) money in to keep it just about ticking along, being fined personally (I know he won’t pay) and getting loads of negative press etc I’d just sell the thing for a few million and move on and get rid of it

But why he doesn’t is beyond me and as you say gives me no hope it’s almost as if he’s decided oxf*rd this oxf*rd the club which in my head makes no sense but I’m not Dai

I may be wrong and I hope I am but I get the feeling he has no interest or desire to sell the club and all the words from Howe and Bowen are either because they for some reason believe him or they are just towing the line

Either way I can’t (sadly) see a positive outcome

[Lower West]

I agree but why doesn’t he not just sell up and forget about reading fc forever why just hold on to it putting some good money after bad for nothing?

Think that’s the main problem in all of this. No one really knows what his intentions are and why he’s behaving as he is. It’s impossible to be optimistic with that being the case

I agree finding it hard to be optimistic

If I owned a football club, had put a lot of money into it and it hadn’t worked out and my team were a basket case and I was putting (minimal) money in to keep it just about ticking along, being fined personally (I know he won’t pay) and getting loads of negative press etc I’d just sell the thing for a few million and move on and get rid of it

But why he doesn’t is beyond me and as you say gives me no hope it’s almost as if he’s decided oxf*rd this oxf*rd the club which in my head makes no sense but I’m not Dai

I may be wrong and I hope I am but I get the feeling he has no interest or desire to sell the club and all the words from Howe and Bowen are either because they for some reason believe him or they are just towing the line

Either way I can’t (sadly) see a positive outcome

The longer the saga drags on the worse the situation is becoming. Nor do I think Dai is in total control of the situation either. I'd suggest that his personal assets in China have been frozen. Any funding for a while has come from the sale of overseas assets. Sad to think that the years of hard work under Sir John are unraveling in front of our eyes.

[Hound]

I think my fear is that he has been advised he’ll get more money by selling the training ground and stadium for more if there was no club attached - the club side obviously being likely to lose money over time. So he’ll happily let the club die and sell off what’s left

[From Despair To Where?]

Neither of which are worth anything like the same value without a functioning club.

[Hound]

Neither of which are worth anything like the same value without a functioning club.

That would certainly be the obvious assumption. Dai is hardly known for accepting or taking good advice

As stated many times, the logical thing to have done would have been to have sold asap when he got bored. But it didn’t happen and shows no real signs of happening anytime soon

[paddy20]

Neither of which are worth anything like the same value without a functioning club.

Not sure about that. If you live in the Barkham area believe me developers would jump at the chance at building thousands of houses on the training ground and I don't think they would have a problem getting that granted.
As for the stadium as I understand it if they want to sell it they have to offer it to RBC first and they then have 6 months to put in a bid. Supposing its worth £30m can you see RBC having funds to do that?
I believe the training ground is registered to a company in the Virgin Islands and the company owning the ground in Hong Kong and there may well be significant tax advantages rather than selling the club as a whole

[From Despair To Where?]

As has been pointed out on a number of occasions by others, there is limited development potential at the training ground because of protection orders and listed status.

Not sure you'd get anything near £30m for the ground either. As a functioning stadium maybe but I don't think the land is worth that much, especially considering the neighbouring land is owned by third parties. The Thais might want it for their REP development but they'd play hardball, as it would be a depreciating asset.

[Snowflake Royal]

As has been pointed out on a number of occasions by others, there is limited development potential at the training ground because of protection orders and listed status.

Not sure you'd get anything near £30m for the ground either. As a functioning stadium maybe but I don't think the land is worth that much, especially considering the neighbouring land is owned by third parties. The Thais might want it for their REP development but they'd play hardball, as it would be a depreciating asset.

Yeah, zero chance the stadium is worth £30m, and anyone paying that without a football club attached is never seeing a return.

It's a community asset, which makes it awkward. The land may have been decontaminated to the level you can build a stadium, but I doubt its fit for housing. Offices aren't exactly in high demand and other commercial stuff Doesn't seem likely. The council won't be enthused by change of use.

[Hound]

As has been pointed out on a number of occasions by others, there is limited development potential at the training ground because of protection orders and listed status.

Not sure you'd get anything near £30m for the ground either. As a functioning stadium maybe but I don't think the land is worth that much, especially considering the neighbouring land is owned by third parties. The Thais might want it for their REP development but they'd play hardball, as it would be a depreciating asset.

Yeah, zero chance the stadium is worth £30m, and anyone paying that without a football club attached is never seeing a return.

It's a community asset, which makes it awkward. The land may have been decontaminated to the level you can build a stadium, but I doubt its fit for housing. Offices aren't exactly in high demand and other commercial stuff Doesn't seem likely. The council won't be enthused by change of use.

Can’t think of anything that you could build on that land that would be especially attractive. By a motorway, too far out of town to be part of the centre so lack of of foot traffic, smells. No one wants these out of town retail things anymore.

[Sutekh]

Dai could save a lot of face if he decided to sell the whole kit and caboodle for a £1 but, sadly, that's never going to happen.

[Stranded]

As has been pointed out on a number of occasions by others, there is limited development potential at the training ground because of protection orders and listed status.

Not sure you'd get anything near £30m for the ground either. As a functioning stadium maybe but I don't think the land is worth that much, especially considering the neighbouring land is owned by third parties. The Thais might want it for their REP development but they'd play hardball, as it would be a depreciating asset.

Yeah, zero chance the stadium is worth £30m, and anyone paying that without a football club attached is never seeing a return.

It's a community asset, which makes it awkward. The land may have been decontaminated to the level you can build a stadium, but I doubt its fit for housing. Offices aren't exactly in high demand and other commercial stuff Doesn't seem likely. The council won't be enthused by change of use.

Yep the stadium needs someone playing in it. If we do go pop, then you aren't going to get a football club buying it and good point on the decontamination - the levels acceptable for public use for a few hours each week would be lower that those for a place where people will live and as such spend large amounts of their time.

The only other potential viable option would be someone like a rugby club buying it - but I would say given the financial struggles in that sport as well currently, that is unlikely. I know Wasps feel they are a position to relaunch, and Reading is closer to their traditional area but not to the level where they need a 24k stadium esp if they aren't playing in the English league, which seems to be the current thought process.

[Sutekh]

Swap with Maidenhead United.

[blythspartan]

As has been pointed out on a number of occasions by others, there is limited development potential at the training ground because of protection orders and listed status.

Not sure you'd get anything near £30m for the ground either. As a functioning stadium maybe but I don't think the land is worth that much, especially considering the neighbouring land is owned by third parties. The Thais might want it for their REP development but they'd play hardball, as it would be a depreciating asset.

Yeah, zero chance the stadium is worth £30m, and anyone paying that without a football club attached is never seeing a return.

It's a community asset, which makes it awkward. The land may have been decontaminated to the level you can build a stadium, but I doubt its fit for housing. Offices aren't exactly in high demand and other commercial stuff Doesn't seem likely. The council won't be enthused by change of use.

Yep the stadium needs someone playing in it. If we do go pop, then you aren't going to get a football club buying it and good point on the decontamination - the levels acceptable for public use for a few hours each week would be lower that those for a place where people will live and as such spend large amounts of their time.

The only other potential viable option would be someone like a rugby club buying it - but I would say given the financial struggles in that sport as well currently, that is unlikely. I know Wasps feel they are a position to relaunch, and Reading is closer to their traditional area but not to the level where they need a 24k stadium esp if they aren't playing in the English league, which seems to be the current thought process.

I know this is extremely unlikely but I have wondered if Chelsea would rent the stadium temporarily. Possibly, pay for the capacity to be increased and then use it whilst their new stadium is being constructed.

[Silver Fox]

Think that’s the main problem in all of this. No one really knows what his intentions are and why he’s behaving as he is.

And yet so many people seem to know exactly what his intentions/motivations are?