Royal Elm Park

[Green]

It's a good point. I could quote examples of where a club has owned ancillary land to their stadium where they have simply sold it and ploughed all the money back into the club.

I'd be keen to see such a list if you've got it to hand.

[Stuka]

The key question is whether any profit accrued is going to be used in some way to support the football club. Details on that are a bit sketchy from what I can make out.

It is reasonable to expect the Club to support itself for the most part. Developing the land shouldn't make a different to the Club's operations, and if anything might improve attendance if there are more local amenities. I'm going to throw my lot behind the Thais and wholeheartedly wish them luck with this venture.

[Sutekh]

The key question is whether any profit accrued is going to be used in some way to support the football club. Details on that are a bit sketchy from what I can make out.

It is reasonable to expect the Club to support itself for the most part. Developing the land shouldn't make a different to the Club's operations, and if anything might improve attendance if there are more local amenities. I'm going to throw my lot behind the Thais and wholeheartedly wish them luck with this venture.

One would hope that the club would receive a percentage of the profits as presumably it will be the parent company of the owning subsidiary, thus a long term revenue stream can be built up rather than a one off lump sum and then nothing.

All questions that need to be asked....

[loyalroyaldaz]

This from a few weeks back:

http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reading-fc-co-chairwoman-hopes-9880941

[multisync1830]

Avram grant has been to most home games with this guy too, they were both walking through the hotel on Saturday. I don't know if he is manager of ghana and just scouting. But like I say I've seen him at about 5 games this season. Is he now connected with club too?

I already explained who this guy is:

Mr. Pairoj Piempongsant
Founder and Principal Advisor Empire Asia Group Co., Ltd.

Pairoj is the main driving force behind Empire Asia Energy, bringing his 35-years of diverse project experience and international connections to the table in all aspects of industrial, infrastructure, energy and natural resources development throughout the Asia-Pacific Region.

[multisync1830]

Help me out: if the Thais want to develop the land around the stadium why is that such a bad thing? It's not like there's is much around currently and it's only natural they wish to get a return on all their investment.

I may well be missing something here.

Who here has said developing the land is a bad thing?

clue - err no one!

[multisync1830]

The key question is whether any profit accrued is going to be used in some way to support the football club. Details on that are a bit sketchy from what I can make out.

It is reasonable to expect the Club to support itself for the most part. Developing the land shouldn't make a different to the Club's operations, and if anything might improve attendance if there are more local amenities. I'm going to throw my lot behind the Thais and wholeheartedly wish them luck with this venture.

The Thai's have always said the club should be self financing. That is reasonable and no one can reasonably argue unless they say "you knew it was a loss making organisation as are most clubs so you should have known and accepted that risk before you bought..."

The issue is (for me) how responsibly they develop the land and (for the club) what happens after. My concern is easily addressed Planning consent looks after that .

The what next is the great unknown and if they turn out to be asset strippers who place the club in administration the day after then please don't cry and bitch because you woz duped. Others keep a more open minded watchful eye but want to be proved wrong. This is the crux no one wants the Thai's to fail or not keep their promises. Blind faith V loyalty that's all we're talking about.

That is the difference I believe.

[Stuka]

Well I still think we should offer unwavering total support. We must erase all doubts from our mind and display blind loyalty to the Thais as they take the Club through the transition. Instead of rutting like wild caribou, we must be delicate and elegant like an orchid placed decoratively on a Thai Airways business class meal.

[WoodleyRoyal]

Avram grant has been to most home games with this guy too, they were both walking through the hotel on Saturday. I don't know if he is manager of ghana and just scouting. But like I say I've seen him at about 5 games this season. Is he now connected with club too?

I already explained who this guy is:

Mr. Pairoj Piempongsant
Founder and Principal Advisor Empire Asia Group Co., Ltd.

Pairoj is the main driving force behind Empire Asia Energy, bringing his 35-years of diverse project experience and international connections to the table in all aspects of industrial, infrastructure, energy and natural resources development throughout the Asia-Pacific Region.

I know who he is, i was asking if avram grant now has some connection with the club. I Just find it odd why has avram grant has been at our at our last 5 games if not connected with the club.

[loyalroyaldaz]

Well I still think we should offer unwavering total support. We must erase all doubts from our mind and display blind loyalty to the Thais as they take the Club through the transition. Instead of rutting like wild caribou, we must be delicate and elegant like an orchid placed decoratively on a Thai Airways business class meal.

We cant always have our Eurocake and eat it.....

[Mr Optimist]

Well I still think we should offer unwavering total support. We must erase all doubts from our mind and display blind loyalty to the Thais as they take the Club through the transition. Instead of rutting like wild caribou, we must be delicate and elegant like an orchid placed decoratively on a Thai Airways business class meal.

At last. The voice of reason.

[Norfolk Royal]

It's a good point. I could quote examples of where a club has owned ancillary land to their stadium where they have simply sold it and ploughed all the money back into the club.

I'd be keen to see such a list if you've got it to hand.

Norwich for one. They saved the club in the 90s by flogging off land to developers, hence the fact that the stadium is now half hemmed in by ghastly flats.

I can't reveal the rest of the list I painstakingly compiled last night as either the dog ate it or it fell down the back of my desk.

[Whore Jackie]

It's a good point. I could quote examples of where a club has owned ancillary land to their stadium where they have simply sold it and ploughed all the money back into the club.

I'd be keen to see such a list if you've got it to hand.

Norwich for one. They saved the club in the 90s by flogging off land to developers, hence the fact that the stadium is now half hemmed in by ghastly flats.

I can't reveal the rest of the list I painstakingly compiled last night as either the dog ate it or it fell down the back of my desk.

Bolton for another. Needed some extra money, so sold off a big chunk of their land (including half a stand) to a local supermarket. They'll be doing the same at the Reebok if they relegated again or Eddie Davies pulls out.

[bagman]

Re: Avram Grant. Steve Clarke worked with him at Chelsea, and AG recomended him to his good friend Paroj to replace Adkins.

[Nameless]

The most blindingly obvious example of a club selling of land and using the proceeds to support the club is of course READING.
We've done it twice.

[ZacNaloen]

Elm Park and? Green park?

[Forbury Lion]

Elm Park and? Green park?

The club did own the land B&Q and the other retail stores in that retail park are on.

[Coppelled_Streets]

Elm Park and? Green park?

The club did own the land B&Q and the other retail stores in that retail park are on.

The club didn't? I thought SJM did, all bought for £1? Do any of the archived accounts show a profite for Reading Football Club and/or Reading Football Club Holdings?

[Greatwesternline]

I also wonder how the deal is financed.

Say it costs £200m, where is that money coming from? Is it being borrowed from financial institutions? If so what security is being used against the debt, the club?

Will a development collapse half way through because of a down turn China which severely impacts on our Thai owners liquidity?

Why did SJM never develop this land given how he loves a bit of property development such as all of the area around the station?

What was stopping SJM accessing finance to develop Royal Elm Park.

I presume the answer to all these questions is the Thai's have gazillions of money and don't need external finance. If so a downturn in China could impact on them a lot.

I still don't rule out the general collapse in the Russian economy and the collapse of the banking in Cyprus where most Russians kept their cash in 2013 as one of the reasons why Zinga lost the ability to fund Reading FC.

[Green]

A lot of people speculating without knowing many facts here.

(I must be new around here etc)