Mark Bowen

[Royals and Racers]

What is Mark Bradley's role at the club?

Chief Communications Officer

And an appalling one at that.

I will 2nd that

[YorkshireRoyal99]

The only "reputable" journalist talking about this is Alan Nixon and his understanding is the hold up is more to do with the EFL and the club finances than anything, which we are trying to sort out i.e. getting confirmation on what we can actually spend and that the embargo will be lifted in a couple of weeks.

If true, then I think we'll all have to cool our jets until 1st July.

After our 6 point deduction, we did have a revised budget imposed on us by the CFRU, so there will no doubt be compliance with that, alongside the other aspects of our business plan for this season as well that we will need to review and we will have hopefully complied with this season.

I was always expecting that most, if not all, of our business in the transfer market would be done after the 1st July to be honest.

[Elm Park Kid]

I have to ask why people think that Earnshaw isn't a 'reputable' journalist. You can criticise a lack of experience, but has he ever posted anything that was clearly untrue? His tweet yesterday was that the staff he knows at the club have told him that the communication ban is a real thing and that everyone is worried. I've no reason to believe he's making that up.

[Stranded]

No-one is saying they are wrong but to take with a pinch of salt - someone like Nixon, for all his faults, is a pretty well respected journalist across football with a crazy amount of contacts.

Not saying he is right but if there are issues with the EFL regarding what we can spend and negotiations are going on behind the scenes then that could be a reason for silence, even internally, as it is clear things leak. It makes sense, but that doesn't mean it is right.

You could easily imagine the EFL giving us a budget of X but the club saying, hang on, your rules say we can do XYZ and spend accordingly but what you are looking to impose on us is against your rules - personally, I wouldn't want that getting out so silence could make sense. Though not a path I would take although communicating anything like "We are in discussions with the EFL about budget" could give off the wrong signal as well.

All fun.

[Sutekh]

Chief Communications Officer

And an appalling one at that.

I will 2nd that

To be fair, he probably has to be given something by the club to communicate, but all the same I'd have expected him to have started being proactive by telling the senior management that something needs to be said to the masses even if it's only "nothing to see here, everything is ok".

Does the the appalling Academy coverage also fall under his auspices I wonder?

When can we expect to see these words of wisdom?

[traff]

Nicky Hammond just joined Leeds on an interim basis. Maybe just feeling nostalgic but would have been happy to have him back on a consultancy basis this summer.

[On Strings]

Nicky Hammond just joined Leeds on an interim basis. Maybe just feeling nostalgic but would have been happy to have him back on a consultancy basis this summer.

In a heart beat, but he'd also be a victim of the interfering and over-ruling Dai.

Rumours now that Bowen could be off to Norwich. LOL

[Hound]

Nicky Hammond just joined Leeds on an interim basis. Maybe just feeling nostalgic but would have been happy to have him back on a consultancy basis this summer.

In a heart beat, but he'd also be a victim of the interfering and over-ruling Dai.

Rumours now that Bowen could be off to Norwich. LOL

If it’s that piece in The Athletic that’s not a rumour at all. One bloke’s opinion that’s all.

[RoyalBlue]

No-one is saying they are wrong but to take with a pinch of salt - someone like Nixon, for all his faults, is a pretty well respected journalist across football with a crazy amount of contacts.

Not saying he is right but if there are issues with the EFL regarding what we can spend and negotiations are going on behind the scenes then that could be a reason for silence, even internally, as it is clear things leak. It makes sense, but that doesn't mean it is right.

You could easily imagine the EFL giving us a budget of X but the club saying, hang on, your rules say we can do XYZ and spend accordingly but what you are looking to impose on us is against your rules - personally, I wouldn't want that getting out so silence could make sense. Though not a path I would take although communicating anything like "We are in discussions with the EFL about budget" could give off the wrong signal as well.

All fun.

And squaring all of those sorts of circles, in order to produce an acceptable and non-damaging communique, is where the true skills of a communications expert lie.

If the club don't have that level of expertise to hand in-house, maybe they need to contract it in during this difficult and challenging time.

[Forbury Lion]

Chief Communications Officer

And an appalling one at that.

I will 2nd that

Bring back Andy West from the Madejski era, He was even on the Royalmail mailing list (is that still at thing?) and would reply to emails sent directly to him from fans, oh and he was on this board too (earlier version of it).

I remember people used to say "here's Sir John again giving another speech about the transfer kitty running away or we're going to push again for the promised land" but we never knew how good we had it, An owner who given the chance would be giving honest updates 24/7 and actually chat to fans when they bumped into him out and about and he actually listened.

I remember Boyd Butler was also approachable, he kindly replied in person when we contacted him directly when my Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and advised not to go to the football as his immune system was shot to pieces from treatment, he arranged a full refund of his season ticket and sent well wishes on behalf of the club.

I'm sure there still are people like this at the club but their hands seem to be tied, They're not allowed to interact/speak out or they're in the dark as much as us and probably concerned about job losses following relegation.

[Royals and Racers]

And an appalling one at that.

I will 2nd that

To be fair, he probably has to be given something by the club to communicate, but all the same I'd have expected him to have started being proactive by telling the senior management that something needs to be said to the masses even if it's only "nothing to see here, everything is ok".

Does the the appalling Academy coverage also fall under his auspices I wonder?

When can we expect to see these words of wisdom?

Yes he is responsible for the media output as the boss.

[The Royal Forester]

And an appalling one at that.

I will 2nd that

Bring back Andy West from the Madejski era, He was even on the Royalmail mailing list (is that still at thing?) and would reply to emails sent directly to him from fans, oh and he was on this board too (earlier version of it).

I remember people used to say "here's Sir John again giving another speech about the transfer kitty running away or we're going to push again for the promised land" but we never knew how good we had it, An owner who given the chance would be giving honest updates 24/7 and actually chat to fans when they bumped into him out and about and he actually listened.

I remember Boyd Butler was also approachable, he kindly replied in person when we contacted him directly when my Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and advised not to go to the football as his immune system was shot to pieces from treatment, he arranged a full refund of his season ticket and sent well wishes on behalf of the club.

I'm sure there still are people like this at the club but their hands seem to be tied, They're not allowed to interact/speak out or they're in the dark as much as us and probably concerned about job losses following relegation.

I suspect they were all hounded out of the the club by Gourley.

[Snowflake Royal]

The only "reputable" journalist talking about this is Alan Nixon and his understanding is the hold up is more to do with the EFL and the club finances than anything, which we are trying to sort out i.e. getting confirmation on what we can actually spend and that the embargo will be lifted in a couple of weeks.

If true, then I think we'll all have to cool our jets until 1st July.

This seems the most likely to me

Also whilst the club are not really able to say a lot at the risk of upsetting them.

I thought it was a given that we wouldn’t be allowed free rein this year finance wise. Also has been mentioned before by Bowen that the EFL are very slow when it comes to this sort of thing - only have to look at the Sarr transfer and the ridiculous time it took to impose the 6 points after it had been common knowledge for a month or so

My understanding was that we'd have a budget set, which we would then be free to make our own decisions on how we kept to it witgout approval needed for each individual transaction, so long as we provided evidence to show we were complying.

I suspect the big question will be that it was established for us being in the Championship and we're trying to get clarity on how it's altered by relegation and the different L1 FFP rules.

[Vision]

So how he became Reading owner is a good question especially given his supposed previous clubs he left in tatters.

both folded after he bought us, so you can't blame the EFL for not taking that into consideration.

Yep. In fact the reality is they folded because of us and his need to be the owner of a team in the top European Leagues. . So as long as he doesn't go buying anything in Serie A or La Liga it's not really that relevant.

[Stranded]

So how he became Reading owner is a good question especially given his supposed previous clubs he left in tatters.

both folded after he bought us, so you can't blame the EFL for not taking that into consideration.

Yep. In fact the reality is they folded because of us and his need to be the owner of a team in the top European Leagues. . So as long as he doesn't go buying anything in Serie A or La Liga it's not really that relevant.

The Belgian club were declared bankrupt due to an upaid bill of 20k that allegedly the owners were not made aware of by previous incumbants - in any case I doubt that would have been a barring offence - christ 20k wouldn't even have covered Liam Moore's salary for a week.

Beijing is a weird one - the club really had no "home" and they moved across China fairly regularly before settling in Beijing - it was bought by Rehne mainly as a marketing tool hence the club name. The club were forced to change names just before it was dissolved - suggesting it was only ever really a marketing thing.

Worth noting - when the club was dissolved by the owners (Dai was not the sole owner) it had no debt at all it was believed to be the only club in China in the situation but due to poor performance on the pitch, the enforced name change and lack of interest from fans - they made the decision to shut the club.

Not saying anyone should take any comfort from the above but the "He killed two clubs" narrative isn't quite as clear cut as some would like to think.

[Sutekh]

both folded after he bought us, so you can't blame the EFL for not taking that into consideration.

Yep. In fact the reality is they folded because of us and his need to be the owner of a team in the top European Leagues. . So as long as he doesn't go buying anything in Serie A or La Liga it's not really that relevant.

The Belgian club were declared bankrupt due to an upaid bill of 20k that allegedly the owners were not made aware of by previous incumbants - in any case I doubt that would have been a barring offence - christ 20k wouldn't even have covered Liam Moore's salary for a week.

Beijing is a weird one - the club really had no "home" and they moved across China fairly regularly before settling in Beijing - it was bought by Rehne mainly as a marketing tool hence the club name. The club were forced to change names just before it was dissolved - suggesting it was only ever really a marketing thing.

Worth noting - when the club was dissolved by the owners (Dai was not the sole owner) it had no debt at all it was believed to be the only club in China in the situation but due to poor performance on the pitch, the enforced name change and lack of interest from fans - they made the decision to shut the club.

Not saying anyone should take any comfort from the above but the "He killed two clubs" narrative isn't quite as clear cut as some would like to think.

Weren't Chinese people in China banned by their government from owning clubs outside the country about 4/5 years ago? Something to do with the CCP not wanting money exiting the country? If so might any Chinese people owning clubs from before that time be forced to sell at some point?

[YorkshireRoyal99]

both folded after he bought us, so you can't blame the EFL for not taking that into consideration.

Yep. In fact the reality is they folded because of us and his need to be the owner of a team in the top European Leagues. . So as long as he doesn't go buying anything in Serie A or La Liga it's not really that relevant.

The Belgian club were declared bankrupt due to an upaid bill of 20k that allegedly the owners were not made aware of by previous incumbants - in any case I doubt that would have been a barring offence - christ 20k wouldn't even have covered Liam Moore's salary for a week.

Beijing is a weird one - the club really had no "home" and they moved across China fairly regularly before settling in Beijing - it was bought by Rehne mainly as a marketing tool hence the club name. The club were forced to change names just before it was dissolved - suggesting it was only ever really a marketing thing.

Worth noting - when the club was dissolved by the owners (Dai was not the sole owner) it had no debt at all it was believed to be the only club in China in the situation but due to poor performance on the pitch, the enforced name change and lack of interest from fans - they made the decision to shut the club.

Not saying anyone should take any comfort from the above but the "He killed two clubs" narrative isn't quite as clear cut as some would like to think.

Whilst all is most likely true, it still doesn't stop the fact that this is now the 3rd football club that the Dai's have had ownership of and all 3 have run into trouble. Whatever reasons their previous clubs cease to exist, the fact that they no longer exist is the worst possible outcome for any owner. There is an argument to say willingly shutting a club down is actually worse than not funding a club correctly.

[Sanguine]

Boyd Butler seemed to have an awful rep at the time, but on the small number of occasions I spoke to him, was always helpful, polite, and clearly doing his best for the club.

[From Despair To Where?]

Yep. In fact the reality is they folded because of us and his need to be the owner of a team in the top European Leagues. . So as long as he doesn't go buying anything in Serie A or La Liga it's not really that relevant.

The Belgian club were declared bankrupt due to an upaid bill of 20k that allegedly the owners were not made aware of by previous incumbants - in any case I doubt that would have been a barring offence - christ 20k wouldn't even have covered Liam Moore's salary for a week.

Beijing is a weird one - the club really had no "home" and they moved across China fairly regularly before settling in Beijing - it was bought by Rehne mainly as a marketing tool hence the club name. The club were forced to change names just before it was dissolved - suggesting it was only ever really a marketing thing.

Worth noting - when the club was dissolved by the owners (Dai was not the sole owner) it had no debt at all it was believed to be the only club in China in the situation but due to poor performance on the pitch, the enforced name change and lack of interest from fans - they made the decision to shut the club.

Not saying anyone should take any comfort from the above but the "He killed two clubs" narrative isn't quite as clear cut as some would like to think.

Whilst all is most likely true, it still doesn't stop the fact that this is now the 3rd football club that the Dai's have had ownership of and all 3 have run into trouble. Whatever reasons their previous clubs cease to exist, the fact that they no longer exist is the worst possible outcome for any owner. There is an argument to say willingly shutting a club down is actually worse than not funding a club correctly.

Beijing Renhe were an entirely manufactured team created to take advantage of the creation of the Chinese Super League. They were basically a franchise touted round 5 different cities by about 7 different owners in a desparate search for a fanbase throughout their 25 year existence.

Let's not pretend there's a passionate hardcore on Dim Sum Anyone irate at their demise and planning a phoenix club. It wasn't a club with decades of history and an organic fanbase. Would you support Microsoft FC if they formed tomorrow? It was a club that existed purely to add value to an owner's brand.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

The Belgian club were declared bankrupt due to an upaid bill of 20k that allegedly the owners were not made aware of by previous incumbants - in any case I doubt that would have been a barring offence - christ 20k wouldn't even have covered Liam Moore's salary for a week.

Beijing is a weird one - the club really had no "home" and they moved across China fairly regularly before settling in Beijing - it was bought by Rehne mainly as a marketing tool hence the club name. The club were forced to change names just before it was dissolved - suggesting it was only ever really a marketing thing.

Worth noting - when the club was dissolved by the owners (Dai was not the sole owner) it had no debt at all it was believed to be the only club in China in the situation but due to poor performance on the pitch, the enforced name change and lack of interest from fans - they made the decision to shut the club.

Not saying anyone should take any comfort from the above but the "He killed two clubs" narrative isn't quite as clear cut as some would like to think.

Whilst all is most likely true, it still doesn't stop the fact that this is now the 3rd football club that the Dai's have had ownership of and all 3 have run into trouble. Whatever reasons their previous clubs cease to exist, the fact that they no longer exist is the worst possible outcome for any owner. There is an argument to say willingly shutting a club down is actually worse than not funding a club correctly.

Beijing Renhe were an entirely manufactured team created to take advantage of the creation of the Chinese Super League. They were basically a franchise touted round 5 different cities by about 7 different owners in a desparate search for a fanbase throughout their 25 year existence.

Let's not pretend there's a passionate hardcore on Dim Sum Anyone irate at their demise and planning a phoenix club. It wasn't a club with decades of history and an organic fanbase. Would you support Microsoft FC if they formed tomorrow? It was a club that existed purely to add value to an owner's brand.

He owned them from 2010, it's not as if he had only just taken over and no longer fancied it. All owners own a football club to add value to their brand, he didn't take over Reading to make a profit did he. As the cliché goes, you don't go into business in football to make a profit.

Different club yes, but some similar circumstances with ourselves in his time as well. Heavy spending and poor league positions with random managers, for example.

Obviously not suggesting he is planning on creating a phoenix club or anything because I don't think it would happen, but it's more the point of he's now been responsible for the demise of 2 clubs, a significant fall off for ourselves, and has had various degrees of financial difficulty at all clubs as well through extravagant spending.