Worst case scenario

[madStadDad]

Lots of talk about what we’d like to happen (Dai out/investment), but I’d like to understand what the possibilities are if nothing changes.

Let’s say we continue on this path, keep failing to make payments and getting points deductions. Relegated this season, and again next season. That puts us in non league. What then?

Is there a tipping point where it’s no longer possible to continue functioning? (normally I’d expect that to be when we can’t pay wages and bills, but we’re already there).

Would bankruptcy/administration be automatic at some point? And what would that mean? Presumably someone could then buy the club for a low value and build it up.

Or does the show keep lurching on until there’s no longer enough staff to run the place, and too few players to put out a team? Then what? Expulsion from the league? Would the council then allow Dai to bulldoze the ground and build a shopping centre? Or is that utterly forbidden? In which case we could start afresh as AFC Reading and work our way up from Tier 8?

It happened at Telford. They were a conference club who went bankrupt and got triple relegated. But they started again and after a few years finally won promotion back to the conference (I was there, it was a truly joyous occasion). The point is, they went through the wringer but they didn’t die. They’re still ploughing along now - not very successfully, but my Dad and my nephews go to every home game and they love it. Whatever happens to Reading, as long as they exist they’ll be supported.

But is it possible that the club could just cease to exist? That’s the only option that I can’t contemplate. Relegation to non league would be embarrassing for a club with Reading’s history, but I’d take it over no club at all, ever again.

So my question is: can we die? Or is it just a case of how far we have to fall before we rise?

I’m a natural pessimist. Knowing the worst case scenario is comforting to me. Because anything else is a bonus.

[CountryRoyal]

I’m a natural pessimist. Knowing the worst case scenario is comforting to me. Because anything else is a bonus.

My man.

[Millsy]

Not a big deal. We just become Oxf*rd fans.

[The Royal Forester]

Lots of talk about what we’d like to happen (Dai out/investment), but I’d like to understand what the possibilities are if nothing changes.

Let’s say we continue on this path, keep failing to make payments and getting points deductions. Relegated this season, and again next season. That puts us in non league. What then?

Is there a tipping point where it’s no longer possible to continue functioning? (normally I’d expect that to be when we can’t pay wages and bills, but we’re already there).

Would bankruptcy/administration be automatic at some point? And what would that mean? Presumably someone could then buy the club for a low value and build it up.

Or does the show keep lurching on until there’s no longer enough staff to run the place, and too few players to put out a team? Then what? Expulsion from the league? Would the council then allow Dai to bulldoze the ground and build a shopping centre? Or is that utterly forbidden? In which case we could start afresh as AFC Reading and work our way up from Tier 8?

It happened at Telford. They were a conference club who went bankrupt and got triple relegated. But they started again and after a few years finally won promotion back to the conference (I was there, it was a truly joyous occasion). The point is, they went through the wringer but they didn’t die. They’re still ploughing along now - not very successfully, but my Dad and my nephews go to every home game and they love it. Whatever happens to Reading, as long as they exist they’ll be supported.

But is it possible that the club could just cease to exist? That’s the only option that I can’t contemplate. Relegation to non league would be embarrassing for a club with Reading’s history, but I’d take it over no club at all, ever again.

So my question is: can we die? Or is it just a case of how far we have to fall before we rise?

I’m a natural pessimist. Knowing the worst case scenario is comforting to me. Because anything else is a bonus.

Of course it is possible, just ask the fans of TWO other clubs Dai has owned, which no longer exist.

[Snowflake Royal]

Lots of talk about what we’d like to happen (Dai out/investment), but I’d like to understand what the possibilities are if nothing changes.

Let’s say we continue on this path, keep failing to make payments and getting points deductions. Relegated this season, and again next season. That puts us in non league. What then?

Is there a tipping point where it’s no longer possible to continue functioning? (normally I’d expect that to be when we can’t pay wages and bills, but we’re already there).

Would bankruptcy/administration be automatic at some point? And what would that mean? Presumably someone could then buy the club for a low value and build it up.

Or does the show keep lurching on until there’s no longer enough staff to run the place, and too few players to put out a team? Then what? Expulsion from the league? Would the council then allow Dai to bulldoze the ground and build a shopping centre? Or is that utterly forbidden? In which case we could start afresh as AFC Reading and work our way up from Tier 8?

It happened at Telford. They were a conference club who went bankrupt and got triple relegated. But they started again and after a few years finally won promotion back to the conference (I was there, it was a truly joyous occasion). The point is, they went through the wringer but they didn’t die. They’re still ploughing along now - not very successfully, but my Dad and my nephews go to every home game and they love it. Whatever happens to Reading, as long as they exist they’ll be supported.

But is it possible that the club could just cease to exist? That’s the only option that I can’t contemplate. Relegation to non league would be embarrassing for a club with Reading’s history, but I’d take it over no club at all, ever again.

So my question is: can we die? Or is it just a case of how far we have to fall before we rise?

I’m a natural pessimist. Knowing the worst case scenario is comforting to me. Because anything else is a bonus.

The longer it goes on, the lower we sink, the less chance Dai has to recover any significant cash and the less attractive to new owners we become. And the less high profile we are, so the greater the chance of the club dying.

The longer we go without investment/takeover/Dai's finances resolving the more transfer embargos we get. The more chance of HMRC (or a different creditor) trying to wind us up. And the more points we lose.

Someone with a few hundred million or more who isn't a moron buys us tomorrow, suddenly we're paying our bills, morale shoots up and we've got a great young team developing that we can make sales from to help bridge sustainability gaps. And the future looks good.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Anything is possible

[WestYorksRoyal]

The uncertainty is the killer. There are good and bad scenarios. Hopefully it's resolved in the next couple of weeks.

[Snowflake Royal]

Given we're the only team to finish 2nd in tier 2 and not be promoted, it wouldn't surprise me if we're the first 'big club'* to go out of business completely in modern times.

*Championship size and facilities, if not Championship level.

[From Despair To Where?]

Worst case scenario would be if some bullshitting chancer with previous for fcuking over sports teams became the new owner.

[Winston Biscuit]

Anything is possible

HNA members all chip in some money, we buy the club, we rename each stand after a subforum and you can only go in the stand you are mostly foruming in, players have to do goal celebrations decided in threads on here, only scotch eggs are sold on the concourse but everyone MUST have at least 1 per game

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Worst case scenario is liquidation, although don't most clubs in those circumstances just restart up again? Who was the last team to not do that? OP has mentioned Telford, but other Non League clubs like Hereford, Darlington and Halifax all started as phoenix clubs, so I suspect we'd do the same, although again, I'd say we are still lightyears away from that scenario anyway, we will find a buyer administration or not.

[WestYorksRoyal]

Kieran Maguire basically said he can't see liquidation happening as we have too much going for us. Near London, good facilities, affluent area etc.,

Mind you, it's pretty much the only positive thing he said.

[Clyde1998]

Worst case scenario is liquidation, although don't most clubs in those circumstances just restart up again? Who was the last team to not do that? OP has mentioned Telford, but other Non League clubs like Hereford, Darlington and Halifax all started as phoenix clubs, so I suspect we'd do the same, although again, I'd say we are still lightyears away from that scenario anyway, we will find a buyer administration or not.

Former Football League/National League clubs who go bankrupt will almost always reform.

There's, additionally, a complex situation where the club could get transferred to a new company via a new parent company - I believe Leeds, Bolton and Portsmouth are in that boat. This could allow the club to continue from its current league standing (albeit likely with points deductions), as opposed to starting from completely new in the regional leagues. In far from qualified to understand the process however.

[Franchise FC]

Worst case scenario is liquidation, although don't most clubs in those circumstances just restart up again? Who was the last team to not do that? OP has mentioned Telford, but other Non League clubs like Hereford, Darlington and Halifax all started as phoenix clubs, so I suspect we'd do the same, although again, I'd say we are still lightyears away from that scenario anyway, we will find a buyer administration or not.

Former Football League/National League clubs who go bankrupt will almost always reform.

There's, additionally, a complex situation where the club could get transferred to a new company via a new parent company - I believe Leeds, Bolton and Portsmouth are in that boat. This could allow the club to continue from its current league standing (albeit likely with points deductions), as opposed to starting from completely new in the regional leagues. In far from qualified to understand the process however.

I think Bristol City fall into that category as well

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Anything is possible

HNA members all chip in some money, we buy the club, we rename each stand after a subforum and you can only go in the stand you are mostly foruming in, players have to do goal celebrations decided in threads on here, only scotch eggs are sold on the concourse but everyone MUST have at least 1 per game

I don’t like Scotch eggs

I prefer a nice pie

[Winston Biscuit]

Anything is possible

HNA members all chip in some money, we buy the club, we rename each stand after a subforum and you can only go in the stand you are mostly foruming in, players have to do goal celebrations decided in threads on here, only scotch eggs are sold on the concourse but everyone MUST have at least 1 per game

I don’t like Scotch eggs

I prefer a nice pie

Season Ticket revoked

[SouthDownsRoyal]

HNA members all chip in some money, we buy the club, we rename each stand after a subforum and you can only go in the stand you are mostly foruming in, players have to do goal celebrations decided in threads on here, only scotch eggs are sold on the concourse but everyone MUST have at least 1 per game

I don’t like Scotch eggs

I prefer a nice pie

Season Ticket revoked

Bit harsh m8

Don’t you like a nice pie?

[Winston Biscuit]

I don’t like Scotch eggs

I prefer a nice pie

Season Ticket revoked

Bit harsh m8

Don’t you like a nice pie?

can we find a happy middle ground with a scotch egg pie?

[MartinRdg]

Season Ticket revoked

Bit harsh m8

Don’t you like a nice pie?

can we find a happy middle ground with a scotch egg pie?

Or proper Cornish pasty?

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Season Ticket revoked

Bit harsh m8

Don’t you like a nice pie?

can we find a happy middle ground with a scotch egg pie?

I dint like eggs can we go with a scotch Balti pie