Time for the owners to sell up

[Guy]

1 hour ago, tom27111 said:

 

Oh come on. Had we beat Spurs on the last day of the season a couple of years ago, we'd have been in the Champs League and everything would be great.

 

You can't have if's and but's in football.

 

We're 2 points off the bottom with a terrible run of fixtures coming.

 

It's bleak.

Indeed, it's no good going down the "ifs and buts" route as we are where we are through poor managerial tactics, little-no new signings, disinterested players not being coached correctly - while also being stuck with players we can't move on to supposedly free up some vital revenue. Had Faes not scored two own goals at Anfield we'd now be in 13th place I guess, etcetera, etcetera!!

[Parafox]

1 hour ago, Leicesterpool said:

Think Tops time has come to make a statement and address the supporters to tell us what's going on. The silence is not helping matters.

I agree and I don't understand why any member of the board doesn't EVER offer an explanation, unless the only explanation is "we're skint", which would put the frighteners up the supporters. That shouldn't matter. 

We pay our money to watch games, surely therefore, we have a right to know where it's gone?

Silence from any owner in any organisation that's in difficulty only adds to worry for those that want to know what's going on. We can cope with the truth. We don't like being treated as if we don't matter.

[TMELcfc]

I think I’ve said it before but I love Top and his family, for everything they’ve done for Leicester, the club and the city. 
Which makes this even more painful to watch.
 

Ranieri was sacked for similar run after winning the league. A poor run left us in a relegation battle around mid January I think, 

 

Puel didn’t do much in terms of winning anything, but changed the style/thought process perhaps, a short term appointment for long term gain. Yet a poor run of results and - gone. 

So why is Rodgers getting so long? It can only be… wages / compensation. The club / board see it as a waste of money when money is too tight to mention… (yes I like simply red ok, get over it). 

Or he has a brilliant relationship with Top / Susan Whelan / whoever and has convinced someone he’s a great coach and will turn it around. 
 

Whatever we think, there must be something going on behind the scenes we aren’t fully aware of, as this should lead to a sacking based on the owners previous. Let’s not forget Top fired Puel and apparently wanted to sack Pearson years ago. So… why is Brendan getting so much time… answers on a postcard

[blabyboy]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

I agree and I don't understand why any member of the board doesn't EVER offer an explanation, unless the only explanation is "we're skint", which would put the frighteners up the supporters. That shouldn't matter. 

We pay our money to watch games, surely therefore, we have a right to know where it's gone?

Silence from any owner in any organisation that's in difficulty only adds to worry for those that want to know what's going on. We can cope with the truth. We don't like being treated as if we don't matter.

TLDR; If you don't like it, off you pop.

 

We could probably cope with the truth, but no owner is going to spill the beans on the reality of a situation like this. Put yourself in their shoes for a mo. If you hint at any significant cashflow problem you instantly alert all your suppliers who shorten your credit times or cut it altogether making the problem immediately worse.

 

You tell other clubs that you're not in a strong negotiating position for any upcoming transfers. If you're KP then the other businesses come under the same scrutiny and your problems have just multiplied to each individual business. Getting or extending credit becomes much harder and you have to leverage more of a business to secure that credit, which in turn puts more pressure on future finances.

 

If you say anything, you also give implicit permission for others on the Board to comment. Silence external to the club is the safest policy and allows the owner to maintain a high degree of control. It also demonstrates them as a trustworthy individual, both to the manager and to other businesses. Think if it like a Doctor/Patient relationship where trust is vital to both sides.

 

This may sound harsh, but you are only a fan paying money for an entertainment, the same as someone paying for netflix or amazon. You can choose not to pay - your payment is also only assured for a short period, such as the match you attend, or the monthly subscription you choose to pay. Tv money, sponsorships etc are guaranteed by contracts with much longer terms and give much more certainty to operate under.

 

Even if it's not a cashflow problem, you still don't mention it as you want to ensure you don't overpay or get charged more for players and services undertaken by the club. The only inkling you ever really get is when the annual report and accounts are published and even then you can hide a lot with good accountants and auditors.

 

I appreciate that this may be obvious and teaching people to suck eggs, but that is part of the reality with modern day football businesses. The fans are a secondary requirement for top tier football at present with the irony being that they helped to create the situation and maintain it. We live in a perpetual state of self importance that our voices matter, in the Conference or lower leagues sure, but EPL, you are kidding yourself if you think so.

 

If you have the time and any spare cash from criggy, i can recommend this book by Simon Jordan who used to own Crystal Palace and can spill the beans having actually filled the role we're all criticising. It's amazing that an industry that generates so much money and attention is still operated by many people who are chancers and amateurs, but was it ever thus..

 

https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/229021/simon-jordan. "Be careful what you wish for"

 

 

 

 

Edited 15 January 2023 by blabyboy
Fat fingers

[volpeazzurro]

5 hours ago, Stinky said:

Of course its a great facility but as weird as it sounds, why does a club our size need one of the best training facilities in the world? It's a bit like 3rd or 4th tier Darlington building that 25k all seater stadium which eventually killed them By all means build a new training ground but I fail to understand why we went so big on it

Yes baffling. Mega expensive facilities yet clearly not filled with the main ingredients ie best coaches.

[sacreblueits442]

3 hours ago, TMELcfc said:

I think I’ve said it before but I love Top and his family, for everything they’ve done for Leicester, the club and the city. 
Which makes this even more painful to watch.
 

Ranieri was sacked for similar run after winning the league. A poor run left us in a relegation battle around mid January I think, 

 

Puel didn’t do much in terms of winning anything, but changed the style/thought process perhaps, a short term appointment for long term gain. Yet a poor run of results and - gone. 

So why is Rodgers getting so long? It can only be… wages / compensation. The club / board see it as a waste of money when money is too tight to mention… (yes I like simply red ok, get over it). 

Or he has a brilliant relationship with Top / Susan Whelan / whoever and has convinced someone he’s a great coach and will turn it around. 
 

Whatever we think, there must be something going on behind the scenes we aren’t fully aware of, as this should lead to a sacking based on the owners previous. Let’s not forget Top fired Puel and apparently wanted to sack Pearson years ago. So… why is Brendan getting so much time… answers on a postcard

   ...family dispute,  it is the reason for this impasse that we find ourselves!!!

  Until Top is given the legal authority to run the KP  business,  there will be a vacuum, and the cause of this inertia.

  The family wranglings of Vichai's estate and the split and subsequent agreements of the restructuring of King Power, leaves me to suspect, we are not going to see much difference than what we are seeing now. 

 

[turlo]

28 minutes ago, sacreblueits442 said:

   ...family dispute,  it is the reason for this impasse that we find ourselves!!!

  Until Top is given the legal authority to run the KP  business,  there will be a vacuum, and the cause of this inertia.

  The family wranglings of Vichai's estate and the split and subsequent agreements of the restructuring of King Power, leaves me to suspect, we are not going to see much difference than what we are seeing now. 

 

Could that be why Top himself provided a 30m "working capital" loan to the club last year when in the past the loans came from King Power? 

[Tom12345]

To me, after all these years and taking us from third tier into PL and after all the successes we had, it is quite ridiculous to even have this thought. It is easy for fans to comment with nothing at stake, but running a real football club means you need to make it sustainable. That is, you must be an owner. We can’t really have had any better luck with these owners. If we go down, they suffer more than anyone.

 

I just blame Rodgers and if the owners stick with them I would not support their decision and they can make mistakes, and we all do, but it is not really right for us to want them to leave.

[Sly]

1 hour ago, Tom12345 said:

To me, after all these years and taking us from third tier into PL and after all the successes we had, it is quite ridiculous to even have this thought. It is easy for fans to comment with nothing at stake, but running a real football club means you need to make it sustainable. That is, you must be an owner. We can’t really have had any better luck with these owners. If we go down, they suffer more than anyone.

 

I just blame Rodgers and if the owners stick with them I would not support their decision and they can make mistakes, and we all do, but it is not really right for us to want them to leave.

They didn’t take us from the 3rd Tier though? 
 

Also, let’s be honest, the season they purchased us, Mandaric had us in the playoffs semi finals, with Kermogant missing that penenka. 

Steve Walsh’s scouting team found players like Kante, Mahrez, Vardy etc 

 

What KP have done for us, is clear the debts financially, rebuild infrastructure and invest in the future with an amazing training facility. A facility that has been to support the growth of Asian / Thailand football, as much as Leicester. 
 

That was a project Vichai believes in though and maybe with all the current financial struggles we’ve become an afterthought. We’re most likely a loss leading business and that adds to the burdens of King Power. They never capitalised on the pulling power of the Premier League and even cashed in on making it something like the “Budweiser Stadium”. 
 

King Power are a business first and foremost, so all the “free donuts, drinks and clappers” were a marketing ploy to get everyone to buy into the business and spend more money. Every business does it. 
 

Relegation impacts the asset massively, to do nothing only makes everything worse. 

[glos-fox]

11 hours ago, volpeazzurro said:

You surely aren't deluded enough to think Rodgers is a 'fantastic driver '?

 

I think Liverpool, Celtic and now us tends to show that although he's initially been given a very decent car, he burns it off the grid to great acclaim but, when he starts to get challenged by other drivers, he flounders quickly when no longer near to pole position. 

 

It's why F1 teams regularly change drivers as the best manage to get the best out of a lesser car even if they don't manage to win the 

In any business the Senior Management are ultimately responsible this includes not sacking BR that's the point.

[Babylon]

8 hours ago, Parafox said:

I agree and I don't understand why any member of the board doesn't EVER offer an explanation, unless the only explanation is "we're skint", which would put the frighteners up the supporters. That shouldn't matter. 

We pay our money to watch games, surely therefore, we have a right to know where it's gone?

Silence from any owner in any organisation that's in difficulty only adds to worry for those that want to know what's going on. We can cope with the truth. We don't like being treated as if we don't matter.

Ever… other than when. It was explain by top about 5 months ago. 

[les-tah]

The rumour is he wants to sell since his dad died. He is not operating like an owner that wants us to be successful anymore. He operating like an owner who wants out. His long term plan since the passing of his father was to get Leicester a new training ground and new stadium expansion. In the meantime he balances the books whilst remaining a premier league team and at the end he has a nice ready made premier league package to sell us.

[tsintskaro]

4 hours ago, Tom12345 said:

To me, after all these years and taking us from third tier into PL and after all the successes we had, it is quite ridiculous to even have this thought. It is easy for fans to comment with nothing at stake, but running a real football club means you need to make it sustainable. That is, you must be an owner. We can’t really have had any better luck with these owners. If we go down, they suffer more than anyone.

 

I just blame Rodgers and if the owners stick with them I would not support their decision and they can make mistakes, and we all do, but it is not really right for us to want them to leave.

terrible mentality 

 

[somebum]

6 hours ago, volpeazzurro said:

Yes baffling. Mega expensive facilities yet clearly not filled with the main ingredients ie best coaches.

Surely it's just a case of asset building for a potential sale 

[sacreblueits442]

4 hours ago, turlo said:

Could that be why Top himself provided a 30m "working capital" loan to the club last year when in the past the loans came from King Power? 

.. if I  recall, with FFP, there was a proviso that clubs could go above the threshold due to Covid, to the value of £30m, guaranteed by their owners!!!

[Babylon]

10 minutes ago, les-tah said:

 

The rumour is he wants to sell since his dad died. He is not operating like an owner that wants us to be successful anymore. He operating like an owner who wants out. His long term plan since the passing of his father was to get Leicester a new training ground and new stadium expansion. In the meantime he balances the books whilst remaining a premier league team and at the end he has a nice ready made premier league package to sell us.

Those things were his fathers long term aim for helping to turn us into a sustainable and bigger club than we were.

 

Can we not forget selling players to fund purchases has been our MO since we got into the league. 
 

Maybe he does want out, maybe there are family complications. But the way he is acting is absolutely no indication of anything. 

[Babylon]

5 hours ago, sacreblueits442 said:

   ...family dispute,  it is the reason for this impasse that we find ourselves!!!

  Until Top is given the legal authority to run the KP  business,  there will be a vacuum, and the cause of this inertia.

  The family wranglings of Vichai's estate and the split and subsequent agreements of the restructuring of King Power, leaves me to suspect, we are not going to see much difference than what we are seeing now. 

 

The more I look at it the more I come to a similar conclusion. I noticed his mother is now head of Kingpower, when I’m sure at the start it was him?!? Could be wrong there, but I’m sure he was chairman where now he’s not. 
 

That, and him putting his own money in rather than Kingpowers during Covid. 

[Old Fox]

On 12/01/2023 at 22:23, Mr Weller 2 said:

I’ll say it again-this thread is full of entitled, spoilt, ungrateful people who say vile things because they’re angry-in this case because the team aren’t playing very well.

 

Furthermore they speculate on rumours, make wild assumptions and also make sweeping statements about things they have little or no information on. 
 

Just because they can’t spend hundreds of millions on new players and results are going against us some people are spouting bile at the very people who brought us the most unimaginable success.

Very true…..the family have always avoided managing the club via the media and it’s a good approach to adopt. Clearly the pandemic has had an impact on City financially but also KP - there largest trading entity is a tourism business which will have impacted massively on future earnings ….finally the estate of the family could be an issue as previously mentioned so all of this I would imagine makes it very complicated.

 

Top et al are very very successful so whether it be to sell or retain they won’t want us relegated and the only thing I feel they need to do is be decisive in think to date they have managed it well giving BR plenty of rope and should they sack him any new manager will know they get time …..if they don’t sack him then either way I am sure they will buy or loan one or two players.

 

These owners i trust and despite a relegation I would still back them over everyone else who has previously owned us - the last 10 years have been the best in my lifetime and I am mid 50’s but also the best in the clubs history.

 

We have been down before and we would still be our club rather than mortgaged or sold to owners who do not care……

 

I am with you Mr W 2 - too much knee jerk entitled over reaction…..BR should probably go but the owners have delivered more than any in the previous 138 year history of our club

[volpeazzurro]

30 minutes ago, somebum said:

Surely it's just a case of asset building for a potential sale 

Could be but it's a debt on loan at the moment so not much of an asset if they were considering selling in the short term? 

 

I think it was built with a genuine long term vision at the time in fairness to them but, Seagrave, like St George's Park,  are merely a series of buildings, pitches and facilities, it's what you put in them in terms of playing staff and more importantly, the quality of coaching staff that counts, otherwise it merely remains buildings and facilities and serves little productive purpose. 

[LCFCJohn]

10 hours ago, tom27111 said:

And we're about 60 games away from it again.

67 and counting!

[jerry]

5 hours ago, Tom12345 said:

To me, after all these years and taking us from third tier into PL and after all the successes we had, it is quite ridiculous to even have this thought. It is easy for fans to comment with nothing at stake, but running a real football club means you need to make it sustainable. That is, you must be an owner. We can’t really have had any better luck with these owners. If we go down, they suffer more than anyone.

 

I just blame Rodgers and if the owners stick with them I would not support their decision and they can make mistakes, and we all do, but it is not really right for us to want them to leave.

Supporters have short memories I'm afraid. We would not have had the success without their influence. Fans don't like it but we have been fighting above our weight and it's almost impossible to sustain this over a longer period of time.

[sacreblueits442]

53 minutes ago, Babylon said:

The more I look at it the more I come to a similar conclusion. I noticed his mother is now head of Kingpower, when I’m sure at the start it was him?!? Could be wrong there, but I’m sure he was chairman where now he’s not. 
 

That, and him putting his own money in rather than Kingpowers during Covid. 

....yes he was the chairman,  but with what is going on, we will have to wait for this family power play,  to reveal the direction this club will be taking!!!

[Claridge]

10 hours ago, MattFox said:

 The players on the pitch gave us the most amazing 10 years

How pathetic

[frany104]

16 minutes ago, jerry said:

Supporters have short memories I'm afraid. We would not have had the success without their influence. Fans don't like it but we have been fighting above our weight and it's almost impossible to sustain this over a longer period of time.

That’s just not true. A well run club can sustain being a premier league team. Nobody is expecting champions league qualification seasons, we expect the team to compete and the club to have investment to keep us as a stable level. This hasn’t happened for 2 seasons and it’s completely unacceptable. 

[Scotch]

8 hours ago, blabyboy said:

TLDR; If you don't like it, off you pop.

 

We could probably cope with the truth, but no owner is going to spill the beans on the reality of a situation like this. Put yourself in their shoes for a mo. If you hint at any significant cashflow problem you instantly alert all your suppliers who shorten your credit times or cut it altogether making the problem immediately worse.

 

You tell other clubs that you're not in a strong negotiating position for any upcoming transfers. If you're KP then the other businesses come under the same scrutiny and your problems have just multiplied to each individual business. Getting or extending credit becomes much harder and you have to leverage more of a business to secure that credit, which in turn puts more pressure on future finances.

 

If you say anything, you also give implicit permission for others on the Board to comment. Silence external to the club is the safest policy and allows the owner to maintain a high degree of control. It also demonstrates them as a trustworthy individual, both to the manager and to other businesses. Think if it like a Doctor/Patient relationship where trust is vital to both sides.

 

This may sound harsh, but you are only a fan paying money for an entertainment, the same as someone paying for netflix or amazon. You can choose not to pay - your payment is also only assured for a short period, such as the match you attend, or the monthly subscription you choose to pay. Tv money, sponsorships etc are guaranteed by contracts with much longer terms and give much more certainty to operate under.

 

Even if it's not a cashflow problem, you still don't mention it as you want to ensure you don't overpay or get charged more for players and services undertaken by the club. The only inkling you ever really get is when the annual report and accounts are published and even then you can hide a lot with good accountants and auditors.

 

I appreciate that this may be obvious and teaching people to suck eggs, but that is part of the reality with modern day football businesses. The fans are a secondary requirement for top tier football at present with the irony being that they helped to create the situation and maintain it. We live in a perpetual state of self importance that our voices matter, in the Conference or lower leagues sure, but EPL, you are kidding yourself if you think so.

 

If you have the time and any spare cash from criggy, i can recommend this book by Simon Jordan who used to own Crystal Palace and can spill the beans having actually filled the role we're all criticising. It's amazing that an industry that generates so much money and attention is still operated by many people who are chancers and amateurs, but was it ever thus..

 

https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/229021/simon-jordan. "Be careful what you wish for"

 

 

 

 

The fans are the biggest investors in ANY club. If those people who are "only fans" stop paying for that entertainment, then so do all the other investors and it stops being a viable investment, wether that be a football club, netflix or anything else. Why would any business want to invest in a football club of a partner with no fans that play in an empty stadium week in week out.