| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land 23:56 - Mar 2 with 159623 views | Muncher |
I’ve been doing a bit of digging at HM Land Registry today and what I have seen backs up what Phil has previously mentioned and leads me to believe the takeover is well underway and likely just waiting EFL approval.
The Playford Road site (2 parcels of land) is the subject of a priority search in respect of an intended purchase by Gamechanger 20 Ltd which was lodged on 23 February by law firm Gateley PLC out of their Birmingham office (first instruction by that client).The Bent Lane site is subject to a similar priority search in respect of part of the site only, meaning the Evans group company is retaining part of it.
A priority search is carried out by solicitors to preserve their place in the queue of potential applications for dealing, it confers a priority period of about 45 days. It is a matter of public record and available to view by professionals who have the requisite portal account. It is typically only done in the immediate anticipation of completing a transaction, it can be done slightly ahead of this, but usually is done on the day of exchange of contracts. I’m a commercial property solicitor so carry out these searches on a regular basis. My best guess (based on the timing of the search) is Evans likely entered into a conditional contract last Tuesday for the sale of the land (and club). You would not carry out such a search unless a deal including the detail had either been agreed or was extremely close. The reason such searches are not carried out lightly is because it prevents the proprietor from entering into other transactions while the priority is lodged. If a deal is not happening you should cancel the search, but all 3 remain in place.
There is no corresponding priority search in respect of the stadium lease and I would not expect there to be as the lease is owned by the club as tenant and I would expect Gamechanger 20 Ltd is acquiring the existing share capital owned by Evans.
I am happy to share screenshots if anyone would like to see, but the searches are in relation to the Playford Road site (title number SK219236 & SK203140) and the bent lane site (SK200320) they appear under the “application enquiry” tab.
EDIT:
I have now have a placed a brief article on my firm's website here discussing it:
https://prettys.co.uk/news/takeover-ipswich-town-football-club-could-be-progress
[Post edited 8 Mar 2021 12:59]
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:25 - Mar 18 with 3417 views | Blue_Order |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 10:52 - Mar 18 by chrismakin |
I reckon with lockdown ending soon. This has been great PR for the Evans Brand in what has been an awful a year of awful PR for him.
The take over and getting rid of Lambert got rid of Blue Action. The heat was lifted and now hes got hospitality back and perhaps a play off to look forward to. |
Got rid of Blue Action?
We haven’t gone anywhere, mate. |  | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:27 - Mar 18 with 3401 views | GodBlue |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 10:00 - Mar 18 by PhilTWTD |
Not entirely sure but I've never got the impression Marcus really wants to sell and maybe the chance of something to celebrate in what's really only a few weeks' time may have led to second thoughts about selling now. |
Wouldn't that just be typical of Marcus Evans. He treats this football club like a child treats a goldfish!
He pretends he gives a damn when people openly accuse him of neglect, but only really pays it any attention when it's at death's door! Giving the fish just enough food to survive, is not behaviour to be proud of, or that I give him credit for. He chose to own the fish, making sure it doesn't die is the absolute least I'd expect him to do!
I may have gone too far with the fish analogy.
Anyway... His prolonged neglect of and/or disinterest in this club means that, if we go up this summer, it will need extraordinary new investment. More so than it ever has under his reign, and I simply don't believe he's going to be willing to provide it.
He'll opt for a "this squad has got us promoted, so let's see how they do" approach to Championship survival... and hope he can sell the club for a few extra quid before we come down again! It's clear as day to me.
I don't buy this "he doesn't really want to sell" malarky, I'm afraid. If he didn't want to sell, how did it ever get as far as it seems to have gotten? You don't accidentally almost sell the club you claim to be a fan of!
If Evans is the one that's stopping this from happening, I would implore him to reconsider and to just move aside and let the club rebuild itself.
If you're reading this... let us go, Marcus. Please. [Post edited 18 Mar 2021 11:36]
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:34 - Mar 18 with 3335 views | trncbluearmy |
He either sells or puts in place a proper football structure to give PC a chance,odds are he will do neither and the decline continues.
The nonsense is that the Evans deal is very good for ITFC.
It's really frustrating he will not delgate to experienced football prople to do the hard work so he can disappear into the background pay the bills and pocket the profits.
Time for Blue Action to rent those billboards around Town |  | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:39 - Mar 18 with 3302 views | hype313 |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:27 - Mar 18 by GodBlue |
Wouldn't that just be typical of Marcus Evans. He treats this football club like a child treats a goldfish!
He pretends he gives a damn when people openly accuse him of neglect, but only really pays it any attention when it's at death's door! Giving the fish just enough food to survive, is not behaviour to be proud of, or that I give him credit for. He chose to own the fish, making sure it doesn't die is the absolute least I'd expect him to do!
I may have gone too far with the fish analogy.
Anyway... His prolonged neglect of and/or disinterest in this club means that, if we go up this summer, it will need extraordinary new investment. More so than it ever has under his reign, and I simply don't believe he's going to be willing to provide it.
He'll opt for a "this squad has got us promoted, so let's see how they do" approach to Championship survival... and hope he can sell the club for a few extra quid before we come down again! It's clear as day to me.
I don't buy this "he doesn't really want to sell" malarky, I'm afraid. If he didn't want to sell, how did it ever get as far as it seems to have gotten? You don't accidentally almost sell the club you claim to be a fan of!
If Evans is the one that's stopping this from happening, I would implore him to reconsider and to just move aside and let the club rebuild itself.
If you're reading this... let us go, Marcus. Please. [Post edited 18 Mar 2021 11:36]
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I get the impression he didn't really want to sell, but given what happened Dec/Jan time he probably felt he had no choice or couldn't be bothered with the hassle and now he has a new man at the helm and those early results pushed us back into the play off push, he probably wants to stick around to see what happens.
Either way, it's a dreadful way to run a business and football club, clearly if what I have said above is true then it's short termism at it's finest, essentially his mantra ever since he took control, it's in his DNA.
Nothing Marcus has said or done in 13/14 years leads me to think he can take us forward, he should take the money and run, he doesn't have the minerals to be a successful owner of a football club, I can't see why he thinks he has. |  |
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:40 - Mar 18 with 3284 views | PhilTWTD |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:27 - Mar 18 by GodBlue |
Wouldn't that just be typical of Marcus Evans. He treats this football club like a child treats a goldfish!
He pretends he gives a damn when people openly accuse him of neglect, but only really pays it any attention when it's at death's door! Giving the fish just enough food to survive, is not behaviour to be proud of, or that I give him credit for. He chose to own the fish, making sure it doesn't die is the absolute least I'd expect him to do!
I may have gone too far with the fish analogy.
Anyway... His prolonged neglect of and/or disinterest in this club means that, if we go up this summer, it will need extraordinary new investment. More so than it ever has under his reign, and I simply don't believe he's going to be willing to provide it.
He'll opt for a "this squad has got us promoted, so let's see how they do" approach to Championship survival... and hope he can sell the club for a few extra quid before we come down again! It's clear as day to me.
I don't buy this "he doesn't really want to sell" malarky, I'm afraid. If he didn't want to sell, how did it ever get as far as it seems to have gotten? You don't accidentally almost sell the club you claim to be a fan of!
If Evans is the one that's stopping this from happening, I would implore him to reconsider and to just move aside and let the club rebuild itself.
If you're reading this... let us go, Marcus. Please. [Post edited 18 Mar 2021 11:36]
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It's probably worth pointing out that he's almost certainly had to invest more this season than in any previous year - other than perhaps the first two or three - due to Covid and the financial issues relating to that.
I certainly think he will have one eye on the club potentially being worth more in the Championship. |  | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:42 - Mar 18 with 3252 views | BlueWorldOrder |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:40 - Mar 18 by PhilTWTD |
It's probably worth pointing out that he's almost certainly had to invest more this season than in any previous year - other than perhaps the first two or three - due to Covid and the financial issues relating to that.
I certainly think he will have one eye on the club potentially being worth more in the Championship. |
He's never going to take us to the Championship. |  |
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:46 - Mar 18 with 3225 views | portmanking |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:40 - Mar 18 by PhilTWTD |
It's probably worth pointing out that he's almost certainly had to invest more this season than in any previous year - other than perhaps the first two or three - due to Covid and the financial issues relating to that.
I certainly think he will have one eye on the club potentially being worth more in the Championship. |
But I really struggle to believe that we'll be more marketable/sellable in the Championship. The inflated costs of buying the club outright, married with the greatly increased running costs in the Championship, will make us more of a high-risk investment, surely?
Most investors look for distressed assets, hence the interest in us in League One. Promotion to the second tier (closer to our natural place in the pyramid) means that investors have less to gain immediately, don't they? | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:49 - Mar 18 with 3205 views | GodBlue |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:39 - Mar 18 by hype313 |
I get the impression he didn't really want to sell, but given what happened Dec/Jan time he probably felt he had no choice or couldn't be bothered with the hassle and now he has a new man at the helm and those early results pushed us back into the play off push, he probably wants to stick around to see what happens.
Either way, it's a dreadful way to run a business and football club, clearly if what I have said above is true then it's short termism at it's finest, essentially his mantra ever since he took control, it's in his DNA.
Nothing Marcus has said or done in 13/14 years leads me to think he can take us forward, he should take the money and run, he doesn't have the minerals to be a successful owner of a football club, I can't see why he thinks he has. |
You've nailed it in that last paragraph, Hype.
IF he doesn't want to sell, it's not because he's a fan, it's because he's afraid that the next owner does what he's incapable fo doing and makes us a success!
It's hubris. | |
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:50 - Mar 18 with 3198 views | itfcbishop |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:25 - Mar 18 by Blue_Order |
Got rid of Blue Action?
We haven’t gone anywhere, mate. |
It's time to make our thoughts known about the running of the club and what sort of investment he's going to do in the summer. I'm all for this Communication between the fans but we all know that the discussion about the owner will not be discussed, it will be I think we should have stickers in the windows of cobbold stand..... |  | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:52 - Mar 18 with 3189 views | hype313 |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:49 - Mar 18 by GodBlue |
You've nailed it in that last paragraph, Hype.
IF he doesn't want to sell, it's not because he's a fan, it's because he's afraid that the next owner does what he's incapable fo doing and makes us a success!
It's hubris. |
Indeed, and maybe his eyes have been opened by Gamechangers plans and he thinks he can have a piece of that pie. Problem there is, that they have a vision, a plan, a proper structure to work with, he's just hoping that we fluke a play off win in the hope that he could get more money in the Championship.
He's like a poker player that is pot committed with a bad hand, but keeps calling at each flop in the faint hope... [Post edited 18 Mar 2021 11:54]
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:55 - Mar 18 with 3169 views | PhilTWTD |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:46 - Mar 18 by portmanking |
But I really struggle to believe that we'll be more marketable/sellable in the Championship. The inflated costs of buying the club outright, married with the greatly increased running costs in the Championship, will make us more of a high-risk investment, surely?
Most investors look for distressed assets, hence the interest in us in League One. Promotion to the second tier (closer to our natural place in the pyramid) means that investors have less to gain immediately, don't they? |
If the ultimate aim is to get the club in the Premier League and then sell on - as it is with the current consortium - then being one step above would significantly improve the starting position. Agree with what you're saying about costs but they'd have them at some point anyone on their way up. | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:10 - Mar 18 with 3067 views | Muncher |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:55 - Mar 18 by PhilTWTD |
If the ultimate aim is to get the club in the Premier League and then sell on - as it is with the current consortium - then being one step above would significantly improve the starting position. Agree with what you're saying about costs but they'd have them at some point anyone on their way up. |
The part I struggle with in relation to valuation if we are promoted or not is that it is very easy to provide for that in the contract, a simple earn out if promotion is achieved this year. It's something that any buyer would be happy to have to pay as it makes life much easier for them, it brings their gameplan forward by a year.
If it is a case of Evans going cool on the deal at this stage, I think it would be for emotional rather than financial reasons.
There are not many owners who have owned clubs for 13 years and have had literally nothing to celebrate, no promotions, no cup finals, no trips to Wembley. Then to factor in having lost a huge chunk of money and had little fan interaction. He's got nothing out of the experience of owning a football club, maybe that's the issue? | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:12 - Mar 18 with 3036 views | itfcbishop |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:10 - Mar 18 by Muncher |
The part I struggle with in relation to valuation if we are promoted or not is that it is very easy to provide for that in the contract, a simple earn out if promotion is achieved this year. It's something that any buyer would be happy to have to pay as it makes life much easier for them, it brings their gameplan forward by a year.
If it is a case of Evans going cool on the deal at this stage, I think it would be for emotional rather than financial reasons.
There are not many owners who have owned clubs for 13 years and have had literally nothing to celebrate, no promotions, no cup finals, no trips to Wembley. Then to factor in having lost a huge chunk of money and had little fan interaction. He's got nothing out of the experience of owning a football club, maybe that's the issue? |
That's a lie! he definitely has got the experience of owning a football club. You not see how nicely painted the turnstiles are! | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:14 - Mar 18 with 3010 views | BlueBorn86 |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:10 - Mar 18 by Muncher |
The part I struggle with in relation to valuation if we are promoted or not is that it is very easy to provide for that in the contract, a simple earn out if promotion is achieved this year. It's something that any buyer would be happy to have to pay as it makes life much easier for them, it brings their gameplan forward by a year.
If it is a case of Evans going cool on the deal at this stage, I think it would be for emotional rather than financial reasons.
There are not many owners who have owned clubs for 13 years and have had literally nothing to celebrate, no promotions, no cup finals, no trips to Wembley. Then to factor in having lost a huge chunk of money and had little fan interaction. He's got nothing out of the experience of owning a football club, maybe that's the issue? |
Nearly all of that is his doing though? If you are right and he’s had second thoughts.. maybe he should consider putting right a few wrongs and investing heavily this summer and seeing where that takes us with a good manager! | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:14 - Mar 18 with 3009 views | PhilTWTD |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:10 - Mar 18 by Muncher |
The part I struggle with in relation to valuation if we are promoted or not is that it is very easy to provide for that in the contract, a simple earn out if promotion is achieved this year. It's something that any buyer would be happy to have to pay as it makes life much easier for them, it brings their gameplan forward by a year.
If it is a case of Evans going cool on the deal at this stage, I think it would be for emotional rather than financial reasons.
There are not many owners who have owned clubs for 13 years and have had literally nothing to celebrate, no promotions, no cup finals, no trips to Wembley. Then to factor in having lost a huge chunk of money and had little fan interaction. He's got nothing out of the experience of owning a football club, maybe that's the issue? |
I tend to think that the latter is probably the biggest factor as well. As you say, something could be factored in sale-price-wise | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:16 - Mar 18 with 2983 views | portmanking |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:10 - Mar 18 by Muncher |
The part I struggle with in relation to valuation if we are promoted or not is that it is very easy to provide for that in the contract, a simple earn out if promotion is achieved this year. It's something that any buyer would be happy to have to pay as it makes life much easier for them, it brings their gameplan forward by a year.
If it is a case of Evans going cool on the deal at this stage, I think it would be for emotional rather than financial reasons.
There are not many owners who have owned clubs for 13 years and have had literally nothing to celebrate, no promotions, no cup finals, no trips to Wembley. Then to factor in having lost a huge chunk of money and had little fan interaction. He's got nothing out of the experience of owning a football club, maybe that's the issue? |
That may well be the issue, but that's HIS fault and problem to contend with mentally, not ours. We've not had anything to shout about for nearly 20 years! | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:18 - Mar 18 with 2950 views | BlueBorn86 |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:16 - Mar 18 by portmanking |
That may well be the issue, but that's HIS fault and problem to contend with mentally, not ours. We've not had anything to shout about for nearly 20 years! |
If you don’t water your plants eventually they will wilt and die. That’s exactly what he’s done with this club. We’ve been neglected for years and now you see all the issues of that. | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:21 - Mar 18 with 2935 views | GodBlue |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:40 - Mar 18 by PhilTWTD |
It's probably worth pointing out that he's almost certainly had to invest more this season than in any previous year - other than perhaps the first two or three - due to Covid and the financial issues relating to that.
I certainly think he will have one eye on the club potentially being worth more in the Championship. |
And that's exactly my point, Phil... he's had to invest more. He hasn't chosen to, he's HAD to.
What we're lacking is the kind of investment that brings change, that brings improvement, that brings competitiveness. It doesn't have to be huge investment, but it has to be he right kind of investment. I'm afraid he doesn't get credit from me for not letting the club die, he'll start getting credit when he starts helping the club to grow!
Sadly, I've seen no evidence that he's capable of, or particularly willing to do that. | |
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:23 - Mar 18 with 2901 views | portmanking |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:21 - Mar 18 by GodBlue |
And that's exactly my point, Phil... he's had to invest more. He hasn't chosen to, he's HAD to.
What we're lacking is the kind of investment that brings change, that brings improvement, that brings competitiveness. It doesn't have to be huge investment, but it has to be he right kind of investment. I'm afraid he doesn't get credit from me for not letting the club die, he'll start getting credit when he starts helping the club to grow!
Sadly, I've seen no evidence that he's capable of, or particularly willing to do that. |
Good god, (pardon the pun). That's the best post to summise the Evans era I've ever seen. Stick this under the nose of any Evans sympathiser and watch them squirm! | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:37 - Mar 18 with 2838 views | BlueBlueBluex2 |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:18 - Mar 18 by LankHenners |
He’s a right plum isn’t he?
Obviously we don’t know exactly what’s gone on but if Evans is calling it off then it’s a real worry as there’s no chance he has an epiphany and completely changes how he operates things. |
Calling what off?
No one here can say with absolute certainty that there was an offer to buy this football club. | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:53 - Mar 18 with 2785 views | BLUEBEAT |
Am looking forward to the meltdown when Muncher’s future post confirms the search is no longer in place...
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| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:55 - Mar 18 with 2777 views | xrayspecs |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:14 - Mar 18 by PhilTWTD |
I tend to think that the latter is probably the biggest factor as well. As you say, something could be factored in sale-price-wise |
IIRC Evans looked at other football clubs before buying Town. I was of the view at the time that he saw a football club as being complementary to his main business (events and hospitality) and a means to gain access to sports administrators, especially when ticketing/hospitality opportunities arose. | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:58 - Mar 18 with 2768 views | charlie_blue |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 11:25 - Mar 18 by Blue_Order |
Got rid of Blue Action?
We haven’t gone anywhere, mate. |
if the government gets its way it will make it awkward to perform any protest. In fact even online protest could be construed as causing annoyance. | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 13:03 - Mar 18 with 2747 views | tractorboy1978 |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:21 - Mar 18 by GodBlue |
And that's exactly my point, Phil... he's had to invest more. He hasn't chosen to, he's HAD to.
What we're lacking is the kind of investment that brings change, that brings improvement, that brings competitiveness. It doesn't have to be huge investment, but it has to be he right kind of investment. I'm afraid he doesn't get credit from me for not letting the club die, he'll start getting credit when he starts helping the club to grow!
Sadly, I've seen no evidence that he's capable of, or particularly willing to do that. |
It's undoubtedly ended up costing him more to run it badly and 'on the cheap' than it would if he'd invested in putting a proper structure in place on day 1 or even learnt from his initial mistakes. | | | |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 13:13 - Mar 18 with 2706 views | dirtyboy |
| The takeover by Gamechanger 20 Ltd - The training ground land on 12:23 - Mar 18 by portmanking |
Good god, (pardon the pun). That's the best post to summise the Evans era I've ever seen. Stick this under the nose of any Evans sympathiser and watch them squirm! |
It's an interesting point.
Raising it, is something, actually the only thing that could now turn around Evan's standing with supporters.
If there was meaningful change, the kind that we believed the US consortium would bring, layered management, tangible investment at the ground, whether that was something on the training pitch and of course the playing squad or something at the training ground, new state of art building/training etc (Leicester? - obviously not to that extent) , then you'd have to accept that something is being done and get behind it.
Whilst we continue to 'just' invest in wages for playing staff (and that's unfortunately a lot to do with manager recruitment) you're giving yourself a mountain to climb on all other aspects.
Evans has a final roll of the dice available, this almost feels like it's something he's going to do in some way shape or form. Almost. |  | | |
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