| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. 13:06 - Apr 7 with 7344 views | Old_Git |
I’m utterly opposed to this soulless, money-based, takeover by a raft and range of investors and other executives with a minor interest in ‘sports’ and ‘soccer’ and absolutely zero interest in, or respect for, ITFC.
What a contrast with the modest, local Marcus Evans.
90% of the GC20 equity comes from a pension fund that will be looking for instant income and, ultimately, a capital gain and it is possible that, at the top of the agenda of GC20 is an Exit Strategy.
From the pension fund’s point of view, it is important to have the odd Gamble Investment within a portfolio and, boy, they’ve picked a doozy...as Americans might say.
We’ve seen the strategy that they have introduced elsewhere and upon which they have explicitly based their hopes, viz trading players, at the same time as reaching the Prem with months. They think they’ll make a few millions On The Side, by selling AndrÄ— and Flynn, whilst romping up the leagues.
I imagine that they have a Three Year Plan and that they will definitely hold a ‘fire sale’, after five years, if they have not achieved all of their objectives.
Marcus Evans is one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs, it is absurd to suggest that he has proven himself to be an incompetent football club owner. He has merely been unlucky.
He has also been a great sportsman, who continued writing out cheques for what turned out to be a doomed project, even when the losses roared past £100m. Without complaint. Despite brain-dead fans remorselessly screaming abuse at him, for ‘failing’ to “invest”...or, as one might also call it, throw away a king’s ransom of over £100m.
I would’ve bailed out long, long ago.
I regard Mr Evans in the same light as the Cobbolds. I can offer him no greater compliment. I certainly offer him my thanks…
… And I look forward to hearing how much money I am going to make, on my shares ! I “invested”... |  |
| I am padding quickly towards certain death. |
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 16:59 - Apr 7 with 871 views | factual_blue |
| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 15:44 - Apr 7 by Old_Git |
Tho, the Cobbolds were Gentlemen and would be appalled to hear such rudeness directed towards ME.
I respect the fact that you disagree with me. But perhaps you have spoiled your case by over-egging it ? |
Although one of them did drop the C-bomb on John Motson. |  |
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 17:06 - Apr 7 with 853 views | LeoMuff |
| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 16:19 - Apr 7 by Old_Git |
Is he not a world-class businessman ? Has he not applied that same brain to ITFC ? Yes, that's the answer I'm suggesting, to both questions...
...and it sadly and frustratingly hasn't worked out...just as 88 English league clubs Fail each year to win their divisional title.
I think that Evans has - plain and simple - been a scapegoat for a primarily unlucky decline.
You doubt whether he has made Reasonable decisions ? That's pretty extreme, isn't it ? Do you have a list of Unreasonable decisions that he has made ?
I'm afraid that the echo chamber that is TWTD repeatedly becomes a suffocating socialist dictatoriat, in which any view other than that of the Consensus is regarded as Lunatic.
Time and time again, a new manager is welcomed as the messiah but is turned within months into a pariah, his supposedly staggeringly wonderful characteristics reversed into gaping flaws for which he should be flayed.
If Cookie's disastrous first few matches is a clue, he will be reviled before the end of the season, perhaps for Chopping & Changing..."He STILL doesn't know his best eleven!"
How long before The American Bean Counters That Know Nowt About Football are despised ? Christmas ?
I hope that we excel under their leadership tho I don't expect them to have actually written out 'checks' (as they call them) for more than a few pence and I don't expect them to EVER waste £100m as poor Evans has done.
I bet a Top Worst Case Figure of $50m has been mentioned, after which they will sling the club into Receivership.
And, yes, I'm still watching every kick of every ball, on iFollow...tho the laborious Instant Replays cause one to miss some kicks ! |
Just because he is great at events management doesn’t follow he can run an effective football club, as sadly we have witnessed.
Now the list of unreasonable decision is long, but I would start with keeping on managers until they are begging to leave, Keane by half a season, Jewell by even longer, Mick a few months, Lambert a season, in many cases hampering the next appointment.
Lambert was even given some form of bonus window to get in six high value loans from the championship or prem, many of which were not in the areas needed and now not playing. The new man needs central mids and a left and right back.
The constant stream of loanees, letting Hurst ship out all decent players and replace them with untried punts, there is a huge list of unreasonable decisions, it’s not called the banter era for nothing. |  |
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 17:15 - Apr 7 with 838 views | wkj |
Now, I won't personally down vote this as you do make some very valid and appropriate points. However, this one point sticks out like a prolapsed anus-
"it is absurd to suggest that he has proven himself to be an incompetent football club owner"
There is simply not tangible evidence to suggest he was anything but incompetent at being a football club owner. He did some very important bail out work - no one can deny this, and he had a strong hope for success. However, hope was not enough.
Many of his important decisions came too late, and some of the most important decisions he could have made never came at all. Evans should have hired a savy CEO from the get go - someone that could make the bulk of decisions and present the case to Evans to rubber stamp. Instead, Evans got a lot of his advice and information externally.
Evans did a lot of good for the finances of the club, and that gets no small gesture of thanks from me - but he simply did nothing for the football ambitions of the club - and it was not luck that did it to him. |  |
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 17:36 - Apr 7 with 806 views | Ryorry |
| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 16:19 - Apr 7 by Old_Git |
Is he not a world-class businessman ? Has he not applied that same brain to ITFC ? Yes, that's the answer I'm suggesting, to both questions...
...and it sadly and frustratingly hasn't worked out...just as 88 English league clubs Fail each year to win their divisional title.
I think that Evans has - plain and simple - been a scapegoat for a primarily unlucky decline.
You doubt whether he has made Reasonable decisions ? That's pretty extreme, isn't it ? Do you have a list of Unreasonable decisions that he has made ?
I'm afraid that the echo chamber that is TWTD repeatedly becomes a suffocating socialist dictatoriat, in which any view other than that of the Consensus is regarded as Lunatic.
Time and time again, a new manager is welcomed as the messiah but is turned within months into a pariah, his supposedly staggeringly wonderful characteristics reversed into gaping flaws for which he should be flayed.
If Cookie's disastrous first few matches is a clue, he will be reviled before the end of the season, perhaps for Chopping & Changing..."He STILL doesn't know his best eleven!"
How long before The American Bean Counters That Know Nowt About Football are despised ? Christmas ?
I hope that we excel under their leadership tho I don't expect them to have actually written out 'checks' (as they call them) for more than a few pence and I don't expect them to EVER waste £100m as poor Evans has done.
I bet a Top Worst Case Figure of $50m has been mentioned, after which they will sling the club into Receivership.
And, yes, I'm still watching every kick of every ball, on iFollow...tho the laborious Instant Replays cause one to miss some kicks ! |
"Is he not a world-class businessman ?"
https://www.independent.ie/sport/rio-2016-olympics/timeline-an-olympic-scandal-i
"You doubt whether he has made Reasonable decisions ? That's pretty extreme, isn't it ? Do you have a list of Unreasonable decisions that he has made ?"
I was going to mentally assemble a long list of his unreasonable decisions as I went about my chores this eve & then post them tonight, but as LeoMuff has helpfully already posted some, I'll add a few more off the top of my head -
- Getting rid of Magic in the manner that he did
- Appointing RK in the first place when he was totally the wrong fit for us
- Getting dodgy advice from wrong person/s to ask
- Not giving MM just that bit more when we were on edge of playoffs, instead opting for false economy
- Not recognising his own lack of knowledge in running a football club & stubbornly refusing to get a proper, competent structure in place
- Citing injuries in our squad as an "unlucky" reason for our failures this season - whilst allowing our fitness coach to work remotely from 400 miles away 
- Not even doing the basics such as ensuring a decent standard of catering/service at the ground (for someone in the *hospitality* business!!); keeping the ground clean, tidy, well maintained to remind all concerned that ITFC was and should rightly remain a place to have pride in (a matter of basic public relations that surely all good business people would be mindful of, if only to keep morale up & thereby possibly improve performances, as well as attract new investors)
-Giving PL a 5-year (five!) contract - wtf?! You think that was a "Reasonable decision"?! |  |
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 18:36 - Apr 7 with 762 views | Swansea_Blue |
Soulless? At least we know who these people are. We had to wait years to see just a picture of Evans. And wasn't he in a tax haven at the time too?
Butt yes, of course it's money motivated. All football is.
PS. Oh, and welcome back. [Post edited 7 Apr 2021 18:39]
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 18:43 - Apr 7 with 755 views | SouperJim |
| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 15:33 - Apr 7 by Old_Git |
How interesting. I actually thought that dear old Bryan Knights was the only No voter when the ME takeover was proposed and I respected Bryan's view, of course. I remember he spoke to the motion, at the EGM.
Yes, a vote from we existing shareholders was actually required, when ME bought in but I expect that GC20 will wish to demonstrate some respect towards we 3,000 shareholders by inviting us to some sort of meeting, perhaps with a token, 'indicative' vote.
I shall 'respectfully' vote No, the New Plan doesn't hold water, in my view; where is the provision for Luck, and any recognition of Bad Luck suffered by Evans, in the press releases ?
Each season, 88 English clubs Fail to win their division; is that Failure ? Does it Prove that the manager or owner is a fool ? 'Hasn't gotta clue !" "He's ruined our club ! Evans is a bum." What tosh, he's made reasonable decisions and invested his time and world-class business acumen in our little entity. It hasn't worked out. Nor has my life, in its final phase, but I gave it a crack, early on and had some fun and success, just as Evans has, in other parts of his life, using the same brain.
But of course it is very interesting, to see in a new era and presumably they will splash some cash, at least initially, as I remember poor Evans was forced to do by the profligate Royston (who splurged nearly £100m at Sunderland so Marcus perhaps got off lightly.)
As when Evans took over, the specific quantities of cash changing hands will never be known definitively but, one way or another, GC20 will Spend but from a quite different standpoint to that of ME: every penny 'invested' now will be tracked and filtered thru accountants and committees whereas Evans probably only had his wife to nag him about wasting money...
Within the world of pension funds, Investment is made on the expectation of Return tho I have already conceded that a professional fund portfolio will include some mad punts which is surely how the purchase of ITFC will be categorised. "It's a long shot outta left field," or whatever Financial Americaners say.
The TWTD consensus is that Only 'investing' a million pounds a month over a decade is cheapskatery of the most foul and contemptible cheapness. "If you dare to buy MY football club, in which I have personally invested nowt, you must promise to lose hundreds of millions of pounds or you will deserve a birching on the centre-spot." In the GeeWhizz20 boardroom, have the words HUNDREDS of millions been heard ? Doubt it.
I'm surprised that I have lived long enough to "see in" anything, my health has been poor ever since...well, I have amnesia so I can't remember how long I have been poorly. And, yes, sadly, I'm too old to be suffering Early Onset Dementia... 
COYB, I of course have my fingers crossed and hope that we at least enjoy a New Owner Honeymoon (better than Cookie's) and sufficient to lift us back into Division Two, perhaps even this season.
By sheer coincidental chance, I spoke face-to-face with Lord Norwood last night, unlikely as it sounds, and we made reference to the takeover but I specifically told him that I would not reveal details of our chat  |
I don't get involved in the drama on here, but this reads like a man with an axe to grind against the forum.
I've not seen anyone (worth listening to) question how much money Evans has put into the club. What many are critical of is how he has spent that money. If he had invested in a proper footballing sounding board at the club from the beginning, his money would have been far better spent. Instead he appointed a series of obvious mouthpieces and tipped millions down the toilet via the hands of some very poor managerial appointments (McCarthy being the exception and even he wasn't the best fit in the world), following the advice of a few external chums of the Arry Redknapp ilk. Laughable really.
By any sensible yardstick his running of the club has been an unmitigated disaster. |  |
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 18:53 - Apr 7 with 740 views | Nthsuffolkblue |
Several times you have referenced that there are 88 clubs that do not win their divisions each season.
What you fail to observe, is that each club has a different measure of success. There may be 3 or 4 sides in each division for whom failure to win the league might be seen as failure. The other 72-76 clubs never really had those aspirations and should they manage it, they would have massively over-achieved. Even if those 3-4 sides failed in their primary objective, achieving a Champions League place or promotion would still be deemed success I am sure.
In this division, we are one of the 3-4 clubs that realistically could have targeted the title. To accept 11th place finishes when that is the target is plain wrong. It is not unreasonable to expect this club to at least be challenging for promotion to the Championship. Set it up right off the pitch and I am certain we will have the potential to become a Premier League side again. I am also confident that this consortium is far more likely to get the structure right than ME has shown any potential to.
You mention bad luck. However, too often you make your own luck. ME has made too many very poor decisions. This is not a coincidence. I am glad he is still invested and will benefit from any success we have. He has not been a bad owner in the sense too many have been at other clubs. However, he has taken us from the verge of the Premier League to mid-table League 2 and done so on a slow and gradual decline. |  |
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| As a shareholder, I voted FOR Marcus Evans and will vote AGAINST GC20. on 12:54 - May 18 with 540 views | TieDyedIn95 |
3 seasons in the third division under Evans. Nothing heroic about it, he was a failure. |  |
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