New Owners - Soon?

[wodger of awabia]

Doug Ellis?

[Dazza]

Close.

[Southampton Gull]

it will not be masters or gaming international, its a group from the midlands.this has to happen this time as we need the investment. we cannot carry on as we are.

If they've come back in and usurped the Masters/GI deal nobody will be happier than me

[brucie]

Or me

[nickbrod]

If it's someone else with good intent (and plenty of money!) all well and good. Only another two weeks, maximum, to wait!

[SBP]

Dean Edwards and his new friends??

[Jerry]

If it's someone else with good intent (and plenty of money!) all well and good. Only another two weeks, maximum, to wait!

I don't care whether they have plenty of money (although obviously it would be nice), as long as they have a viable business plan for getting the club back on it's feet and moving forward I will be happy.

[Dazza]

The club won't run without plenty of money. Those believing it's self sustainable are kidding themselves. The present Board have been testimony to that - they couldn't have tried harder but... We need owners who have plans to introduce that 'balancing' payment AND who are interested in football.

[KeithMalone]

With all due respect Dazza the current board have got the business acumen of the bunch who bought Ebbsfleet a while back.

Bateson proved for years that the club can be run on a shoestring, (before people go down that road I know times have changed), however savvy business people in charge of football clubs keep them running. The board are not savvy and whilst I am thankful they saved the club I cannot wait to see them gone so the club can move forward as with the current bunch at the helm it cannot. Ideally the new owner will have some funds to invest as without that then the hole that has been dug and cannot be escaped, but I genuinely believe that if the fanbase is built the club can be self-sufficient. I you want proo of a fanbase being built have a look at Eastleigh's crowds which are growing steadily as the club infastructure is based on getting kids in football (yes I do know what they are building is aided by significant pots of money but that still doesn't guarantee you crowdsas other sides in the Conference are finding out!)

And just for the record I can't help but feel the cheap season ticket offer was to have cash in the short term until they sold out/let the club go into GI's hands, but we'll never truly have proof

[Southampton Gull]

Funny you should mention Eastleigh. I drove past their ground this morning before 9am and it was heaving. All their facilities were being used. Business conference taking place, 5 a side pitches were in full use and the training ground was full of players as well. Pretty busy for a tinpot outfit. Martin Allen installed as manager, 2nd round of the FA Cup, if only we could be that tinpot.

[Dazza]

Stop swiping at the current Board with your cheap shots and get real..

Bateson ran off a squad of 17, no coach and still put in some money annually. Back in that day so did our opponents.

You quote a club on the edge of Southampton and say initial investment shows crowds increase. Your own example actually shows that if you are in a populated area put plenty of money continually in and consequently win more your crowds increase. It's the continually that counts. Even now your chosen club are on the third manager of the season and the money man is obviously getting restless. Watch next year as they plummet down the league and the newly found fans go back to the shops.

[Dazza]

And how many off street parking places are there at Eastleigh Dave and how many are there at Plainmoor...I must have continually missed the 5 a side pitches and training ground at Torquay - are they at the Babbacombe end? Let's stop making invalid comparisons.

[brucie]

The upwardly mobile clubs such as Forest Green and Eastleigh have one thing in common - a rich sugar daddy. Didn't the Eastleigh owner pay off a 5 million debt or something.

The thing that they also have in common is that they have both spent a fortune and are errr still in the same league as a bunch of village sides.

As soon as their benefactors feck off they will both be right in the shit and will be back in the Western League where they belong. So they are in the second round of the FA Cup. So what - with their money that isn't a great achievement.

They have Mad Dog Allen in charge - they change managers every five minutes so one way and another they aren't getting it right.

[Dazza]

Doesn't have to be a sugar daddy Brucie. Let's be political correct. Sugar is now bad for you and it could be a woman. So God - any sod with money would be good.

[Southampton Gull]

The upwardly mobile clubs such as Forest Green and Eastleigh have one thing in common - a rich sugar daddy. Didn't the Eastleigh owner pay off a 5 million debt or something.

The thing that they also have in common is that they have both spent a fortune and are errr still in the same league as a bunch of village sides.

As soon as their benefactors feck off they will both be right in the shit and will be back in the Western League where they belong. So they are in the second round of the FA Cup. So what - with their money that isn't a great achievement.

They have Mad Dog Allen in charge - they change managers every five minutes so one way and another they aren't getting it right.

So misguided, so silly not to be able to recognise the signs that these clubs are building something that is sustainable. Eastleigh have been on this road for 30 years, not just overnight because of a rich benefactor. They beat Swindon away in a replay 3-1, they took 800 fans, they are building up the fanbase each season while we lose ours but still you can't see it, can you? They sacked Chris Todd because he wasn't meeting expectations, Ronnie Moore has left to go back to Rotherham. Martin Allen is the kind of manager that will see them promoted. I see kids around Eastleigh wearing their shirts and scarves, I see fully used facilities.

They're also in the same league as us...............for now. You really have no idea whatsoever about how we can learn from them, still that armchair must be wearing out now