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JimNichol'sdog wrote: ↑25 Feb 2024, 20:13 I know that you shouldn't rely on it as a medium, but anyone who things that Norman Smurthwaite is a knight in shining armour should read his profile on Wikipedia.

I stand by my contention that he is an Osborne clone and would be bad news for Torquay United.

To coin a cliche - 'better the devil you know'.

Having dealt with him re football matters - and not about me btw - I can say you are wrong.

SuperNickyWroe wrote: ↑25 Feb 2024, 21:22 Having dealt with him re football matters - and not about me btw - I can say you are wrong.

FIFA 1951 doesn't count mate

Just ask the Kettering fans about Smurthwaite. Ask the Vale fans about him as well. He has one of the worst reputations in football.

Southampton Gull wrote: ↑25 Feb 2024, 21:38 FIFA 1951 doesn't count mate

B*llocks....

wbw wrote: ↑25 Feb 2024, 21:40 Just ask the Kettering fans about Smurthwaite. Ask the Vale fans about him as well. He has one of the worst reputations in football.

But, not as bad as Osborne....
Ask Brizzie Rovers, Reading, Swindon et al....

OK, I bow to your superior knowledge.
I wish you bloody good luck if Smurthwaite buys the club....boy will you need it.

wbw wrote: ↑25 Feb 2024, 21:40 Just ask the Kettering fans about Smurthwaite. Ask the Vale fans about him as well. He has one of the worst reputations in football.

Both clubs still going. Ask fans of Reading and Swindon Speedway if they're enjoying their sport.

wbw wrote: ↑25 Feb 2024, 21:51 OK, I bow to your superior knowledge.
I wish you bloody good luck if Smurthwaite buys the club....boy will you need it.

I reckon he would fire his accountant if she oversaw losses of 20k a week.......

As I've said previously, he won't do business with Osborne so it's a futile argument.

wbw wrote: ↑25 Feb 2024, 21:51 OK, I bow to your superior knowledge.
I wish you bloody good luck if Smurthwaite buys the club....boy will you need it.

Rather him than Osborne seven days a week.

Rochdale are an attractive investment for those with the funds; they own the ground and have very manageable levels of debt. The majority of interest is coming from America, partly thanks to the increased exposure in the English football pyramid provided by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover at Wrexham.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... iquidation

TommyGunn wrote: ↑28 Feb 2024, 11:44 Rochdale are an attractive investment for those with the funds; they own the ground and have very manageable levels of debt. The majority of interest is coming from America, partly thanks to the increased exposure in the English football pyramid provided by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover at Wrexham.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... iquidation

Rochdale are nowhere near as attractive a proposition as Wrexham were. They've been a League 2 club for almost all of their existence and they're in an area with a lot of compeition from other clubs. Anybody expecting to buy them and 'do a Wrexham' is likely kidding themselves. A very large part of Wrexham's success is their association with Reynolds and McElhenney - and the tv show and increased exposure that brought them. It won't be easy for another club to replicate that, even if they end up owned by somebody with that same level of fame. Reynolds has proven himself a surprisingly shrewd businessman, using his own celebrity and 'brand' to elevate the businesses he's involved himself with.

Rochdale could be seen to be attractive for the reasons you stated; owning the ground and having fairly low debt - but I would be surprised any American investor would get anything approaching the same results as Wrexham have. That's all fine if the expectation is 'own a smallish football club' but most US involvement is english football is based in the expectation of a profit. I don't think that's realistic for Rochdale, certainly not on that scale

I agree with you. I posted as I'm surprised that they say the majority of the interest is from America.

TommyGunn wrote: ↑28 Feb 2024, 11:44 Rochdale are an attractive investment for those with the funds; they own the ground and have very manageable levels of debt.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... iquidation

Let’s hope they don’t fall prey to someone coming in and saying Spotland is not big enough and they need a multi revenue stream state of the art 15,000 stadium, then. Apparently a ‘petrol head’ with an ‘obsession for stadium builds’ might be on the look out for a new venture soon.

Despite my doubt's it seems like an American invester has been found for Rochdale.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... s-investor

World Soccer Holdings LLC Texas are taking over Rochdale. The firm already owns a sizeable chunk of MVV Maastricht, a club currently sitting in mid-table in Holland's second division