ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Fortress Sports Fund

Not meaning to drag it back up but, while bored, I was surfing and found this old(ish) (2005) story from The Guardian website stating that the above investors now own Leeds. Perhaps this shows that these investors were real at the time and now. It is the first time I have seen them mentioned outside the Board Meeting in which Samuelson (aka (Clarence Robocop Boddicker) couldn't 'remember' Derek Temple's name.

'January 2005 Residing in Monaco, Bates buys Leeds United, the club's debts having been reduced from £103m to £30m. Leeds is now owned by a trust based in Geneva, the Fortress Sports Fund. Its owners are anonymous'.
David O'Brien, Leigh on Sea Posted 29/01/2008 at 10:05:17

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Comments

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Barry Scott
1 Posted 29/01/2008 at 14:32:22

They did come forward with the money but Bill Kenwright turned them down! It was just an elaborate plan to oust Paul Gregg. A club spokesman has confirmed this.

Mark Stone
2 Posted 29/01/2008 at 15:52:42

Which club spokesman?

AndyMacFarlane
3 Posted 29/01/2008 at 16:31:09

Barry, which club spokesman and when? I never heard that one. All we normally hear from sections in this site is that the entire Fortress Sport exercise consisted of lies lies and more lies by the EFC Board, on the basis that Fortress Sport never really existed. My own opinion has always been that they (fronted by Samuelson) existed alright, seemed plausible at the time, but were shady as hell. Kenwright’s culpability was in being naive, in my opinion. After Wyness came the entire dialogue coming out of the Club re Fortress Sport changed to one of much greater caution, and, of course, the "bid" fizzled into oblivion. FT obviously found someone more gullible.

Barry Scott
4 Posted 29/01/2008 at 19:17:50

It was never publically admitted, it was in an email correspondance between the Everton’s Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Relations and a shareholder.The email is dated 9th September 2005.

I fear I may have said too much !

Saying that, the full email is available on the Keioc message board.

AndyMacFarlane
5 Posted 29/01/2008 at 21:03:56

Thanks, Barry. KEIOC message board.... hmmmmm...

Mark Grayson
6 Posted 29/01/2008 at 21:58:56

David Conn got it wrong, it was not the same Fotress at all.

It was actually Forward Sports Fund

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/05/29/leeds_leave_creditors_clinging.html