The Mail Bag
Could it be our turn?
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Just been trawling through the usual pages to see what's going on with the transfer gossip and came across this bit of 'gossip' from the BBC Sport site:
BREAKING GOSSIP
2010: Sheikh Ahmed bin Saqr al-Qassimi, member of a ruling family in the United Arab Emirates, has bought a majority stake in an unnamed Premier League club.
Ras al-Khaimah is one of seven members in the UAE federation which also includes key oil producer Abu Dhabi and regional trade and tourism hub Dubai. (WAM news agency)
Then I checked the source of the information WAM News Agency:
Ahmed acquires 60% of a leading English football club
Jun 21, 2009 - 08:30 -
WAM Ras Al Khaimah, 21st June 2009 (WAM) -- Sheikh Ahmed bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Ras Al Khaimah Department of Customs and Seaports, has acquired 60 per cent of a leading English club of premier league Sheikh Ahmed will be the honorary chairman of the club.
More details about the deal will be announced at a press conference to be held within the few coming days.
So, in blind optimism more than anything, I am hoping it is us and not the Darkside that are being bailed out yet again! By process of elimination, Man Utd nor Chelsea are likely to have a new backer. Arsenal have Usmanov and Hill-Wood plus others on their board. Villa have a wealthy backer in Randy Lerner, Fulham are not exactly short-changed with Al-Fayed... and then there is Spurs whom are owned by Daniel Levy whom is by rights flush with spondoolies! West Ham have just been taken over. So by that rationale that just leaves the mighty EFC and those lovable inbreeds who inhabit Anfield!!!!
COYB!
Brendan Fox, Posted 21/06/2009 at 18:48:42
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Do you really want Michael Owen earning £110k a week at EFC? ? or anyone for that matter? Money is destroying the game, the sooner the bodies concerned do something about it the better ? otherwise it will continue to become a competition to see who can spend the most.
Wasn?t there an article recently which indicated that most Premier League clubs are heavily in debt ? is that what we want for EFC and the sport in general?
You?re right of course, many thousand of Evertonians puffed out their chest?s when we got to Wembley last season and boasted to the rest of football "We're a proper club, we haven't sold out". I was amongst them.
However...
All the pieces fit tbh, I?m convinced it?s us.
Even with money success isn?t guaranteed overnight as having a raft of galaticos doesn?t mean they will play as a team instantly, they would need to be bedded in; some would work, some wouldn?t.
As long as new "investors" don?t want the EPL title in the first season or want full control or to install their own manager then this is not as disastrous as claimed. The idea of people with dead dinosaurs in their back gardens is a whole world away from some dodgy Waldorf and Stadler from the land of sub-prime loans looking to transfer their own toxic debt as the guys in question are brewstered and debt free.
I live in Dubai and the noises her are that it may be Blackburn. I think it should be noted though that Ras Al Khamaih is not as well off as Abu Dhabi so I wouldn't expect Messi and co to be signing.
Whilst I am also happy we haven?t joined many other clubs by taking on some sort of multi-national ownership, it?s very easy to say we haven?t "sold out" when there?s actually been no offer from somebody to "buy in"!!!
Why not the lot?
Hearts are aflutter, but we know how these stories usually end. No doubt if it isn?t EFC, or even if it isn?t true, it will inspire yet another zzzzz tirade at Bill Kenwright because it?s all his fault.
Rupert Sullivan - exactly!
Sheikh?in all over.
Admittedly anything is better than nothing but we wait and see.
No, we cannot guarantee that money will bring success and silverware to this club, but it at least gives us the funds to get the personnel in and puts us in with a chance to compete with the Sky 4.
I have supported this club for over 24 years and I am sick and tired of us being the ?best of the rest?. I seriously hope we get the financial backing we need to stick it the so-called ?big boys?!
I agree we shouldn't go down that route but what about Randy Lerner at Villa. He has been fantastic ? he allows O?Neill full control and backs him whenever he needs. That is what we miss.
As for the rumourerd Fulham, West Ham, Blackburn or us: well, West Ham have just been bought again by more Icleanders (I believe)? Why anyone would want to buy Fulham ahead of us (unless you use the ?Have to be in London? line), I don't know. And I dont' believe Blackburn have the potential to grow like us, plus they aren?t in a city and don't have the same history as us. It?s all speculation anyway, It will probably be Burnley or some shit like that.
As for us becoming a joke because these Arabs aren't worth $600bn... who gives a fuck? If they buy us a new stadium and give Moyes £40M to spend, that's all we need.
In my opinion, £20-30 mill to spend each transfer period would be the ideal situation for us. This isn?t a huge amount in today?s market, but would see 1-2 quality players per season added.
However, the 24/7 search which has been seemingly running forever, and Bill Kenwright?s un-official stance that he?ll only sell for the right deal (ie, he stays near the top of the tree), make this 60% buy out look ideal for him. Bill can still wax lyrical about his beloved blues and be the face of the club while the Sheikh can pull the strings and open his wallet from the background?
with £30-40m on players every summer, Moyes could work wonders and the Shite and Arse would have to look over their shoulders at us not fucking Citeh or Spurs.
COYBs ... saying all that, I bet it's a London club.
Racial refefence removed by moderators
And Graham ? if today was my first exposure to the word "Aryan", I?d just apologise before getting into an argument on Anti-Semitism.
Robert Jones ? PHEW! For a while there I feared Bill had sold us for two camels, a packet of dates & a three-week timeshare in Dubai!!!
Also if it is us, I wonder if it?s conditional on us being given the go-ahead for the tin shed in Kirkby?
If these guys aren?t the richest arabs around who cares. We don?t need to compete financially with Chelsea, Man City or the debt ridden like of Man Utd. An investor who can back Moyes to the tune of a 2 or 3 top players per year is all thats needs, and I don?t mean the likes of Messi.
This would leave him all his boxes pretty much ticked. He and the potential new 60%Chairman can both call each other Mr Chairman, face saved all around, train-set still in his front room, any glory to be milked then up he can step as Johnny on the spot and spout his shite to the press and still be qualified to shed a manly tear when he hears his (40%) tune Z Cars.
Job done, best of both worlds cake and eat it all round, all this and a semi ( well 60%) decent kitty for Moyes to play with with the added bonus that He, Moyes, can say to sellers trying to up the price, we are not city we have only been bought by the poorest entry level Arabs there are, so get real!
I?ve been on the net most of the day due to a spot of flu and I've been doing some surfing that would put Kelly Slater to shame. The more I?ve found the more this whole thing points at (and I hate to say it) the Dark Side. I'm telling yer it makes sense ? they had no money a few weeks back ? now Johnson is coming in with more to follow. The yank is selling, and it looks as if he?s found his escape route. I really think its the Red Shite (I now concede its not Portsmouth ? i got confused with the other Arab).
If he’s sold his own share that would amount to just 33%...and would hardly mean he would have to stay at the club in any capacity (personally I want him to go completely)...if he’s mucked in with Earl then that would be about 60%...but I doubt it very much.
On the plus side I very much doubt it’s the RS especially after Hicks has sold his NHL outfit. That’s most probably where the Johnson money has come from.
So, if the Sheik completely buys out Woods and Earle, and Kenwright keeps 7% for himself, that means a 60% steak is possible.
Well, probably not!
Sorry, who am I kidding? Of course I'm building my hopes up!!!
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090624/NATIONAL/706239826/1138
* June 24. 2009 1:02AM UAE / June 23. 2009 9:02PM GMT
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saqr Al Qasimi last night said he was not buying 60 per cent of an English Premier League club.
The state news agency WAM had said on Sunday night that he was on course to become the third Emirati with a stake in an English side, and that he was to become the unnamed club?s honorary chairman.
But Sheikh Ahmed has distanced himself from the claim, through WAM.
?Chairman of the Ras al Khaimah Customs and Ports Department Sheikh Ahmed bin Saqr Al Qasimi denied media reports suggesting that he has acquired 60 per cent of an unnamed leading Premier League football club,? a statement on WAM said last night.
The Premier League had also said it knew nothing about any intention by Sheikh Ahmed to buy into a club.
Speculation in England had suggested he could have helped finance the takeover of Portsmouth, being led by Sulaiman al Fahim.
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1 Posted 22/06/2009 at 04:33:43
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I would love to see DM do his stuff with the "lack of money" removed from the equation and I?d love to see the likes of Lescott and Rodwell too, and others, locked in for the long-term.
I truly, truly believe that next season could be one kick-ass season with just one or two "decent" players added and the injured players returning. COYB!