Investment thread

[mutley marvel]

SH will not allow a fly by night merchant anywhere near our club
Bucketloads of money does not guarantee success as we can see from EFL Clubs struggling due to points deductions or Chairmen's financial practises leaving a lot to be desired
Whoever SH chooses has to fully bed into the clubs ethos,beliefs & be in for the long haul & not just a quick pay out

 

[JackPP]

There’s a difference between risking the future of the club or getting points deducted and providing a competitive budget for a manager.

Last years time was better than this years team. That never should have been allowed.

 

[ChurPev]

Investors normally want a return for their money - SH is right to be picky.
Always felt the best people are those with an affinity for the club/area (Gibson at ‘Boro or Walker at Blackburn)without a sugar daddy we may never be wealthy on the balance sheet, but I’d rather that than some shyster flogging the clubs assets because of perceived lack of short term on the pitch success

 

[KR749]

But that's the whole point, Home Park has to remain as a stadium to stop any new future Argyle owner from relocating out to Ivybridge or somewhere.

I agree, all I was saying was that it limits the value of the club to potential investors.

 

[tonycrowuk]

Look at Everton, a lavish chairman but Everton hate him want him out. Guess money doesn't buy you sucsses all the time.

I like the fact we are sustainable. I wonder as we do have higher capacity crowds then alot in the championship. But our budget is the lowest bar some margin could we up the budget?

If we do manage to stay up I do fear for us next season unless we do some shrew business. Our squad isn't really good enough at this level. In my opinion we been punching above our weight all season.

I hate to say it but it goes to show what a good manager Schumacher was. He knew how to get the best out of our squad.

 

[HartleyGreen]

This season clearly demonstrates the crossroads at which we find ourselves, we are at the ceiling of our current model.

We can remain sustainable which limits our potential or we invest to progress.

We need that initial stepping stone of large investment to get us to the next step up where we can implement a supercharged version of our sustainable model.

Remaining in the Championship is vital to attracting any possible investment and I’d like to think that if we were to remain here we’d be a much more appealing prospect to investors looking to take on a project with serious potential.

 

[GU7Green]

Don't know, but he doesn't look overly impressed!

HA! I can imagine if you'd hopped off a plane from the US (perhaps and found yourself in Rotherham you may feel similarly

 

[Biggs]

I agree, all I was saying was that it limits the value of the club to potential investors.

I don't think an investor would care about that though? The money in football, is in the TV rights and player sales (one Brighton type player sale would buy Home Park many times over). An investor would be attracted by a club that owns it own ground and has good infrastructure though, because it means they don't have to put too much of their own cash into those relatively boring things.

And obviously we wouldn't want an investor who sees value in selling the ground.

 

[Said old Green]

Whilst we own the stadium and some surrounding land it will not be highly valued due to the restrictive covenants associated with Central Park. We cannot sell it for commercial development therefore of limited value

Very true . However we have one player valued somewhere between £10-20 million on his own

 

[flowchart]

I seem to recall reading somewhere recently that Dennis Bergkamp and some other former Dutch pros were actively looking to invest in an English EFL club.

 

[PL2 3DQ]

Attracting investors will depend on what the investors want.
Simon Hallett is very keen to future proof the club by investing in long term projects like Brickfields whereas the original Argyle Green consortium, by all accounts, wanted to invest in the team.

Investors will want to see a return on their investment and in football terms that means higher end Championship or getting into the Premier League.
Under our current mode of mainly off pitch investment and some money into the team I think we've hit our ceiling.

Nick Giannotti is what remains of Argyle Green and he's supportive of the off the pitch investment.
So will any new investor invest in the team or off the pitch projects or will it be as it currently is with a bit of both with the emphasis of projects rather than players?
If we are not careful we could have the best facilities in League Two.

It's a difficult balance for Simon Hallett to strike.

 

[The Doctor]

Just for a bit of context, I was reading a short piece in last month's 'When Saturday Comes' magazine about the position that Blackburn find themselves in. Their owners, the Venky's have run foul of a new law in India that puts a tax on investment in overseas companies and they are faced with a big bill as a result. The article notes that they have put £18m into Blackburn every year to fund operations, player purchases etc... £18m... every season... and where exactly has all of that money gone and where has it got Blackburn? Mostly into the pockets of a bunch of players (and their agents) who have, between them, managed to tread water in the Championship and are now in real danger of being relegated. £18m every season for really nothing much at all. I can't imagine that Argyle will get investment anywhere near that level - there would simply be very little prospect of ever seeing any of that money back in the future.

 

[Jon with no H]

Just for a bit of context, I was reading a short piece in last month's 'When Saturday Comes' magazine about the position that Blackburn find themselves in. Their owners, the Venky's have run foul of a new law in India that puts a tax on investment in overseas companies and they are faced with a big bill as a result. The article notes that they have put £18m into Blackburn every year to fund operations, player purchases etc... £18m... every season... and where exactly has all of that money gone and where has it got Blackburn? Mostly into the pockets of a bunch of players (and their agents) who have, between them, managed to tread water in the Championship and are now in real danger of being relegated. £18m every season for really nothing much at all. I can't imagine that Argyle will get investment anywhere near that level - there would simply be very little prospect of ever seeing any of that money back in the future.

Absolutely right. Blackburn have lost £173m in the past decade, pre-tax. To stand still.

 

[Green Flash]

Very true . However we have one player valued somewhere between £10-20 million on his own

If Whittaker had carried on the rest of the season as he played in his December-January purple patch then we could be looking at £20m. Now I think we will be lucky to get £10m to be honest. He is a very decent championship player but I would be surprised if there will be much premier league interest, which is of course where the big money is.

 

[Green Flash]

Just for a bit of context, I was reading a short piece in last month's 'When Saturday Comes' magazine about the position that Blackburn find themselves in. Their owners, the Venky's have run foul of a new law in India that puts a tax on investment in overseas companies and they are faced with a big bill as a result. The article notes that they have put £18m into Blackburn every year to fund operations, player purchases etc... £18m... every season... and where exactly has all of that money gone and where has it got Blackburn? Mostly into the pockets of a bunch of players (and their agents) who have, between them, managed to tread water in the Championship and are now in real danger of being relegated. £18m every season for really nothing much at all. I can't imagine that Argyle will get investment anywhere near that level - there would simply be very little prospect of ever seeing any of that money back in the future.

I dont think football is ever a strictly rational investment. Yes investors may hope to get their money back or even profit but there are far safer ways to do that. They invest more for the kicks (excuse pun) than the return.