Yeah sure, want me to divulge the entire script of Duxbury's emergency meeting the day the club was taken over?
Ok, so we have to assume from you that we were going into administration. I'm not that bothered either way. Simply my understanding was that Lord Ashcroft had given personal assurances was that it would happen. I'm just interested, why Lord Ashcroft was going to allow us to go into administration?
He didn't need the money, what would it matter to him if it did? Also, please clarify what you mean by 'Having Pozzo's running the club just isn't going to work'. I'm very interested and you seem a well-informed chap/woman.
I'm surprised Lord Ashcroft 'didn't need the money' and would be happy to wave goodbye to a few million. However, as you say when you have as much money as Lord Ashcroft who needs to worry about a few million quid. I know Lord Ashcroft has no interest in the club and only bought into the club as a financial punt following promotion to Premier League under Boothroyd.
It was a much repeated point that Lord Ashcroft has never had one of his companies go in to administration and that as a matter of pride he wouldn't have let it happen to us. His actions when the Russos took us to the brink in 2010 seemed to add credence to this. But given he never made any public statements it's difficult to know how true this actually was. Everyone has a red line they won't cross, even billionaires. You have to remember he'd already taken the ground as security in 2010. What else could the business give him in return for being propped up one more time?
Do you continue to pour X million per year down the drain in a business that makes no profit, or do you accept a loss of Y million and move on? At some point the numbers just won't add up, particularly as Ashcroft never had any interest in football. So yes I could easily see a scenario where he put Watford into administration and walked away.
I agree about the administration. Ashcroft just doesn't let this happen. However he wouldn't invest either so we would need to have found away to cover £4 loss a season. Players sold or given free transfers and replaced with players on far less money as the have far less ability. No new pitch. Almost certain relegation. All this until a buyer was found. Bassini lost the club in March when he was late paying the bonds back. Why do you think the Pozzos are wrong for the club. Is it a knee jerk reaction to yesterday. What else should we have done over the summer? Wait for a rich Arab? We have signed 16 players this year and we have only seen 4 on a regular basis due to fitness issues (I admit that is a problem). Those four look like they have plenty of quality and by all accounts so do the others. So would you prefer these players or maybe your happier with signing Forsyth Mirfin or Garner? There have been a few posters, not many but a few who have the same views as yours but don't ever come with a better idea. So I await your response with baited breath
I'm amazed some are still blind to this, but we were very close to going into administration whatever anyone says. I know this for certain. Whether Ashcroft would have stepped in at the last minute, who knows, but we were in the process of administration, until the Pozzo's took over and gave all the required assurances.
Knight GT, thanks for a respectful and informed response. You are right in that other than the Pozzo's it is unlikely anyone else would have come in to buy the club. I'm concerned at the huge number of loan players from Udinese, 14 does seem excessive. I have no idea how long it will take Zola to know what his best 11 is. However, there is little doubt there is quality in the loan players. Having all these loan players is not something i like, but as a fan have to accept and cheer them on every week. Ashcroft i know wouldn't have taken the club into administration. However, i'm sure that you are correct in that he wouldn't have invested much and we would have struggled unless a white knight came in and bought the club.
end of the game, out of the 4 players that clapped us, you could see iwelumo hold his hands up in apology, ****inson, vydra and doyley the other 3 to clap us.
think he might have got nicked an all old bill came up asking people all sorts of stuff. geezer just swearing through out first half and everyone around him was getting annoyed.
Yes you posted before kick off didn't you, saying our defence looked good and u thought we'd sneak it 1-0? Apologies if I've made a mistake! Was only teasing you anyway!
Ok, so it's an opinion that we weren't going to go into administration. Cool. My other question:- "Also, please clarify what you mean by 'Having Pozzo's running the club just isn't going to work'." Can you answer that one too?
I had a conversation via Twitter DMs with Daniel Pudil earlier today and mentioned that it would be good if the new players also thanked the away fans. He came straight back and said he would speak to the other players. It will be interesting to see if this changes.
Disagree. They may feel embarrassed that they didn't do so in the first place, and may start applauding the fans because it's the decent thing to do. Besides, who cares what their reasons are? It's the gesture that counts, and makes an atrocious performance on the road slightly, SLIGHTLY less s*it.
I saw the guy get thrown out, it was outside the concorse and HT. about 8 stewards walked over and grabbed his arm and led him away, he was just standing there talking to his mates! the stewards there were awful! They didnt let my mate in as they said he was drunk and he had all sauce down his top when he was eating his burger which to them proved he was very drunk.. when infact the lid of the sauce was loose causing it to go over him. Absoloute power hungry idiots, walking around thinking they were the dogs.. I asked why he wasnt let in and they said "because he had been drinking alcohol" i said erm so has most of the fans. thats what you do before a game. go to a pub? Its not like he was falling over or swearing at them. The police even agreed with me and said "theres nothing we can do, its their decision"
Guy sat behind me had ketchup down his top, kept moaning that it was 'ME NEW SHIRT'. It was a club training top.
