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Post by cliftonbill on Dec 1, 2023 22:29:25 GMT
To be clear, I have no idea if the rumour that our major shareholder is now willing to now sell his shares has any foundation. Over to you, major shareholders. Tell us where you stand. The truth about your intentions is surely the least we can expect, at this pivotal moment in ARFC history.
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Post by welshrover on Dec 1, 2023 23:21:28 GMT
As a club we seem to suffer from a lack of progressive individuals who have the genuine desire and cash to take the club forward. When you look around at clubs like Alloa/Stirling and Stenhousemuir - to name but a few - we are often or not at the back of the Q when it comes to competing in the modern footballing world. How I wish we could have a Wrexham scenario or even a Queens Park metamorphosis that would transform the club. We have a great band of supporters/volunteers etc who devote their time and effort to the club, but that alone cannot transform us for our immediate or long term future. We need to seek out genuine people with the know how and financial clout for the club that can be a positive factor rather than the shadow of Third Lanark looming over us at this critical time in our history. With regard to Wrexham, plenty of life long fans who supported them through the dark days that Rovers are now experiencing can't get a ticket to see their team. Not everyone in North East Wales is happy with the R&R show. Added to that, the supporters trust who fought so hard to purchase the ground have now turned it over to R&R so they now have all the assets, a dangerous situation for the future of that club.
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Post by weerabwatt on Dec 2, 2023 0:25:16 GMT
Interesting that Peter is extremely disappointed that Messrs Watt n Meade are getting involved with Mr Reilly.
At every point in time over the past 6 months or so, I have been open and totally transparent regarding my dealings with Paul Reilly. Members of the BOD and other shareholders have been made aware of anything that I have been able to ascertain. Unfortunately, very early on, certain important shareholders (due to the number of shares held), appear to have decided that I have broken ranks and they have ostracized me. I am no longer a member of that elite group, who see themselves as the great and the good of ARFC and believe their opinions and decisions are paramount as to the future of the club (you and they know who they are).
From the outset, it was clear that they were antagonistic towards Reilly, and appeared unwilling to take the opportunity to at least investigate whether what he was intending was for the benefit of the club going forward. Despite taking that position, it is strange in my humble opinion that 6 months or so down the line, no counter proposals have come to light.
I took it upon myself to contact him. As an individual shareholder, with a not insignificant block of shares, I had every right to do so, if only out of curiosity. Many others have done so too, but have been keeping their cards close to their chests.
My initial telephone contact with Paul Reilly started acrimoniously, probably 30 minutes or so of equally offensive comments and accusations levied at each other regarding our differing backgrounds and beliefs. By the end of that call, after a total of more than an hour of discussion, he was made absolutely aware that no matter what his plans for the club were, there was no way that changing the name to Shamrock Rovers would be acceptable to anybody with a historic interest in ARFC. Also by the end of that call, I believe that a reasonable business like relationship was taking shape. After several more calls, he confirmed that he had passed on my views and had been outvoted by the others who made up the investment group behind the potential takeover, and the name change was no longer part of their plan.
At or about that time, given that ARFC would retain its name, I asked him to let me have a copy of the offer that he had indicated that he was making to shareholders. I duly received the offer, and after taking legal advice, decided to accept an offer for my shares. I know of others who have also done so.
His plans for the club in the short term involve upgrading Cliftonhill and funding significantly better players, with the intention of getting back into the SPFL as soon as possible. It was his intention to do so earlier in the season to give the club a fighting chance of promotion this season, but it is now clearly too late to do so due to the gap to EKFC in the league.
The ultimate goal, in terms of football, is to get the club into the Championship, a place due to the population of Coatbridge and the surrounding area, ARFC should be capable of attaining and maintaining, if the structure of the club is stable and well funded.
Regarding the reason for his interest in ARFC (he has made it clear that he is not, and never has been a Rovers a supporter), he/his investors are involved in a proposed major multi-million Pounds development in the Coatbridge area. Having a multi sports and event facility at the heart of the project, with modern up to date facilities, ticks boxes required by the North Lanarkshire Planning Department when consideration is being given to major projects. He is unwilling to give details of precisely where the development will be located, essentially due to the sensitive nature of these things. Basically, he doesn't want to be gazumped, if it were to become public knowledge. Safe to say that the land/ground at Cliftonhill will not be suitable for something as extensive as has been described, so when the new sporting facility is in place ARFC will move there.
He is unwilling at this point in time to identify his backers. I am aware that he has contacts in London's financial sector, as well as one of the top ten richest men in Dublin, who accrued his fortune in property development. He also has significant Irish American connections in New York and Boston. One of these individuals has access at the highest level of the US government, due to connections with President Biden. We know of Biden's Irish sentiments. Paul Reilly flies back and forth to the US regularly. Nearer to home, he states that he has a well respected Scottish politician on board, with a history of 40 years government service, to give credibility at local and Scottish government level. That individual will become President of the club.
Needless to say, some of you will never accept anything positive said about PR or his proposals. I can only say that those who I know have met him on a one to one basis, find him to be a complete gentleman, albeit clearly a hard nosed businessman.
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Post by welshrover on Dec 2, 2023 9:20:54 GMT
Interesting that Peter is extremely disappointed that Messrs Watt n Meade are getting involved with Mr Reilly. At every point in time over the past 6 months or so, I have been open and totally transparent regarding my dealings with Paul Reilly. Members of the BOD and other shareholders have been made aware of anything that I have been able to ascertain. Unfortunately, very early on, certain important shareholders (due to the number of shares held), appear to have decided that I have broken ranks and they have ostracized me. I am no longer a member of that elite group, who see themselves as the great and the good of ARFC and believe their opinions and decisions are paramount as to the future of the club (you and they know who they are). From the outset, it was clear that they were antagonistic towards Reilly, and appeared unwilling to take the opportunity to at least investigate whether what he was intending was for the benefit of the club going forward. Despite taking that position, it is strange in my humble opinion that 6 months or so down the line, no counter proposals have come to light. I took it upon myself to contact him. As an individual shareholder, with a not insignificant block of shares, I had every right to do so, if only out of curiosity. Many others have done so too, but have been keeping their cards close to their chests. My initial telephone contact with Paul Reilly started acrimoniously, probably 30 minutes or so of equally offensive comments and accusations levied at each other regarding our differing backgrounds and beliefs. By the end of that call, after a total of more than an hour of discussion, he was made absolutely aware that no matter what his plans for the club were, there was no way that changing the name to Shamrock Rovers would be acceptable to anybody with a historic interest in ARFC. Also by the end of that call, I believe that a reasonable business like relationship was taking shape. After several more calls, he confirmed that he had passed on my views and had been outvoted by the others who made up the investment group behind the potential takeover, and the name change was no longer part of their plan. At or about that time, given that ARFC would retain its name, I asked him to let me have a copy of the offer that he had indicated that he was making to shareholders. I duly received the offer, and after taking legal advice, decided to accept an offer for my shares. I know of others who have also done so. His plans for the club in the short term involve upgrading Cliftonhill and funding significantly better players, with the intention of getting back into the SPFL as soon as possible. It was his intention to do so earlier in the season to give the club a fighting chance of promotion this season, but it is now clearly too late to do so due to the gap to EKFC in the league. The ultimate goal, in terms of football, is to get the club into the Championship, a place due to the population of Coatbridge and the surrounding area, ARFC should be capable of attaining and maintaining, if the structure of the club is stable and well funded. Regarding the reason for his interest in ARFC (he has made it clear that he is not, and never has been a Rovers a supporter), he/his investors are involved in a proposed major multi-million Pounds development in the Coatbridge area. Having a multi sports and event facility at the heart of the project, with modern up to date facilities, ticks boxes required by the North Lanarkshire Planning Department when consideration is being given to major projects. He is unwilling to give details of precisely where the development will be located, essentially due to the sensitive nature of these things. Basically, he doesn't want to be gazumped, if it were to become public knowledge. Safe to say that the land/ground at Cliftonhill will not be suitable for something as extensive as has been described, so when the new sporting facility is in place ARFC will move there. He is unwilling at this point in time to identify his backers. I am aware that he has contacts in London's financial sector, as well as one of the top ten richest men in Dublin, who accrued his fortune in property development. He also has significant Irish American connections in New York and Boston. One of these individuals has access at the highest level of the US government, due to connections with President Biden. We know of Biden's Irish sentiments. Paul Reilly flies back and forth to the US regularly. Nearer to home, he states that he has a well respected Scottish politician on board, with a history of 40 years government service, to give credibility at local and Scottish government level. That individual will become President of the club. Needless to say, some of you will never accept anything positive said about PR or his proposals. I can only say that those who I know have met him on a one to one basis, find him to be a complete gentleman, albeit clearly a hard nosed businessman. Interesting post, however I hark back to the example I posted earlier, Chester City. The plans you talk of are like history repeating itself. A major Scottish company bought Chester City with similar promises. Within a year they had sold off Chester's ground and surrounding land (quite extensive) and a year later a Retail Park was born. For two years Chester were forced to play "home games" at Macclesfield Town, a round trip of 90 miles. The promised new ground eventually came, a Lego type building a long way out of town next to the Council Tip (sorry, recycling centre) The new "ground" has a quarter of the capacity of the old one and was built so cheaply repairs were needed within it's first year and are still ongoing. By this time the major Scottish company were nowhere to be seen and the club were desperately seeking local business men to try and save it. Eventually a person did come in (not local, not a supporter of the club) and ran the business into the ground and the club went. The club in that period was well known for it's Laundry!! I won't name this individual nor the person he was working for. It was then left to the supporters to raise money and reform the club under a slightly different name and start again at the bottom of the pyramid in their Lego stadium. I sincerely hope the same fate does not befall ARFC.
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Post by hugh on Dec 2, 2023 9:31:24 GMT
It was unfortunate that Paul Reilly as a Celtic FC fan forgot the words of Jock Stein "Football is for the fans. It can be the greatest game in the world but if there are no people to watch it, it becomes nothing. The fans are the lifeblood of the game".
This is at all levels.
There maybe merit in proposals and appreciate the sensitivity and confidentiality required. However we all want the best at heart for the club and at the appropriate forum added support for the Board of Directors can be achieved to meet the challenges that lye ahead I feel sure.
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Post by stewmelrover on Dec 2, 2023 9:34:03 GMT
Interesting post. In summary: .anonymous consortium .no details of funds .anonymous politician who will be our 'president' .connections to rich people in London/Dublin/Boston .he knows someone who knows Joe Biden .no ground, but one will appear, somewhere in the Coatbridge area .no planning permission? .goodbye to Cliftonhill
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2023 10:53:30 GMT
Interesting post. In summary: .anonymous consortium .no details of funds .anonymous politician who will be our 'president' .connections to rich people in London/Dublin/Boston .he knows someone who knows Joe Biden .no ground, but one will appear, somewhere in the Coatbridge area .no planning permission? .goodbye to Cliftonhill All mibbees and obfuscation. Shareholders have the right to sell their shares but let's not pretend it's for the benefit of the club, it's for your own pocket. The club may not be being named Shamrock Rovers in the current proposals but with the background of those involved it's only a matter of time. If we survive this dubious takeover we will have a Shamrock on our badge and be playing in green before you know it because that will have loads of new fans flocking to whatever ground we are playing in. That's where the delusion comes in. There won't be all these new fans. They will continue to go to Celtic and Rangers or sit in the pub watching them. In the meantime our non-sectarian club will be turned into one and will have few fans as many of those currently going won't. But then this "gentleman" won't care as fans don't matter. Yes our club needs help but not this joker.
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Post by kjg on Dec 2, 2023 11:13:00 GMT
A well respected politician, are there any left?
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Post by tonythejambo on Dec 2, 2023 11:15:58 GMT
I genuinely believe fan ownership is the way forward for this great club may take a working group to come up with a plan. People that care most about the club is the fans. If a model of hearts where fans contribute a minimum 10 each month let’s say 50-70 fans sign up that’s 500-700 extra income each month to the club that appears to me to be the more sensible option over this takeover. How are people involved in the club meant to work with mr Reilly when he has already belittled fans who are the life blood of the club. Who says he won’t change the name. He’s changed his mind once who says he won’t do it again. He hasn’t even done any research on who’s involved in the club or attempted to build support from people inside the club or from the community and supporters trusts. He doesn’t know the club. I fear for the future of our club if mr Reilly ever got in control
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Post by stewmelrover on Dec 2, 2023 11:42:38 GMT
Maybe it's Joe Biden who will be taking over as club president.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2023 11:50:48 GMT
Hardly a long term proposition but then still possibly longer than the club will survive under this madness!
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Post by sam on Dec 2, 2023 12:12:13 GMT
I was interested to listen to the plan that Mr Reilly had for the club but unfortunately as soon as he was handed the microphone, something he certainly didn’t need by the way, and started blasting away at the directors as if he cared in any way what they were doing with my season ticket money he immediately got my back up. I’d love to donate a large chunk of my Euromillions winnings to the club, at the moment I don’t have that to hand but when I do we will be sorted, (sounds as plausible as what he was trying to suggest I think).
It’s going to take a great deal of work to stop our club disappearing and i’m pretty sure that amongst the majority of folk in the hall on Wed, PR aside, they have all got the best interest in the club whether a supporter of many years or 4 weeks. Surely it’s something that the board need to take on and that they should be embracing. Some clever folk sitting there on Wed with some good skill sets so use them and don’t keep them at arms length
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Post by rab on Dec 2, 2023 13:10:19 GMT
His plans for the club in the short term involve upgrading Cliftonhill and funding significantly better players, with the intention of getting back into the SPFL as soon as possible….. The ultimate goal, in terms of football, is to get the club into the Championship, a place due to the population of Coatbridge and the surrounding area, ARFC should be capable of attaining and maintaining, if the structure of the club is stable and well funded. ………. he has contacts in London's financial sector, as well as one of the top ten richest men in Dublin, who accrued his fortune in property development. He also has significant Irish American connections in New York and Boston. One of these individuals has access at the highest level of the US government, due to connections with President Biden. We know of Biden's Irish sentiments……Nearer to home, he states that he has a well respected Scottish politician on board, with a history of 40 years government service, to give credibility at local and Scottish government level…. So, that’s what he has told you - and you are gullible enough to believe all this? How come the guy’s track record shows nothing remotely close to this level of development? Amongst a sea of red flags, the biggest one is the refusal to name the people he claims to be backing him. I hope you are going to do some forensic due diligence and not be so daft as to sell your shares until all the claims made to you have been copper-bottom verified. And well done to the ‘elite’ group of shareholders for kicking you out - their judgement appears to be a lot better than yours.
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Post by walterm on Dec 2, 2023 13:10:46 GMT
I’ve been contacted by a Nigerian Prince who wants to invest heavily in the club. More details to follow Interesting that Peter is extremely disappointed that Messrs Watt n Meade are getting involved with Mr Reilly. At every point in time over the past 6 months or so, I have been open and totally transparent regarding my dealings with Paul Reilly. Members of the BOD and other shareholders have been made aware of anything that I have been able to ascertain. Unfortunately, very early on, certain important shareholders (due to the number of shares held), appear to have decided that I have broken ranks and they have ostracized me. I am no longer a member of that elite group, who see themselves as the great and the good of ARFC and believe their opinions and decisions are paramount as to the future of the club (you and they know who they are). From the outset, it was clear that they were antagonistic towards Reilly, and appeared unwilling to take the opportunity to at least investigate whether what he was intending was for the benefit of the club going forward. Despite taking that position, it is strange in my humble opinion that 6 months or so down the line, no counter proposals have come to light. I took it upon myself to contact him. As an individual shareholder, with a not insignificant block of shares, I had every right to do so, if only out of curiosity. Many others have done so too, but have been keeping their cards close to their chests. My initial telephone contact with Paul Reilly started acrimoniously, probably 30 minutes or so of equally offensive comments and accusations levied at each other regarding our differing backgrounds and beliefs. By the end of that call, after a total of more than an hour of discussion, he was made absolutely aware that no matter what his plans for the club were, there was no way that changing the name to Shamrock Rovers would be acceptable to anybody with a historic interest in ARFC. Also by the end of that call, I believe that a reasonable business like relationship was taking shape. After several more calls, he confirmed that he had passed on my views and had been outvoted by the others who made up the investment group behind the potential takeover, and the name change was no longer part of their plan. At or about that time, given that ARFC would retain its name, I asked him to let me have a copy of the offer that he had indicated that he was making to shareholders. I duly received the offer, and after taking legal advice, decided to accept an offer for my shares. I know of others who have also done so. His plans for the club in the short term involve upgrading Cliftonhill and funding significantly better players, with the intention of getting back into the SPFL as soon as possible. It was his intention to do so earlier in the season to give the club a fighting chance of promotion this season, but it is now clearly too late to do so due to the gap to EKFC in the league. The ultimate goal, in terms of football, is to get the club into the Championship, a place due to the population of Coatbridge and the surrounding area, ARFC should be capable of attaining and maintaining, if the structure of the club is stable and well funded. Regarding the reason for his interest in ARFC (he has made it clear that he is not, and never has been a Rovers a supporter), he/his investors are involved in a proposed major multi-million Pounds development in the Coatbridge area. Having a multi sports and event facility at the heart of the project, with modern up to date facilities, ticks boxes required by the North Lanarkshire Planning Department when consideration is being given to major projects. He is unwilling to give details of precisely where the development will be located, essentially due to the sensitive nature of these things. Basically, he doesn't want to be gazumped, if it were to become public knowledge. Safe to say that the land/ground at Cliftonhill will not be suitable for something as extensive as has been described, so when the new sporting facility is in place ARFC will move there. He is unwilling at this point in time to identify his backers. I am aware that he has contacts in London's financial sector, as well as one of the top ten richest men in Dublin, who accrued his fortune in property development. He also has significant Irish American connections in New York and Boston. One of these individuals has access at the highest level of the US government, due to connections with President Biden. We know of Biden's Irish sentiments. Paul Reilly flies back and forth to the US regularly. Nearer to home, he states that he has a well respected Scottish politician on board, with a history of 40 years government service, to give credibility at local and Scottish government level. That individual will become President of the club. Needless to say, some of you will never accept anything positive said about PR or his proposals. I can only say that those who I know have met him on a one to one basis, find him to be a complete gentleman, albeit clearly a hard nosed businessman.
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Post by tommysermanni on Dec 2, 2023 13:23:34 GMT
Have to admit I am stunned that wee Rab has sold his shares but they were his to do with as he wanted.
I now see this as the first of many who will capitulate to PR. Money talks. It always has done and always will do.
A lot of this now is down to Anton Fagan. If he sells then in my opinion PR will get enough shares to take over ARFC and in my view that will be the end of Rovers.
I'm slowly learning to detach with love from Rovers. I'm just a fan and I have been going since I was 7 years old but the world is full of people out for their own selfish gains.
I will be there until the bitter end no matter what and if I can help us survive in any way I can then I will do.
Shankly was wrong. There are a lot more important things in life than football.
I had to stifle a giggle at the bit where PR said he knows someone who knows Joe Biden.
That's all very well and good but I met Suzi Quatro once and she was lovely.
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