John Fenty interview today

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Nick Dale isn’t losing his job, stadium has improved substantially under his tenure. Takeover still possible but no proof of funds. This raises a simple question- when you’re selling something, isn’t proof of funds one of the first things you check?

Quoted from Rik e B

Well Tom Shutes is on Companies House as worth minus 1.7 million... He probably needs additional investors.

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

I don't understand this at all. Fenty wants to sell, Shutes wants to buy. Set a deadline for when a deal must be reached at a price suitable to both parties or its all off.

The "proof" Fenty is looking for is when the sale happens, or more likely fails.

Quoted from Rik e B

Well Tom Shutes is on Companies House as worth minus 1.7 million... He probably needs additional investors.

Quoted from Kris2

That's just a measurement of assets vs debt that doesn't include annual turnover. That's all net worth really is, somebody who is a billionaire doesn't have billions in their bank account, it's all tied up in assets and investments.

Quoted from golfer

So what does he buy the club with and provide the reddies for running the club. I am sure that JSF wants cash for his loans and shares

Quoted from rancido

Quoted from mimma

So you think that Fenty should just step aside and let someone take over and hope they have the funds.

Fenty is doing everything right in making sure that he has money to back up the rhetoric.  Clubs have been ruined by being sold to the first person to come along with grand ideas but no money to carry them out. Remember the Notts County debacle when they paid Eriksson and Sol Campbell a fortune before finding out they hadn't got the funds to pay for them?

Look where they are now.

Quoted from rancido

Didn't the Glaziers buy Manure with loans?

Quoted from Ipswin

I got absolutely slated weeks ago when I suggested Shutes hadn't got a pot to urine in and then again when I suggested he needed to have money to invest in the team not just buying Fenty out and finally when I said that it appeared more and more that he might be having difficulties finding others to come in and finance / fund the deal.

Still hope I'm wrong on all three but it's looking increasingly like Shutes guaranteeing the money is the problem and if there is any doubt whatsoever I hope Fenty kills the deal, too many clubs have been bought out / taken over by those bearing nowt but promises and have quickly found themselves up excrement street.

The danger is I suppose that Shutes (and his unknown contacts) put up enough to satisfy / pay off Fenty and then there's nowt else cash wise. Fenty wouldn't sell us out just to get his money, would he?

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Its probably that the price is too high. Nobody is going to pay Fenty what he thinks he is owed  after 18 years of failure.

Quoted from Malta_Mariner_90

Problem is he does not think he has failed in any way far from it in fact.

The fact that Nick Dale keeps his job after the club incurred a 15k fine after the Port Vale incident tells you all you need to know.

Quoted from Ipswin

I got absolutely slated weeks ago when I suggested Shutes hadn't got a pot to urine in and then again when I suggested he needed to have money to invest in the team not just buying Fenty out and finally when I said that it appeared more and more that he might be having difficulties finding others to come in and finance / fund the deal.

Still hope I'm wrong on all three but it's looking increasingly like Shutes guaranteeing the money is the problem and if there is any doubt whatsoever I hope Fenty kills the deal, too many clubs have been bought out / taken over by those bearing nowt but promises and have quickly found themselves up excrement street.

The danger is I suppose that Shutes (and his unknown contacts) put up enough to satisfy / pay off Fenty and then there's nowt else cash wise. Fenty wouldn't sell us out just to get his money, would he?

Quoted from golfer

I have £1 47p in my bank account so that makes me £1,700,001.  47p better off than Shutes.  Any football clubs out there to buy ?

Quoted from Rodley Mariner

I don't really get the McKeown comments. What did he actually say?

Quoted from Swansea_Mariner

What was the context, was it a pop at Macca or just a quip of sorts?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Nick Dale isn’t losing his job, stadium has improved substantially under his tenure. Takeover still possible but no proof of funds. This raises a simple question- when you’re selling something, isn’t proof of funds one of the first things you check?

Quoted from lew chaterleys lover

Its probably that the price is too high. Nobody is going to pay Fenty what he thinks he is owed  after 18 years of failure.

Quoted from 1542

So what is the big hold up with the Takeover???

Is Shutes messing around??
Is it Fenty putting unreasonable conditions in place? (Lifetime director, 100% everything he has ever put in, Statue outside the new ground

From the outside, it certainly doesn’t look likely anymore!!

GTFC, probs me wrong, PLEASE!!!!

UTM

Quoted from 1mickylyons

I would imagine it`s like you say a bit of allsorts but for the good of the Club the last week has served as a timely reminder why we need rid of Fenty and I wish more had voted with there feet regards Season tickets. FENTY OUT

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Something along the lines of “he hauled us over the coals over an extension “ - just another cliche in four and a half minutes of cliches.

Quoted from rancido

Of course it could be argued that the fewer season tickets are sold would make he club less attractive to a future investor. It's ok some fans seeing this as a means of forcing the issue but future buyers/investors just look at balance sheets.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

If only we did do all of our PR on the pitch  

Quoted from RichMariner

Shame Fenty had to say that. The guy has no filter. He lacks emotion and is totally driven by money.

Quoted from rancido

Of course it could be argued that the fewer season tickets are sold would make he club less attractive to a future investor. It's ok some fans seeing this as a means of forcing the issue but future buyers/investors just look at balance sheets.

Quoted from 1mickylyons

Well then they will be no better than the current owner that`s what he does . Whilst Fenty has many faults he has done a great job in regards to the budget and staying within means my main gripe in regards to that is he constantly fails to recognise the need for change which would increase gates. As a fan I dont see what else I can do to show my dissatisfaction with him and his regime I don`t like the idea of protests at games which would affect the players so a drop in ST sales will send him a message alright.

Quoted from Ipswin

Where can I read / listen to this interview please?

Quoted from Croxton

I am no Fenty fan but we have to trust his comments for what they are until events prove otherwise.

Quoted from Croxton

Just listened to the full interview on JT's Twitter. Yes, the 'hauling over the coals' is an odd expression but who thinks that Macca would be shy of demanding an upgrade after his contribution last year? Senior players with families value security as much as cash.

Cliches are the norm for sports interviews. On the way back I listened to a Radio Lancs. interview with a Bury fan who had gone to the ground yesterday for 3.00 p.m. His comments about the owner were revealing. Apparently, he is an eloquent and convincing speaker but his words are not supported by his actions.

I am no Fenty fan but we have to trust his comments for what they are until events prove otherwise.

Quoted from diehardmariner

The comment about the takeover delay doesn't really concern me.   I think any hopes that the deal would be completed quickly were just that.  These things do take time and truth be told I think the real delay is already in the hot-seat.  Shutes has already invested in the area, he's already got some skin in the game so I don't really see what he would gain from either 'tyre kicking' or coming to the table without the funds.

The stuff about Nick Dale doesn't surprise me one bit.  Much like the Steve Wraith comments last season.  This is a club employee openly slagging off the fan base, the people who pay their wages and receiving no reprimand for it.  But it's ok because according to JF they're doing a good job....are they though?  Are they really doing a good job or just enough to satisfy his ambition of the club plodding along.  This is exactly why we need a new owner.  Someone with a slight bit of vision to realise that football has moved on in the last 25 years and we need to respond accordingly.   Fenty didn't just talk about funds in terms of him getting his pay-off, he mentioned funds to run the football club....we don't need funding.  We don't need funding now and we're run like a bag of spuds.  Imagine if we were run better!   This sums Fenty up to a tee, he just doesn't get it.   I think his ego has become so inflated that he can't actually contemplate the thought that we could survive without him.

The McKeown comment was a disgrace.  Nothing less.  Absolutely no need for it and totally unwarranted.  Jolley will have spent a large part of the summer trying to build morale and spirit in the dressing room, idiot comments like that can undo all that work in seconds.  

Quoted from Madeleymariner

Fenty didn't just talk about funds in terms of him getting his pay-off, he mentioned funds to run the football club....we don't need funding.

We do need funding to run the football club, what happens if there is suddenly a £20k bill for something unplanned, ongoing upkeep of a crumbling stadium £15k fines for failing to keep crowd control etc.
Of course we need regular income above what we get now to improve the team/toilets/bars/pitch etc.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Unless you’re Salford or Scunthorpe, you’re only supposed to spend 55% of your income on players budget leaving 45% to spend on administration staff and infrastructure. Gate receipts and sponsorships are not going to miraculously disappear when the club is taken over.

Quoted from Madeleymariner

Fenty didn't just talk about funds in terms of him getting his pay-off, he mentioned funds to run the football club....we don't need funding.

We do need funding to run the football club, what happens if there is suddenly a £20k bill for something unplanned, ongoing upkeep of a crumbling stadium £15k fines for failing to keep crowd control etc.
Of course we need regular income above what we get now to improve the team/toilets/bars/pitch etc.

Quoted from diehardmariner

That's why you create a rainy day fund and use it appropriately.    Of course you cannot budget exactly for infrastructure failing but you account for it, you allocate money for it and if you don't spend it, great.  

If you take away the money paid back to Fenty over the past few years, we've made a profit.  A tidy profit too for a club at this level.  That is in spite, not because, of the fact that we're run like an old boys club.  

There's no need for us to have any sort of benefactor.  Our core support is more than enough sustain a higher mid-table League Two side. I would be willing to bet the first few games after any departure of Fenty would be met with increased ticket sales.  If the club begins to do its job properly and look after the fans and making them feel valued, a lot of those would stay.  That's extra revenue.   Bit in the reserves, bit reinvested into the club.  Better budget - better players - better results - more fans through the gate - more money....and repeat until the end of time.

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Unless you’re Salford or Scunthorpe, you’re only supposed to spend 55% of your income on players budget leaving 45% to spend on administration staff and infrastructure. Gate receipts and sponsorships are not going to miraculously disappear when the club is taken over.

Quoted from pen penfras

No, but a bad run of games and the gate receipts will quickly drop. It's a fine balancing act getting the budget high enough to be competitive but not so high that you risk losing a fortune if things don't go well on the pitch. It's not a position I'd like to be in!

As far as I understand it, the EFL require somebody to underwrite the club's accounts in the case of something going wrong and have to demonstrate they have the required funding to do this. It's not a case that we necessarily need the money, but it needs to be done.

As for the comment about Macca, it seems a strange thing to say and I didn't hear the interview, but maybe there's an element of respect in what he said as a tough negotiator and somebody bartered with him?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Reading between the lines then, JF puts a £200k shortfall fund in place and draws it back if we don’t need it?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Reading between the lines then, JF puts a £200k shortfall fund in place and draws it back if we don’t need it?

Quoted from Rik e B

Hmmm, don't the accounts for last few years show Fenty has only withdrawn money and not put anything in? 🤔

Quoted from Rik e B

Hmmm, don't the accounts for last few years show Fenty has only withdrawn money and not put anything in? 🤔

Quoted from Ipswin

Yes I believe so (but then the less he's owed the less any potential buyer has to pay him) but now Golfer suggests he stands as guarantor (again) for a further £200K

Quoted from rancido

I may be wrong but doesn't the club have to have a guarantor to satisfy the bank overdraft? I'm not from a financial/ commercial background so I have no understanding how these things work.

Quoted from rancido

I may be wrong but doesn't the club have to have a guarantor to satisfy the bank overdraft? I'm not from a financial/ commercial background so I have no understanding how these things work.

Quoted from Bigdog

I'm fairly sure the club's bank account is in credit by a few hundred thou (balance of Bogle money), so last reports stated that currently there wasn't any need for a guarantor as there wasn't an overdraft..

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

But to be fair from what has been revealed thus far this is what JF’s stance has been throughout and he has never disclosed sale was imminent. Believe he was interviewed Christmas time (?) and he said at that time there had been interest but he had never been satisfied funding was available.

Was told all about the new ground and getting approval for that but why is a mystery to me for all the reasons about paying for the stadium that have been raised on this forum.

Quoted from CodHeadMentality

Fenty has been waiting on proof of funds from the beginning. Shutes has declined to provide this so the question is why if he has genuine interest in investing in our great club?

Fair play to Fenty who gets plenty of stick from us is not just selling to bail out but is genuinely looking after the clubs best interests by wanting an investor who has ambitions to grow the club not asset strip it. Come on Shutes, put your money where your mouth is!

Quoted from CodHeadMentality

Fenty has been waiting on proof of funds from the beginning. Shutes has declined to provide this so the question is why if he has genuine interest in investing in our great club?

Fair play to Fenty who gets plenty of stick from us is not just selling to bail out but is genuinely looking after the clubs best interests by wanting an investor who has ambitions to grow the club not asset strip it. Come on Shutes, put your money where your mouth is!

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

If I was a betting man I'd say this was Fenty just being difficult and expecting the world, and not really wanting to give up his train set.

Quoted from TwoLeftFeet

Has it been confirmed yet if Shutes has passed the EFL fit and proper person test if the deal has got that far yet.. don't they look into the background and funds available?

Quoted from ska face

Fenty’s primary concern is DEFINITELY Shutes being able to fund the ongoing success of the club, and not getting his £2.5m loans back, no siree!

If Shutes offered him £2.5m cash tomorrow he’d be out of here quicker than you can say “devalued product”.

Quoted from headingly_mariner

This! It’s not an ethical stance it’s about money.

Quoted from Ipswin

I don't give a flying intercourse what it's really about but if it stops someone without a pot to urine in gaining control of the club but not being able to invest anything then I'm all for it. Too many Burys, Boltons etc around thank you

Quoted from Ipswin

I don't give a flying intercourse what it's really about but if it stops someone without a pot to urine in gaining control of the club but not being able to invest anything then I'm all for it. Too many Burys, Boltons etc around thank you

Quoted from MuddyWaters

If I were you, I'd go back to the beginning of this thread, listen to the interview again and then convince me that you want Mr Fenty to continue running this club into the ground future.

Quoted from Ipswin

Don't need to sunbeam, my opinion is as my earlier post in fact I wouldn't be surprised if what a new owner intends to put in to the club rather than simply buying JF out is what is holding things up.

Say what you like about the bloke, I don't think JF is going to hand over to just anyone

Quoted from RoboCod

I'd say Team Fenty just bolstered their squad by one.

Quoted from RoboCod

Wow, look at those red crosses on the and other even mildly Fenty-critical posts.

Bye Fishy, killed by the petty and overbearing Fenty disease, just like he club itself.

Quoted from mimma

Is that as high as you want to go?
We need investment in our training facilities as well as a new ground. Our core support does not cover these as well as buying and paying better players.
There are more better funded clubs in the conference waiting to come up which with their money will push us further down the league pyramid  
For all his faults Fenty has put in what he can afford, but he doesn't have the personal wealth to put in what we need and can't find someone to take us further. We just aren't attractive enough to potential investors. Our only hope is for a local self made millionaire to take over and invest some of their fortune in Town. That doesn't look likely so we are left where we are.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Of course I want us to go higher. In the next few sentences I say how I would like to see us grow as a club, bit by bit with reinvestment from success.  

If the likes of Salford, Fylde etc. come up and surpass us then so be it.  Their bubble will burst.  I would rather we became a sustainable yet progressive club with small improvements made year on year rather than a flash in the pan who chucks money at it only to crash and burn within a few years.  We can look down the A180 to Scunny as a club who have relied on a rich benefactor, sailed too close to the sun and had their wings burnt and we can look down the A46 to Lincoln who have reinvested their success into the club itself and are reaping the benefits.  I know which model I would rather us follow.

The idea that we need a minted owner who is stupid enough to throw money at it carries no weight with me.  It's the last thing I want in all honesty.

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

I obviously don't speak for everyone, but surely we don't want a money man throwing money at the club recklessly, we want someone with a long term vision, to grow the club across Lincolnshire, and with growth will come extra revenue sources, which in term leads to a better youth program, which leads to more sales of players.  Someone like Andy Holt at Accrington Stanley, who is slowly but surely building a community club, yes he has thrown some of his own money at the club, but he never wants it back, but the way he is going about business is marvelous.  So as long as the can pay JF off and get him out of the club and have a little reserve, then i'm happy.  

We don't need money, as we are making are making £200k profit a year and have balance books, we need vision more.

Quoted from lukeo

I say this way to often lately but Andy is the ideal chairman of a football club. I am only on twitter to read what he does/says.

Quoted from Andy Holt on Twitter

You know running a football club like @ASFCofficial has been one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever done.

I go through massive periods of self doubt, how should I run it? What issues are important? what is the end goal? how do we get there? why is that the end goal? what matters? what core values are we trying to live by? is my paradigm of football correct? why am I the only man in the regiment that is in step? am I going about it all wrong? what if I fail? is football right for me? am I right for football? am I right for Accrington Stanley?

On an on, more and questions.

So. We are formed as people by our past experiences and lessons learned whilst a child but is this right for @ASFCofficial? are my personal values, formed over 50 odd years holding our club back? Studying all the above I believe I’m right, which is why we operate as we do. And by right, I mean steady sustainable growth, managed budget, security of long term health of the club, integrated with all local stakeholders with community, supporters, council and even the chip shop, pubs, town centre benefitting.

Believe me I have tried all ways to run businesses and failed a few times. I know the routes to failure because I’ve travelled them.

Let’s look at the options.

If I put £3m in to @ASFCofficial to bring our budget more in line and competitive with other clubs, many of which are gambling, what are the odds of promotion? What are the reduced odds of relegation? If we are promoted, what amount is needed then to compete? An extra £10m? £20m? In @SkyBetChamp rich clubs are selling their stadia for £80m to compete within the rules.  @WayneRooney is coming back to the UK paid for by bookies to play IN THE LEAGUE ABOVE ACCRINGTON STANLEY.  If I put £10m or £20m in what are the chances of success? In my view, I’d be spending £25m (that I don’t have) on a fools mission. So that option is out. The other option of sustainable slow growth is our only option. To build a great, the best, community club.  Run in the way our supporters want. A great, the best, day out a club we can be proud of.

But those running football are diametrically oppose to my thinking. I don’t fit, which is why there are permanent issues. @premierleague @EFL @FA  organisations are set up deliberately to conflict with steady, well managed secure clubs. I accept I may be wrong, but I can’t bring myself to risk our club.

I’m drunk off at the players we’re chasing going to other clubs. It’s very difficult not to pay the extra to get your man. This window has been Coley’s worst. He’s struggled to compete.  I asked him what he thinks we should do his response is, keep going, we’re building a great club for the town. Jimmy said, ‘do not let us ruin what we’re creating together’ ‘That’s your job Andy’ ‘Our job is to do the best we possibly can with what we’ve got’ And you know what? That’s what we will continue to do under my stewardship. A change in the way we work would need a different owner. It might be more exciting for a while gambling, but when the music stops, everyone pays the price.

Quoted from TheRealJohnLewis

I follow him as well, This is the latest thread on twitter which sums up how GTFC need to move forward:



So how does that relate to GTFC, yes we have had balanced books and have spent within our means thanks to JF, but that's it we haven't grown or progressed just stagnated. We haven't "integrated with all local stakeholders with community, supporters, council and even the chip shop, pubs, town centre benefitting" JF has alienated key stakeholders at the club, Press, fans, Police, Mighty Mariner (for a while) etc.

We need better.