New owners at dundalk

[dundalkfc10]

Not one link, source anything in that Indo report!

The same paper said McMillian was in Scotland meeting St Johnstone manager last week and him in Sri Lanka. (although he looks like he is going)

[sbgawa]

The most obvious way these guys could help would be loan signings from Bournemouth of players from Jan to July who need game time with Bournemouth still paying their wages .
These guys have unlimited funds (in a LOI context) so throwing in the towel is unlikely as a couple of million either way won't cause a blip in their soccer portfolio but they will be harsh judges , biggest budget in the league will be a burden for the management team if they don't deliver.
It has to be a positive for Dundalk really , no assets to be stripped and these guys aren't like the North Koreans running Bray.

[Ezeikial]

or is this purely an attempt to make money from another few euro runs, and keep all that cash for themselves.

Wake up - what the hell else could this be about?

Do you think this is some sort of philanthropic exercise?

[Mr A]

Are the 2 current owners making much out of this deal?

[Nesta99]

They have obviously seen all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the away section in Oriel and decided enough was enough.

So build a ground for us, leverage us with debt that must see some return withinn a certain timeframe or else the vulture fund types will start circling. Investment in youth development a big part of the alleged plan. Offering players greater incentives to sign up on longer term deals under a young and ambitious manager. Interest piqued after back to back titles and new ground broken with an adventure in to EL group stages. New, never seen before stuff!

[Nesta99]

Are the 2 current owners making much out of this deal?

I doubt it, maybe the money spent clearing the initial debts of the club will be the return. They were never the type to 'invest' money and then grab a slice of prizemoney the moment it hits the clubs accounts. An awful lot of what they have done is doing the basics well - there would still be people who feel that communication between the club and fans was a persistant problem but Paying bills and building good will in the local community, working within the clubs means, maximising sponsorship opportunities, backing their choice of manager from the getgo without getting the jitters after comprehensive a loss to our nearest and dearest, well it all came together well but it wasnt revolutionary stuff!

[oriel]

Wake up - what the hell else could this be about?

Do you think this is some sort of philanthropic exercise?

Of course they are in this for a profit, everyone knows that, I was making the other points also as in what can we get out of it. To be fair there was absolutely nothing stopping the current DFC owners splitting the euro money last year and walking away immediately leaving the club with zero and putting it up for sale then.

No one has seen any detail of the plan so far, so we can only speculate on what the terms are. If we can get a redeveloped ground out of this, they will be entitled to take a return on future profits out as payment, the concern would be they will not fund a redeveloped ground and will only be interested in future euro monies. That is the obvious concern for any fan.

EDIT: There has to be a price in a takeover, so the current owners will be entitled to make monies out of this and should get a decent return too on their initial investment.

[Nesta99]

There are so many rumours doing the rounds, if or when a takeover is announced I will believe it and then maybe start worrying!

[Cosmo]

There are so many rumours doing the rounds, if or when a takeover is announced I will believe it and then maybe start worrying!

If what the Indo article says is true, this will end in only one way. Have been sh!tting myself the last couple of years that you would go from strength to strength but this is great news!

An American private equity firm? You will get a nice year or two but will eventually end in only one way. Good day for the drogs!

[White Horse]

Good day for the drogs!

One sentence that sums up what is wrong with your club and supporters.

[Cosmo]

One sentence that sums up what is wrong with your club and supporters.

I’d be more concerned about an American equity firm taking over your club and undoing all the work done over last few years if I were you. Honestly, does anyone really think this is going to end well?

[Longfordian]

At least they have a history of involvement with football clubs not like Arkaga back in the day.

[El-Pietro]

I’d be more concerned about an American equity firm taking over your club and undoing all the work done over last few years if I were you. Honestly, does anyone really think this is going to end well?

I think theres about a 50% chance it ends well for them, but that other 50% would have me worried given the history of the league. I hope Dundalk fans are mobilising to pick up the pieces if it all falls apart in the next 18 months or so.

[White Horse]

I think theres about a 50% chance it ends well for them, but that other 50% would have me worried given the history of the league. I hope Dundalk fans are mobilising to pick up the pieces if it all falls apart in the next 18 months or so.

I'd snap your hand off for a 50% chance of this working out. The difficulty with all these deals is the long term impact. They can work in the short term, but success in this league has always been cyclical. Will foreign investors be patient though unsuccessful periods? Fat chance.

Setting up a supporters group is essential. As is fund raising to be able to step into ownership in the future.

The biggest obstacle will be complacency, particularly if the takeover is initially successful.

[El-Pietro]

Setting up a supporters group is essential. As is fund raising to be able to step into ownership in the future.

Cork City and Dundalk may not be the best of friends but if you get even a small group together I'm 100% sure FORAS will be happy to assist you in anyway you need to get a Trust set up. Representatives have been to clubs all over the country to help them out in the past, including Shels.

[oriel]

For me the key to any hope of positivity on this takeover rests on ground redevelopment. If this starts soon after the deal is done, maybe there will be a better than 50% chance of success, if nothing happens next year I`d be worried.

[EatYerGreens]

For me the key to any hope of positivity on this takeover rests on ground redevelopment. If this starts soon after the deal is done, maybe there will be a better than 50% chance of success, if nothing happens next year I`d be worried.

That all depends on what this 'investors' motivations are.

A ground development does little or nothing to deliver success on the pitch. It does help you retain more of your income if you progress in Europe - which is surely their objective - but in reality, the costs of delivering a stadium in Dundalk that would see the club through European group stages is so huge versus the income from it and the risk of not getting there that I'd be surprised if they did much major investment. So why wouldn't they just focus their money on the team, and then use the Aviva or Tallaght again if they had to for European fixtures ?

Again - this all depends on their motivations. Are they in this to build a club and the value and business around it ? Or have they spied a way to make 'easy money' through Europe ?

[gufcfan]

Offering players greater incentives to sign up on longer term deals under a young and ambitious manager.

Kenny seems to have been around forever. I wondered who you were talking about for a second.

[Nesta99]

One sentence that sums up what is wrong with your club and supporters.

Its one thing flagging up warnings of future woe, its another wishing ill will on a club. There is no shortage of sniping here between fans but rarely has there been an explicit desire to see a club go to the wall, be it Shamrock Rover, Cork, et al. Many of us pointed out the risks of vulture fund types getting the foot in the door at Tallaght and that was for a 50% stake, that this seems to be a complete takeover is absolutely a concern for Dundalk fans.

Good day for the Drogs...Cosmo surely you see that a comment like that reeks of guaging everything about your club including your support on the fortunes of another club!

[Nesta99]

Kenny seems to have been around forever. I wondered who you were talking about for a second.

It was a little tongue in cheek but he was 42 when he took over. Now days I would still see that as young and ambitious or im due out to pasture soon.