Investors in the LOI

**galwayhoop** · 16/03/2007, 2:20 PM

why is it that when investers buy clubs/stakes in a club that the more often than not they just want to sell the ground, build apartments and couldn't give a toss about the club.*

i really wish that some people who have made copious amounts of money from the 'celtic tiger' re-invested their money in clubs back home and didn't pile their money into english teams like carlisle, peterborough and even sunderland or celtic.

spend it at home lads and get us into the champions league group stages.

are you listening jp mcmanus, dermot desmond, john courtney**, peterborough lad, niall quinns buddies?? and countless others who don't know what to do with yer money!!

*seriously hope this isn't the plan for st. pats!

**think that was the name of the carlisle lad

**CharlesThompson** · 16/03/2007, 2:34 PM

Originally Posted by galwayhoop

why is it that when investers buy clubs/stakes in a club that the more often than not they just want to sell the ground, build apartments and couldn't give a toss about the club.*

i really wish that some people who have made copious amounts of money from the 'celtic tiger' re-invested their money in clubs back home and didn't pile their money into english teams like carlisle, peterborough and even sunderland or celtic.

spend it at home lads and get us into the champions league group stages.

are you listening jp mcmanus, dermot desmond, john courtney**, peterborough lad, niall quinns buddies?? and countless others who don't know what to do with yer money!!

*seriously hope this isn't the plan for st. pats!

**think that was the name of the carlisle lad

Time will tell gh. But I think that the Rovers scenario has (and the history of takeovers of some of the 'smaller' clubs in the UK) made people cynical to the idea of takeovers at clubs. When you look at Drogheda's plans for a new stadium being held up because the owners of Drogheda want to build 5,000 new houses it probably adds to the feeling that these people's interest in the footbal club is purely speculative. Having said that, if it does go ahead and the Drogs get their stadium built (even along with 5,000 houses) who is anybody to say that it wasn't worth it (for Drogheda)?

So when the taker overer of Pat's happens to be a property magnate, then it is understandable that there is some reticence and cynicality from some quarters. No?

**wws** · 16/03/2007, 2:51 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesThompson

So when the taker overer of Pat's happens to be a property magnate, then it is understandable that there is some reticence and cynicality from some quarters. No?

cynicality -, what a great word!

**galwayhoop** · 16/03/2007, 2:58 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesThompson

So when the taker overer of Pat's happens to be a property magnate, then it is understandable that there is some reticence and cynicality from some quarters. No?

oh i agree that there is every right to be cynical but i just wish that there were some people out there who just didn't want squeeze every penny from things and invested in the club as a 'sugar daddy' for want of a better word.

more of the mick wallaces of this world - and mick happens to be a developer doesn't he?

**MyTown** · 16/03/2007, 3:08 PM

I think you have to be mad or totally passionate about the game to "buy-in". My club has never existed other than by a thread. At different stages in its history generous and civic minded people who had a few bob and saw what benefits a successful football team can bring to a community have ended up with hefty amounts of debt.

There are very few like Jack Walker, Jack Heyward or the JJB guy at Wigan who are self made millionaires willing to literally pour it down the drain of unsuccessful sides - all for their own love of the game.

The naysayers are always in the majority - until you get a run of success - like, say, Munster Rugby, then everyone wants a piece - but even then it is very short lived.

Not wishing to upset Hoops fans who are keeping their team on an even keel at present, but my first encounter with business reality killing the romance of football was the Kilcoyne Milltown sell-out. I was delighted at the time to see Rovers fans suffering, but now I see it was a very sad day for football in this country generally.

A final point: demographics: Football fans are getting older and older & the game is not attracting as many youngsters as it did in th last century. Its to do with affluence.

I hate it when Irish money gets invested in clubs overseas - I keep promising to blow my inevitable Lotto dividends on making my team a force in Europe

**Celdrog** · 16/03/2007, 8:53 PM

Originally Posted by CharlesThompson

Time will tell gh. But I think that the Rovers scenario has (and the history of takeovers of some of the 'smaller' clubs in the UK) made people cynical to the idea of takeovers at clubs. When you look at Drogheda's plans for a new stadium being held up because the owners of Drogheda want to build 5,000 new houses it probably adds to the feeling that these people's interest in the footbal club is purely speculative. Having said that, if it does go ahead and the Drogs get their stadium built (even along with 5,000 houses) who is anybody to say that it wasn't worth it (for Drogheda)?
So when the taker overer of Pat's happens to be a property magnate, then it is understandable that there is some reticence and cynicality from some quarters. No?

The owners of Drogs do not want to build 5,000 houses. The property developer (who is nothing to do with the club) wants to build 5,000 houses and will build a stadium and other sporting faciilities there in exchange for United Park.

The Drogs directors want to make money from the stadium itself and associated business at the stadium. These enterprises will self sustain the club (that's the plan). If the boys make a fortune outside of this then fair play to them. By the way the chairman (and one of the investors), Vincent Hoey has been with Drogheda in some capacity since the start in 1963.

**geezer** · 16/03/2007, 9:18 PM

with big investors riding in as saviours and ffn off with the silver a few years later. Fans are ans for life join your supporters trust and make sure you have a say in any new direction clubs take

**CharlesThompson** · 17/03/2007, 7:43 PM

Originally Posted by Celdrog

The owners of Drogs do not want to build 5,000 houses. The property developer (who is nothing to do with the club) wants to build 5,000 houses and will build a stadium and other sporting faciilities there in exchange for United Park.
.

Apologies for my error.

**BohsPartisan** · 17/03/2007, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by Celdrog

The owners of Drogs do not want to build 5,000 houses. The property developer (who is nothing to do with the club) wants to build 5,000 houses and will build a stadium and other sporting faciilities there in exchange for United Park.

Er where are you getting this information from? The property developer is the person who has been pumping the money into your club for the last few years. This is fact.. They want to build the houses to "fund" your stadium. There is no third party in the case of the Drogs stadium plan.
What you have written does not even make sense. Why would a property developer be building houses at the site of your new stadium in exchange for your old stadium?

**Celdrog** · 17/03/2007, 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Er where are you getting this information from? The property developer is the person who has been pumping the money into your club for the last few years. This is fact.. They want to build the houses to "fund" your stadium. There is no third party in the case of the Drogs stadium plan.
What you have written does not even make sense. Why would a property developer be building houses at the site of your new stadium in exchange for your old stadium?

Property developer is Bill Doyle. Drogs directors are Vincent Hoey, Chris Byrne, Eugene O'Connor and Jim McArdle. Eugene O'Connor is a property developer, owner of Keal Ryan Properties (KRP on our kit) but he is not the developer here.
Never heard of Bill Doyle until a while ago.
But then again you seem to have the facts.

**CharlesThompson** · 18/03/2007, 9:37 PM

Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Er where are you getting this information from? The property developer is the person who has been pumping the money into your club for the last few years. This is fact.. They want to build the houses to "fund" your stadium. There is no third party in the case of the Drogs stadium plan.
What you have written does not even make sense. Why would a property developer be building houses at the site of your new stadium in exchange for your old stadium?

So I was right then?

**green-blood** · 20/03/2007, 10:25 AM

what utter rubbish

one set of high falutin business men are totally independent from this nice property developer.... of course... Sure they simply couldnt be at teh golf club carving up land could they...why not just sell him your ground for the correct market value and build your own stadium......

**OneRedArmy** · 20/03/2007, 1:03 PM

Originally Posted by green-blood

what utter rubbish

one set of high falutin business men are totally independent from this nice property developer.... of course... Sure they simply couldnt be at teh golf club carving up land could they...why not just sell him your ground for the correct market value and build your own stadium......

I asked the same question last week and was told that the proceeds wouldn't be enough to buy land and build a ground as the FAI had to be paid their share of the ground.

It turns out the FAI need only be paid E50k.

I suspect that the real reason is more like to be that the investors want some way of getting the money they have invested in the club over the past few years back out.

I could of course be barking up the wrong tree but the whole thing doesn't really seem to be done for the prime benefit of the football club.