Silent_Bob

If the Comers were in it for a football club, would they spend months looking at our books? IF they are planning to invest £20m yearly as some reports suggest, there is no need to spend months on due dilligence.

Villa is a very big club and there simply aren't that many available to buy if you want a top club. The price seem quite low compared to what that Russian guy is willing to pay for Portsmouth. We have no debt, meaning any new owner doesn't need to spend millions only to clear it. The squad is good enough for a top half finish, and with three or four more quality players we would easily be among the teams challenging for a place in Europe. We own land which has some value, even though it's less than the £20m that Ellis seems to want for it. Our ticket prices are among the lowest in the country, so there is a potential for increased turnover by increasing prices to be on the same level as other top clubs. Etc.

If they still need a couple of months to decide if the reported £64.4m fee is to high, they're only in it for the money.

bob.

ive read in various qoutes that the comers were originally intrested in the land villa own, doug valued it at £20million, but the comers then found out it was in a shit area of brum and couldnt really develop it.

i still want the takeover to go through.

It still has a a value, even if it's less than £20m

I want the takeover to go through as well.

Ellis, Villa and Investments are three words that just aren't compatible.

Ellis managed to get an investment company to pay money to have their logo on our shirts

Silent_Bob - that's a sobbering thought, as if January wasn't a sober enough time as it is!

I have a nagging thought at the back of my mind that you could be right...

i could take new owners who don't 'splash' the cash (as Chelsea), as long as they want to take villa on and upwards and invest more than the current regime. I want new owners who are in it for the long term and for Villa's best interests. I hope they prove to be just that

If it was so that the Comers were interested because they did see Aston Villa FC as a club with potential to become successfull and that what was they were after, the deal would have been dony by now, imo.

Instead they spend months examining the books of Aston Villa PLC to see what kind of profits they could make.

I want change if it is for the better. Not change for change itself. And I'm starting to question if the Comers are the right people after all. What do we really know about them?

I think the key question is: Has Ellis realised that he no longer represent any future for Aston Villa? I think he has.

But I don't think the Comers are knights in shining white armour willing to throw money at the club, expecting nothing in return. I'm even starting to question if they in fact have very much money to throw at all. They are reported to be self made billionares, but are they really? And if they are, they haven't become billionares by throwing money around. So it might not only be Ellis that is holding up the deal atm.

Mr Neville has said that Champions League football should be achievable in a three year period. Of course that's what we all want to hear. But that will require a lot of money. Are the Comers really willing to invest, or do they just want the land and a football club on top of that?

So far this is just specualtion. There are no quotes, except that a spokesman for the Comers are confident the deal will go through.

If as fans we are convinced they have the good of the club at heart, and will put money in, are here for the long term betterment of the club, then a good number of us (and a lot of money) will not need to be spent on buying our shares - i.e. a lot of us could say "no ta, we'll hold on to the shares, saving you having to pay for them, and the money can go to bettering the club, in line with what you've told us"

Holding on to your shares wouldn't necessarily be a charity. It could be very profitable if the share price increase as a result of investment from the Comers, increased turnover and success in the league.

How excactly will the Comers put money in to the club? It's only fair that they don't pay a higher percentage of the total amount invested than their percentage of ownership. I would think that the way they will do this is by issuing new shares. Shares that they offer to current shareholders, but if these shareholders don't want to invest further, then the Comers will buy the shares themselves. And own a higher percentage of the club as a result of this.

Fans that also own shares would then need to spend more money on new shares, or alternatively see the value of their existing shares decrease due to there being more shares available. I don't think most of the fans that bought shares did it because they saw it as a business investment at the time. I didn't buy any, but it would be an emotional investment rather than a business investment if I had done that. I wouldn't be too surprised if the Comers are planning that the fans will make that emotional investment once more.

Alternatively any increased investment for players etc will need to come from the club itself. That means borrowing money as the club don't have any atm. And any loan would in the end be payed back by the fans through higher ticket prices, etc.

In other words progress.

Should we expect that a board meeting is taking place at Villa Park atm?

I'm not sure the club needs to issue a statement regarding receiving the bid, as that information is allready with LSE. But the club will need to accept or reject the bid, so the next thing would be their response. If it's accepted, then bye bye Ellis!

Every thing is pointing towards a takeover in the very near future. After months of negotiations there is now a firm bid on the table. I would be very surprised if it is rejected.

I'm not sure what happens next, but shouldn't the board now come together and discuss the bid? And from that they will make a recommendation to all shareholders wether to accept or reject?

Due dilligence should be finished now, as it is not longer merely an approach but a firm offer. Or have I got it wrong?

Ian, Sky has suggested that the deal is off.

Funny....... could have sworn I said that a few days ago..... but hey! what do I know?

Not more than the rest of us I hope

Ian, Sky has suggested that the deal is off.

Tbh I think we should realise that the statement made by AVIL this morning isn't aimed at us. It's for the stock exchange and simply a warning to investors. The last paragraph is simply saying that there is no need to start buying shares thinking we will buy it from you at a higher price later on, because we do not guarantee that we will make a bid.

And there should also be considered that there is a potential profit for an investor here. If the shareholders believe the takeover is dead, they might be willing to sell shares at a low price. So if you're an investor interested in making a profit, why not start a rumour that the takeover is off and then buy shares at a low price?

True. The good news is that we have reached this stage.

Seems like good news to me

True Denis.

But if they weren't seriously interested in buying the club, why go through all the trouble? Time is quickly running out for Ellis now. He will be 82 soon, he recently had heart surgery and his age is clearly showing. Even though the Comers might not be his prefered choice if he could choose freely, he has put himself in a position where he might have no real option than accepting their offer. Their valuation of around £64m seems to have been accepted. So anyone who seriously wants to buy the club not only know that Ellis wants to sell, they also know the price he is willing to sell at. There must be months since the Comers made their intentions known. If there currently were serious interest from others don't you think they would have made an approach by now?

Mr Neville has recently said that he can't see what will prevent this deal from being completed. And with no further comment from the club or Ellis.

We have yet another mediocre season, and been told there is no money to spend in January.

There have been reports that Mellberg might be wanting a more ambitious club.

Some players have now given their approval on this takeover.

It will be very hard for Ellis to back down this time, if that's his intention.

Let's hope they don't buy Schalke instead!

I've been quitely confident that this would go through all along. But I'm not convinced yet that the Comers are the answer to all our prayers.

Erik Bakke again on loan this time

Norwegian media reports that there have been positive communication between Leeds and Villa regarding a season long loan.

It's Rune Hauge, Bakkes agent, who claim this.

To Ali H: I've just ordered it funnily enough from amazon, with a copy of the Art Of War and a book on Che Guerva, now stop hijacking my thread with your book reviews!!

Would that be Sun Tzu's Art of War? If so, a very interesting book.

Apparently Saviola is available on loan from Barcelona according to Spanish tabloids.

Several Spanish clubs are interessted, but Barcelona prefer to loan him out to a non-Spanish club.

Can anyone see Saviola as a possible replacement for Cole?

DOL from OS:

"I've seen a change in mood in the whole club since I was given the go ahead to spend. There's a real lift in people about the place. I've had lots of texts and e-mails

We allready know he has had lots of texts...

For some reason I think we should call him R2-D2, but I'm really struggeling to find a logical explanation for the R2 part...