The 2016 Takeover Thread

[spiezels]

Does the pope eat kids?

[spiezels]

Nah, he **** em.

[PussEKatt]

Does mean the players names on the back of their shirts will be vertical ?

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

I don't like all the PR shite. Mostly because I don't trust anyone who promises the world.

Anyway the second half of the article in the FT is what has me concerned

 

Quote

 

The company, according to its website, has controlling stakes in five publicly listed companies in China and Hong Kong: a soap maker, a maker of food additives and a company that does small loans and appraisals.

Recon’s largest investment appears to be a stake in the Shanghai-based Lotus Health Group, which, according to the statement, is “the largest glutamic acid company in China” (the sodium salt of glutamic acid is the food additive MSG). It has 12,000 employees and 10,000 distributors in China. Company records put Mr Xia’s Zhejiang Recon Investment Ltd stake at 75 per cent.

Lotus produces 150,000 tonnes of MSG, exporting to more than 70 countries every year, according to Shanghai stock exchange filings.

Last month it announced it had made a net loss in 2015 of Rmb508.5m ($77.6m) on revenues of Rmb1.7bn, compared with a net profit of Rmb23.9m the previous year.

Formerly known as Henan Lotus Gourmet Powder, Lotus Health Group was at the centre of a mysterious episode last December when it announced, and then two days later retracted, the appointment of Chinese president Xi Jinping’s cousin to its board of directors. Calls to Lotus went unanswered on Wednesday.

Recon’s website says the company also owns a controlling share in Hong Kong-listed Roma Group, which had profits last year of HK$36m (US$4.6m) and is “principally engaged in the provision valuation and technical advisory services” in Hong Kong.

Public documents indicate it makes small personal loans and loans collateralised by stock shares. Calls to Roma went unanswered.

FT

Edited May 20, 2016 by CarewsEyebrowDesigner

[Wainy316]

Crash helmet on.

I'd have Sherwood back. 

Please confirm that you are not Dr Tony Xia so that I can sleep well tonight.

[Spoony]

Football has changed. We must change with it. It's a business. It's about money. And you don't just get huge investment for free. Everything comes with a business reason. The group that has taken us over both because I think they want to try and do something with the team and they also want to extend the reach and reputation of their current business. They will do this through sponsorship and that may well include renaming the stadium. I'm fine with this as it is still Villa Park regardless. 

 

Your options are essentially these in the modern day: accept huge investment and compete in exchange for sacrificing some of the imagery of the club and by accepting sponsorship of all aspects and the business driven side of the club taking over to an extent, or in the alternative do not accept investment, maintain all traditional aspects of the club and then disappear into nothingness and don't compete. I'll take the sponsorship and compete option. 

[Duck]

Chances the Villa kit will slowly change to red? China loves a bit of red

[PussEKatt]

Red with blue sleeves anyone ?

[bobzy]

4 minutes ago, CarewsEyebrowDesigner said:

I don't like all the PR shite. Mostly because I don't trust anyone who promises the world.

Anyway the second half of the article in the FT is what has me concerned

 

FT

Are you placing some scepticism on our new owner because there's not much to know about him?

Be careful here - you'll be generalised! 

[Xela]

22 minutes ago, Wainy316 said:

Yeah although I did love the mid 90's cross over period when the fancy foreigners started coming over but were still a bit of a novelty.

Footballers still had a bit of personality then too, they're nearly all mindless, humourless robots now.

Yeah I agree.. people like Bergkamp, Vialli, Gullit, Zola, et al, were fantastic and they genuinely seemed to have a deep affection for the teams they played for. What seems evident now is that players, and not just overseas ones, just see clubs as a stepping stone to other/better things. Maybe it me being romantic but I like the thought of players loving the club they play for. 

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

11 minutes ago, Wainy316 said:

Please confirm that you are not Dr Tony Xia so that I can sleep well tonight.

@Delphinho I made no secret that I liked Sherwood either. lol. Not sure if now is the time for him though. I wonder if he would be open to being a number 2 and working his way up?

Edited May 20, 2016 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[Xela]

6 minutes ago, Duck said:

Chances the Villa kit will slowly change to red? China loves a bit of red

We'll be called the Aston Villa Red Dragons of Birmingham before we know it! 

[dont_do_it_doug.]

I wouldn't worry about the FT article too much at this present time. It's too small a deal for them to actually give a ****, they'd have set the work experience kid onto it. It reads like they have anyway. 

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

Partly because there isn't a wealth of information, but mostly its because it seems a bit incongruous that the Recon group would turn to English football, looking at their portfolio.

I think someone already mentioned, and it has been suggested in a few articles, that it almost certainly has something to do with the Chinese government's aim to become a player in world football - or to put it more cynically, to diversify their income

Anyway, yes, I'm not buying into the promises of the world because we've seen it all too often. What matters is the action taken and I'll reserve judgement until we see results.

[Daweii]

I may sound like less of a true fan for saying this but part of what makes me give a shit is Aston Villa's competitiveness and relevance. 

I will give a little run down of my history with Villa. I was born in 1988 and was 4 years old when Aston Villa finished 2nd in the Premier League, I had already sort of made my mind up about who to support but that sealed the deal. I could have chosen Birmingham City I mean I lived closer to their stadium and my extended family all support them, but they were a nothing team when I was 4 (still are). Instead I was looking at a team wearing the best looking kit I had ever seen tearing up the Premier League, I was not choosing Birmingham City!

Now as you may realise I have never witnessed Aston Villa outside of the top flight. I have witnessed League Cup wins. I have witnessed us finishing 2nd in 1992/93, finishing 4th in 1995/96 and 5th in 1996/97. I have witnessed European cup runs of varying success. Yet relegation passed me by and now at 28 years old I am experiencing this one for the first time. I still care and I still give a shit because in my mind we don't belong down here and won't stay down here, but I know that if we drop in to League One or League Two or further I wouldn't be on here daily or supporting the team every weekend.

So for me if selling our soul or a piece of it for a chance at global domination I will take it every single time because I like dedicating my Saturdays and Sundays to supporting this great club, but I have to feel like we are giving it a proper go otherwise it feels like I am just wasting my time. So that is my mindset when it comes to selling naming rights to things and altering history..

[PieFacE]

2 minutes ago, Daweii said:

I may sound like less of a true fan for saying this but part of what makes me give a shit is Aston Villa's competitiveness and relevance. 

I will give a little run down of my history with Villa. I was born in 1988 and was 4 years old when Aston Villa finished 2nd in the Premier League, I had already sort of made my mind up about who to support but that sealed the deal. I could have chosen Birmingham City I mean I lived closer to their stadium and my extended family all support them, but they were a nothing team when I was 4 (still are). Instead I was looking at a team wearing the best looking kit I had ever seen tearing up the Premier League, I was not choosing Birmingham City!

Now as you may realise I have never witnessed Aston Villa outside of the top flight. I have witnessed League Cup wins. I have witnessed us finishing 2nd in 1992/93, finishing 4th in 1995/96 and 5th in 1996/97. I have witnessed European cup runs of varying success. Yet relegation passed me by and now at 28 years old I am experiencing this one for the first time. I still care and I still give a shit because in my mind we don't belong down here and won't stay down here, but I know that if we drop in to League One or League Two or further I wouldn't be on here daily or supporting the team every weekend.

So for me if selling our soul or a piece of it for a chance at global domination I will take it every single time because I like dedicating my Saturdays and Sundays to supporting this great club, but I have to feel like we are giving it a proper go otherwise it feels like I am just wasting my time. So that is my mindset when it comes to selling naming rights to things and altering history..

I'm very similar to you (born in 87) so have seen the same things. But the one bit I don't fully understand is the bolded bit.... why wouldn't you still support them? It's still Aston Villa.

[Daweii]

Just now, PieFacE said:

I'm very similar to you (born in 87) so have seen the same things. But the one bit I don't fully understand is the bolded bit.... why wouldn't you still support them? It's still Aston Villa.

I would still support and follow Villa but not in the same way. Not going to games all the time and keeping super up to date with the club like I do now. I will always have time for this great club, but I would be less active is probably be the better way to put it. 

[Gary Thomas]

46 minutes ago, CarewsEyebrowDesigner said:

Partly because there isn't a wealth of information, but mostly its because it seems a bit incongruous that the Recon group would turn to English football, looking at their portfolio.

I think someone already mentioned, and it has been suggested in a few articles, that it almost certainly has something to do with the Chinese government's aim to become a player in world football - or to put it more cynically, to diversify their income

Anyway, yes, I'm not buying into the promises of the world because we've seen it all too often. What matters is the action taken and I'll reserve judgement until we see results.

It is not incongruous really - they have a very diversified portfolio in all sorts of sectors.  Look at a holding company like Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet) or even Virgin.  They do the same thing.  There are also other Chinese investors getting involved in football worldwide - it' s a trend. Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Slavia Prague.

I think information voids will always leave room for speculation - hopefully we will get more information over the coming months about Recon.  But I remember Hollis saying they looked very carefully at the company's so that gives me a lot of assurance given his background.

 

Edited May 20, 2016 by Gary Thomas

[Supervillan78]

So are we the next Man City or the next Portsmouth?

[Daweii]

1 minute ago, Supervillan78 said:

So are we the next Man City or the next Portsmouth?

Neither.. Xia states we won't do things like Man City but it appears we could with relative ease if he chose to. We're just a club with a very very very rich owner that is going to try and do things sensibly.