Chap of Steel Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 1 minute ago, Wainy316 said: I'm hungover do not up to speed. Is he a goodie again now? The Daily Mail ran an article offering more information than the other rehashed content. Seems he's more of a goodie at the moment than not. Personally I'm cautiously optimistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dont_do_it_doug. Posted May 22, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted May 22, 2016 3 minutes ago, Chap of Steel said: Small update since the original article was posted (sorry if already mentioned): The affirming thing about this guy's findings is that he goes *looking* to uncover fraudulent activity and conmen. He specialises in such. He was very cynical in the beginning, his tweets lead the initial charge, so to speak. That he's now done his research, met the guy, and is satisfied that he's genuine and above board, at this point, is enough for me to resume my excitement at the dawning of a new era. What I also found interesting is the mooted takeover of a $3bn US tech firm as mentioned in the article. The journalist went on to tweet that everything in the article was verified to his satisfaction. If that is the case, any doubts over whether Dr T's lofty ambitions are financially viable will instantly melt away. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heretic Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 5 hours ago, briny_ear said: My main concern at the moment is his plan to turn Aston into a "theme park". Do you think he has ever seen Aston? When this plan falls to pieces will he lose interest in the club? When he makes a teacups ride out of European Cups, he'll win you over. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chap of Steel Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 dont_do_it_doug makes a very good point I think people are so used to Villa making terrible football choices that everything is being scrutinised about this deal. So much so that Dr Tony has had to pull out a bank statement - i wonder if Sheikh Mansour had to do anything like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daweii Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 18 minutes ago, Wainy316 said: I'm hungover do not up to speed. Is he a goodie again now? He's our saviour!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno_2004 Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Props to him for giving the access he did, I must admit I was surprised he went as far as showing a bank statement when in reality he could have sat back and let the media/fans stew. Gives an insight into his personality that he's willing to put that out there to show he means business here. I'm cautiously optimistic with this guy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtsimonw Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Just now, jonno_2004 said: Props to him for giving the access he did, I must admit I was surprised he went as far as showing a bank statement when in reality he could have sat back and let the media/fans stew. Gives an insight into his personality that he's willing to put that out there to show he means business here. I'm cautiously optimistic with this guy. Exactly. He didn't have to do anything, but even on here there's been some stereotyping generalisations about him. Definitely shows a lot about him that he's happy to do something like this to show his intentions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 I see nothing untoward about this at all to the point I feel I've missed something. Not everything in business is black and white and that's why so many different corporate structures exist - to hide things, far more often than not legitimately and for legitimate purposes. You will never find out everything about this guy and his businesses. Has this all stemmed from "5 subsidiaries" actually being 1 and 4 probable purchases? If so this is almost definitely just a mistake from whoever drafts what goes on the website. I spend 90% of my life drilling home to clients that corporations are different entities and what owning or controlling them actually means. I would bet everything I own that Recon being the majority owner in one and seeking to buy 4 more got lost in translation and became "having 5 subsidiaries" either through the drafter misunderstanding what he was being told or not realising how big a mistake it is to essentially pre-empt a bunch of other acquisitions when they haven't yet happened (they may have just misunderstood something about how far down the line the sales were without actually having been completed). Who knows. I personally have confidence that this guy is the real deal. His credentials are excellent, he speaks sense, he has been honest about his intentions (including non footballing intentions), he has been very open where he hasn't had to be and he is from a country who are pushing football so any government involvement or influence can only be a positive thing (for now). 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daweii Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 I think Xia understands the reputation his country has he was likely hoping he wouldn't have to prove himself, but seems open to do so. I wonder how many people in our PR department if we even have much of one are getting fired, much of the doubt was fuelled by the official site making claims that were wide of the mark. Without that FT likely wouldn't have carried out an investigation the fans wouldn't have had such a horrible few days thinking he was a con artist, all of this links to the official site statement and nothing more. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAL Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 it wouldnt be the first time villas PR department has been terrible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 If anyone truly believes that the FT have found things that the legal teams of AVFC, their external advisors and Randy Lerner's advisors missed in due diligence then they are very wide of the mark. They could not and would not have missed something as big as what Recon actually holds. I truly believe this is just a stupid mistake in the article published on the official website more than anything else. Calm down everyone. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westholmevillan Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 4 minutes ago, kurtsimonw said: Exactly. He didn't have to do anything, but even on here there's been some stereotyping generalisations about him. Definitely shows a lot about him that he's happy to do something like this to show his intentions. I was very a very happy Villan....then I noticed the cheque was signed C Yeung....who the feck is he and his he dodgy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno_2004 Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 9 minutes ago, Spoony said: I see nothing untoward about this at all to the point I feel I've missed something. Not everything in business is black and white and that's why so many different corporate structures exist - to hide things, far more often than not legitimately and for legitimate purposes. You will never find out everything about this guy and his businesses. Has this all stemmed from "5 subsidiaries" actually being 1 and 4 probable purchases? If so this is almost definitely just a mistake from whoever drafts what goes on the website. I spend 90% of my life drilling home to clients that corporations are different entities and what owning or controlling them actually means. I would bet everything I own that Recon being the majority owner in one and seeking to buy 4 more got lost in translation and became "having 5 subsidiaries" either through the drafter misunderstanding what he was being told or not realising how big a mistake it is to essentially pre-empt a bunch of other acquisitions when they haven't yet happened (they may have just misunderstood something about how far down the line the sales were without actually having been completed). Who knows. I personally have confidence that this guy is the real deal. His credentials are excellent, he speaks sense, he has been honest about his intentions (including non footballing intentions), he has been very open where he hasn't had to be and he is from a country who are pushing football so any government involvement or influence can only be a positive thing (for now). I wasn't even sure if it was due to potential purchases, just the lack of differentiation between ownership of listed and private vehicles. Given the track record of Villa's PR, being a tad sloppy in this regard isn't the slightest bit surprising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 1 hour ago, Spoony said: I see nothing untoward about this at all to the point I feel I've missed something. Not everything in business is black and white and that's why so many different corporate structures exist - to hide things, far more often than not legitimately and for legitimate purposes. You will never find out everything about this guy and his businesses. Has this all stemmed from "5 subsidiaries" actually being 1 and 4 probable purchases? If so this is almost definitely just a mistake from whoever drafts what goes on the website. I spend 90% of my life drilling home to clients that corporations are different entities and what owning or controlling them actually means. I would bet everything I own that Recon being the majority owner in one and seeking to buy 4 more got lost in translation and became "having 5 subsidiaries" either through the drafter misunderstanding what he was being told or not realising how big a mistake it is to essentially pre-empt a bunch of other acquisitions when they haven't yet happened (they may have just misunderstood something about how far down the line the sales were without actually having been completed). Who knows. I personally have confidence that this guy is the real deal. His credentials are excellent, he speaks sense, he has been honest about his intentions (including non footballing intentions), he has been very open where he hasn't had to be and he is from a country who are pushing football so any government involvement or influence can only be a positive thing (for now). Just to add to this excellent summary, we spent years dreaming of being owned by a big corporation. Perhaps Recon Group aren't quite that yet. But tell me, how do smaller corporations become larger corporations? By buying up other smaller corporations? Ok, so he's not an oil sheikh rocking up to Villa Park 2 days before the end of the transfer window lighting a fire with £50 notes, but the minor PR **** up mentioned aside, everything checks out. It's no surprise to me that we are easily spooked, I include myself in that. But regardless what comes out over the next few weeks maybe we should take a collective breath before throwing our toys out of the pram again. His honesty and openness is indeed refreshing and I'm grateful for being treated like an adult. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 1 hour ago, Chap of Steel said: I think people are so used to Villa making terrible football choices that everything is being scrutinised about this deal. So much so that Dr Tony has had to pull out a bank statement - i wonder if Sheikh Mansour had to do anything like that? In fairness, Sheikh Mansour wasn't exactly an unknown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rds1983 Posted May 22, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 22, 2016 2 hours ago, dont_do_it_doug. said: What I also found interesting is the mooted takeover of a $3bn US tech firm as mentioned in the article. The journalist went on to tweet that everything in the article was verified to his satisfaction. That could prove very lucrative to Villa. Not only would it be another potential big sponsor on the lines of Lotus Villa Park but such a sponsorship could also help us in the US market. Anything we can do to grow support in China and the US can only be good for the club long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob182 Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 Probably the single most pathetic post I've seen on VT for a long time. It's currently starred with approximately a dozen people 'liking' it. Maybe I need a break from the site for a few days. I think that's a bit of an overreaction. The only part of 'They would prefer Lerner + no budget + McLeish' that is an exaggeration is the McLeish part, as no-one wants him back. But there have been a number of people stating that their morals are too clean cut for us to be involved with an owner like Xia and Chris Samuelson, given the rumours of hidden funds etc. As some people have made no secret of their disapproval, it's not crazy to say that they, and their morals, would prefer to have Randy Lerner and the minimal budget he would provide, even if it meant we got stuck in the Championship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisler123 Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 I think Villa fans may have over-reacted to some negative aspects to Xia as a businessman, like 1 listed company instead of 5 as claimed originally. Xia DOES have some bad reputation in China (like calling himself a harvard professor in his application to 1000-people plan (leading researchers), and his ex-wife accusing him about him cheating on her which was then made public). None of these seem to be very bad imo. BUT i have to say something very honestly - these 'bad' reputation Xia (may) have is in fact very little compared to the 'normal' bad reputation of most rich men have in China. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted May 22, 2016 Share Posted May 22, 2016 8 hours ago, juanpabloangel18 said: Am I the only one who's a little concerned that he felt the need to bring a bank statement to an interview with the Daily Mail...? I thought it was totally bizarre. It's also maybe very odd just to dump the proceeds of a company sale in a bank account. Hope he's getting a decent rate of interest - and do they have the equivalent of the FSCS savings protection scheme in China? Hope so for his sake. However, we are where we are, we have the owner we have, so lash yourself to the mast and enjoy the ride, theme parks, top 3 world club ambitions, bank accounts and all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareth Posted May 22, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted May 22, 2016 1 minute ago, Deisler123 said: I think Villa fans may have over-reacted to some negative aspects to Xia as a businessman, like 1 listed company instead of 5 as claimed originally. Xia DOES have some bad reputation in China (like calling himself a harvard professor in his application to 1000-people plan (leading researchers), and his ex-wife accusing him about him cheating on her which was then made public). None of these seem to be very bad imo. BUT i have to say something very honestly - these 'bad' reputation Xia (may) have is in fact very little compared to the 'normal' bad reputation of most rich men have in China. Xia can have his choice of any of our wives if he gets us promoted first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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