Leyton Orient in the high court Monday March 20 2017

[Never to the dark side]

The tax man is attempting to wind up Leyton Orient in the high court over unpaid tax bill.

 

Here's hoping.is doesn't come to that.

[One hair on my chin]

Only a few years ago they wanted to move to the Olympic Stadium. Something really gone wrong fast!

[22A]

Thank you for that sentiment. Meanwhile over on gaschat, they're not so considerate.

http://gaschat.co.uk/thread/9507/os-big-trouble

[kiwicolin]

Shame that some ex players can't put their hands in their pockets and pay the bill. Also what is 250 grand to some bigger London clubs in paying it.  Put money back into grass roots football clubs.  

[Bristol Rob]

7 minutes ago, kiwicolin said:

Shame that some ex players can't put their hands in their pockets and pay the bill. Also what is 250 grand to some bigger London clubs in paying it.  Put money back into grass roots football clubs.  

Get the point, but it does beg the question 'why should they?'

 

[TV Tom]

One weeks wages for some prem players

[22A]

27 minutes ago, Bristol Rob said:

Get the point, but it does beg the question 'why should they?'

 

Football is a pyramid structure. What happens to the apex when the base is destroyed?

On the other hand, supporting your argument; how do clubs in the lower divisions of the Scottish League survive? On Saturday less than 400 (That is not a typo) turned up to watch Cowdenbeath v Montrose. Perhaps some English clubs should look North for a financial plan.

[chipdawg]

I actually think the only thing that's going to 'fix' football is by letting some clubs go to the wall. However, Leyton Orient going bust will fix nothing- it should have been Leicester or Portsmouth or Forest. We need to move away from this attitude that football clubs are almost untouchable in terms of going bust. It's the only way to inject some responsibility and sanity to modern football. So I hope Orient can survive, but I hope next time it's a club in the top 2 divisions, I hope maybe they don't

[Robbored]

It's a shame that any club is forced into liquidation. I remember Accrington Stanley and Bradford Park Avenue going that way.

At least Accrington have risen again.

[bcfcshorey]

Theres a GoFundMe page (https://www.gofundme.com/saveorient) raising money so they have a fund to buy the club or assets from the liquidator/administrator.

 

[22A]

OK; HMRC announced Orient have paid their tax bill. Orient are now given until Monday June 12th to pay off four others owed money.

9 days later June 21st is when next season's fixture list is released.

One other thing for 2017-18, the League Cup becomes the Carabao Cup.

[Aizoon]

6 hours ago, Robbored said:

It's a shame that any club is forced into liquidation. I remember Accrington Stanley and Bradford Park Avenue going that way.

At least Accrington have risen again.

Didn't we play the "phoenix" Bradford Park Avenue in the Cup a few years ago?

[Robbored]

4 minutes ago, Aizoon said:

Didn't we play the "phoenix" Bradford Park Avenue in the Cup a few years ago?

I'm not sure Aiz. I did have a vague feeling that Bradford PA had also risen again when I posted earlier.

Bradford PA were playing in the first professional football match I ever saw aged about 10 or 11 at Sincil Bank. My g'father took me along.  They lost 3-2. 

[kiwicolin]

8 hours ago, Bristol Rob said:

Get the point, but it does beg the question 'why should they?'

 

Because if it wasn't for little clubs like them , the big clubs wouldn't be able to buy the best players from them or send their best players , on loan , to gain experience. 

[BigTone]

Seems the owner has settled the tax bill but they still have to pay other creditors by 12th June. Not exactly huge sums though.

 

"The East London club are not safe yet, however, with the creditors getting behind the winding-up order to ensure the money they are owed is paid back. 

The Court was told that the club still owe club photographer Simon O'Connell £6k, Central Circuit Event Management Ltd, who provide match-day stewards, £18k; and London Borough Waltham Forest, their local council, £36k."

[22A]

14 minutes ago, Robbored said:

I'm not sure Aiz. I did have a vague feeling that Bradford PA had also risen again when I posted earlier.

 

On 3 May 1974 the shareholders agreed to liquidate the company with debts of £57,652. The supporters then registered the name as a company and began again in the Bradford Amateur Sunday League Division Four playing in the old kit of the former club. Carl Shutt was their Manager for a year from March 2004. http://tc1.bpafc.com/club/history/

[Big C]

21 minutes ago, Robbored said:

I'm not sure Aiz. I did have a vague feeling that Bradford PA had also risen again when I posted earlier.

Bradford PA were playing in the first professional football match I ever saw aged about 10 or 11 at Sincil Bank. My g'father took me along.  They lost 3-2. 

 

 

31 minutes ago, Aizoon said:

Didn't we play the "phoenix" Bradford Park Avenue in the Cup a few years ago?

9th November 2003. FA Cup 1st Round Bradford Park Avenue 2 Bristol City 5 (Amankwah 2, o.g, Wilkshire, Matthews)

[CodeRed]

20 minutes ago, Robbored said:

I'm not sure Aiz. I did have a vague feeling that Bradford PA had also risen again when I posted earlier.

Bradford PA were playing in the first professional football match I ever saw aged about 10 or 11 at Sincil Bank. My g'father took me along.  They lost 3-2. 

Bradford PA didn't actually go bust whilst in the football league, they were voted out in 1968/70 (replaced by Cambridge Utd) and dropped into the Northern Premier - they soldiered on until 1974 (having sold their ground in 1973 for housing) when they went into voluntary liquidation with debts of just £57K.  An amateur club of the same name was formed and has risen to the Conference North.............they were also managed for a couple of years around 2005 by one Carl Shutt who many will remember!

We played them away in the FA cup round 1 in 2003 winning 5-2.

[Lanterne Rouge]

1 hour ago, CodeRed said:

Bradford PA didn't actually go bust whilst in the football league, they were voted out in 1968/70 (replaced by Cambridge Utd) and dropped into the Northern Premier - they soldiered on until 1974 (having sold their ground in 1973 for housing) when they went into voluntary liquidation with debts of just £57K.  An amateur club of the same name was formed and has risen to the Conference North.............they were also managed for a couple of years around 2005 by one Carl Shutt who many will remember!

We played them away in the FA cup round 1 in 2003 winning 5-2.

I remember going to see Somerset in a JP League game away to Yorkshire at Bradford, must have been around 76 or so. The cricket ground was next door to the Bradford PA stadium which was almost derelict by that time and very sad to see. If as above it was sold in 1973 it must have lain idle for a good few years before building started.

[Aizoon]

4 hours ago, CodeRed said:

Bradford PA didn't actually go bust whilst in the football league, they were voted out in 1968/70 (replaced by Cambridge Utd) and dropped into the Northern Premier - they soldiered on until 1974 (having sold their ground in 1973 for housing) when they went into voluntary liquidation with debts of just £57K.  An amateur club of the same name was formed and has risen to the Conference North.............they were also managed for a couple of years around 2005 by one Carl Shutt who many will remember!

We played them away in the FA cup round 1 in 2003 winning 5-2.

Carl Shutt! Not a great player, but a real pro.  Much loved here and at Leeds.

[Erithacus]

Hmm, a club faced with winding up? Those with longer memories may recall the dark days when we faced a similar fate.

[cityred exile]

Liam Kelly  and Nicky Hunt on the big slide here   How the mighty have fallen !

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

13 hours ago, 22A said:

Football is a pyramid structure. What happens to the apex when the base is destroyed?

On the other hand, supporting your argument; how do clubs in the lower divisions of the Scottish League survive? On Saturday less than 400 (That is not a typo) turned up to watch Cowdenbeath v Montrose. Perhaps some English clubs should look North for a financial plan.

Most of the Scottish lower division clubs are part time.

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

13 hours ago, harrys said:

One weeks wages for some prem players

It`s a pity Harry Kane couldn`t pay it off. He played for the Os.

[BigTone]

2 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

It`s a pity Harry Kane couldn`t pay it off. He played for the Os.

The owner has paid it off today as I mentioned in an earlier post.

[Southstandoriginal]

14 hours ago, Red Right Hand said:

I remember going to see Somerset in a JP League game away to Yorkshire at Bradford, must have been around 76 or so. The cricket ground was next door to the Bradford PA stadium which was almost derelict by that time and very sad to see. If as above it was sold in 1973 it must have lain idle for a good few years before building started.

An indoor cricket school was built on part of the football stadium (with the blue roof). The rest of the football pitch is still there and the overgrown terraces at the far end can still be seen.

[22A]

Bad to worse; announced on SSN that the Orient players have not been paid today.

[phantom]

5 minutes ago, 22A said:

Bad to worse; announced on SSN that the Orient players have not been paid today.

Members of the Leyton Orient squad are set to go on strike after it was revealed, along with members of staff, they were not paid on time.

According to The Sun, the players are willing to play in tomorrow's match against Wycombe Wanderers. 

However, if the pay dispute is not resolved before the trip to Cambridge United on Saturday, April 8 new boss Omer Riza could face a player's mutiny. 

The Professional Footballers Association are aware of the situation. 

Owner Francesco Becchetti bought the club in 2014 from Barry Hearn for £4million. 

 

Earlier this month, HMRC served the second oldest club in London on March 1 and were given a stay of execution at the High Court until June 12.

The Italian stated through a witness statement he will inject a £1million cash fund to pay off the remaining debt.

First team manager resigned from his role on Wednesday evening with Omer Riza taking charge until the end of the season.

[phantom]

Leyton Orient's prospective buyer is set to put a new offer forward despite the debt being greater than the club value, the East London Guardian Series understands.

The unnamed American publicly funded company initially put in a bid at the beginning of the month but were met with 'radio silence'.

It is believed the deal was to give owner Francesco Becchetti the value, the £4million he paid in 2014 to Barry Hearn, minus the debt.

However, it has now been confirmed the money the club owes is significantly higher than the value.

 

The figure is believed to be around £5million and it is also thought other parties are interested in the O's. 

But, the company's new deal will entail that they are willing to take on the debt but Becchetti walk away and give them the club.  

Orient currently sit 24th in the Football League and face relegation into the National League for the first time in 112 years. 

They were given a stay of execution at High Court on March 20 after they received a petition from HMRC over an unpaid tax bill.

Becchetti paid the initial bill but other creditors have since taken over. 

[Offside]

It's sad to see them in such a mess. City v Orient in the early 1980s was my first ever game. It wasn't that long ago that they had a season when they were challenging at the top of League 1. There was a regular column about them at around that time in the Independent newspaper (another thing of the past! ) where they came across as a well run club. How things change.