bert tann

2 minutes ago, Rudolf Hucker said:

Now that would be a pretty serious situation.

I have a feeling it was said tongue in cheek Rudolf. 

(but in the nicest possible way ... you'll understand)

Rumour that announcement of new signings has been delayed because players agents are demanding a second charge over the Mem to secure their clients wages. 

1 hour ago, Coombsy said:

I truly hope we get everything we wish for from Wael and his family 
Not sure if it has ever been mentioned on here before but how much did he buy the club for?
Also has anyone worked out if he has actually used any of his own money yet on the club, over and above what we have received in transfers and cup receipts etc bearing in mind we have approx 10 million in land/stadium value etc. 
When it's 100% clear he is investing his own money in this process I will be able to sleep more soundly at night. 
FTG

 

Not a penny all been done from loans that's why you owe drain sports 10 million and counting 

The question is how high can the counting go ?

Rovers lost 865K in 2016 and also wrote off 2.3 million  UWE stadium costs which were previously capitalised. But the loss figure includes 607K put back into the P & L due to waiving interest owing to the previous owners which is a "one off" so if that is discounted the true operating loss for 2016 would be 1.47 million. This years interest payable to Dwane Sports on their 10.0 million credit facility, compared to that payable to MSP Capital on their 2.7 million loan, may add around 200K and if other expenses (Hamster salary, new staff etc) also increase costs by around 300K we are looking at 2 million losses for this year. So the credit line which was standing at 7.2 million a year ago will be up to 9.2 million now.

But, what if Dwane Sports Ltd had insisted that part of Rovers credit facility was loaned to their associate company Dwane Colony Ltd to enable it to purchase the training ground ? If that was the case, and the loan added to the estimated 9.2 million of the credit facility already used, where would it leave Rovers cash wise at this point in time ?

Henbury Gas alleges that the training ground fence has not been paid for but he may be  skirting around the issue. It is the potential for Colony Gate which is of more concern to Rovers fans who are not afflicted with blind faith.  

On 6/29/2017 at 11:27, pongo88 said:

Bert - I hope you realise that you are on the gas forum hit list because of your insightful comments.

Yes Pongo I am aware and I do take precautions. For example, when out and about in Bristol I disguise myself by wearing a red shirt with Lancer Scott printed on the front.

Since Lancer has never been known to criticise Rovers’ owners I am always quite safe.

One of the main benefits of using an offshore company with nominee shareholders to own a UK asset on your behalf is that if you wish to dispose of that asset you simply sell the offshore company and nobody is any the wiser. 

Mindful of work starting imminently at the UWE we are obviously signing James to hold the ladder steady.

Don’t worry yourselves about transfer fees the big buzz word these days is infrastructure and this is where we are going to catch and overtake you.

Our ambitious plans for the new training ground at Almondsbury place a huge emphasis on environmental protection alongside daring architectural innovation and revolutionary construction methods. A wide variety of plant is already evident on site and drivers passing by on the M5 will be amazed at the myriad of docks, nettles, thistles and dandelions scattered across this state of the art landscape.

Old Gas has never been the same since his brief encounter last season, at a railway station in London, with Stephen Hamster (Trevor Howard) and W A Qadi (Celia Johnson). 

As the action begins we discover that OG is an honest to goodness salt of the earth follower of a lower league West Country football team who likes nothing better on a Saturday night than to gather around the piano with his mates as Mrs Mills belts out old classics such as “comeandhaveagoatthetoteendaggro”.  It is a simple yet satisfying life with the odd promotion or even odder cup run punctuated by countless Saturdays where the Green Un headline reads “Another City victory – Rovers unlucky again”. But OG is happy, because he knows in his heart that being part of a community of like minded souls and enjoying what he has, rather than pining for something which is perpetually out of reach, is the way he wants to live. 

Then the fateful day arrives when he climbs into a railway carriage and finds himself next to two glamorous figures and leading lights in the world of football about which he is so passionate. After picking the starstruck OG up off the floor Stephen Hamster sits him on his knee and proceeds to tell him what is in store for his football club and how it is going to be transformed into a powerhouse the like of which has not been seen since Caitlyn Jenner was a boy. 

Months pass and OG tramps the streets of Bristol but, try as he might, he cannot rediscover the low door in the wall which leads to an enchanted garden. He finds something similar on the corner of Queen Square but all they do now is spicy foreign food and sadly the days of his favourite prawn cocktail followed by rump steak are long gone. It dawns on him that he is living in a world where people make promises fully aware they are unlikely to ever be fulfilled and, to keep them quiet, children are offered treats which their elders know will probably never materialise. Even the leading lights who appear on TV and who you sometimes meet on trains turn out to be actors reciting completely meaningless lines.

16 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

Also according to my wife ( a paralegal specialising in Company law) they are in breach of the new HMRC law which came into force in April 2016, which insists that any company operating in the UK must declare who the person(s) with significant control are. They are yet to do this. What are they hiding?

I believe your wife must be mistaken because records clearly show control to be in the hands of Mr Nominee-Shareholder1 and Mr Nominee-Shareholder2. These two esteemed gentlemen are passionate football fans and can frequently be found on the Gloucester Road mingling with supporters and kissing the badge on their quartered shirts. Their business methods are beyond reproach as is their track record of debt accumulation which, fortunately for us, has resulted in the Memorial Stadium being chosen from amongst a host of other assets to have a brand spanking new legal charge taken over it. This now sits proudly on the register at Companies House alongside those old and disreputable ones previously listed by Barclays Bank and MSP Capital. At a time when our national sport is plagued by owners with dubious motives and suspect sources of finance we should be grateful that we are safe and secure under the control of the saintly Nominee-Shareholder family.

Today it has been announced that Darrell Clarke has been given a five year contract.

Rovers supporters are ecstatic as they once again fall into the trap of only seeing what they want to see.

The UWE must be going ahead they say instead of considering this might be an intricate ploy to cover up what is happening behind the scenes as the AJIB share price continues to fall and the owners desperately try to extricate themselves from the mess they are in. 

What has not been announced is that Dwane Sports Ltd registered a charge against the Memorial Stadium on 31st May 2017.

Why did they do that ?

40 minutes ago, redysteadygo said:

Afraid it was a purple patch for the gas in the 10 years Vic played for them. 8 seasons they finished above us 2 of them in a higher league!!! So maybe not a mug.

And of course during this period we were fortunate to have the services of the second greatest manager in Rovers history.

If only I'd had the massive resources which Darrell has at his disposal now I think we could have reached the top flight. 

Back in the fifties we never had a dynamic head of recruitment like Will Dubious nor a head of medical like the ever caring Dr Shipman. We starved the players before matches and when they did eat the food was prepared in a filthy grease encrusted kitchen. Leisure time was spent lounging on stained and ragged carpets and the gloom was hardly lifted by the grimy moth eaten curtains hanging precariously across the cobweb covered windows of our Eastville home. There was no state of the art training ground then so we practiced twice a week on the sh*t covered cinders next to the greyhound kennels. Sprinklers ?  you must be joking, the only time we saw water was when the River Frome flooded which started off the looting and forced Fred and I to stand guard over the trophy cabinet for days on end. They were hard times and more than once the Chairman had to sell his daughter on City Road to pay the wages on a Friday but at least the staff discounts were  generous.

Happy Days.

1 hour ago, BanburyRed said:

It's like the world's worst 'odd one out' round for HIGNFY!

Actually it's from HIGSNFY (Have I got stadium news for you) and the programme, which is due to go out next decade, will reveal the source of finance for our new ground.

The deal was brokered by an old tote ender currently residing in China who has had a complete gender make over but in true 1970's style  still insists on wearing a Rovers banner wrapped around his neck. If you look closely you will see he even has the "Tiffany's" entrance stamp showing on the back of his hand.

3 hours ago, phantom said:

You're welcome to her @Robert the bruce

Believe she is single after splitting up with BBC Radio's John Darvall

I understand she was very close to Nicholas and he may have had a hand in the watertight aspect of her contract.

Anyone following the fortunes of the Arab Jordan Investment Bank will know that it's share price has plummeted in recent weeks and in the last twelve months the value of the whole Al-Qadi family holding has dropped by about £10 million from approximately £93 million to approximately £83 million.

Investment analysts Capital Cube expect the share price to fall further and say the data suggests a "lack of strategic focus and/or lack of execution success"

In these circumstances, as generous and sporting members of Bristol's footballing fraternity, I'm sure none of us would blame the family for putting their own interests first.

But the question on everyone's lips is "what next for Rovers ?"

18 minutes ago, Swede said:

Yes, but all this assumes that they can sell the land that is the Memorial ground in the first place & as far as I know there is no plans in place to do this.

They can't put a supermarket there & student accommodation is tricky with the parking element.

This only leaves housing which in itself will be difficult for any developer with the adverse publicity it will attract. 

All of the this requires a lot of time in planning.

Anyone can do an "artist's impression"

None of it adds up.

The 2016 accounts, signed off on 30th March 2017, show that on 23rd March 2017 the Memorial Stadium was valued at £11.1 million by Jones Lang LaSalle. 

1 hour ago, slartibartfast said:

And then, down came the rain !

Uncle Mac died fifty years ago this Thursday.

55 minutes ago, B1ackbird said:

Right said Fred...

I am sorry if Miah has received abuse on the Rovers forum through somehow being associated with me and I hope these posters now realise their error and will apologise.

It would also be a good time for members of the Rovers forum who are close to the club, perhaps those who know people working at the Mem or have themselves held positions within the support organisations, to confirm they have heard no suggestion at all that the club is up for sale. If they can do that I am sure it would give great comfort to fans who believe such an idea to be preposterous.

4 hours ago, pongo88 said:

Bert - why not come out and admit you're really a lifelong City fan? Your comments are far too sensible for someone of a Rovers persuasion 

No, I'm Rovers all right but there are supporters that are wiser and with much more inside knowledge than me who should be airing their views.

It was OK to have a bit of fun at Nicholas' expense and if you remember I was winding you lot up a little when we all thought the new owners would have the financial muscle to complete the UWE deal and begin to give City a run for your money. But, starting with the excruciating BBC Bristol feature made in Jordan, as the months have passed the evidence has mounted that things are not as they should be. There is no point in typing the list of signals all over again save to say that from the "landing lights" comment by Stephen Hamer to the carpet cleaning and new curtains press release just recently it's obvious that the blundering around is continuing and people who are serious about what they do, such as the Governors of UWE and manager Darrell Clarke, will not put up with it for much longer. 

Unless they can find a benefactor among their friends in the Middle East who is willing to part with tens of millions for the privilege of owning a league 1 football club I fear our owners will be faced with the dilemma of either taking a substantial financial hit themselves or destroying an institution which has graced*** Bristol for the past 134 years. 

( ***   I use this word in the Are You Being Served context)

8 minutes ago, cityloyal473 said:

Sure there would be more than just your murmurings if true, Bert. 

Yes, you would think so, but remember that one of the underlying weaknesses at Rovers is the timidity of what Bristol Rob calls "the more sensible Gas".

I believe many fans close to the inner workings of the club know what is happening but, out of a misplaced sense of loyalty, refuse to speak openly. Many of us assessed Nicholas as a well meaning and committed Rovers fan but knew his blundering would eventually lead to disaster which it did. But only a few were prepared to speak up and they did so not out of personal malice but because they saw the well being of the club was threatened. The same applies with the current owners where every fan wants them to succeed but the vast majority prefer to  turn a blind eye to the worrying gap in credibility which is now opening up rather than speak out and potentially help avert a catastrophe.    

I am told that Bristol Rovers is indeed up for sale and the owners expect to recoup the circa £10 million which they have loaned the club.

But who would pay £10 million for a business losing about £1.5 million per year with an asset which cannot be sold without making it homeless and consequently sending those losses catastrophically higher ?

The Jordanian takeover may turn out to have been a cock-up of biblical proportions.

27 minutes ago, RumRed said:

You'd be mad to boycott argos...

http://www.argos.co.uk/product/6163408

£6.49 per seat, bargain!

 

Thanks for the information RedRum.

I make that 21700 x £6.49 which is £140,833.00 and well within budget for the UWE Stadium .

Unfortunately tents have gone up but as soon as knickers come down it will be all cisterns go.

1 hour ago, Bar BS3 said:

Seriously, don't you sit there cringing with embarrassment, when you see quotes of the utter bollocks that your lot consistently state as fact..?

I'm genuinely amazed that you'd want to frequent a place that justifiably belittles your club and the (majority of) morons who follow it. No doubt, perfectly reasonable people in general, who get sucked into the "Gas logic" way of thinking and become deluded cretins. 

 

In the Net produced a nice touch of the traditional Rovers sense of humour which is almost extinct now.

I frequent OTIB because of the hilarity of posters poking fun at the absurdities which come out of The Mem and which have hardly dried up since Nicholas left. We keep scoring the own goals so it's not surprising City fans make the most of it. This light hearted mirth is what football rivalry should be about but sadly the "banter" coming the other way is too often tinged with resentment. Even today there is a gaschat post encouraging fans to boycott Argos because they have been taken over by Sainsburys but thankfully sensible posters are discouraging such nonsense.

How we got to this point is hard to say because in the days of "Ashton Alf" and "Eastville Ern" Rovers fans had a distinctive character which certainly did not include boastfulness, exaggeration or the type of paranoiac blind faith we see today.,  

2 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

Are you Hairy Ticker (the bloke with a cock up his arse) ?

I can't believe Jeremy Thorpe is on here posting as BS3City.

Surely, if he was, he would use a more imaginative name such as "Norman's wrist" or "Scott's right hand"

And, speaking of proportional representation, what a disgrace the league 1 play off final attendance of 53 000 was today.

Rovers would have filled Wembley twice over if other teams had not cheated by fielding ineligible players and denying us our rightful place in the top six. 

So farewell then Alan Qadi

You came

You saw

You got carried down Gloucester Road in triumph

And then some sensible shareholders said "don't be stupid Al, if you try to offload half your holdings in our bank to pay for a football ground the share price will collapse and we'll all be ruined"