| Given Gao is now gone... 17:56 - Jan 4 with 6417 views | franniesTache |
I can safely share some bits i knew about him and the club, some are boring, some are interesting, but they probably put more of the why he bought us into perspective.
It's worth saying the reason i know this is because one of my family worked with him on it, and were even invited to watch games from his box.
So the reason for the initial purchase of Saints by Gao was originally for two reasons, neither of which had anything to do with the football team.
Gao bought us at a time when football was a priority for the Chinese government and his intention was to use our academy model to set up Chinese football academies to help the sport grow in the country, the second was to create "football business programmes" partnering with Southampton University, to train and create an education system and model of revenue based around football.
Both of these key aims collapsed when the chinese government changed their policy towards football, and that was the point when he stopped putting money into the club.
Gao was never going to put billions into Saints, his intentions were to use Saints to create favour in China and to create business connections in Southampton, primarily with the university.
One thing that was never mentioned much was that he was also a devout buddhist and his religion and Katherine's religion were one of the reasons she trusted him as a buyer.
Anyway like i said it's a bit dull maybe, but should give some insight into why he bought us in the first place, and maybe give us an understanding of the things that make us attractive to other buyers. |  | | |  |
| Given Gao is now gone... on 15:21 - Jan 5 with 1055 views | SouthSeaSaint |
| Given Gao is now gone... on 14:26 - Jan 5 by Poirot |
This is still be advertised for sale, thought FT as on about the land directly opposte the itchen stand ? Now the club might have some capital it should consider obtaining the advertised land. Land being availble is a total one off and if you wanted to increase the chapel stand and lose car parking it go on this site across the road. |
The land along the west side of the Itchen ie in front of the Itchen Stand is earmarked for 'gentrification' by the City Council.
Their freehold ownership of the old Refuse Dump has been sold on to developers and is now flats and at the other end the old Plaza cinema/Southern TV(TVS) site is also flats.
If the Aggregate Companies who occupy wharves along the Itchen frontage can be relocated this area will also become available for some sort of retail/housing/entertainment type development which may be of interest to the football club. |  | | |
| Given Gao is now gone... on 15:56 - Jan 5 with 1015 views | Poirot |
I just viewed the Gao takeover as a bit of 'western bling' alongside their burberry coats and gucci shoes. It made no sense because there was simply no way commercial revenue could come from that lot. Look at the shirt sponsor which was a total farce that went unpaid.
Im not even sure that Gao actually paid the full amount by the way to Liebherr. |  | | |
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