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So, so much has gone into making this happen, and so many people deserve credit, who won’t be seeking it, for making it so.
To say this is the perfect outcome for the club would be a gross understatement. It’s almost a work of fantasy given how perfect this is, given the type of people out there looking to make a fast buck out of football clubs. There isn’t an ounce of that here and ongoing sustainability will be the watchword going forward.
People in the halls of power at the club can now exit crisis mode and perhaps actually enjoy representing the football club, while planning for a future that is real and positive.
Real work will begin to make the club a pillar of the community and that is to be lauded, but the majority of us can simply go back to what we do best - enjoying and moaning about the football in equal measure.
Great news. And now with some very experienced business heads in the engine room. Hopefully the Rochdale FC brand is going to become more appealing to locals/supporters. Also hopefully with experienced better crafted messages, and things like Improved sponsorship deals, collaborations and good overall marketing strategy will see the club finally grow into an eternity beyond our expectations.
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Club Statement. Deal done on 06:41 - May 10 with 2849 views
Couldn’t ask for better news. I do wish SG would’ve taken his money rather than shares. Not that I or many others wanted to make money on our shares, but, unless I’m mistaken, and please correct me if I am, if we were to break even our shares’ value would need to rise nearly 10 fold, if that does happen, SG will be in profit to the tune of £5m! Should’ve just taken your money Simon.
Club Statement. Deal done on 06:41 - May 10 by rochedale
Couldn’t ask for better news. I do wish SG would’ve taken his money rather than shares. Not that I or many others wanted to make money on our shares, but, unless I’m mistaken, and please correct me if I am, if we were to break even our shares’ value would need to rise nearly 10 fold, if that does happen, SG will be in profit to the tune of £5m! Should’ve just taken your money Simon.
Really is superb news, as others have said. We cannot have hoped for a better fit when it came to an investor.
'Only happy when you've got it often makes you miss the journey'
Club Statement. Deal done on 06:41 - May 10 by rochedale
Couldn’t ask for better news. I do wish SG would’ve taken his money rather than shares. Not that I or many others wanted to make money on our shares, but, unless I’m mistaken, and please correct me if I am, if we were to break even our shares’ value would need to rise nearly 10 fold, if that does happen, SG will be in profit to the tune of £5m! Should’ve just taken your money Simon.
Simon Gauge has basically written off over £500,000 by converting it to shares. Money that the club now doesn't have to pay him back, it's a fantastic gesture really. The same applies to the likes of Richard Knight, Jamie Sarsfield and the other Directors. I would like to see all those Directors financial help recognised in some way and a line drawn under any petty fall outs. Everyone of them should be welcomed back with open arms to the club and so should the likes of Chris Dunphy and other Dale stalwarts who have done their best to look after the club down the years.They have expertise and contacts that the ogdens could tap into. Chris Dunphy was our most successful Chairman ever, the Ogdens would be daft not to meet up for a cup of tea and a chat with him. What would they have to lose? Nothing.
For the club to really progress any historic grudges and childish spats need to be dropped, especially if the person bearing the grudges is in the Boardroom. I'm sure the Ogden family won't put up with any of that nonsense anyway, it's schoolyard behaviour and doesn't belong in the boardroom of a multi million pound business. Every member of the boardroom represents not only the club but the Ogden family now, that needs to be remembered when it comes to conducting themselves and especially in respect of how they communicate with people and I include the Trust, shareholders and fans in that.
Personal grudges and petty fall outs have really hurt the club over the last few years, fantastic people and life long supporters of the club shunned and disrespected when they could have really helped the Chairman and the Club. That sort of behaviour needs to stop now because it's been self harming and really unprofessional. It's not what this club's about neither, fostering a 'us and them' when it comes to those in the Boardroom and the fans results in supporters not feeling engaged or wanting to spend their money. We all need to pull together as one now
[Post edited 10 May 7:58]
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Club Statement. Deal done on 08:01 - May 10 with 2692 views
Club Statement. Deal done on 06:41 - May 10 by rochedale
Couldn’t ask for better news. I do wish SG would’ve taken his money rather than shares. Not that I or many others wanted to make money on our shares, but, unless I’m mistaken, and please correct me if I am, if we were to break even our shares’ value would need to rise nearly 10 fold, if that does happen, SG will be in profit to the tune of £5m! Should’ve just taken your money Simon.
I am not sure if you have had chance to read the terms of the Ogden's offer, but it was wholly conditional on Simon and Richard converting their debt to equity. Without this magnificent gesture from these two to actually do so, we probably would not have a club any longer.
How Simon "will be in profit to the tune of £5m" is a bizarre statement to make. A tenfold increase in share value is not a profit unless you sell.
The only ways any shareholder can potentially profit is by private sale at a price higher than what they paid, or in the event of the club going into liquidation, sufficient funds left after secured creditors are paid off after the sale of assets. Given our asset base is worth c. £5m,we might make a quid or 2 above the price paid.
Since November 2023, the only sizeable lumps of money going into the club have been from Simon and family, Richard, and latterly the Ogden family.
Club Statement. Deal done on 08:03 - May 10 by judd
I am not sure if you have had chance to read the terms of the Ogden's offer, but it was wholly conditional on Simon and Richard converting their debt to equity. Without this magnificent gesture from these two to actually do so, we probably would not have a club any longer.
How Simon "will be in profit to the tune of £5m" is a bizarre statement to make. A tenfold increase in share value is not a profit unless you sell.
The only ways any shareholder can potentially profit is by private sale at a price higher than what they paid, or in the event of the club going into liquidation, sufficient funds left after secured creditors are paid off after the sale of assets. Given our asset base is worth c. £5m,we might make a quid or 2 above the price paid.
Since November 2023, the only sizeable lumps of money going into the club have been from Simon and family, Richard, and latterly the Ogden family.
...and lets not forget that they also bought the MH shares back at over £2 and those shares are now worth next to nowt. To have put close to £1m into the club is quite remarkable for a man that doesn't own a business where he can make that money back. His family are forever poorer for trying to do the right thing.
The criticism and personal vendetta's aimed at them were disgraceful. Calling for him to be ousted were disgraceful. As you say Judd, they have lost a fortune. They would have been financially better off letting the club fold and get some cash back being a major creditor. But they didn't. Far more honourable than some. It would be nice if the haters were to apologise and then we can all move on.
We now need to see what happens as the new journey begins. I am not expecting it to smell of roses as we steer the good ship Dale on an even keel and steady course. There will be bumps in the road - there always are. Good luck to Gateshead this weekend.
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Club Statement. Deal done on 10:10 - May 10 with 2388 views
Club Statement. Deal done on 09:39 - May 10 by Dalenet
...and lets not forget that they also bought the MH shares back at over £2 and those shares are now worth next to nowt. To have put close to £1m into the club is quite remarkable for a man that doesn't own a business where he can make that money back. His family are forever poorer for trying to do the right thing.
The criticism and personal vendetta's aimed at them were disgraceful. Calling for him to be ousted were disgraceful. As you say Judd, they have lost a fortune. They would have been financially better off letting the club fold and get some cash back being a major creditor. But they didn't. Far more honourable than some. It would be nice if the haters were to apologise and then we can all move on.
We now need to see what happens as the new journey begins. I am not expecting it to smell of roses as we steer the good ship Dale on an even keel and steady course. There will be bumps in the road - there always are. Good luck to Gateshead this weekend.
You can put millions of pounds into a football club, it doesn't make you a good Chairman. It doesn't make you a leader of men and somebody who everybody should follow and respect. I think he's been very poor when it comes to decision making, players contracts, managerial decisions and communication skills. His performance at the recent EGM revealed his true personality. I would suggest the shareholders in the room that evening deseved an apology, not the other way around.
I appreciate you see him in a different light but my criticism of him stands and i make no apology for suggesting that we needed a change of Chairman. I fully respect the amount of money his family have put into the club but there are certain things in life that no amount of money can ever buy. A Chairman who had no qualms in publicly accusing the fans of meddling when it came to the process of finding a suitable investor, thank god that they did because if they hadn't we wouldn't have the wonderful Ogden family in the club, something that i'm sure the Chairman can now recognise.. Maybe an apology might be pertinent in respect of that? It's not personal by the way, I'm hoping we might see a difference now he has experienced people to work alongside him.
[Post edited 10 May 11:01]
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Club Statement. Deal done on 10:36 - May 10 with 2264 views
I know it's wrong to tar all 'fans' with the same brush but I think the vile abuse received by board members on social media probably contributed to the radio silence. pulling up the drawbridge, dropping the portcullis and circling the wagons. Would an apology from Simon for his comments at the EGM be accepted?
'Only happy when you've got it often makes you miss the journey'
Club Statement. Deal done on 09:39 - May 10 by Dalenet
...and lets not forget that they also bought the MH shares back at over £2 and those shares are now worth next to nowt. To have put close to £1m into the club is quite remarkable for a man that doesn't own a business where he can make that money back. His family are forever poorer for trying to do the right thing.
The criticism and personal vendetta's aimed at them were disgraceful. Calling for him to be ousted were disgraceful. As you say Judd, they have lost a fortune. They would have been financially better off letting the club fold and get some cash back being a major creditor. But they didn't. Far more honourable than some. It would be nice if the haters were to apologise and then we can all move on.
We now need to see what happens as the new journey begins. I am not expecting it to smell of roses as we steer the good ship Dale on an even keel and steady course. There will be bumps in the road - there always are. Good luck to Gateshead this weekend.
We all need to be prepared to put the past to bed, and i'm fully on board with that
In that spirit, it's worth noting those who've been unhappy with SG's decision-making to the point of calling for him to be replaced were not - and are not - "disgraceful". That's disrespectful to those committed fans. They are not that stupid word used too often in current jargon: "haters". (There was some over-the-top abuse from a few morons.)
That said, i'll pay tribute to his financial input and indeed, sacrifice. It'll be very interesting to see how the co-Chairmanship works out. SG got off to a great start in his tenure, and if he can return to that happy mode alongside Cameron Ogden, could go from strength to strength
Yes, the shareholders meeting was a seminal moment, there was a plot in the room tp oust a man who had put money into the club and who had reached the end of his ability to continue doing so. Was he expected to take such a move lying down and simply walk away from his investment? I was there, I saw a man under huge stress and threat who fought back with the truth as he saw it "either we create the conditions required to sell the club or the club will fold" Brutal, maybe, accurate probably. Was any alternative suggested? No. Are you in any doubt that without the Ogdens putting money in before securing a deal the club would have folded? The Chairman slapped the room with simple facts ... " there is no more money" as shareholders it was a message we had to hear, tough, uncompromising simple. Taking another line, what, precisely, was the other option? Who in the room had the cash to do anything more than delay the inevitable and ultimately lose their investment in the process? Yes the board may have made mistakes, what board doesn't? But they have muddled through and with help have arrived at a solution none of us imagined, credit to them. Credit too for accepting that their loans could be turned to equity to facilitate this deal. The past is the past, its gone, we cannot change it we have to let it go. If our new owners are happy to have existing directors continue, why would we be unhappy about it? Its time to stop looking over our shoulders and to concentrate on the road ahead, rocky though it may still be. We are back in the game and gratitude is my overwhelming emotion. The future is brighter than at any point over the past 5 or 6 seasons, maybe ever.
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Club Statement. Deal done on 11:32 - May 10 with 2091 views
Club Statement. Deal done on 11:17 - May 10 by 49thseason
Yes, the shareholders meeting was a seminal moment, there was a plot in the room tp oust a man who had put money into the club and who had reached the end of his ability to continue doing so. Was he expected to take such a move lying down and simply walk away from his investment? I was there, I saw a man under huge stress and threat who fought back with the truth as he saw it "either we create the conditions required to sell the club or the club will fold" Brutal, maybe, accurate probably. Was any alternative suggested? No. Are you in any doubt that without the Ogdens putting money in before securing a deal the club would have folded? The Chairman slapped the room with simple facts ... " there is no more money" as shareholders it was a message we had to hear, tough, uncompromising simple. Taking another line, what, precisely, was the other option? Who in the room had the cash to do anything more than delay the inevitable and ultimately lose their investment in the process? Yes the board may have made mistakes, what board doesn't? But they have muddled through and with help have arrived at a solution none of us imagined, credit to them. Credit too for accepting that their loans could be turned to equity to facilitate this deal. The past is the past, its gone, we cannot change it we have to let it go. If our new owners are happy to have existing directors continue, why would we be unhappy about it? Its time to stop looking over our shoulders and to concentrate on the road ahead, rocky though it may still be. We are back in the game and gratitude is my overwhelming emotion. The future is brighter than at any point over the past 5 or 6 seasons, maybe ever.
Can I just ask, what was the plot in the room to oust the Chairman? I was sitting at a table with probably half a dozen long standing shareholders, this is the first time I've heard about any such plot. There were plenty in the room aware of various interested credible investors or other offers of financial help. Shed some light on this plot please because this a new one on me. The shareholders that evening were railroaded into thinking there was only one credible investor and had they not voted a certain way then the upcoming fixture would be pulled. There was a thirst from the Chairman to get the WSH deal done. A shambles of a EGM, one that the other Directors should have got a grip of, instead of leaving it to the Chairman, most of them didn't even turn up to support him. As you suggest, it's best leaving it there but please don't paint a picture of a EGM and a Chairman who was under attack from the shareholders because that's the complete opposite of what happened on the night. Had shareholders dared to vote against Simons motion then he would have had them up in front of the media the following day for them to explain their decision...this is following a democratic vote. You must have forgotten that little gem.
[Post edited 10 May 11:50]
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Club Statement. Deal done on 11:35 - May 10 with 2081 views
Looking to the future, does someone here know what level of autonomy local management of chain hotels have? Just thinking package deals with Hilton, Premier Inn and Travelodge could be a good way to attract additional fans to games, of course combined with decent entertainment between 3 and 5pm
'Only happy when you've got it often makes you miss the journey'
Club Statement. Deal done on 11:35 - May 10 by James1980
Looking to the future, does someone here know what level of autonomy local management of chain hotels have? Just thinking package deals with Hilton, Premier Inn and Travelodge could be a good way to attract additional fans to games, of course combined with decent entertainment between 3 and 5pm
A visit to the headquarters of the Co-Op headquarters would be a great place to start. I'm hoping Cameron Ogden etc have plans to do that. Sponsorship of the stadium would be great.
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Club Statement. Deal done on 11:44 - May 10 with 2044 views
Club Statement. Deal done on 11:43 - May 10 by TalkingSutty
A visit to the headquarters of the Co-Op headquarters would be a great place to start. I'm hoping Cameron Ogden etc have plans to do that. Sponsorship of the stadium would be great.
The Co-operative Arena does have a certain ring to it
On Exiles Day re-establishing ties with the Co-op was mentioned to paraphrase their door has been knocked but they've been reluctant to open it so far.
'Only happy when you've got it often makes you miss the journey'
Club Statement. Deal done on 12:00 - May 10 by James1980
On Exiles Day re-establishing ties with the Co-op was mentioned to paraphrase their door has been knocked but they've been reluctant to open it so far.
Sometimes it depends on who is doing the knocking and how loud you knock, give it a good bang. You have to make sure you are knocking on the correct door also. Go back and knock again with a different knocker, take Andy Burnham with you to help, the Manchester Mayor. The Co-Op could do with some good publicity at the moment and helping the club would seem like a no brainer.
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