** This is obviously in response to some criticisms of the owners on there but has some good information on the vlub from someone who knows the financial side well - Jono **
I am a fan first and a shareholder second and I do have a very long memory and I would need one to remember the 47 years I have supported the Club.
I have invested in the Club since flotation and if you want to live in fantasy land whereby football club owners only want glory and cups as opposed to shareholder value then blame Scholar for floating the Club – at that point in time THFC PLC became an investment opportunity for anybody that wanted to take a punt or “people like me” that wanted to be part of the Club.
It was also “people like me” that the Club came to in 1996 for money so that the Paxton Road stand had a new upper tier added which included the second Jumbotron screen - I paid out a substantial amount (as did many others) to invest in the Club so that others could enjoy the experience of supporting the Club. It was also “people like me” that the Club came to again for more money when they needed to buy players and it was “people like me” that again paid out so that we could start to be a force again.
When Levy came in he found that the whole Company was in disarray and after he had put his own money into buying the Club he set about making the Company a stand alone Company – he has turned it around in spectacular fashion and in the last 5 years we are only 2nd to
Chelsea in transfer spending – we are also the richest Club in Europe that does not play regular CL football – who do you think did all that?
How many PL Clubs actually make a profit? Do you know? I do.
How many PL clubs can boast of the excellent negotiated financial deals we have done for transfers? – all of which are paid out of cash flow – no capital funding – no Sugar Daddy.
Why do you think that other PL Chairmen hold THFC up as the ideal business model for a football club? Because we are nice people? Or is it because they appreciate just how much Levy has done for the Club – without him we would have been in deep financial problems and “people like me” would have lost all of our investments.
Why shouldn't’t he take a profit from his hard work to make us so financially secure? Has he milked the Club in any way?
Of course he has to think of the shareholders value first and foremost because, as a Chairman of a PLC, BY LAW he has to do so. Or do you not get that bit?
Of course their strategy will benefit Lewis, Levy, Tavistock Group but that is what Investment Companies do.
Do you understand what an Investment Company is all about? Do you honestly believe that all they think about is “trophies and glory”? Is that why they invest in Companies? It would make for a wonderful AGM – “well shareholders I am pleased to announce that we have won some trophies but in doing so I have made the Company bankrupt – thank you all for your donations and for your shareholdings which are now worthless”. Do you not get that bit either?
The outcome of their individual success is that the Club wins in every way as it is now capable of standing on its own feet without need of capital injection – the Club was on its knees when he came in.
He will ensure (as best he can) that the new owners will have the best interest of THFC at heart and the only way that can be done is by ensuring that a new stadium does not saddle the Club with unsustainable debt – we are profitable now with a low capacity stadium and that is due to Levy.
If you want to disassociate a football club with business then all you have to do is find a wealthy partner and pool your resources and offer Lewis and Levy anything over 218p per ordinary share for the fully diluted share capital and they will gladly sell to you.
