Ken Anderson - update.

Kane57 wrote:Why does it have to be one or the other? Love or hate? I don't trust the guy but he's clearly the most qualified person to run the club. Doesn't make anyone of an opposing view any less or more of a supporter

You're quite right, it is quite meaningless whether WE think he's a saint or a sinner.

As long as the legal and regulatory bodies are happy with what he is doing is all that matters.

And up to now - despite what anybody else thinks - he is!

y2johnny wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

y2johnny wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

y2johnny wrote:What a surprise.  Manning and wanderlust found something negative to pick up on

Says the guy who thinks KA's only been in control for 48 hours yet is already prepared to ignore the only facts we know in order to swallow the party line without question.

Just for the record Y2J are you prepared to say that despite the highly dubious way KA has gone about gaining control you have no doubts whatsoever about his integrity?

You should make it clear so that I can remind you the next time somebody wants to invest real money in BWFC and Anderson holds them to ransom too.

Your "facts" are based on biased articles.  Well done you!

It is a fact that several people have made allegations against Anderson and there is no evidence to suggest they are wrong. It's also a fact that Anderson hasn't denied what was said about him and he hasn't litigated which you'd think he would if the comments were libellous. It is a fact that until the details come out in the wash, nobody will know for sure.


Which is why I'm questioning your blind faith in him.

Several people

The trust
Lov
Iles

Wow, just wow

Keep going

On what planet does your response have anything to do with whether or not I trust Ken Anderson other than to say I'm far from being the only one who is reserving judgement for now?


It;s beyond me how you or anyone can say that you trust him when we don't know what really going on yet.

wanderlust wrote:

y2johnny wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

y2johnny wrote:

wanderlust wrote:

y2johnny wrote:What a surprise.  Manning and wanderlust found something negative to pick up on

Says the guy who thinks KA's only been in control for 48 hours yet is already prepared to ignore the only facts we know in order to swallow the party line without question.

Just for the record Y2J are you prepared to say that despite the highly dubious way KA has gone about gaining control you have no doubts whatsoever about his integrity?

You should make it clear so that I can remind you the next time somebody wants to invest real money in BWFC and Anderson holds them to ransom too.

Your "facts" are based on biased articles.  Well done you!

It is a fact that several people have made allegations against Anderson and there is no evidence to suggest they are wrong. It's also a fact that Anderson hasn't denied what was said about him and he hasn't litigated which you'd think he would if the comments were libellous. It is a fact that until the details come out in the wash, nobody will know for sure.


Which is why I'm questioning your blind faith in him.

Several people

The trust
Lov
Iles

Wow, just wow

Keep going

On what planet does your response have anything to do with whether or not I trust Ken Anderson other than to say I'm far from being the only one who is reserving judgement for now?


It;s beyond me how you or anyone can say that you trust him when we don't know what really going on yet.

Reserving judgement

Ok

Since our last game at Macron Stadium, there has been change across the club both on and off the pitch, most notably regarding my acquisition of Dean Holdsworth’s shares, taking Inner Circle Investments Limited’s stake in Burnden Leisure Limited to a 95% shareholding.
The situation regarding Sports Shield BWFC and BluMarble had dragged on for far longer than anybody could have envisaged, but I am very pleased that a conclusion has now been reached.
These distractions and the ensuing uncertainty over the past few months have been far from ideal but I am delighted to say that our focus can now be firmly fixed on football matters and getting behind Phil Parkinson, his staff and the players.
Now that the BluMarble and the shareholding issues have been resolved, I am now in a position to take this club forward and we can look towards a brighter future together.
With this in mind, I will be looking to make a number of strategic board appointments in due course - ones that will add value and experience and which will ultimately benefit Bolton Wanderers across the entire business. This development will see my wife Patricia step down as a director of all the group companies.
Discussions are now underway meanwhile with EFL about us exiting embargo and l will keep you all abreast of the situation when I have further information.
In the meantime, there have been comments in the media and social media about a points deduction following the liquidation of Sports Shield BWFC, but my understanding is that this will not happen.
In regards to footballing matters, we strengthened our squad with the acquisition of Craig Noone on transfer deadline day.
Craig has a tremendous amount of experience at Championship level and is a very talented, attacking footballer who will give us additional options. I’m sure, like myself, that you are all looking forward to seeing him put on the white jersey and helping the squad over the coming months.
It’s also important to clarify that we have 24 registered players and not 23 as has been erroneously reported elsewhere, while we have a number of players who are training with us with a view to earning a contact as and when our current situation changes.
I would like to reiterate however the situation regarding our former player, Jay Spearing. No discussions have taken place with him and he is not in our future plans.
I am a little surprised that he hasn’t been snapped up by another club given his talent, but I am sure that will change soon and believe that  he would be a credit to any team that he joins. 
We have a number of players still to figure so far this season, but I am sure it's only a matter of time before they are called upon, with so many games coming thick and fast over the few months. .
There has been a great deal of media comment on Chris Taylor recently, which is not surprising in view of him having spent much of the 2016/17 campaign out on loan.
It has not been easy  for him to make his mark on the team since his return to the club, but he is working extremely hard however every day in training in a bid to break into the manager's reckoning and I hope that all of you will get behind him as he looks to help the Bolton Wanderers cause this term.
We did have clubs willing to take him out on loan again during the recent transfer window, but we declined their offers as we consider him a valuable squad player.
As supporters, if you see players giving their all, l know you will support them and I know that will be the same for Chris and other players currently on the fringes of the first team.
Aside from the first team meanwhile, there is still a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes within our scouting and recruitment team, focusing on adding to the Under-23 and Academy players that we currently have at our disposal.
This will continue throughout the season, while our team are already starting to identify potential first team additions that we can pursue come January.
Even though the window has now shut, there is no let-up and our scouting network will continue to find the best players to enhance our playing squad. 
Going forward, this club will have to source and produce quality players with a similar model to Peterborough United and Barnsley, with player trading the key to a financial sustainability and the potential revenues of such dwarf anything else.
Hopefully, it will also help us achieve our aim of promotion back to the Premier League in due course which would be of incredible benefit to us from a financial standing.
We have been dealt a number of cruel blows inside the opening months of the season in regards to injuries too, but we have been pleased with the progress of those involved so far.
The hope is that the likes of Sammy Ameobi and David Wheater will be back in contention sooner rather than later, in turn giving the manager further options as we look to secure our first league victory of the campaign.
Of course, our start to the season hasn’t been as we would have hoped, but the team spirit that the players showed throughout the course of last season is still clear to see and once we get that inaugural win under our belts in the Sky Bet Championship, I am confident that the team will kick on.
Off the pitch, the work we are all doing to get the club financially sustainable has continued but there is still some way to go.
Costs are slowly being dealt with, but we need to increase income from season ticket and matchday sales, commercial and merchandise revenues and this is very much the key to achieving our collective goals.
This is where you, our supporters, come in and you can show your support by telling your friends, colleagues and local business owners about the football club and encouraging them to get involved.
Spread the word of Bolton Wanderers wherever you go - it is an organisation steeped in history and after the successes of 2016/17, now is an extremely exciting time to be a part of it.
This weekend meanwhile, please welcome our new cheerleaders, the Bolton Belles, who will be performing for the first time at our game against Middlesbrough.
As usual, let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s get right behind the team.
Kind regards,
Ken

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Poor Patricia.

I'm sure she was well compensated for getting her p45

We come into Tuesday evening’s match off the back of a very disappointing result at the weekend, but when the games are coming thick and fast, it actually makes the disappointments a bit easier to deal with as you have to dust yourselves down and move on quickly to the next match.

That said though, I don’t think the players in any way disgraced themselves and I am confident, as I have said on numerous occasions, that the wins will come and our confidence will grow.

The Championship has always been an extremely competitive division, but in the last few years everything has moved on and it has become even more competitive because of the vast sums of monies being paid for and to players by the clubs relegated from the Premier League.

This is also alongside the other big spending clubs like Leeds United, Derby County, Wolves and Aston Villa who have invested huge sums of money in their quest for promotion to the top flight.

Without trying to make excuses, or justify our results to date, I think you have to look at the very difficult opening fixtures we have had so far, as we have played two of the teams relegated from the Premier League and two of the sides who have paid considerable amounts for players and are expected to be amongst the promotion favourites this season.

We have also been very unlucky with medium-term injuries to Josh Vela, Sammy Ameobi and David Wheater and whilst other clubs also have injury problems, they are not operating under the same squad restraints that we are.

This season will be a real test of everybody’s credentials across the football club, both playing and non-playing staff, and it is imperative that we all stick together and ride the tough times alongside enjoying the good ones.

We have an incredible team spirit and a dogged determination across the club, both on and off the field, and that will be so important as we look to make our mark this term.

On Tuesday night, we come up against a team that we know very well from last season in Sheffield United. We pitted ourselves against them in the race for promotion throughout 2016/17 and although they came out on top in terms of pipping us to the top position, we still earned our own place back in English football’s second tier alongside them come the campaign’s conclusion.

They have started their own season well and will come to Macron Stadium, having seen that we are yet to win in the league, looking to continue that.

We need to take advantage of the fact that we know them well from last season however, while remembering we also beat them on two occasions in league and cup on our home patch.

Like any game in this division, it will not be an easy match, but with the support of the manager and his backroom staff, alongside yourselves – our superb fanbase – the players will pick themselves up from the disappointment of Saturday and look to give the best possible account of themselves.

As usual, let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s get behind the team.

Kind regards,

Ken

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Just put a new statement out there, he claims the ST has cost the club 25k to contest the ACV, what a set of wankers they really are costing us monies we simply don't need to be splashing out.

MartinBWFC wrote:Just put a new statement out there, he claims the ST has cost the club 25k to contest the ACV, what a set of wankers they really are costing us monies we simply don't need to be splashing out.

I'm more angry with the wankers on the pitch who are costing us thousands every week.

MartinBWFC wrote:Just put a new statement out there, he claims the ST has cost the club 25k to contest the ACV, what a set of wankers they really are costing us monies we simply don't need to be splashing out.

The ACV is valuable as it protects the club's assets from sharks trying to flip it for a quick buck. Obviously Kenneth is frustrated and it shows where his heart belongs. Bit unnecessary to do it so publicly.

Despite still searching for our first win this season, your support has been unbelievable and constant throughout.
You have backed us home and away, and I know the lads are determined to pick up the points that will see us climb the table and repay your continued support and backing.
I believe this is only a matter of time. I thought we performed well against Sheffield United but we didn’t have the rub of the green; however, the hard work and endeavour was there for us all to see.
Sheffield United have had a decent start since they won promotion and have built upon some good performances with three successive victories but I think we are only one win away from finding the momentum that will see us go on a winning streak and climb the table. 
We knew prior to kicking a ball in anger that this season in the Sky Bet Championship would be very challenging. You only have to look at the clubs who were relegated from the Premier League last term and the wealth of resources they have at their disposal.
Then, of course, you have the teams who are consistently pushing for promotion and have been established in this division for some time.
Finally, you’ve got another group of teams who are looking to consolidate and perhaps improve year on year.
In effect, as has been said by the manager, there are several mini-leagues within this league, and, as a team that won promotion last season, we must see ourselves in that latter group and we need to make sure we finish as high as we can in that mini-league. Anything else would be a bonus.
Like I mentioned earlier on, your support is crucial in helping us to overcome our challenging start to the campaign and I hope this continues throughout the season. Your cheering and backing towards the end of the match last night really lifted the players and encouraged them to give it their all.
There is no let-up in our schedule and we have two long distance trips coming up in quick succession. On Saturday we travel to Ipswich for another tough game before we have a break from the league with a Carabao Cup tie against Premier League West Ham United on Tuesday.
I know we will be backed by our wonderful, vociferous travelling fans and the lads will be giving it their all to get a positive result from each game.
These matches are taking a toll on the squad but fortunately a couple of our injured players will soon be returning to strengthen the squad.
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Alan Houghton and Rob and Stephanie Howell from the Bolton Wanderers Supporters Association prior to the game last night. We are very supportive of their work and efforts and we will be looking to help them. I would urge as many of you as possible to follow them on social media and to attend the social gatherings they have throughout the year.
Elsewhere, having seen the latest Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ Trust notification, I feel compelled to point out that I am very disappointed by the Asset of Community Value (ACV) situation we now find ourselves in. As you may recall, the Supporters’ Trust lodged this action with Bolton Council.
We are contesting the ACV as we believe it is fundamentally restrictive to the progress we are trying to make at the club. It could have a knock on effect for any refinancing of the club and/or the Hotel and the properties that were sold before my involvement, but that we are hoping to buy back in the near future.
As I said earlier, this whole process is wasting our valuable time and is eating into our cash reserves, which could be better used elsewhere in the business. We have so far had to spend in the region of £25,000 contesting this. 
Hopefully, the Supporters’ Trust will see sense and not object to our appeal and save the club a great deal of cash and time, as well as the Trust’s funds.
I look forward to seeing many of you at Portman Road on Saturday and as usual let’s be loud, let’s be proud and let’s get behind the team.
Kind regards,
Ken

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Kane57 wrote:

MartinBWFC wrote:Just put a new statement out there, he claims the ST has cost the club 25k to contest the ACV, what a set of wankers they really are costing us monies we simply don't need to be splashing out.

The ACV is valuable as it protects the club's assets from sharks trying to flip it for a quick buck. Obviously Kenneth is frustrated and it shows where his heart belongs. Bit unnecessary to do it so publicly.

Well yes and no.

An ACV doesn't stop the ground/hotel being sold.

It doesn't even mean that the ST can buy it.

All it means is that the ST has a period of time (3 months iirc) to put in a bid if the owner of the property on which the ACV is attached wants a sale.

Seeing that any proposed sale will be for millions - and the ST only has what, less than £100,000 in the bank - they would be extremely hard pushed to raise the money for a purchase AND even then Anderson would not have to sell to them even if they offered the most money!

Anderson could still sell the land to a property developer to build shops and houses on and the ST would be powerless to do anything about it.

We all know where Anderson's heart is - in making money.  

There's nothing wrong in that, in fact it's the basis of western democracy.

As far as I can fathom the only way Anderson can make money though is by improving the club - the better he makes it, the more valuable it becomes.

It would seem to me that his rush to raise money against the club is to buy back assets sold off by Davies, such as the car park.  If this is the case he clearly sees greater potential for investment into the club if we own the land around it such as the car parks already sold, than if we didn't, being the position we are in now.

If by doing so by having the ACV revoked and financing the purchase by raising money against the hotel, he is able to bring in a substantially richer owner, would that be a bad thing - or would people rather have the ST playing dog in a manger by constraining an asset that clearly they will never be able to buy and all the while watching an inevitable relegation build up against us and devalue our appeal to any wealthy suitors KA may already have?

I know which I'd prefer.

I'm sure the ST got the ACV with all the best intentions but if it does end up delaying KA selling the club and bringing in much needed finance then it will be another cock up in a long list of cock ups from the ST

Norpig wrote:I'm sure the ST got the ACV with all the best intentions but if it does end up delaying KA selling the club and bringing in much needed finance then it will be another cock up in a long list of cock ups from the ST

They say the road to Hell is paved with the best of intentions too.

To be honest I felt that the ST leadership did this for their own reasons at the time more than anything else.  There was clearly no love loss between them and Anderson (there still isn't) and they clearly wanted ownership of the club for themselves - so nailing the ground with a ACV was obviously to their benefit (and not Anderson's) more than anything else.

To add a bit more to my last post above -

Maybe Anderson doesn't have a buyer, maybe he needs money to keep the club going - isn't it better he sells off the hotel and keeps us afloat rather than us having to go into Administration, get the points deduction and certain relegation - then have the Administrator do exactly the same thing and sell off assets?

It's also pretty obvious (if its not been already) that Anderson has no time for the ST - his praise of the Supporters Association and the condemnation (once again) of the ST clearly shows this.

How does the ST claim to be the voice of the fans when clearly the majority of the fans don't support their actions and the clubs owner has no time for them?

They clearly are not fit for purpose as they stand now.

Their job should be a backstop just in case the club ever needs one and everything else should be supportive of the club in deeds and actions - not trying to force the current owner out for their own ends.

It's 6 months, which could prove a real stumbling block for an interested investor

Chairmanda wrote:It's 6 months, which could prove a real stumbling block for an interested investor

So what are the benefits of investing in the team?  We understand no one would want a minority position with KA.  Hence, that leaves a big number for a majority owner.  With the team already appearing as relegation fodder, what can we offer a potential buyer?  In the same vein, why will fans still come to the Macron if we can't win a game.  This is a lose-lose situation... and we know KA is a very smart businessman.  Hence, he needs something  to end the financial embargo and show the business is worthy to remove the restraints.  He also needs an infusion of cash to move the club forward.  Finishing anywhere but in the last three spots is fine for this year.  My guess is he has potential investors after the financial embargo is lifted. Again, he is a very smart businessman, and the future of the club is in his hands.  If he can achieve a break even this season, and if we escape relegation, he could potentially make big money.  Those are big if's.  Right now, escaping relegation is also a big if.  The only salvation is ending the embargo and buying the "right" players in January to move us up.  Yesterday's game was enormous... a team that we should get at least a point from.  Losing at home to another recently promoted team is why everyone is bickering on the forum.  It's frustrating to the fans as well as to Parkinson and to Anderson. How do we stop the rot?  How do we move forward?  Maybe Nat is right... we need a team leader on the pitch.

Selling important assets is hugely risky and benefits Anderson first and foremost. I'm comfortable with him being stopped from doing that. The motives of the Trust can be questioned, of course, but I believe the assets should be protected where possible

15 minutes after the deal was done, Paul Aldridge was emailing entities who had previously expressed an interest in the club. A sale is his primary focus, that much is clear.

Kane57 wrote:15 minutes after the deal was done, Paul Aldridge was emailing entities who had previously expressed an interest in the club. A sale is his primary focus, that much is clear.

There's nothing wrong in buying and selling on.

Maybe he had Aldridge emailing round once he found out what stupid business Holdsworth had done and how only £4 million of the £5 million was not received into the club.

Maybe it was Holdsworth who got Aldridge to contact the others - after all his terms on the loan was for it to be paid back to BM just over a week from taking it out.  He certainly expected to receive £5 million into SSBWFC within the week to pay the loan back - and clearly something didn't work out as planned for him there - did it?

And has Aldridge told you this or has it come from a camp not particularly supportive of Anderson?