| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? 10:04 - Jul 16 with 4002 views | KeithHaynes |
They seem to be getting a lot of stick at the moment, especially on twitter and on established media comments sections. Any thoughts on them today with the season closing in ? Finances, ability to run the club, investment record etc ? |  |
| |  |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 10:11 - Jul 16 with 1880 views | onehunglow |
They are not and never have been those to take us back to the Premier League. That is what should have been uppermost in the seller minds when they handed the club over.
We were in a terrific position to move on and blew up.
Our profile was getting bigger even in cardiff centric Wales but the potential was not realised.
It still makes me sick,frankly,to see us now searching for bargain basement lads.
We forget as to just how quickly and dramatically we fell. I remember expressing my concern to my LFC fans son but ,think it was with a month to go,he said "don't worry dad,you'll be fine".
My postman-a rabid Evertonian -still can't understand how we fell out of the trap door .
Swansea City is viewed by large clubs in a completely different light as to the likes of Bournemouth and Brentford.
We need to remember that and stop being so humble. It 's Uriah Heap syndrome. |  |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? (n/t) on 10:35 - Jul 16 with 1866 views | Catullus |
They have stabilised the club, financially. We don't have the financial worries many other clubs do because of the pandemic.
I've said before I think they were sold a dud in the first place, I reckon they thought they were getting a stable EPl club but they were getting a basket case on the verge of collapse, and collapse we did. Given that and despite my initial concerns I think they've done ok. There have been mistakes. I still say if they were responsible for us signing those American players and Cooper couldn't get the striker he wanted because of it, then they shot themselves and us in the foot and hopefully they'll learn because, not getting a proper striker in may have cost us promotion.
On the whole though I have to be happy that my club isn't in financial danger, the performances may have been dour but 2 play off finishes and it may be a forlorn hope but I approach the new season with the usual mix of hope and anxiety. We have a good crop of young players. I can't knock them too much.
Maybe we should wish to be like Stoke or Bournemouth, a lot of money spent for next to nothing and the worry that the FFP will catch up with them. maybe we should wish to be like Cardiff, losing 2 million per month with covid loan to sort and the Sala case still hanging over them?
It's not all rosy in the garden but it could be much worse. Some people are still accusing them of robbing millions from our club but there's no evidence of that and don't owners always get accused of such stuff. Doug Sharpe certainly got accused and I can only think of one group of owners to make a massive profit in the last 40 years. [Post edited 16 Jul 2021 10:46]
| |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? (n/t) on 10:53 - Jul 16 with 1845 views | onehunglow |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? (n/t) on 10:35 - Jul 16 by Catullus |
They have stabilised the club, financially. We don't have the financial worries many other clubs do because of the pandemic.
I've said before I think they were sold a dud in the first place, I reckon they thought they were getting a stable EPl club but they were getting a basket case on the verge of collapse, and collapse we did. Given that and despite my initial concerns I think they've done ok. There have been mistakes. I still say if they were responsible for us signing those American players and Cooper couldn't get the striker he wanted because of it, then they shot themselves and us in the foot and hopefully they'll learn because, not getting a proper striker in may have cost us promotion.
On the whole though I have to be happy that my club isn't in financial danger, the performances may have been dour but 2 play off finishes and it may be a forlorn hope but I approach the new season with the usual mix of hope and anxiety. We have a good crop of young players. I can't knock them too much.
Maybe we should wish to be like Stoke or Bournemouth, a lot of money spent for next to nothing and the worry that the FFP will catch up with them. maybe we should wish to be like Cardiff, losing 2 million per month with covid loan to sort and the Sala case still hanging over them?
It's not all rosy in the garden but it could be much worse. Some people are still accusing them of robbing millions from our club but there's no evidence of that and don't owners always get accused of such stuff. Doug Sharpe certainly got accused and I can only think of one group of owners to make a massive profit in the last 40 years. [Post edited 16 Jul 2021 10:46]
|
My point is they were not the people to take us forward.
For that, we need big money.
They haven’t got it.
I like ambition and yes I don’t think it should come at a price . | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? (n/t) on 11:36 - Jul 16 with 1825 views | Catullus |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? (n/t) on 10:53 - Jul 16 by onehunglow |
My point is they were not the people to take us forward.
For that, we need big money.
They haven’t got it.
I like ambition and yes I don’t think it should come at a price . |
Big money doesn't guarntee success, look at Cardiff. Look how much Bournemouth and Stoke have spent.
I think the chance was missed when we were Premier league. Thye needed to expanc the ground then, we needed to get more people tied in as fans AND bigger stadia gives more pitential income and might attract richer buyers?
Even with very rich owners you still need to be well run, to make god decisions. Even with rich owner, the FFP rules are prohibitive to increased spending, they favour the already rich clubs who have massive budgets. When the chance was there our owners hesitated and who knows when the chance will come again?
Our current owners may actually be just what we needed because if we'd spent big when we came down we may be in a right mess now, plenty of clubs are. | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 11:43 - Jul 16 with 1818 views | Thornburyswan |
For me they failed to do full DD on our position & I suspect they thought it would require minimal investment + Sky parachute £££s to bounce us back up & they could then enjoy their journey and even make a profit on their purchase - seem to take them an eternity to recognise the real position even though it was smacking them in the face daily.
Once they eventually got it & appointed Birch things have slowly improved on & off the pitch, suspect we are now in the top 10 in financial security terms in the Championship that said don’t think they have the funds available to make a real push to go back up so we will need a healthy dose of luck in the market & with manager, injuries, form etc to challenge for the top 4 again.
For me financial & club security are more important that going up so I’m neutral on them for now. [Post edited 16 Jul 2021 12:01]
| | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 11:46 - Jul 16 with 1816 views | dobjack2 |
Should never had sold the club to a consortium that has no interest in the area. Whilst they are keeping us financially stable it could be argued that doing so is in their interest so that they don’t throw good money after bad.
However it is a case of be careful what you wish for as there are no checks or balances in relation to who they can sell to. | | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 11:55 - Jul 16 with 1811 views | Badlands |
Very good.
They haven’t been flash and crash.
Their biggest mistake was leaving the previous administration in place in the belief that keeping things local would be the effective thing to do.
Haven’t skimmed money.
They dealt the vast overspend of the previous administration.
Have kept us solvent.
Have kept us sustainable.
They have modernised behind the scenes.
They are keeping us in a high division (certainly, for older fans a division we would have been more than happy in and a level that surpassed our average historically).
They have put football people in charge and don’t meddle. |  |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 11:57 - Jul 16 with 1811 views | vetchonian |
Iniatally I was very concerned regarding them, they sellouts were sneaky in how they condusted the sale but the purcahse of the extra voting rights from the sellouts was driven by the AMericans. That said they have done a lot to stabilise us financially and appointed Chairmen with business savvy as well as football background since our mauch lauded sellout chairman left though I do wish Trevor was still here as I think he is a little smarter that Julian
Sensibly they have controlled our spend...I was concerned we would repeat what happened following our previous fall fom the top tier back in the 80s, thankfully we appear fianancially stable and have competed for two succesive seasons for promotion back to the "Promised LAnd"
These guys dont have the emotional attachment we as fans or the previous local "owners" did but are shrewd enough to recognise what it is they need to maximise their investment.
We had a great model...which could have continued had we expanded the stadium whilst we were at the "top" of our game....employed a marketing/commercial profeesional to maximise our income form sponsorship advertising etc.....atg one time we were the only Welsh PL team watched all over the world on TV...there could and should have been many opportunities to capitilise on that.
That said we are now where we are...it seems the owners have been happy to spend though we are all aware we may need to sell to continue but that iis not new, during our rise we sold Managers players along our journey, ROberto and his staff along with Jason Scotland, Brendan and his staff and Joey, Scott Sinclair,BOny
For me at the moment its a case of better the devil you know...what are the alternatives? There was obviously no big queue of interested parties looking to buy us last time...and we could end up with some right so and so s.. | |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 12:03 - Jul 16 with 1802 views | Whiterockin |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 11:46 - Jul 16 by dobjack2 |
Should never had sold the club to a consortium that has no interest in the area. Whilst they are keeping us financially stable it could be argued that doing so is in their interest so that they don’t throw good money after bad.
However it is a case of be careful what you wish for as there are no checks or balances in relation to who they can sell to. |
They have made mistakes but over all they have done a good job. The club was in a right mess financially when they took over but they have stabilised us in a financial environment that has never been seen before. Any one who thinks they have been taking money out are on another planet as is anyone thinking there are investors waiting to buy the club and pour money in. I would ask anyone if you won £100M on the lottery would you pump your kids inheritance into a football club. |  | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 13:22 - Jul 16 with 1725 views | KGriz16 |
They've not done much wrong recently. I think they'll be looking to sell to anyone. But we're secure, and being clever in the transfer market. How could we possibly complain? We're being run sensibly. |  | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? (n/t) on 13:23 - Jul 16 with 1724 views | Dr_Winston |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? (n/t) on 11:36 - Jul 16 by Catullus |
Big money doesn't guarntee success, look at Cardiff. Look how much Bournemouth and Stoke have spent.
I think the chance was missed when we were Premier league. Thye needed to expanc the ground then, we needed to get more people tied in as fans AND bigger stadia gives more pitential income and might attract richer buyers?
Even with very rich owners you still need to be well run, to make god decisions. Even with rich owner, the FFP rules are prohibitive to increased spending, they favour the already rich clubs who have massive budgets. When the chance was there our owners hesitated and who knows when the chance will come again?
Our current owners may actually be just what we needed because if we'd spent big when we came down we may be in a right mess now, plenty of clubs are. |
They'll never satisfy the financial illiterates who think clubs can still spend millions with no restrictions or risks. |  |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 13:24 - Jul 16 with 1722 views | KGriz16 |
Or people who think they're pocketing money from the club? LOL. | | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 13:45 - Jul 16 with 1691 views | ReslovenSwan1 |
'Fake narrative alert' as the Chief would say.
The sellers did not shaft the club or shaft any other shareholder in my opinion. The club got to the top 30 clubs in the English system under Roberto Martinez and has stated there ever since.
The club is well run and made a small profit in the middle of a pandemic where as clubs in towns the similar size as Swansea are in serious trouble like Swindon. The academy although moving down a category is actually looking stronger not weaker with new high powered management upgrade. The box ticking culture might have ended and averaged players are moved on quicker. |  |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:21 - Jul 16 with 1663 views | Chief |
A mixed bag.
1 major fact is that the club is in a lower division than when they bought it (some will point to relegation being inevitable but that was a preventable relegation & they as the owners called the shots & the buck stops with them.
They've also downgraded the academy (we'll have to see how that turns out), screwed over the life members, screwed over some the club's directors, taken the council to court and lost, repeatedly failed to properly engage with the supporters trust (despite promises to do so).
However, they do appear to have realised their errors since the Dan James shambles, sacking Jenkins and then hiring some pretty astute football administrators like Birch and Winter.
We could do a lot worse, and thats a very real possibility when they decide to sell up. |  |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:22 - Jul 16 with 1662 views | ReslovenSwan1 |
I think the US owners are perfect for Swansea city. They are effectively running it in a sustainable way as it always has been run. They have helped out with cash to help the club through the pandemic. More than than that, they seem genuinely nice people.
They have spoken directly to the fans in friendly and open manner and explained their thinking. They talked of tough medicine. It was applied and the club is back to health. Silverstein in particular spoke well. He made it very clear he is making a long term investment to make the club successful and also for him to make a profit a few years down the line. The 'doomsday forum sages' told us these were asset strippers and would never invest. They were wrong.
By using the same long term building blocks are previously they are attempting to get back to the Premier league. They believe in the club and believe they will achieve it over the long term. Many pundits give Swansea a very good chance. Those that do not believe and do not want to contribute can go. I assess owners on their drive and expertise not the the colour of their passport.
I also believe the current owners would be very able to find buyers with very deep pockets. Kaplan and his associates have billions under management in their field of expertise and their contact list would be seriously impressive in the US Europe Middle east and Asia. Given that knowledge one would expect their ownership partners to be on particularly good terms to tap onto a big payday.
The sensible Welsh owners are comfortably enjoying the ride presumably accepting some dilution with a tag on clause. The less able ones can leave if that is their choice. it is for the best. The club needs talent. Inflation of Premier league clubs is greater than any dilution effects in my estimation. | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:22 - Jul 16 with 1662 views | dobjack2 |
My recollection is that it was said at a forum meeting. The point, and you understand it, was that he knew who the front men were but didn’t know who all the investors were at that time. Hence saying he didn’t know who the shares had been sold to would have been accurate but mystifying. | | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:33 - Jul 16 with 1652 views | Badlands |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 11:46 - Jul 16 by dobjack2 |
Should never had sold the club to a consortium that has no interest in the area. Whilst they are keeping us financially stable it could be argued that doing so is in their interest so that they don’t throw good money after bad.
However it is a case of be careful what you wish for as there are no checks or balances in relation to who they can sell to. |
Dai chips and Alan the postie couldn’t quite make the final £62 million that would have kept the club local.
A questions that keeps being asked but not answered is who locally would have bought us, who locally would buy us now and who locally do people in their wildest dreams believe could have done a better job.
Had all the shares been gifted to the trust how much funding would they have have put into the club?
The current majority shareholder haven’t interfered, they haven't been looking to sell nor have they made a song and dance about losing c£40 million on club value.
(Value of the club when shares bought £100m, their share £61m
Today the value of the club is c£35m. Their 61% of shares = £21 million. | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:45 - Jul 16 with 1639 views | ReslovenSwan1 |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:22 - Jul 16 by dobjack2 |
My recollection is that it was said at a forum meeting. The point, and you understand it, was that he knew who the front men were but didn’t know who all the investors were at that time. Hence saying he didn’t know who the shares had been sold to would have been accurate but mystifying. |
I love this stuff and it all needs attending to . When ever I attend to the minor details I am called boring. C'est la vie.
You have now introduced the phrase "front men". This is again misleading. This suggests that others in the background are calling the shots. This is almost certainly false. Kaplan and Levien are very visible and almost certainly the main decision makers. They are not hiding and even attended a SCST meeting. The other 28 or so the one HJ did not know personally have little or no say in making decisions. The ex US footballer might be asked for input perhaps.
It is not mystifying and you should not have been 'gobsmacked'. | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:56 - Jul 16 with 1609 views | dobjack2 |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:33 - Jul 16 by Badlands |
Dai chips and Alan the postie couldn’t quite make the final £62 million that would have kept the club local.
A questions that keeps being asked but not answered is who locally would have bought us, who locally would buy us now and who locally do people in their wildest dreams believe could have done a better job.
Had all the shares been gifted to the trust how much funding would they have have put into the club?
The current majority shareholder haven’t interfered, they haven't been looking to sell nor have they made a song and dance about losing c£40 million on club value.
(Value of the club when shares bought £100m, their share £61m
Today the value of the club is c£35m. Their 61% of shares = £21 million. |
Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear in my thoughts.
You don’t have to be from somewhere to have a real interest in a club and area. The late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha showed that. Whilst I would not expect any owner to act like him and his family it seems that the investors interest in the Swans was that it was just a business venture that they invested in that hasn’t paid off in the way they hoped. They now have a CEO running the Swans whose task is to balance the books. That isn’t a bad thing, however the investment group have been conspicuous for their absence, pre pandemic, and silence.
When Petty was removed would anyone have said that these are the sort of people we wanted to own the club? | | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:59 - Jul 16 with 1604 views | Catullus |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:45 - Jul 16 by ReslovenSwan1 |
I love this stuff and it all needs attending to . When ever I attend to the minor details I am called boring. C'est la vie.
You have now introduced the phrase "front men". This is again misleading. This suggests that others in the background are calling the shots. This is almost certainly false. Kaplan and Levien are very visible and almost certainly the main decision makers. They are not hiding and even attended a SCST meeting. The other 28 or so the one HJ did not know personally have little or no say in making decisions. The ex US footballer might be asked for input perhaps.
It is not mystifying and you should not have been 'gobsmacked'. |
Kaplan and Levein ARE the front men though. How many of us knew the new owners were a hegde fund when the sale happened? While Kaplan and Levein are making the decisions on behalf of the other owners, what if the other owners decide they want to remove their money? The previous owners did shaft the trust, no amount of your pandering will change that and what comes out in court might finally make you think about it. | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 15:00 - Jul 16 with 1603 views | dobjack2 |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:45 - Jul 16 by ReslovenSwan1 |
I love this stuff and it all needs attending to . When ever I attend to the minor details I am called boring. C'est la vie.
You have now introduced the phrase "front men". This is again misleading. This suggests that others in the background are calling the shots. This is almost certainly false. Kaplan and Levien are very visible and almost certainly the main decision makers. They are not hiding and even attended a SCST meeting. The other 28 or so the one HJ did not know personally have little or no say in making decisions. The ex US footballer might be asked for input perhaps.
It is not mystifying and you should not have been 'gobsmacked'. |
If you say that someone is a front man for a group or organization, you mean that their role is to represent and give a good impression of it to the public, especially when it is not very respectable or popular. - Collins dictionary.
They are also the majority shareholders of the group and they certainly represent it. | | | |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 15:00 - Jul 16 with 1600 views | Catullus |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 12:03 - Jul 16 by Whiterockin |
They have made mistakes but over all they have done a good job. The club was in a right mess financially when they took over but they have stabilised us in a financial environment that has never been seen before. Any one who thinks they have been taking money out are on another planet as is anyone thinking there are investors waiting to buy the club and pour money in. I would ask anyone if you won £100M on the lottery would you pump your kids inheritance into a football club. |
I don't think I'd put much, if anything, into the club. The quickest way to lose money is to buy a football club, even kust getting on board is an expensive business. | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 15:11 - Jul 16 with 1541 views | Chief |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:22 - Jul 16 by ReslovenSwan1 |
I think the US owners are perfect for Swansea city. They are effectively running it in a sustainable way as it always has been run. They have helped out with cash to help the club through the pandemic. More than than that, they seem genuinely nice people.
They have spoken directly to the fans in friendly and open manner and explained their thinking. They talked of tough medicine. It was applied and the club is back to health. Silverstein in particular spoke well. He made it very clear he is making a long term investment to make the club successful and also for him to make a profit a few years down the line. The 'doomsday forum sages' told us these were asset strippers and would never invest. They were wrong.
By using the same long term building blocks are previously they are attempting to get back to the Premier league. They believe in the club and believe they will achieve it over the long term. Many pundits give Swansea a very good chance. Those that do not believe and do not want to contribute can go. I assess owners on their drive and expertise not the the colour of their passport.
I also believe the current owners would be very able to find buyers with very deep pockets. Kaplan and his associates have billions under management in their field of expertise and their contact list would be seriously impressive in the US Europe Middle east and Asia. Given that knowledge one would expect their ownership partners to be on particularly good terms to tap onto a big payday.
The sensible Welsh owners are comfortably enjoying the ride presumably accepting some dilution with a tag on clause. The less able ones can leave if that is their choice. it is for the best. The club needs talent. Inflation of Premier league clubs is greater than any dilution effects in my estimation. |
Is there any evidence of a tag on clause? | |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 15:22 - Jul 16 with 1513 views | Dr_Winston |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:59 - Jul 16 by Catullus |
Kaplan and Levein ARE the front men though. How many of us knew the new owners were a hegde fund when the sale happened? While Kaplan and Levein are making the decisions on behalf of the other owners, what if the other owners decide they want to remove their money? The previous owners did shaft the trust, no amount of your pandering will change that and what comes out in court might finally make you think about it. |
Are they a hedge fund or an investment group? Kaplan is by far the biggest single investor, and as far as I'm aware he's invested personally rather than via the firm he co founded. Others have invested as part of the group as well. | |
| Pain or damage don't end the world. Or despair, or f*cking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then, you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man... and give some back. |
| |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 15:46 - Jul 16 with 1488 views | jasper_T |
| Where do you stand regards the American majority owners ? on 14:21 - Jul 16 by Chief |
A mixed bag.
1 major fact is that the club is in a lower division than when they bought it (some will point to relegation being inevitable but that was a preventable relegation & they as the owners called the shots & the buck stops with them.
They've also downgraded the academy (we'll have to see how that turns out), screwed over the life members, screwed over some the club's directors, taken the council to court and lost, repeatedly failed to properly engage with the supporters trust (despite promises to do so).
However, they do appear to have realised their errors since the Dan James shambles, sacking Jenkins and then hiring some pretty astute football administrators like Birch and Winter.
We could do a lot worse, and thats a very real possibility when they decide to sell up. |
The academy downgrade makes sense given the resources we have available as a £20m/year club rather than a £120m/year club. Even then it was covid that brought the axe down on Cat 1 when it did. Persistent rumours of mothballing or selling off Landore proved to be just that. A lot of new people now so we'll have to see how it works out over the next few years as you say.
Relegation was preventable and if Carvalhal had managed to scrape together a win in that pathetic final 10 game run it would have been. The owners for their part authorised enough (too much) spending, but the people picking the players to spend it on failed utterly. It was our third relegation scare season in a row, and the root of our problems was never fixed. | | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
