This is how you progress a football club

[great_fire]

GF, now they've got new American owners and look at them go now so your point bears no weight.

Regardless of success though, should clubs be foreign-owned?

Fan ownership sounds like a better idea.

[Redshank]

Regardless of success though, should clubs be foreign-owned?

Fan ownership sounds like a better idea.

I totally agree, but this country has a penchant for selling off its history, assets, football clubs, whatever, to foreign interest with the US being a particular favourite. All the big banks, all the household names in retail/insurance/technology, public utilities/institutions etc. etc. are foreign owned. Mainly the USA. There's £billions lost in taxes across the Atlantic every year, and we just sell off more and get poorer.

"Foreign investment" is the mantra regardless of any risk. We've effectively become a slave state to the US, with a few other countries picking up a some scraps.

Last time I checked, the only two countries in the whole world that didn't own their own their own water industry was the UK and Chile (General Pinochet, the ultra right wing Thatcherite sold theirs off. Tells you all you need to know).

Football is way down the list of "protected national treasures" (if there ever was one) and lost its soul long ago.

[Brin]

Regardless of success though, should clubs be foreign-owned?

Fan ownership sounds like a better idea.

In an ideal world no, they shouldn't be foreign owned. Now looking at it objectively, a foreign overseas consortium want to step in buy RUFC and pump in a substantial amount of money to progress the club.

1. Do you say no, English/British owned only please thus denying your club a way out of average League 1 obscurity?

2. Say yes as that's possibly the only way forward?

Fan ownership would be brilliant but who amongst the faithful are willing to stump up and put their money where their mouth is and buy into RUFC?

[Townerslovechild]

Without Tony Stewart there would be no Rotherham United for us to moan about,simple as.
However our last few forays into the Championship have shown we don`t really belong there,unless you enjoy seeing us get outplayed most games,how can we change this ?
I honestly think that given a good manager,4 or 5 very players and a lot of luck we could trouble the play-offs in the Champ,other "Smaller" teams have done it without spending millions,but right now we don`t seem to have any of the above.
I honestly think that if Warne had stayed,and had been given time,and a bit more cash,we could have given a decent go,we really do need someone that really "Gets" the club,and needs a way of winning games without shelling out millions,which obviously is not easy,is Evans that man ?
I think he qualifies in some aspects,but right now he looks like failing this season,then what do we do,rinse and repeat probably.
Mr Stewart deserves massive respect,but if he really wants us to become an established Championship club,then we probably do need someone to come in and invest in the club,possibly even buying out TS,would he do this though,I have my doubts,unless he feels he`s ready to retire and let some else have a go.

[Brin]

Without Tony Stewart there would be no Rotherham United for us to moan about,simple as.
However our last few forays into the Championship have shown we don`t really belong there,unless you enjoy seeing us get outplayed most games,how can we change this ?
I honestly think that given a good manager,4 or 5 very players and a lot of luck we could trouble the play-offs in the Champ,other "Smaller" teams have done it without spending millions,but right now we don`t seem to have any of the above.
I honestly think that if Warne had stayed,and had been given time,and a bit more cash,we could have given a decent go,we really do need someone that really "Gets" the club,and needs a way of winning games without shelling out millions,which obviously is not easy,is Evans that man ?
I think he qualifies in some aspects,but right now he looks like failing this season,then what do we do,rinse and repeat probably.
Mr Stewart deserves massive respect,but if he really wants us to become an established Championship club,then we probably do need someone to come in and invest in the club,possibly even buying out TS,would he do this though,I have my doubts,unless he feels he`s ready to retire and let some else have a go.

TLC, with the greatest respect to yourself, I've been waiting for the 'Without Tony Stewart blah blah blah post' and you've delivered.

I have personally raised the plaudits by the gross to Tony Stewart over the years but for me, they stop now as we are going nowhere. I'm not calling him out to sell up and leave but, to 'see the light' and allow other investors in, like some have tried before only to be rebuffed. It's not healthy and there's only one winner out of all of this and fans deserve better.

[MAMiller]

The term 'invest' implies there will be a return profit on that "investment"

Rotherham United have never and never will be an attractive investment.

We may have sneaked it in the 1st season of the the Championship but that opportunity came and went.

The feel good bounce is well and truly over and we are really just heading towards what we always have been... A mid table L1 club.

I like the fan ownership idea and it being a requirement to all clubs.

However this model has a shelf life.

People migrate so much now that you don't feel you belong anywhere. To attract local people in that way they need generational roots that erode year by year. Everywhere you go now there are more "other" football team shirts wandering around than actually the town or city they're wandering in.

Sky and Globalisation have killed football for what it set out to be

[KerrAvon]

The term 'invest' implies there will be a return profit on that "investment"

Rotherham United have never and never will be an attractive investment.

We may have sneaked it in the 1st season of the the Championship but that opportunity came and went.

The feel good bounce is well and truly over and we are really just heading towards what we always have been... A mid table L1 club.

I like the fan ownership idea and it being a requirement to all clubs.

However this model has a shelf life.

People migrate so much now that you don't feel you belong anywhere. To attract local people in that way they need generational roots that erode year by year. Everywhere you go now there are more "other" football team shirts wandering around than actually the town or city they're wandering in.

Sky and Globalisation have killed football for what it set out to be

I broadly agree with that.

This thread is based upon the premise that the recent events at Wrexham are how to progress 'a' football club, whereas what happened there is pretty unique. The notion that there is a pool of American capital (or capital from anywhere else) just waiting to be 'invested' in EFL clubs is fanciful to say the least. If there was, why isn't every club dipping into it?

EFL clubs lose money. We have an owner who runs the club in a fashion that keeps the losses manageable. That's frustrating, but it keeps the bucket collections at bay.

Think of EFL clubs as big train sets for wealthy people. There's probably an element of that in the involvement of the current Wrexham owners. In addition, they've probably worked out that they can make a bob or two out of Netflix and film rights, but that's a pretty shallow well.

I'd wager that Wrexham will be in financial trouble within 10 years after the novelty wears off and the funding dries up.

Why would any wealthy person want to 'invest' in Rotherham?

[CAMiller]

I broadly agree with that.

This thread is based upon the premise that the recent events at Wrexham are how to progress 'a' football club, whereas what happened there is pretty unique. The notion that there is a pool of American capital (or capital from anywhere else) just waiting to be 'invested' in EFL clubs is fanciful to say the least. If there was, why isn't every club dipping into it?

EFL clubs lose money. We have an owner who runs the club in a fashion that keeps the losses manageable. That's frustrating, but it keeps the bucket collections at bay.

Think of EFL clubs as big train sets for wealthy people. There's probably an element of that in the involvement of the current Wrexham owners. In addition, they've probably worked out that they can make a bob or two out of Netflix and film rights, but that's a pretty shallow well.

I'd wager that Wrexham will be in financial trouble within 10 years after the novelty wears off and the funding dries up.

Why would any wealthy person want to 'invest' in Rotherham?

They paid 2M for Wrexham who at the time were mired in footballing oblivion. I guess me, CT and Sota could probably get that together to buy RUFC if we were so inclined and that was the price. Unfortunately, due to our recent 'success' TS values us north of 30M.

[Brin]

I broadly agree with that.

This thread is based upon the premise that the recent events at Wrexham are how to progress 'a' football club, whereas what happened there is pretty unique. The notion that there is a pool of American capital (or capital from anywhere else) just waiting to be 'invested' in EFL clubs is fanciful to say the least. If there was, why isn't every club dipping into it?

EFL clubs lose money. We have an owner who runs the club in a fashion that keeps the losses manageable. That's frustrating, but it keeps the bucket collections at bay.

Think of EFL clubs as big train sets for wealthy people. There's probably an element of that in the involvement of the current Wrexham owners. In addition, they've probably worked out that they can make a bob or two out of Netflix and film rights, but that's a pretty shallow well.

I'd wager that Wrexham will be in financial trouble within 10 years after the novelty wears off and the funding dries up.

Why would any wealthy person want to 'invest' in Rotherham?

Tony Stewart did and he's still here so, not all that bad an idea to invest in liddle owd Wovwum.

[KerrAvon]

They paid 2M for Wrexham who at the time were mired in footballing oblivion. I guess me, CT and Sota could probably get that together to buy RUFC if we were so inclined and that was the price. Unfortunately, due to our recent 'success' TS values us north of 30M.

If you had the money would you use it to 'invest' in Rotherham?