Oh dear here we go !!!!!!

[viaductbaggies]

Michael Appleton 🤬

https://www.westbromnews.co.uk/2021/...are-relegated/

[baggieal]

Michael Appleton 🤬

https://www.westbromnews.co.uk/2021/...are-relegated/

No thanks!!!! Nearly spat out my coffee at the thought!

[Barrera]

Always thought McInnes would be a better bet ... if we want to go for an up and coming manager with Albion credentials

[DaveP67 is back!]

Always thought McInnes would be a better bet ... if we want to go for an up and coming manager with Albion credentials

Don’t think he would come now Barrera, certainly a cut above Appleturnover

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Always thought McInnes would be a better bet ... if we want to go for an up and coming manager with Albion credentials

If you want to know what Aberdeen fans think of McInnes there are 6003 posts dedicated to him on the first page of their board. In short the answer seems to be pretty universally not a lot.

[boingy]

This club loves to reach backwards. We have a billionaire owner. Its hard to work out sometimes. Its like me being rich but going to food banks.

[Yarmbaggie]

I certainly am no fan of Mr Lai but we all need to remember that we are dealing here with someone from China not a normal western country. I saved this article from the Birmingham Mail sometime ago when there was the debate about the inability of Lai to repay the loan in the companies books (£4.7 million at the time). It shows that even if he wanted to invest then it is not as straightforward as you might think.

Obviously not even sure Lai is the owner of the club anymore but even if he has transferred his stake it will be to another Chinese owner no doubt so the problem will remain. Clearly we need Lai away from our club but who in their right minds would do that now? I certainly wouldn’t touch the club with a barge pole if I had one, let alone the money.

Article in Birmingham Mail: 20th June 2019

After encouraging a wave of investment in foreign football clubs, China clamped down on national outflow in 2017 .

These restrictions, even if they were relaxed, it won’t necessarily allow Lai to pay back this debt,” said Chadwick, who is in Shanghai for a conference on football participation growth in China.

“That’s dead money to the Chinese Government. If it agrees for large amounts of money to leave China it’s to make a potential return for China.

“Whatever West Bromwich Albion fans want and what Guochuan Lai wants is almost irrelevant because it’s all decided by officials in an office in Shanghai.
“It’s an inconvenient truth for West Brom fans.

“The Chinese Government is willing to spend and relax capital controls, but only for domestic infrastructure.

The state dictates what money will be invested and that it should be done through projects like railway lines, schools, roads and hospitals.

“Maybe he has a more creative way of thinking about it. Perhaps a plan for the redevelopment of The Hawthorns, apartments, retail or a shopping centre.
“That might be a way for him to move money out of the country, but I don’t think the Chinese Government will sanction the release of funds for an inherited debt.

“I don’t expect the cavalry to arrive for Guochuan Lai or West Brom any time soon. Any fan of the opinion this will change soon is likely to be waiting a long time.”

[Albionic68]

In fairness to Michael Appleton we could do a lot worse. He's doing a very good job at Lincoln. Who's to say he'd even want to come to us given the scale of the job, supporter expectation and the prospect of working for an owner that much of the support base appears to despise? Given the amount of loan players and those whose contracts are running down we have a huge rebuild and any new manager will be expected to hit the ground running.

[Leicesterbaggie]

I have very little knowledge of financial dealings so can someone explain to me how someone owes money to an institution that they own. Who does Llai actually owe the money to if he is the owner? I'm perplexed.

[Yarmbaggie]

I have very little knowledge of financial dealings so can someone explain to me how someone owes money to an institution that they own. Who does Llai actually owe the money to if he is the owner? I'm perplexed.

Lai is responsible for the debt because his company, Yunyi Guokai Sports Development Limited, owns West Bromwich Albion Holdings Ltd.

That holding company owes the money to West Bromwich Albion Football Club Ltd due to a loan between the two accounts taken out by Peace in September 2014.

Lai, i.e the person, doesn’t own the club or the Holding company.