By the way this idea of Charlton being used as a feeder club is mostly horse shit - it is not that easy!
Australia is a foreign country - so unless the young player has a U.K. passport (like Harry Kewelll) then they can't just come and play - Mark Viduka would not have been able to play for Charlton at 18.
Brexit makes it even trickier because a young Aussie with - for example - a Greek or Italian passport might have been able to work in the U.K. previously but very likely not post Brexit.
Plus - are Aussie players even that good? Er, no!
You are talking about players who are largely Championship level - you get the odd star like Kewell or Cahill but it's mostly bang average players like Luke Wilshere and Matt McKay.
We have a young Aussie goalie in our academy right now. Doesn't seem to be causing issues.
On a cautionary note, why would young Australian talent come to us?
It's not as if it's some undiscovered football country, that nobody else has paid any attention to, I'm sure lots of clubs have scouts down under, and if rival London clubs were also interested, why would a talented youngster sign for us, rather than West Ham or Palace? It's not as if there's a language or cultural barrier to overcome...
Is it still a hot bed of talent?
Hate to say but the days of Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell coming through are long gone for Australia...i.e. Look at the current National Team, yes they've a handful of players here in the Football League but no real household names anymore.
I honestly think they've gone backwards in terms of impressive kids coming through as who is the last Australian to make you sit up and think that you'd love to sign?
Why do we continually secure some of the best young talent from the UK then? Over rival London clubs? Same thing
Do we? A tiny number of top quality players make it, and that's usually after 10 years of training from a young age. We wouldn't be signing 8 year old Australians, they would be 16
Of course we would all have loved a Lowry type billionnaire with pedigree but that was a pipe dream. Hopefully these guys have the football acumen of the spivs but an investor(s) with more cash and commitment than Mr Cash.
The whole business plan is based on us getting to the PL in 5 years by the sound of it, so at least we should start off by looking upwards.
Difficult to form much of an opinion after the Mail Piece. It certainly reads like there is a question mark over the capital they have available. And if they are struggling with the initial cost, how would they have a chance of funding a push to the prem with all the massive expense that entails? On the other hand, they could be very wealthy already and are looking to get some more wealth on board to really give it the push it would most definitely need to have any chance of becoming reality.
The feeder club bit sounds a bit strange. I'm wondering if the consortium have just said that to appease Roland with no real intention of actually carrying it out? It must be well known that any kind of a model like that would really piss off the supporter base, which I'm thinking would make the old scroat happy and give any bidder a bit of an advantage.
On a cautionary note, why would young Australian talent come to us?
It's not as if it's some undiscovered football country, that nobody else has paid any attention to, I'm sure lots of clubs have scouts down under, and if rival London clubs were also interested, why would a talented youngster sign for us, rather than West Ham or Palace? It's not as if there's a language or cultural barrier to overcome...
Is it still a hot bed of talent?
Hate to say but the days of Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell coming through are long gone for Australia...i.e. Look at the current National Team, yes they've a handful of players here in the Football League but no real household names anymore.
I honestly think they've gone backwards in terms of impressive kids coming through as who is the last Australian to make you sit up and think that you'd love to sign?
I would like Massimo Luongo from QPR - very good player.
Fuck me, we have not even been taken over by these people, that we know nothing about, and yet people on here are crapping themselves already, it's so bloody embarrassing, it really is! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
On a cautionary note, why would young Australian talent come to us?
It's not as if it's some undiscovered football country, that nobody else has paid any attention to, I'm sure lots of clubs have scouts down under, and if rival London clubs were also interested, why would a talented youngster sign for us, rather than West Ham or Palace? It's not as if there's a language or cultural barrier to overcome...
Is it still a hot bed of talent?
Hate to say but the days of Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell coming through are long gone for Australia...i.e. Look at the current National Team, yes they've a handful of players here in the Football League but no real household names anymore.
I honestly think they've gone backwards in terms of impressive kids coming through as who is the last Australian to make you sit up and think that you'd love to sign?
I'd rather a whole country to pick from than some spotty virgin in Belgium
On a cautionary note, why would young Australian talent come to us?
It's not as if it's some undiscovered football country, that nobody else has paid any attention to, I'm sure lots of clubs have scouts down under, and if rival London clubs were also interested, why would a talented youngster sign for us, rather than West Ham or Palace? It's not as if there's a language or cultural barrier to overcome...
Is it still a hot bed of talent?
Hate to say but the days of Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell coming through are long gone for Australia...i.e. Look at the current National Team, yes they've a handful of players here in the Football League but no real household names anymore.
I honestly think they've gone backwards in terms of impressive kids coming through as who is the last Australian to make you sit up and think that you'd love to sign?
Then I guess we don't sign them. Those that might make it come over and are given a shot.
Irish football is hardly inspiring but a good crop is always there. With the right strategy and links I think Oz could work nicely too.
I think some people are getting ahead of themselves, why assume they will be changing our kit to yellow and green! If their plan is to get us into the top flight, they put themselves way ahead of Roland already. Lots of talenet in Australia and it would be great if loads of Aussies start supporting us!
Sorry but why would loads of Aussies start supporting us ? They've already had years of the premiership on tv why would they start supporting a team that they can't even watch on tv ?
By the way this idea of Charlton being used as a feeder club is mostly horse shit - it is not that easy!
Australia is a foreign country - so unless the young player has a U.K. passport (like Harry Kewelll) then they can't just come and play - Mark Viduka would not have been able to play for Charlton at 18.
Brexit makes it even trickier because a young Aussie with - for example - a Greek or Italian passport might have been able to work in the U.K. previously but very likely not post Brexit.
Plus - are Aussie players even that good? Er, no!
You are talking about players who are largely Championship level - you get the odd star like Kewell or Cahill but it's mostly bang average players like Luke Wilshere and Matt McKay.
We have a young Aussie goalie in our academy right now. Doesn't seem to be causing issues.
Yes - because he has a UK passport.
Their current best players - Robbie Kruse, Tom Rogic and Matt Leckie - don't.
I can only see positives, regardless of what we might like to imagine makes a perfect owner.
1. They will be investing for a return, not reluctantly lending us money 2. Roland has no driven desire for success, the consortium will be driven to make it a success. 3. It's no disaster for Roland if the club has little success, the consortium stand to lose a lot if it doesn't succeed. 4. You need an owner hungry for success just like you need players hungry for success, not a bored, senile old man who's already made his pile. 5. Australians have a winning culture and are bad losers, should ensure players are from the right mould, Belgium are consensus driven, bland and non-descript but good at waffles 6. A dozy Shiela without a clue how to run a football club wouldn't get past the door.
They intend to make back their investment by getting us back into the premier league. That can't be a bad thing.
Problem for me is, it isn't as simple as just getting to the Premier League. It takes careful planning, sound judgement, luck, and lots of $$$$$$. If it works then great, but if they blow all their cash and we don't make it, where does that leave us? Maybe back in the Championship but with mounting debts and bills and wages not getting paid? Potentially back where we were when Roland bought us - higher in the Leagues but potentially even more precarious in terms of our long term survival prospects. We certainly wouldn't be the first or last club to come in with a magic 5 year plan only for the pan to fail miserably.
Perhaps beggars can't be choosers, but in a ideal world we would be bought by someone with genuine ambitions to to take the club forward with on pitch success and the ability to invest to make that happen, but also the ability to keep the club afloat with their own money.
Your first paragraph is exactly the type of thing that worries me. We are a club who has seen a lot of debt pile up because of poor management, and that by no means starts with Roland. Trying to get to the Prem and failing would add to that massively, and if you look at the Championship, there are a lot of very wealthy owners willing to spend their way into the Prem with no regard for the debt they take on. As Forest and Blackburn and many others can tell you, not only does that not always work, but it can leave you worse off in the long run.
To @SE10Addick 's point, if they are looking for smart money over any money, then that's a good thing. It's also good that, according to the Mail (hard to know if it's true), the price is down to 20m. But what I find concerning is that they've entered exclusivity without having what they seemingly feel is the right amount of investment. I know this is somewhat time sensitive so they can get in before pre-season, but it all feels a bit rushed.
On a cautionary note, why would young Australian talent come to us?
It's not as if it's some undiscovered football country, that nobody else has paid any attention to, I'm sure lots of clubs have scouts down under, and if rival London clubs were also interested, why would a talented youngster sign for us, rather than West Ham or Palace? It's not as if there's a language or cultural barrier to overcome...
It's an untapped talent pool except for Melbourne city, who are in the man city group. It's the fastest growing sport in the country by a mile, and the league is fairly new in its revamped format, which has implemented better professional training and facilities and raised the level massively.
There are some great young players in the league, @tel and myself have often wondered why more players haven't been scouted and signed over here. A good few youngsters have signed for clubs in Germany, Italy etc, I'm not sure if the rules are different over there though.
Getting 'first dibs' on players through AFC would be great, if AFC had the means to supply the talent.
Fuck me, we have not even been taken over by these people, that we know nothing about, and yet people on here are crapping themselves already, it's so bloody embarrassing, it really is! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
You should see the "other" forum! CARD already getting the blame for a shit takeover from people with no money! They're all wetting themselves with the "we told you to be careful for what you wished for" crap
By the way this idea of Charlton being used as a feeder club is mostly horse shit - it is not that easy!
Australia is a foreign country - so unless the young player has a U.K. passport (like Harry Kewelll) then they can't just come and play - Mark Viduka would not have been able to play for Charlton at 18.
Brexit makes it even trickier because a young Aussie with - for example - a Greek or Italian passport might have been able to work in the U.K. previously but very likely not post Brexit.
Plus - are Aussie players even that good? Er, no!
You are talking about players who are largely Championship level - you get the odd star like Kewell or Cahill but it's mostly bang average players like Luke Wilshere and Matt McKay.
We have a young Aussie goalie in our academy right now. Doesn't seem to be causing issues.
Yes - because he has a UK passport.
Their current best players - Robbie Kruse, Tom Rogic and Matt Leckie - don't.
Not seen anything ever mentioned about him having a UK passport.
Even the OS says he arrived as an U14, was born in Perth and played for the first team of ECU Joondalup in Australia.
I think some people are getting ahead of themselves, why assume they will be changing our kit to yellow and green! If their plan is to get us into the top flight, they put themselves way ahead of Roland already. Lots of talenet in Australia and it would be great if loads of Aussies start supporting us!
Sorry but why would loads of Aussies start supporting us ? They've already had years of the premiership on tv why would they start supporting a team that they can't even watch on tv ?
Sure Roland is an arsehole - but he is an arsehole with access to a LOT of cash - he just chooses not to spend it here.
These guys - who I have never heard of in 20 years of being involved in football down here - are nowhere near his league cash wise.
There are very few Aussies with the kind of cash needed by Charlton, the only one who MIGHT be a good fit is Frank,Lowy - the guy who owns Westfield - as he is a footballl lover but outside him there wouldn't be many others outside the Packers, Murdoch and Rinehearts.
Be very careful what you wish for people, this sounds very similar to when Tony Petty bought Swansea many years back - it was a disaster.
The thing is, it isn't just what money you have but what you do with it. The directors who were behind our rise in the 90's were nowhere near as minted as Roland but they used their resources wisely. Despite his riches, Roland has ripped the guts from our club.
As I stated in a previous post on this thread any new owners would need to be very, very, very bad to compete with Roland in the awful owner stakes.
"Australian Football Consortium Ltd's vision of promoting the Club to the Premier League, all investors will share in the value created. It is envisaged that liquidity will be provided through an IPO at that stage."
So the investors get their money back buy AFC switching from private to public ownership and selling shares?
I can only see positives, regardless of what we might like to imagine makes a perfect owner.
1. They will be investing for a return, not reluctantly lending us money 2. Roland has no driven desire for success, the consortium will be driven to make it a success. 3. It's no disaster for Roland if the club has little success, the consortium stand to lose a lot if it doesn't succeed. 4. You need an owner hungry for success just like you need players hungry for success, not a bored, senile old man who's already made his pile. 5. Australians have a winning culture and are bad losers, should ensure players are from the right mould, Belgium are consensus driven, bland and non-descript but good at waffles 6. A dozy Shiela without a clue how to run a football club wouldn't get past the door.
This for me. Their idea seems to be to get us into the PL with the USP that it is 'Australias football club' so it will market well in Australia and increase revenue that way. I've no problem with that.
The thing about Roland is that he wasn't doing it for money, he wanted to create his Belgian social thing whilst trying to get by without spending money on proven players.
Aside from the fact that it sort've seems like they don't have any money, I don't see a problem with this. Would be partying if it went through.
Fuck me, we have not even been taken over by these people, that we know nothing about, and yet people on here are crapping themselves already, it's so bloody embarrassing, it really is! You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
You should see the "other" forum! CARD already getting the blame for a shit takeover from people with no money! They're all wetting themselves with the "we told you to be careful for what you wished for" crap
So predictable. The line used to be that if RD sells CARD would have had nothing to do with it.
Comments
Hate to say but the days of Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell coming through are long gone for Australia...i.e. Look at the current National Team, yes they've a handful of players here in the Football League but no real household names anymore.
I honestly think they've gone backwards in terms of impressive kids coming through as who is the last Australian to make you sit up and think that you'd love to sign?
Aren't we we forgetting that any potential owners would have to pass the 'fit and propper test' which covers finances does it not?
Of course we would all have loved a Lowry type billionnaire with pedigree but that was a pipe dream. Hopefully these guys have the football acumen of the spivs but an investor(s) with more cash and commitment than Mr Cash.
The whole business plan is based on us getting to the PL in 5 years by the sound of it, so at least we should start off by looking upwards.
It certainly reads like there is a question mark over the capital they have available. And if they are struggling with the initial cost, how would they have a chance of funding a push to the prem with all the massive expense that entails?
On the other hand, they could be very wealthy already and are looking to get some more wealth on board to really give it the push it would most definitely need to have any chance of becoming reality.
The feeder club bit sounds a bit strange. I'm wondering if the consortium have just said that to appease Roland with no real intention of actually carrying it out?
It must be well known that any kind of a model like that would really piss off the supporter base, which I'm thinking would make the old scroat happy and give any bidder a bit of an advantage.
We can sign Australian 15 year olds if we want to.
You ought to be ashamed of yourselves.
Irish football is hardly inspiring but a good crop is always there. With the right strategy and links I think Oz could work nicely too.
I for one welcome our p*ssed up Aussie overlords.
Their current best players - Robbie Kruse, Tom Rogic and Matt Leckie - don't.
1. They will be investing for a return, not reluctantly lending us money
2. Roland has no driven desire for success, the consortium will be driven to make it a success.
3. It's no disaster for Roland if the club has little success, the consortium stand to lose a lot if it doesn't succeed.
4. You need an owner hungry for success just like you need players hungry for success, not a bored, senile old man who's already made his pile.
5. Australians have a winning culture and are bad losers, should ensure players are from the right mould, Belgium are consensus driven, bland and non-descript but good at waffles
6. A dozy Shiela without a clue how to run a football club wouldn't get past the door.
To @SE10Addick 's point, if they are looking for smart money over any money, then that's a good thing. It's also good that, according to the Mail (hard to know if it's true), the price is down to 20m. But what I find concerning is that they've entered exclusivity without having what they seemingly feel is the right amount of investment. I know this is somewhat time sensitive so they can get in before pre-season, but it all feels a bit rushed.
It's the fastest growing sport in the country by a mile, and the league is fairly new in its revamped format, which has implemented better professional training and facilities and raised the level massively.
There are some great young players in the league, @tel and myself have often wondered why more players haven't been scouted and signed over here.
A good few youngsters have signed for clubs in Germany, Italy etc, I'm not sure if the rules are different over there though.
Getting 'first dibs' on players through AFC would be great, if AFC had the means to supply the talent.
CARD already getting the blame for a shit takeover from people with no money!
They're all wetting themselves with the "we told you to be careful for what you wished for" crap
Even the OS says he arrived as an U14, was born in Perth and played for the first team of ECU Joondalup in Australia.
As I stated in a previous post on this thread any new owners would need to be very, very, very bad to compete with Roland in the awful owner stakes.
So the investors get their money back buy AFC switching from private to public ownership and selling shares?
The thing about Roland is that he wasn't doing it for money, he wanted to create his Belgian social thing whilst trying to get by without spending money on proven players.
Aside from the fact that it sort've seems like they don't have any money, I don't see a problem with this. Would be partying if it went through.
Bruce Rioch is a hot favourite with the bookies, but I fancy an outsider punt on Steve Bruce.