Barry Owen's Open Letter To The Fans

[RoyleArmy]

I reckon we not get the new ground if am honest.

[Barryowen]

I reckon we not get the new ground if am honest.

Have faith RA. I understand RAtt is helping you tomorrow night.

 

Barry

[oafc0000]

Thanks for your query which I will try to answer within the knowledge I hold. I believe that Brassbank was initially set up by the owners to incorporated all the land assets. The football club stands as a seperate company as you know.

 

I do not believe for one minute that Simon B. will do anything that jeopardises the future of the club. When people talk about him calling his debt in, he would be taking action against himself and his own assets. That would make no sense as you know.

 

The question of rent has never arisen, again he is the majority shareholder and it makes no sense to suggest there is a rent issue. Obviously if the shares changed hands that might be an issue that came into play for any new owner of THE FOOTBALL CLUB.

 

As I see it at the moment, because of the new ground,Simon will probably retain all his ownership of assets in Brassbank. It makes no sense for him to do otherwise given that he is committed to seeing the new ground through and in any event the price of land is such that he may not wish to lose on his asset.

 

Hope this helps you

 

Barry

 

Thanks Barry... I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

[Barryowen]

Thanks Barry... I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

No problem. Anytime I can help please feel free to contact me.

 

Barry

[Latics and England]

Yes, we hoped to get onto that side of things but by and large didn't. Certainly the angle we were given was that until planning was approved they didn't really have a sodding thing to report to anybody about what was going to happen. Blitz did float a couple of ideas about how fans could raise money to buy part of the land at a new ground and thus give us a strong toe-hold against any future owners trying to do the dirty, but IMO he was talking about sums that we wouldn't have come close to raising (ie more than we got together in the Dark Days).

 

 

I won't swear to it but I think dormant companies can hold assets - if L & E is around he will know. I'm not sure it matters anyway, one way or another the whole lot, assets and debts, is owned by Simon Blitz and Danny Gazal.

 

BP is owned by Brassbank. A dormant company can hold assets so long as there are no financial transactions in the year.

[RayG]

 

Thanks for your query which I will try to answer within the knowledge I hold. I believe that Brassbank was initially set up by the owners to incorporated all the land assets. The football club stands as a seperate company as you know.

 

I do not believe for one minute that Simon B. will do anything that jeopardises the future of the club. When people talk about him calling his debt in, he would be taking action against himself and his own assets. That would make no sense as you know.

 

The question of rent has never arisen, again he is the majority shareholder and it makes no sense to suggest there is a rent issue. Obviously if the shares changed hands that might be an issue that came into play for any new owner of THE FOOTBALL CLUB.

 

As I see it at the moment, because of the new ground,Simon will probably retain all his ownership of assets in Brassbank. It makes no sense for him to do otherwise given that he is committed to seeing the new ground through and in any event the price of land is such that he may not wish to lose on his asset.

 

Hope this helps you

 

Barry

 

Thanks for this information Barry, I hope your beliefs are correct that Simon B and Daniel will not jeopardise the future of the club (for the time being at least). Like you say the Club owes them a substantial sum which cannot be repaid at the moment (reckon we probably owe over £5 million). I think we can continue to play at Boundary Park until 2014, should we be able to survive that long, when we could be forced to vacate. Meanwhile, do you know if building work is to continue around the ground, which would effectively mean that any new investment would not involve buying back the BP site for re-development?

 

If we are not being charged rent, the debt owing is not being called in and we are being allowed time to attract new investment, then at least there's hope. Presumably new investment will have to be at least £25 million - i.e. pay off the debt and fund "Failsworth".

 

Obviously, the better the team performs this season and the higher up the league we get, then more attention will be focused on us which can only help attract investment. I get the feeling that the next 12 months is make or break for us.

 

For the record, in reply to earlier posts, I obtained a few documents from Companies House last week and can confirm that in OAFC Simon Blitz has 49 Ord £1 A shs, Daniel Gazal has 48 Ord £1 A shs, so they are the club's owners. In addition they both have 1 Ord £1 share each in Brassbank Ltd, but this company is dormant and the latest filed accounts for the year ended 31/10/08 show that the company had net assets of £2 i.e. the issued share capital. The BP site therefore is not held within this company, but it doesn't really matter as there is no argument that Messrs Blitz & Gazal own it. The purpose of my enquiry into this company was to establish what the latest balance sheet value of any land held was and compare it with the 1996 figure (between £4 and5 million) and the price they paid for it in 2004 (£4.5 million reported elsewhere). Just seems to me that they got a good deal based on the 1996 value.

 

Cheers

 

Ray

[Barryowen]

Thanks for this information Barry, I hope your beliefs are correct that Simon B and Daniel will not jeopardise the future of the club (for the time being at least). Like you say the Club owes them a substantial sum which cannot be repaid at the moment (reckon we probably owe over £5 million). I think we can continue to play at Boundary Park until 2014, should we be able to survive that long, when we could be forced to vacate. Meanwhile, do you know if building work is to continue around the ground, which would effectively mean that any new investment would not involve buying back the BP site for re-development?

 

If we are not being charged rent, the debt owing is not being called in and we are being allowed time to attract new investment, then at least there's hope. Presumably new investment will have to be at least £25 million - i.e. pay off the debt and fund "Failsworth".

 

Obviously, the better the team performs this season and the higher up the league we get, then more attention will be focused on us which can only help attract investment. I get the feeling that the next 12 months is make or break for us.

 

For the record, in reply to earlier posts, I obtained a few documents from Companies House last week and can confirm that in OAFC Simon Blitz has 49 Ord £1 A shs, Daniel Gazal has 48 Ord £1 A shs, so they are the club's owners. In addition they both have 1 Ord £1 share each in Brassbank Ltd, but this company is dormant and the latest filed accounts for the year ended 31/10/08 show that the company had net assets of £2 i.e. the issued share capital. The BP site therefore is not held within this company, but it doesn't really matter as there is no argument that Messrs Blitz & Gazal own it. The purpose of my enquiry into this company was to establish what the latest balance sheet value of any land held was and compare it with the 1996 figure (between £4 and5 million) and the price they paid for it in 2004 (£4.5 million reported elsewhere). Just seems to me that they got a good deal based on the 1996 value.

 

Cheers

 

Ray

 

Thank you for your informative post which confirms facts within my knowledge. My own feeling are that no matter how the companies were formed Simon B.has always held the club at heart. He was at the game last Tuesday and I felt somewhat sad at the difficulties he is currently subjected to. He is not the sort of person who wants you to feel sorry for him but I was able to reflect just how good this man has been for the club. He has poured millions in and I have not heard any pressure being exerted on the club from a financial point of view. Whilst he has resigned he is still the owner and has everything to gain by the club growing and thriving. He is a businessman who also has assets insofar as the land is concerned and you will be aware that at the Broadway end of the club a development has already started. Finance from these sites around the ground is needed to finance the new stadium along with other investment for Failsworth.

 

Those who have met Simon B. will know what a straight forward guy he is. They should also know that apart from being a business man he has also been a tremendous ambassador for the club and a pleasure to work with. I have every confidence he will not want to do anything that harms our club. He does not like failure and I am sure he wants to see the new ground through.

 

It is in his interests to follow the policy he had planned but just could not afford to bankroll the club week in and week out, nor could we expect him to have done.

 

With the benefit of hindsight and what I have learned these past seven years I really believe that at the asking price it was not out of the question for the Trust to have bought the club. We know that now but did not have the advice or experience to consider such sums of money. From the experience I have gained it could have been within our grasp. Others may disagree with me and times may have been tough but I believe it could have been done.

 

Anyway the past is the past and we look to the future.

 

Hope this help.

 

Barry

[losesome]

With the benefit of hindsight and what I have learned these past seven years I really believe that at the asking price it was not out of the question for the Trust to have bought the club. We know that now but did not have the advice or experience to consider such sums of money. From the experience I have gained it could have been within our grasp. Others may disagree with me and times may have been tough but I believe it could have been done.

 

 

-----------------------

 

Doesn't work at a football club unfortuantely -

ask Stockport !!!!!!!!

[oafc0000]

With the benefit of hindsight and what I have learned these past seven years I really believe that at the asking price it was not out of the question for the Trust to have bought the club. We know that now but did not have the advice or experience to consider such sums of money. From the experience I have gained it could have been within our grasp. Others may disagree with me and times may have been tough but I believe it could have been done.

 

 

-----------------------

 

Doesn't work at a football club unfortuantely -

ask Stockport !!!!!!!!

 

I believe it can be made to work... Any trust worth its salt would run the club to only spend what it brings in... You don't need millions to do that.

 

Of course you then have the problem of not being able to bring in the better money grabbing players etc. But Oldham Athletic would become a lot more interesting to me if the club was ran properly, paying out what it could afford and if that means playing kids etc then so be it. Better than having massive wage bills your business can't justify... etc..

 

It depends on what you see as "working"...

[Erratic_Latic]

get someone in to do the PR

 

About 20 years too late with that one, if the firm's PR and image management had been handled properly when we were going places (instead of the Cannon-and-Ball-esque on-field half time garbage etc reinforcing the image that we were a "small friendly club with a big heart") then maybe we would now be in a better place than we are now.

[losesome]

I believe it can be made to work... Any trust worth its salt would run the club to only spend what it brings in... You don't need millions to do that.

 

Of course you then have the problem of not being able to bring in the better money grabbing players etc. But Oldham Athletic would become a lot more interesting to me if the club was ran properly, paying out what it could afford and if that means playing kids etc then so be it. Better than having massive wage bills your business can't justify... etc..

 

It depends on what you see as "working"...

 

In principle sounds great but thats how you end up in the blue square league.

If that's what you want then fair enough.

 

There isn't a club in the league run like that , i wonder why !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[oafc0000]

In principle sounds great but thats how you end up in the blue square league.

If that's what you want then fair enough.

 

There isn't a club in the league run like that , i wonder why !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Because mostly d-heads run football club with more money than sense...

 

If the Blue Square is our natural level then so be it... Better than living a lie and losing £15k a week and eventually having no football club...

 

If that's what you want then fair enough.

Edited July 15, 2010 by oafc0000

[losesome]

Because mostly d-heads run football club with more money than sense...

 

 

Exactly and thats why what Barry was suggesting is a great idea but can't work in reality , unless you get an exceptional manager and realistic crowds that would support you in the early days when things are hard.

 

that counts latics out !!

[oafc0000]

Exactly and thats why what Barry was suggesting is a great idea but can't work in reality , unless you get an exceptional manager and realistic crowds that would support you in the early days when things are hard.

 

that counts latics out !!

 

Can't be arsed arguing...

 

Its funny, when I say football fans are the biggest cancer in football everyone gets angry...

 

Oh well, as we where... £15k loss a week

Edited July 15, 2010 by oafc0000

[losesome]

Can't be arsed arguing...

 

Its funny, when I say football fans are the biggest cancer in football everyone gets angry...

 

Oh well, as we where... £15k loss a week

 

If you consider someone expressing their views as arguing then you are right about the point you make about football fans !!!!!

[OldhamSheridan]

If you consider someone expressing their views as arguing then you are right about the point you make about football fans !!!!!

 

I'm with Mr Zero's on this. Sooner or later this is going to catch up with us. And when I say that i mean like it has with Halifax. That is where we will be. I would guess before a decade is out.

 

Move the club instead to being self-sufficient and investing in (and using) youth players.

 

Like it or not, we are going to be a yoyo third and fourth division club very soon. If we fix the finances this won't change. If we don't it'll be much, much worse.

 

To all the dream chasers. It isn't ever going to happen. Ever.

Edited July 15, 2010 by OldhamSheridan

[losesome]

 

To all the dream chasers. It isn't ever going to happen. Ever.

 

 

They told Blackpool that 5 years ago !!!!!!!!!!

[palmer1]

To all the dream chasers. It isn't ever going to happen. Ever.

 

 

 

They told Blackpool that 5 years ago !!!!!!!!!!

 

if they are not run properly they will be back with us within 4/5 years

 

they must now have the temptation to throw big money at it in the hope of survival

[leeslover]

if they are not run properly they will be back with us within 4/5 years

 

they must now have the temptation to throw big money at it in the hope of survival

I seriously doubt that, they must be seriously tempted to improve the squad a bit, get hammered most weeks, get relegated, have a promotion challenging squad next season and have a :censored:-load of money in the bank ready to go again

[leeslover]

And, a technical point, Barry is talking out of his arse about the Trust having been able to buy the club, the existing player contracts would have broken them in weeks. Which was clear at the time and requires no benefit of hindsight. Sorry Bazza, but why do you just trot out rubbish time after time? We were reported to be overspending by £50k per week when we went down, which I equate to approximately 4 weeks of you wearing the biggest blazer, what then?

[OldhamSheridan]

I seriously doubt that, they must be seriously tempted to improve the squad a bit, get hammered most weeks, get relegated, have a promotion challenging squad next season and have a :censored:-load of money in the bank ready to go again

 

 

..and that is the dream that is chased.

 

I'm not saying it can't happen*. I just think it is one in a thousand chance of US being an established Division 1 or 2 side. And a four in five chance of being a Division 4 or below side - if we go for it.

 

If we play it right and safe, i'd say in the long term those odds turn to 50/50 for Division 2, and 50/50 Division 4 .

 

 

 

*My comment of "To all the dream chasers. It isn't ever going to happen. Ever." may be a bit over the top.

[Barryowen]

Leeslover. Yet again you don't see the wood for the trees. I am talking about the sale of the club when it was in adminstration. Contracts were null and void. Thats why we lost many of our quality players for next to nothing. We would have purchased the club in the same way as the current owners. We could have borrowed the money in the same way. If you had the same experience as I have had over the last seven years you would learn that the purchase price at that time would have been manageable. We just did not have the experience at that time to deal with such figures.

 

You often given the impression of having superior knowledge in areas you have no experience. In that respect I take a lead on you.

[OldhamSheridan]

You often given the impression of having superior knowledge in areas you have no experience. In that respect I take a lead on you.

 

[dazlatic]

Leeslover. Yet again you don't see the wood for the trees. I am talking about the sale of the club when it was in adminstration. Contracts were null and void. Thats why we lost many of our quality players for next to nothing. We would have purchased the club in the same way as the current owners. We could have borrowed the money in the same way. If you had the same experience as I have had over the last seven years you would learn that the purchase price at that time would have been manageable. We just did not have the experience at that time to deal with such figures.

 

You often given the impression of having superior knowledge in areas you have no experience. In that respect I take a lead on you.

 

Ooooh... Handbags

 

Barry, Is it still your belief that £20 is a very small sum to watch Latics play and that the £20 pales into insignificance when you consider a trip to the theatre or a rock gig for example?

Surely you cannot be serious my friend...

[Ackey]

Ooooh... Handbags

 

Barry, Is it still your belief that £20 is a very small sum to watch Latics play and that the £20 pales into insignificance when you consider a trip to the theatre or a rock gig for example?

Surely you cannot be serious my friend...

Cinema = £10 a ticket

Gig = £15-25 a ticket

Latics = £20 a ticket

 

Seems comparable, but not insignificant.