Hope, but a painfull and ugly one

[Tomovich]

I know this won't make me very popular and this sounds as if I'm letting the club down but I'm wrestling with this for some months now.

I really think we're better off with not being in the top 4 and by not winning the Europa League this season.

That will force the current owners to sell and gives the club a better chance for success in the future. With these yanks we'll loose everything and if one (or already several in this case) bad season is the price to pay, then I'm willing to bite the pain.

[Kinell]

It also devalues the club financially something that the owners aren't very willing to negotiate with when it comes to fresh take over talks.

[Taxi]

No, this is the worse possible case scenario.

Manchester City have the potential to become the next Chelsea. They have the money, they have a few decent players and now they have top flight european football to attract the players who would've previously rejected a move to the club. This summer they will make a few more top signings and edge further away from us whilst we stumble from one week to the next during which time a few potential new owners will make bids which wil inevitably be rejected.

This could be the beginning of a very dark period in our club's history.

[Fernandinho]

i had the same view mate, i would like to think that missing out on top 4 might just push the cowbows over the edge

[wiw]

Won't our Standard Chartered deal claw back some of the CL money lost? Plus the Adidas deal

[The Reverend]

With the club already on the market I'm not sure this would make any difference to the prospect of a sale. Lifting the Europa League is the only chance we have to salvage something from the season so I'd rather just watch the remaining games than be arsed worrying about the boardroom shenanigans.

[RPAS]

I also think this may make a big difference in a positive sence; if we were to make the Champs League Rafa would be able to say that we would have won the league bar injuries; this is not the case and is infact very far from it; also dumb & dumber would have another years Champs League money rolling in which would increase theie likelihood of staying; this way; yes the club will be devalued initially somewhat initially but if we are cheaper to buy then the new investors will have more funds to pump directly into the team + commence the new stadium. Part of our issue is that the Yanks paid so much initially that there was nothing left for anything else; yes construction costs went up initially but now when they are so cheap we should be building; we aren't because these two mortgaged the clubs to its balls to make the deal happen in the first place. Big money people are into making big money; this should actually attract a bigger player that can buy the club cheap and then reinvest heavily to ensure a bigger return in the long run. People in here questioned DIC's motives for having a "7" year plan; we need to wise up; anyone buying us wants to make money; period; Parry/Moores took the wrong option to sell to and this is all part of the process of clearing out. For what its worth I've been a big Rafa fan from day 1; but at this stage I think Rafa and the Club are not a match; if we have the same players in the dressing room listening to the same manager again; regardless of owners we're in trouble already for next season.

[Exiled_red]

Won't our Standard Chartered deal claw back some of the CL money lost? Plus the Adidas deal

Weren't those deals also dependent on Champions League football? i.e. our failure to qualify means the sponsorship payments are reduced somewhat. Although I have no idea how the reduced Standard Chatered deal compares to the current Carlsberg one

[The Birdman]

Man City have nothing to do with us tbh. They are so far ahead in terms of available finance that it was always a case of when not if they over took us.
Man U have the finance and the stadium, Chelsea have the finance, Aresnal have the stadium and the infurstructure in place to bring younger player through.
We have a pair of greedy Yanks.

Spot the difference

[pondus]

Weren't those deals also dependent on Champions League football? i.e. our failure to qualify means the sponsorship payments are reduced somewhat. Although I have no idea how the reduced Standard Chatered deal compares to the current Carlsberg one

That is correct, if we are to believe what was written about the deal