bangsection wrote:The Denglen fiasco is one of the murkiest episodes in modern football. The way our club was mercilessly asset stripped in the wake of Ramsden's departure should still be a point of contention now, but it has largely been forgotten - mainly because nobody in authority gave a toss what happened to football clubs in those days, especially unfashionable ones from the Black Country. Its legacy lives on, however, not only in our parlous financial state but also in the anodyne, identikit stadium that we had built for us with, let's be honest, a fraction of the Morrison's cash.
That's why people who actually remember what happened and are still angry enough to research it (great post Exile BTW) are so important to this board. Some of our younger fans probably have no idea what happened in the 80s and need educating. Whether they're bothered is another matter of course.
Apart from the stadium, our one other tangible reminder of Denglen is our old friend and benefactor (sic), the millionaire Jeffrey Bonser. Plastic Hawk deserves credit for trying to propose a solution to the freehold question but I agree with Dave that a buyout is probably beyond the means of the Trust. However, the fans should certainly start to attempt to try to open channels of communication with our owner. He has presided over one of the most successful periods in the club's history on and off the pitch. He has also become extremely wealthy in the process. What could be a better addition to this legacy than returning the freehold to the club? Because if he does sell the freehold to the highest bidder then he is effectively sentencing Walsall FC to another X years of starting every season with a massive financial handicap. But, again, this is speculation because, as ever, we don't know his intentions. I would argue that we need to establish just what he does plan to do with the freehold as soon as possible.
Jeff is clearly moving into the endgame at Walsall. As fans, it's never been more important for us to make our voices heard. Those who were around in 1989/90 couldn't prevent what was going on because they were kept in the dark. As fans - the most important people at Walsall FC bar none - it would be gross negligence to let the same thing happen again. We need to establish Bonser's intentions and then do everything we can to negotiate the most mutually beneficial scenario for his departure. Because Walsall FC will be here long after Jeff cashes in his pension fund.
A suggestion - Jeff sells the freehold to the club for what he paid for it (£200K?) but index-linked, dating from the date of said purchase, which would make it, what, half a million? Perhaps someone who has easy access to the government indexes could work it out?
Exile and bangsection - your posts, and those of others, should be archived in a separate section, as the Denglen business must
NEVER be allowed to be swept under the carpet. Thinking about it - Maurice Miller is another reason I dislike Leeds United!