Paul Conway on Football Heaven

My reservations may be unfounded, but it all sounds too good to be true. I keep on asking myself what's in it for them and why us. I haven't read or heard anything that even begins to explain that.

A budget that keeps us in the black, every penny brought in ploughed back into the club, confident that at the very least we'll establish ourselves as a Championship team... What's not to like? Can I also have fresh cream cakes and naked damsels on a conveyor into my flat please? It sort of sounds that far fetched. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe they really are our fairy god mothers and fathers and all this is from the goodness of their heart because they like us Barnsley folk.

 

It would be highly unlikely that Conway would say that they hope to sell the club on for profit sometime in the future. Even if that is the intention (and it’s bound to be sold at some point!) he can’t say that. I reckon we just fit into their general plan mixing property, entertainment and sport. It’s a punt from folk who can afford to do it.

 

I agree. The "why us" is a bother but if you take what they said at their first meeting when they said it was a no-brainer is probably, actually true. The club was financially well run if the books are to believed and our model would appear to have already suited their ideas. Certainly the spreadsheet would have found favour with certain quarters. My main fear is getting abandoned should we go anywhere near the Premiership and fail. The top flight did us no favours after the last time we were there.

 

This is exactly how I see it. They’ve bought a self sufficient club and they are hoping to increase the revenue of it which they can reinvest in the club to get better playing squad with the hope of getting us to the Premier League.

Reckon they’ll also try to use us as a vehicle to get their other businesses some traction in the UK so they might just benefit from that.

 

From Conways comments that they like to do things quietly and out of public glare means we won't know the goals of the consortium until it happens. That may be a few years time, 5 years, 10 years, not in our lifetimes, who knows.

They aren't being philanthropic with us, they aren't doing it for vanity and ego. So it has to come down to generating return and profit. Chinese business people tend to play the long game, and acquire assets to sweat over time. Its a more westernised thing where businesses sell for a quick buck, Uk especially. So the only ways they can make money is to generate regular income they pocket (and with so many mouths, that doesn't make sense once you deduct tax), disposal at a premium (they've already said they are in it for the long term (however long that is) so that seems unlikely, or they generate significant revenues and additional investment and growth opportunities through us and their other football investments. That seems by far the most likely. Depressed town. Unskilled workforce. Football club debt free and very cheap compared to others. Potential to stream content through new rights deals to overseas countries. I think those are the financial reasons for investing.

 

If that's their intention then I'm fine with that. Thing is, it happens so seldom that I don't believe it to be a very good business model. How does that saying go, what's the best way to become a millionaire? Start off as a billionaire and buy a football club.

There are some examples to the contrary in this thread, but if there'd been a video camera there at the time I could show you an example of where I did a flying over head kick from the edge of the area right into the top corner. This did actually happen. But what I'd be ignoring, and what they are ignoring, is the other 100 times I simply ended up on my arse.

 

Mr C could hit a flying overhead kick from the halfway line into the top corner. Every time.

 

Ken Bates, Milan Mandaric, Patrick Cryne.

 

From Paul Conway
"So in three years in Nice, we have grown revenue from 42m Euros to 75m Euros and at the same time, each summer we have had an all-time new transfer record for the club. The first year we invested 14m Euros, second 21m, third-year 27m. Every penny goes back into the club."

Nice were in financial trouble not too long ago and relegated due to this. Their fans seem to have forgot where they have come from.

 

The "why us" conundrum is the question that I asked myself when the rumours were just bubbling up about the take-over. But to be fair, I think they answered it in there very first press conference.

They didn't choose Barnsley Football Club specifically from the start, they just wanted an English club to add to their growing sporting portfolio, and by the process of elimination we became the "chosen one". i might be remembering wrongly, but didn't Conway even say they looked at and started negotiations with several clubs, but either baulked at the asking price, the profit/loss reports or both. I seem to remember Brentford being one of them they were in negotiations with but their owner(s) wanted a stupid amount of money to do a deal.

Between those comments, this interview and the fans forum I am very optimistic for the future. I mean, of course they will want a return on their investment. But, making a return on the owners investments doesn't mean success can't be found on the pitch too, and vice versa of course.

 

I would say imo that success on the pitch is essential in them making any worthwhile returns on their investments

 

Yeah, I worded that last bit wrong. It didn't need the "vice versa" bit.

 

I don't yet have any suspicions about their intentions.

There are many examples in the business world where already very wealthy people who can live comfortably for the rest of their lives buy into businesses that will serve only to occupy their time and keep them away from their family and loved ones. Sometimes you just think, why don't you stop and enjoy all the money you've accumulated before you shuffle off this mortal coil? I don't think it enters their minds. Mike Ashley could do that, but he buys House of Fraser and with it will come all manner of headaches. It might seem mad to us but there are people who are driven and consumed by what they do.

If Conway et al were interested in just making money then clearly there have to be much much much better investments out there than buying Barnsley football club!
It might just be that they are motivated by the challenge of building and growing the business in a way that corresponds to their vision, because that's what they love doing.

 

I wouldn’t say these owners have bought BFCto enjoy their last few years tbh.
Especially given how much time they actually spend here.
I think it’s purely a business strategy combining a likeable pastime imo.