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The Easdale’s Shares


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Now that Dave King has a last agreed to the takeover commissions order to buy the shares in The Rangers which are owned by everyone other than the Ibrox three bears will the Easdale’s sell their shares to King and extract themselves from a loss making outfit?

If they do it leaves the door open for them to buy Morton. Does anyone think they will make Crawford an offer.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
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I do not think they will buy Morton.

 

The Easdales look for a return on their investment and they have had that with each business venture they have entered.

 

Morton are a money pit. All be it, ran like a Tuck shop but over the years the accounts have made Grim reading.

 

They have backed the club over the years but I don't see them purchasing the club and I have heard some fans at the games saying "When the Easdales come in we will get a new stadium, be in the Premier League and have a big name Manager".

 

Only one of those scenarios may happen and it is not a New Stadium at IBM or Sir Alex in the dugout.

 

If they do buy us, I welcome the fresh ideas and potential different outlook at running us, professionally, but until they are stood on the centre circle with a scarf above them stating they own 88.88% of the shares, it will be the same old shite from now until then.

 

Whilst I would have no objections to them taking charge, they have always been the go to as the next owner...who takes over from them? There is no one jumping out as potential owners down the line when/if they want out.

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Morton are a money pit.

We lose a couple of hundred grand a year when we stink out this division or drop to the one below. Potential to turn a profit with the increased prize money when we bother to try to actually finish in the playoffs or do well in the cups (and we did that the year we did), and certainly profit potential if we did actually make it up.

 

Morton being such a financial drain exaggerated as always. Our losses are exactly par for the course for a middling Championship team. And for one run so badly, there is potential to even lessen that with a more Professional operation.

 

QOS finished a place above us last year, Falkirk a place below. So let's look at them as a guide.

 

QOS lost £200k last year, double what it was the year before but that year was boosted by a cup game against Rangers.

 

Falkirk have lost £2-300k per year for the past decade.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-47170416

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47061959

 

Little difference between money pit Morton and the others then.

 

If the Easdales or anyone else for that matter, took over with a genuine view and plan to get up, there's definite potential for an operating profit.

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We lose a couple of hundred grand a year when we stink out this division or drop to the one below. Potential to turn a profit with the increased prize money when we bother to try to actually finish in the playoffs or do well in the cups (and we did that the year we did), and certainly profit potential if we did actually make it up.

 

Morton being such a financial drain exaggerated as always. Our losses are exactly par for the course for a middling Championship team. And for one run so badly, there is potential to even lessen that with a more Professional operation.

 

QOS finished a place above us last year, Falkirk a place below. So let's look at them as a guide.

 

QOS lost £200k last year, double what it was the year before but that year was boosted by a cup game against Rangers.

 

Falkirk have lost £2-300k per year for the past decade.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-47170416

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47061959

 

Little difference between money pit Morton and the others then.

 

If the Easdales or anyone else for that matter, took over with a genuine view and plan to get up, there's definite potential for an operating profit.

 

Agreed with all of this but there's an opportunity cost to any investment - money allocated to Morton is money that can't be allocated elsewhere. If they want to grow their wealth, they'd do well to stay away from lower-league football, because in few other industries will you find the competition throwing good money after bad in the name of love. (If you run a joinery, it's unlikely that a Brooks Mileson figure will show up at a competing joinery and hire the best joiners for more than you could possibly pay.)

 

If they simply want to be involved in football, or want to offset losses from other parts of their business while also being involved in football and a community club, then it's a distinct possibility. But if they are looking for a consistent ROI, SPFL prize money ain't going to cut it.

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I think apart from the diehard fans who buy lower league football clubs it's pretty much always something of a vanity project.

 

You can throw away millions on a luxury yacht to take your pals on although it is in the marina for 48 weeks in the year just costing you money and depreciating or you can do a number of other things one of which is buying a football club.

 

It isn't necessary that it makes any financial sense if it ticks another 'must have' box.

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I think apart from the diehard fans who buy lower league football clubs it's pretty much always something of a vanity project.

 

You can throw away millions on a luxury yacht to take your pals on although it is in the marina for 48 weeks in the year just costing you money and depreciating or you can do a number of other things one of which is buying a football club.

 

It isn't necessary that it makes any financial sense if it ticks another 'must have' box.

 

Yep. Sport - and entertainment, and books - is a business where unless you're at the absolute pinnacle, you're probably in it for the love of the game. Clubs like Liverpool and the Dallas Cowboys are money factories, but once you get down to a more grounded level the profits dry up extremely quickly. So why do people get involved? Because they just want to, fiscal sense be damned.

 

Either that or they think they can do it differently, or better. A few people try this. Even fewer succeed.

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Yep. Sport - and entertainment, and books - is a business where unless you're at the absolute pinnacle, you're probably in it for the love of the game. Clubs like Liverpool and the Dallas Cowboys are money factories, but once you get down to a more grounded level the profits dry up extremely quickly. So why do people get involved? Because they just want to, fiscal sense be damned.

 

Either that or they think they can do it differently, or better. A few people try this. Even fewer succeed.

I wonder if in football there’s something of a burden to become involved too. As in, if you are the only realistic owner and the alternative is drastic decline/extinction, there might be a sense of duty (to the community or whatever) to act. I guess this was part of Tom Farmer’s motivation for getting involved in Hibs.
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A taxi draver was ranting to me the other week (would you believe it?) about Sandy & co buying us purely as a vanity project. They want as much of a presence in Inverclyde as possiblle and what better way etc...

 

He also said he wouldn’t mind seeing them deed though. Good to know tensions between the taxis are still high.

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I wonder if in football there’s something of a burden to become involved too. As in, if you are the only realistic owner and the alternative is drastic decline/extinction, there might be a sense of duty (to the community or whatever) to act. I guess this was part of Tom Farmer’s motivation for getting involved in Hibs.

 

I think so. The former Hull owner said he was in it for the community and didn't care about football that much.

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Agreed with all of this but there's an opportunity cost to any investment - money allocated to Morton is money that can't be allocated elsewhere. If they want to grow their wealth, they'd do well to stay away from lower-league football, because in few other industries will you find the competition throwing good money after bad in the name of love. (If you run a joinery, it's unlikely that a Brooks Mileson figure will show up at a competing joinery and hire the best joiners for more than you could possibly pay.)

 

If they simply want to be involved in football, or want to offset losses from other parts of their business while also being involved in football and a community club, then it's a distinct possibility. But if they are looking for a consistent ROI, SPFL prize money ain't going to cut it.

Yeah, agree that the motivation to get involved in Football has to be more than just making a quick buck as that rarely works, as demonstrated by the parade of wrong'uns that got involved up the road at Castle Greyskull.

 

Was just picking up on and refuting that Morton, and Cappielow for that matter, is an insurmountable money pit like no other that is often peddled.

 

Someone running it professionally, who steps it up a level, and with a desire to be involved in football just because, could probably do so here without the losses to boot.

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It's also a good way to put money in and have other money come out. Not suggesting that's what the Easdale's would want as I'm sure that a heightened presence in the community and yet more land will make them happy enough.

 

Regardless, they like football more than Crawford and wouldn't really have any desire to make us any worse than we currently are. They clearly know how to run a business and turn a profit plus they have a helluva lot more connections in the football world than the Raes.

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My concern is that they try and move us to IBM..

 

I know there has been stories about this - and generally i have dismissed - but i can't help get a feeling that there's more than meets the eye with those two and a Morton takeover.

At least it would show a willingness to progress. We’re going nowhere under the Rae’s but backwards. Not as if Cappielow’s been like La’ Bombonera in the last few decades either.

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