[Bucksiron]

I think he’ll have to be worth more than £1.22m if he’s buying a football club, even if he does have others involved. That will go in no time…

[Bucksiron]

I’m no fan of Trump, in fact I can’t stand the man. The problem is that Biden’s as big a liar as Trump.

As for the UK, just count your blessings. I was in New York before Christmas and much as I love the city and its people — New Yorkers are the friendliest on earth, from top to bottom — things are far, far worse in the States than they are here.

[Bucksiron]

I’m certainly not defending him.

As for “what about Labour”, Siderite, you’re completely missing the point. It has nothing at all to do with being an ‘apologist’. The plain truth is that politicians in all parties do shady things. The idea that Labour politicians are better is nonsense, just as it’s nonsense to claim that socialists are the only ones who want a “better world”.

I’m quite sure that when Starmer becomes PM all sorts of stuff will come out of the Labour woodwork.

[Bucksiron]

“Remember being left wing is wanting a more equal and fair word at it’s core,who thinks that is a bad thing?”

An absolutely typical and ridiculous comment. A great example of self-righteous “I’m better than you because I’m a socialist” twaddle.

As for the BBC, it’s meant to be the BRITISH Broadcasting Corporation but might as well be called the EU Broadcasting Corporation. Regarding bias, I think both the left and the right have a case against it. All it needs to do is report the truth but instead we get the views of its so-called “experts”.

None of this would really matter if it wasn’t funded through a compulsory tax. Whatever anyone’s views might be about other channels they don’t force you to pay to watch them (even Channel 4, although that’s still public money).

[Bucksiron]

Nothing will — or can — happen unless someone steps up to make it happen. It’s not a question of “expecting others” to do it but being practical. If I had the time and lived close to Scunthorpe I’d happily have taken this on, but I don’t.

I’m not “expecting” others to do this but hope there is someone, or a group of supporters, willing and able to do so. Plenty on here have been telling everyone how the club should be run so here’s an opportunity for them to prove their point.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Lord Kitchener

[Bucksiron]

We really need someone to step forward and take a lead to drive all of this. I’d love to do it but just don’t have the time, nor do I live close enough to the town for this to be practical. The Trust would be the obvious choice, though from what I’ve read on here that doesn’t look very likely.

Anyone have any suggestions/ideas? Supporters from other clubs have managed to achieve a lot but it needs a big commitment.

[Bucksiron]

Look, as things stand SUFC Ltd is worth less than nothing, i.e. it’s a liability. We really need to see an up-to-date balance sheet but the one that is available reveals no assets and negative equity. The assets the club did have, which were significant, have been stripped away by Swann to cover the losses incurred by him over the years. These now appear to sit in Coolsilk, but that company has also made big losses based on the balance sheet available for it.

It’s highly unlikely things have got any better. Swann’s business was undoubtedly hit by covid but if you also look at his personal profile at Companies House there appear to have been all sorts of things happening around horse racing and bloodstock. Put simply, the Swanns’ finances appear to have taken a massive hit over the past few years — I say “appear” because obviously we can only see records from Companies House.

Either way, Swann seems to be in no position to take the club forward and without a sale administration looks inevitable. This is why I’ve suggested that the best option would be to leave the club and Swann to their fate. While, of course, it’s terrible for people to lose their jobs, if I was employed by SUFC Ltd I’d be looking very seriously for new employment. I’d be surprised if this wasn’t the case for most people who work for the club, including the players.

I think les’s post is very pertinent to all of this. What’s happened makes very little sense until you take the betting problem into account. It certainly appears to explain a lot. Given all of this I’d say that supporting the start of a new club is definitely something that should be debated. While far from an ideal solution it would, at least, give some hope unless a serious buyer for SUFC Ltd can be found, which at the moment looks increasingly unlikely, if not impossible given current circumstances.

[Bucksiron]

Much as I hate to say this I think the time has come for the nuclear option, which is to ask all supporters to stop attending games or providing any further income for the club while it’s in Swann’s hands.

Looking at the last balance sheet that I can find the club has no assets and negative equity and I can’t imagine things have improved since then.

We have to face the facts. Without someone coming in with a lot of cash the club is dead.

RIP SUFC.

I’ve loved you since the age of eight, a Friday night as I recall when we beat Derby County 3-2 in a thrilling match at the OSG. My love for football was ignited that night.

My love for football effectively finished on the day SUFC were relegated from the EFL. I could see no future for the club and I have no problem admitting that I was heartbroken. I still am. I’ve hardly watched any football since.

4 users thanked author for this post.

StainlessIron, j charles, Sharp_Shooter24, cokeovenkid

[Bucksiron]

Well, going back to my earlier post about starting afresh with a new club, it’s clear from the latest available balance sheet that SUFC Ltd is now worth less than nothing. Having supported Swann in the past I cannot forgive the man. He’s taken enough already in lieu of the appalling mess he’s made and I don’t want him to get a penny more from the club. Anyone buying it from him would struggle to make ends meet given the problems he’s created and it’s hard to see how the club could do anything other than decline, even under new owners.

A fresh start would bring much needed hope and positivity, even at the lowest level, while new owners would have funds to build a strong squad and climb back through the leagues.

It would be interesting to know what others think, of course, but I’d rather be supporting a club on the way up than one on the way down while having some satisfaction from Swann being left “holding the baby”.

3 users thanked author for this post.

Iron-awe, Siderite, Ferrite

[Bucksiron]

Not sure if this has been raised already, so apologies if it has and I’ve missed it. There is one way to get rid of Swann, which would be drastic but at least enable things to move on.

Start afresh with a new club.

There are plenty of downsides, of course, not least that this would result in administration for SUFC Ltd, but given how bad things are at the moment there’s no guarantee it won’t happen anyway. The accounts for SUFC Ltd and Coolsilk make grim reading, with a lot of red ink and if Swann won’t sell for a realistic price then leave him with the problem. Of course, administration would cost jobs but, again, that’s probably going to happen in any event given how bad things have become.

If a consortium were to put in, say, £1.25m and if crowd-funding were to raise £500,000, both of which are feasible, then a new club could be started. The huge benefit of this would be an enormous amount of goodwill and a decent income from what is a very loyal fan-base. Ground-sharing could be used — Gainsborough would have an ironic attraction to it, if they’re amenable — in the short to medium-term.

Clubs such as AFC Wimbledon have proved this can be done; and, who knows, “AFC Scunthorpe”, “Scunthorpe Town” or even “Scunthorpe United 2023” might even find themselves playing ‘at home’ should a certain football ground eventually become available at a knock-down price.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Just Iron

[Bucksiron]

“Bucks & UTI should also hang their heads in shame for the shite they gave us that tried to tell them about Swann”

What an absolutely ridiculous comment, Pat. All of Swann’s business plans made a great deal of sense and it’s baffled me as to why things went the way they did. Now we know the answer.

It’s the easiest thing in the world to say that Swann’s a “wrong un”, but no matter how much I hate the man for what’s happened to our club I’m not going to condemn him for having a gambling problem. That’s what’s killed our club, not all the absurd stuff you and others were moaning and groaning about, such as running out of pies at half-time.

[Bucksiron]

Ah yes, a joke. Hilarious. Just how crass can you get.

Siderite, I’ve said many times that the Tories are to blame for lots of things and I’ve also accepted that Brexit has caused problems, to you as well as others, so please don’t make claims that are not true.

Homelessness is and always will be a major problem and for all sorts of reasons. It’s far more complex than “just getting people off the streets”, with many homeless people — especially ex-military — simply unable to cope with modern living.

You might choose to read this piece from ‘The Guardian’, which no doubt you’ll also treat as a ‘joke’. There are lots of people whose businesses are facing huge problems at the moment and many, I’m afraid, will end up bankrupt and probably even on the streets. Of course the Tories aren’t blameless but neither are the likes of Mick Lynch whose union has played a big part in depriving small businesses of customers at the very time they most need them, i.e. Christmas.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/dec/27/critics-mocked-rishi-sunak-homeless-man-business

[Bucksiron]

Of course, when Sir Keir’s PM there won’t be any homeless people.

Just how ridiculous can you get. It’s all so easy for the left. Just blame the Tories for everything. Or just blame Brexit. It’s about the only thing you lot seem capable of doing.

If the left were as good at solving problems as they are at criticising others for them, fine, but they’re not. In fact Labour’s just as useless as the Tories, as I’ve no doubt we’ll be discovering.

1 user thanked author for this post.

billpuntonsghost

[Bucksiron]

Not true, Deerey, I’ve complained about many more things around the Tories than net zero and pensions. Then again and I wouldn’t call the fact that massive energy costs — and inflation — have been driven almost entirely by crazy net zero targets, bonkers. Nor that the public sector pension liability runs into trillions.

What is truly bonkers is that you seem to think these are trivial matters, or maybe I’m mistaken and you’ll correct me on that.

And, wow, three posters complaining about Labour.

[Bucksiron]

“Missed the point deliberately again.”

On the contrary, Heath, but let me spell it out for you. According to the article, which I had read btw, poor pay and working conditions were among the main reasons for junior doctors wanting to leave. Yet in the same organisation, i.e. the NHS, GPs are retiring at 60 on massive pensions while consultants are going part-time, having a ball playing golf, or complaining because their million-pound-plus pension funds attract too much tax.

Any company run in the same way would have gone out of business years ago. But there are many more things wrong with the NHS than just this. Anyone can see that the NHS is broken. What’s more — and I’ve said this elsewhere — I completely agree that the Tories have to take a lot of responsibility for this, but it isn’t all down to them. The seeds of many problems were sown by Labour, especially GP contracts; and if anyone tries to claim otherwise then, in the immortal phrase used on this board so often, “they are lying”.

What is staring you and your left wing mates in the face is that the most popular destination for junior doctors according to the article is Australia; and does Australia have an NHS equivalent? No. But it hardly needs a genius to work out what your reaction would be if the UK attempted to go down the same path.

NI, I don’t for one moment think I know it all, though of course you’re happy to make such comments. Just like TW and his daft “supercilious” remarks. As for your question, I thought I had answered it by referring to my time as a gardener at Scunthorpe Hospital. Obviously I should have added that this was the closest I’ve ever come to working in the public sector and it was the only one I’ve ever applied for. Absolutely loved it.

Gurny, I do wonder what planet you’re living on. I don’t have any ‘problems’. You seem obsessed with the fact that I’ll happily talk about mental health. It’s people who won’t talk about mental health — or use it as a weapon, as you’ve done in the past — who have the problems.

Your comments are so way off that they’re ridiculous. Like most people I’ve had to cope with all sorts of stresses throughout my life and I know better than most the worry of whether the mortgage could be paid or not. Ask many people who have run businesses and they’ll tell you how tough it is. Far more businesses fail than succeed, but you conveniently forget about that. According to you people just make a lot of money, try to avoid taxes and exploit others. Well, Gurney, it doesn’t work like that in the real world, although you’ll always find exceptions; and, of course, it’s those bad ones who you’ll always claim are typical. You seriously don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.

[Bucksiron]

“And, no one on here has ever said Labour would never do anything bad. Talk about gaslighting – a perfect example! Is this the dark art of PR at play?”

Indeed, Deerey, nobody on here has EVER said Labour would never do anything bad. You all just keep completely quiet about Labour’s faults.

As for ‘gaslighting’, you clearly have no idea what it actually means and your idea of PR just typifies your total ignorance of what it really involves. It’s actually very funny how you and others go along with stereotypical views as though they reflect reality, though I shouldn’t really be surprised.

Finally, if I had one pound for every comment on here about the evil, nasty Tory scum, etc, etc, etc I could probably retire on a very nice pension. You’re all up to your eyes in moral superiority, so much so that you can’t actually see it.

[Bucksiron]

“I’m sure Trump is Buck’s role model.”

I can’t stand the man.

“I should think NI does know what it means, him having worked in education as opposed to a grifters occupation!”

The way you lot throw the term ‘gaslighting’ around suggests none of you know what it actually means.

“Ah, but that makes me an evil public sector vampire. Sucking the life blood out of the treasury!”

Daft comment and, anyway, NI, I’m the evil one, apparently. What it does means, however, is that you have no clue how much money the public sector really is sucking out of the treasury.

“I see he still hasn’t answered my question from Thursday!”

Forgive me, NI, but strangely enough your question hasn’t been on the list of my top priorities over the past few days. TW seems to think that his questions should also be on top of my priority list. Why don’t you remind me what it was and I’ll do my best to answer it for you.

“I suppose you will try to argue that this disgrace is the fault of the unions.”

Heath, one of my best mates from school became a GP. He retired at 60 on a pension of £48,000 a year, married to a GP who retired at the same time on the same pension. That’s £96,000 a year, which requires a pension pot of around £2.5 million. I don’t know a single person with a pension pot remotely close to that.

I also know a consultant anaesthetist, in his fifties, who has gone part-time and is enjoying playing golf as well as a consultant gynaecologist, in her thirties, who is doing a four-day week. We also have consultants who are retiring early because of having to pay more tax on their pension pots of over £1m.

Despite all of this, despite the horrendous public sector pension liability and despite the billions being thrown at the NHS you want to to blame me for voting Tory. Well, I agree with you. The Tories have failed miserably to address any of these issues along with all the other billions wasted. Had they sorted this out all of the pay rises could now be being met.

[Bucksiron]

Very interesting responses, barring the predictable personal attacks from the usual suspects, which I’ll just ignore.

I must confess that I expected people to have a bit more sympathy from a purely human perspective given that gambling, like alcohol, can be addictive. If Swann was an addict, which seems likely though I don’t think he’s said as much, he certainly has my sympathy; and, no, it’s not something that’s ever happened to me, but we all know it can ruin people’s lives.

Either way, the point is that just saying none of the club’s money was involved does not absolve Swann of responsibility for the massive problems this has more than likely created, which seems to be what he’s trying to claim with his statement. On that basis I’d say there’s very high justification for him to let the club go for significantly less than the book value.

Whether Swann reads this board or not I find it hard to believe that nobody involved with the club does so. Do they pay any attention? Almost certainly not, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t express our views.

[Bucksiron]

“I didn’t suggest otherwise Captain Gaslight.”

Yeah, right, NI. That’s exactly what you did; and what part of “where exactly did I say that the Tory Government doesn’t waste money?” do you not understand?

The state wastes billions regardless of who’s in Government. It’s unaccountable and very good at spending other people’s money. It’s also very good at blaming everything and everyone else for problems and lack of money.

As for the rubbish about “gaslighting”, of course, just come out with yet another daft thing you can accuse someone of. I wonder if you even know what it really means.

[Bucksiron]

That’s just not true, Sidey. What I object to is those on the left claiming they’re morally superior and that Labour would never do anything bad. If you actually look at my comments you’ll see that I quite often agree with the points being made about the Tories — I’ve just done exactly that in the thread about the closing of the mines in the 1980s.

In fairness I have seen you (very rarely) accept the EU isn’t perfect, but I can’t recall any of the usual suspects ever doing so. It’s classic left and remainer mentality. Just blame the Tories and anyone who voted for Brexit for anything and everything.

Someone will probably try to blame Brexit for the corruption somewhere along the line (or the evil Tory scum).

[Bucksiron]

I completely agree, Gurny, which is one reason I couldn’t stand Thatcher. It was handled extremely badly. None of that means the unions were blameless. They, too, have to accept some responsibility but, of course, the left just blames the Tory scum for everything.

Now, apparently, not only am I scum but also evil. Talk about moronic; and why? First, for pointing out one of, if not the most basic law of economics regarding supply and demand. Second, because I was personally responsible, apparently for closing the mines (at the time I wasn’t even voting Tory). I guess that makes you responsible for the millions who died in the Soviet Gulags, Fans? Just how ridiculous can anyone get. Then we have IA chipping in with the partitioning of India, which for some bizarre reason is linked to the OP?! Even more ridiculous.

Of course, the wonderful Germans would never do anything like that. Well, then, why don’t you lot clear off to live in Germany or somewhere else in the EU. After all, the EU isn’t racist so I’m sure they’ll happily take you; and if not just bung a few million euros in a brown bag and everything will be fine.

Heavens, talk about the usual suspects. It just gets worse and worse.

[Bucksiron]

And there I was thinking Swann read this board every day, Deerey. I’d say you’re the one who needs a reality check.

[Bucksiron]

You’re the one re-writing history, Fans. In the 1980s the unions were holding businesses to ransom and refusing necessary changes to improve efficiency and productivity. Print unions were a classic example as new technology was desperately needed while the unions wanted to continue with practices dating back decades.

As for the miners’ strike, Scargill should have listened to Deerey. The coalmines were, like so many industries at the time, very inefficient and closures were increasing. Scargill thought he could do to Thatcher what the unions had done to Callaghan in the late 1970s, but as I recall no ballot was held to support the strike by the members. I couldn’t stand Thatcher but there was no doubt the unions were supporting completely outdated working practices and something had to be done. Now we’re seeing history repeating itself with outdated working practices on the railways that desperately need to be reformed.

As for the free market making energy prices go rampant, you couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s the Government that is forcing net zero on the markets. If wind energy was as efficient as being claimed then we wouldn’t be needing the gas and coal now being used to prop-up the failing renewables; and if net zero wasn’t being forced on the markets we’d still have the investment necessary to keep the gas flowing at an affordable price.

What’s more, it’s highly likely that Putin would never have been able to afford his invasion of Ukraine had he not been in a position to hold the West to ransom as a result of insane net zero policies.

[Bucksiron]

“…it’s the members who vote on decisions to strike”

Is that it? And there I was thinking you were going to tell me some earth-shattering fact. Well surprise, surprise, Deerey, I do understand how the unions work; and, no, I’m not at all against having them and couldn’t give a toss whether you believe me or not.

NI, where exactly did I say that the Tory Government doesn’t waste money? I didn’t, so please don’t suggest otherwise. It’s the state that’s particularly good at wasting money whether it’s being run by the Tories or Labour.

As for being naive or a complete idiot, IA, do you seriously believe the unions aren’t playing politics at the moment? If you don’t then you ARE either naive or a complete idiot. Hardly a personal attack given that anyone with any political nous would believe otherwise while there’s nothing inherently wrong in being naive.

[Bucksiron]

Part 1 , Shut down the coal mines,pretending it’s about coal being dirty and a fuel of the past,(recent events show that was bs)

The unions shot themselves in the foot. As is now happening with the railways, if an industry can’t be run efficiently then it will price itself out of the market. This is what happens when you weaponise the workers for political reasons and it’s one reason why socialism never works. If an industry can’t create a profit then it will die in any political system. Whether you like it or not this is just a simple economic fact, again, regardless of the political system.

As for what’s happening now, you couldn’t make it up. As a result of net zero targets more coal is being burned than ever, despite it being a very dirty fuel.

Part 2,a consequence of the above was to make energy companies more needed therefore more attractive to the markets.

Large amounts of energy will always be needed in any decent society. What’s more this energy has to be affordable, reliable and secure. The unions ensured that coal was neither affordable nor reliable. Had they worked with the politicians the mines could have been kept open and prospered, but the politics ensured this couldn’t happen.

Part 3 sell of energy companies,tell it’s good because it will create a market and competion to drive down prices.

Free market competition is by far the best way to ensure prices remain as low as possible. What people fail to appreciate is the vast amounts of money required to invest in energy, from source to supply. Why would any energy company invest in the future when it’s told by government that it has no future.

Part 4 set up a quango to protect prices and profits,call it a watchdog.

Come up with a crazy scheme called net zero, which means existing energy companies have no future. At the same time plough trillions of tax-payers’ money into incredibly inefficient, unreliable and insecure systems, which takes us back to where we started from.

If renewable energy was so cheap then market forces would have taken it up a long time ago. It isn’t and they didn’t. Now it’s being forced on people by ideologs and politicians, with the only thing that will ever achieve net zero being the understanding of the engineering and economics behind such hare-brained and nonsensical schemes.

[Bucksiron]

Watched him many times at the OSG. Happy days.

[Bucksiron]

Well, this explains a great deal.

I’ve never been able to understand how Swann could take the club from the verge of the Championship to where we are now, even with the problems created by the pandemic. This provides a lot of answers.

It is, indeed, a very sad story. Not only for Swann but also for his family and, of course, for us, the club’s supporters. There are no winners here.

[Bucksiron]

To coin a phrase, Siderite, where exactly have I said that I agree with what’s happening in China? I abhor what’s going on in that country.

I was simply making a point, as you well know.

Absolutely huge amounts are spent on welfare. The problem is that even more money is being wasted, not least in the public sector.

Address that and you could solve all the problems in the NHS and welfare. Yet, of course, you all choose to ignore that fact.

[Bucksiron]

Absolute rubbish, TW. The simple truth is that people are either truly ignorant of the facts, which is hardly anything to be ashamed of, or deliberately ignoring what’s happening for ideological or political reasons.

If net zero targets were sensible and energy prices lowered — and they’re definitely not going to get any lower while these absurd targets are kept in place — inflation could be brought under control, people wouldn’t be being plunged into poverty, far fewer people would die (yes, seriously), the country could prosper and the nurses could be given the pay rise we all want them to have.

But, again, hey, just ignore the facts and come out with daft comments about superciliousness.

[Bucksiron]

Nothing like a constructive comment, Deerey, and, as usual, that is nothing like a constructive comment. Just the usual personal attack.

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billpuntonsghost

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