The Takeover Megathread (David Low Bid Rejected)

[Glorious St Pat]

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Its not unusual on the continent for high profile ex players to be involved at boardroom level at their former cubs. I have no problem with people being sceptical about Kano's involvement if they are looking at it from a financial point of view. But as far as I can see Kano is not proposing to buy HFC himself. If its because he isn't 'well spoken' doesn't wear a pinstripe suit, have a degree in accountancy and run a muti national corporation then some folk haven't been keeping up with current affairs ...... people like that nearly brought the western world to ruin just recently as I recall.

I said in a post a few weeks ago that 'Forever Hibernian' should be careful that STF's confidentiality clause didn't turn out to be a poisoned chalice. We are now weeks down the line and its obvious ( at least to me ) that its beginning to cause them real damage. There has to come a point where the FH people face the inescapable fact that their position, that it is better to work with STF rather than end up in an acrimonious battle with him, is being used to sideline them and encourage scepticism amongst the support of their ability to mount any kind of credible bid for the club ...... not to mention their ability to run it if they could.

Every day which goes by with apparently nothing happening and silence from both sides is grist to the mill for the sceptics and does FH no favours .................. IMO its time for them to make a statement which puts some sort of time limit on this confidentiality clause.

The supporters who are all aware that something is going on deserve at least an acknowledgement from the club that talks are ongoing. That does not breach any confidentiality agreement and will make at least this supporter feel a lot less like he is being insulted.

A wee parting shot ............... It kind of flies in the face of the clubs recent statements of fan inclusion and involvement that over 80 years of tradition were set aside at a stroke by producing a home strip minus white sleeves, with no consultation with the supporters. Because its only for one season and not as if they are changing the club colours its a pretty minor infringement. But as has been seen at other clubs fans are a pretty conservative lot and fiercely protective of their clubs traditions. Given the recent climate at ER the club were taking a bit of a risk pulling that thread.

Great post and sums up a lot of my own thoughts too. The veil of secrecy is doing no one any favours. If there is to be a part fans takeover then some details would be nice to gauge feeling and support. Those that have attacked Kano's background should be ashamed.

[jdships]

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Great post and sums up a lot of my own thoughts too. The veil of secrecy is doing no one any favours. If there is to be a part fans takeover then some details would be nice to gauge feeling and support. Those that have attacked Kano's background should be ashamed.

Surely "Kano and friends" are as much "to blame" on this as the Club.
What exactly have we been told about their ideas/intentions for the club - in a word NOTHING
All there has been up to now is spin

I have no problems withwhat they are trying to achieve but if they want the supporterts backing then give is some FIRM information

[blackpoolhibs]

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Surely "Kano and friends" are as much "to blame" on this as the Club.
What exactly have we been told about their ideas/intentions for the club - in a word NOTHING
All there has been up to now is spin

I have no problems withwhat they are trying to achieve but if they want the supporterts backing then give is some FIRM information

I was under the impression STF wanted secrecy and would say something when the time was right? If Kane was to break that request, i'm pretty sure STF would not be a happy bunny.

[NW]

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Surely "Kano and friends" are as much "to blame" on this as the Club.
What exactly have we been told about their ideas/intentions for the club - in a word NOTHING
All there has been up to now is spin

I have no problems withwhat they are trying to achieve but if they want the supporterts backing then give is some FIRM information

It's hard when it's negotiations taking place and that's is sensitive and such a public situation. I am not sure what else can be said until there is agreement from the club in terms of a structured offer. Anything will be fan focussed and the fans will be given plenty opportunity for a say and input. I know there is a huge amount of work going on.

[Jack]

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I was under the impression STF wanted secrecy and would say something when the time was right? If Kane was to break that request, i'm pretty sure STF would not be a happy bunny.

I'm not sure who asked for the confidentiality clause.

TBH its doing neither side, or perhaps any side if there's more than one group, any favours ... and that includes The Club.

From the rumours Paul and his team are in negotiations and some claim to be in the know, or maybe not, and posting teasers.

A group none of us know nothing about is apparently discussing options with STF - they don't even have a spokesperson! Maybe we should in future refer to them as the Ninja Consortium.

And there's there's The Club. While LD seems to be in her element running the club and diverting our attention the major shareholders are overseeing a clandestine operation that would make MI5 & MI6 proud ... except for the odd leak to MI7, the Russians, the Guardian and any number of others that STF & RP would have a wee s****** at!

And folk are having a pop at Kano for not saying enough!

Jack

aka Secret Squirrel
MI8

[matty_f]

I hope that in the event of new owners taking over, they have the good sense to keep LD and build on the foundations she's putting down for the club.

[oldbutdim]

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I'm not sure who asked for the confidentiality clause.

TBH its doing neither side, or perhaps any side if there's more than one group, any favours ... and that includes The Club.

From the rumours Paul and his team are in negotiations and some claim to be in the know, or maybe not, and posting teasers.

A group none of us know nothing about is apparently discussing options with STF - they don't even have a spokesperson! Maybe we should in future refer to them as the Ninja Consortium.

And there's there's The Club. While LD seems to be in her element running the club and diverting our attention the major shareholders are overseeing a clandestine operation that would make MI5 & MI6 proud ... except for the odd leak to MI7, the Russians, the Guardian and any number of others that STF & RP would have a wee s****** at!

And folk are having a pop at Kano for not saying enough!

Jack

aka Secret Squirrel
MI8

The Ninja's are indeed in negotiations too.

As posted earlier, this bid is a serious one I'm told.

Being led by a heavyweight Hibby.

[NW]

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The Ninja's are indeed in negotiations too.

As posted earlier, this bid is a serious one I'm told.

Being led by a heavyweight Hibby.

He ain't heavy, but he's my brother

[RIP]

Whether there are three business groups or five or six I am nervous about one aspect of the approach being taken.

I picture a scenario of a multi-millionaire talking to business consortia via RP and other STF advisors. Those bid groups run by Hibs business people believe they have supporters and club best interests at heart. I have no doubt they feel passionately that this is the case.

They are engaged in a process and it looks like some are further down the road than others. But there is one consistent factor and it is typical of the way our club has been run over the past three decades.

They seek to assure us that business people know best. That we should trust their leadership.Yet at the same time there are currently hundreds of thousands of football supporters up and down the UK regretting that they put their blind faith in business.

So while I warmly applaud Paul and the other groups for engaging with the owners, I am still not seeing enough consultation. Forever Hibernian engaged with the HSA off the back of the Petrie Out campaign but that was 2 months ago and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. I am worried that we will only be informed when something is a done deal.

It may be just me but as a supporter I don't see those methods as democratic enough to give supporters an input into the future of their club.

[Weststandwanab]

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I hope that in the event of new owners taking over, they have the good sense to keep LD and build on the foundations she's putting down for the club.

I think we can take that as read.

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The Ninja's are indeed in negotiations too.

As posted earlier, this bid is a serious one I'm told.

Being led by a heavyweight Hibby.

And the identity of the HH is ?

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Whether there are three business groups or five or six I am nervous about one aspect of the approach being taken.

I picture a scenario of a multi-millionaire talking to business consortia via RP and other STF advisors. Those bid groups run by Hibs business people believe they have supporters and club best interests at heart. I have no doubt they feel passionately that this is the case.

They are engaged in a process and it looks like some are further down the road than others. But there is one consistent factor and it is typical of the way our club has been run over the past three decades.

They seek to assure us that business people know best. That we should trust their leadership.Yet at the same time there are currently hundreds of thousands of football supporters up and down the UK regretting that they put their blind faith in business.

So while I warmly applaud Paul and the other groups for engaging with the owners, I am still not seeing enough consultation. Forever Hibernian engaged with the HSA off the back of the Petrie Out campaign but that was 2 months ago and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. I am worried that we will only be informed when something is a done deal.

It may be just me but as a supporter I don't see those methods as democratic enough to give supporters an input into the future of their club.

It will be democratic in the sense if you are a shareholder you will have the opportunity to vote If there is a bid.

[blackpoolhibs]

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I'm not sure who asked for the confidentiality clause.

TBH its doing neither side, or perhaps any side if there's more than one group, any favours ... and that includes The Club.

From the rumours Paul and his team are in negotiations and some claim to be in the know, or maybe not, and posting teasers.

A group none of us know nothing about is apparently discussing options with STF - they don't even have a spokesperson! Maybe we should in future refer to them as the Ninja Consortium.

And there's there's The Club. While LD seems to be in her element running the club and diverting our attention the major shareholders are overseeing a clandestine operation that would make MI5 & MI6 proud ... except for the odd leak to MI7, the Russians, the Guardian and any number of others that STF & RP would have a wee s****** at!

And folk are having a pop at Kano for not saying enough!

Jack

aka Secret Squirrel
MI8

Paul Kane said STF asked for this confidentiality, he'd be an idiot to ignore that.

[scoopyboy]

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The Ninja's are indeed in negotiations too.

As posted earlier, this bid is a serious one I'm told.

Being led by a heavyweight Hibby.

Ex chairman by any chance?

[Juice-Terry]

There will be an update from Kano and Forever Hibernian at the St Pat's branch meeting on Thursday.

[marinello59]

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There will be an update from Kano and Forever Hibernian at the St Pat's branch meeting on Thursday.

That's nice for the St Pat's members. Will they let the rest of us know in due course?

[Glorious St Pat]

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That's nice for the St Pat's members. Will they let the rest of us know in due course?

I will be at this meeting and have heard nothing of such an announcement.

[Juice-Terry]

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That's nice for the St Pat's members. Will they let the rest of us know in due course?

Paul's just back from his holidays, and given that he's a St Pat's member he probably just saw this as the first opportunity to provide an update. (He did say a while back that a more definite proposal would be ready in early August.) I'm sure he'll go public with whatever info he's got as soon as possible.

[Glorious St Pat]

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I will be at this meeting and have heard nothing of such an announcement.

Scrub that - just noticed on a branch email that a Forever Hibernian update is part of Thursday agenda.

Thanks Juice Terry

[marinello59]

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Paul's just back from his holidays, and given that he's a St Pat's member he probably just saw this as the first opportunity to provide an update. (He did say a while back that a more definite proposal would be ready in early August.) I'm sure he'll go public with whatever info he's got as soon as possible.

Interesting then that the confidentiality clause doesn't apply to this meeting then. I have been looking forward to hearing just how the fans can get involved in this when the time was right. Guess those of us not in the inner circle will have to wait a wee bit longer then. Or join St Pat's.

[Juice-Terry]

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Interesting then that the confidentiality clause doesn't apply to this meeting then. I have been looking forward to hearing just how the fans can get involved in this when the time was right. Guess those of us not in the inner circle will have to wait a wee bit longer then. Or join St Pat's.

I certainly don't know all the inside stuff here but I believe the confidentiality clause that STF insisted on related only to their first meeting when Kano & Co's bid was knocked back. It's my understanding (and hope) that Kano will present the names of a number of monied persons who are willing put up a substantial amount of money to buy 49% of the club and the remaining 51% will be offered to us - the Hibs supporters. The 51% will be run by a trust ('The Hibernian Trust') and will be chaired by Pat Stanton (or somenone of similar stature), and this trust will control Easter Road and East Mains. The 49% bunch will, effectively, provide working capital. That's my understanind anyway...I could of course be completely wrong (although I hope not). Kano has insisted on transparency, and I'm sure we'll get just that. It's only that it's taken this long to get the details of the proposal right. GGTTH!

[Turkish Green]

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There will be an update from Kano and Forever Hibernian at the St Pat's branch meeting on Thursday.

WE have cliques, do we? Only those and such as those, eh!

[Juice-Terry]

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WE have cliques, do we? Only those and such as those, eh!

See above.

[scoopyboy]

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There will be an update from Kano and Forever Hibernian at the St Pat's branch meeting on Thursday.

Any idea when he will be letting East Lothian Hibs know?

[Juice-Terry]

I'm sure there will be a public announcement very soon. Kano's a member of St Pat's. He would have been at the meeting regardless of Forever Hibernian. It's just that this time he will (hopefully) have some news about the bid.

[Beefster]

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Whether there are three business groups or five or six I am nervous about one aspect of the approach being taken.

I picture a scenario of a multi-millionaire talking to business consortia via RP and other STF advisors. Those bid groups run by Hibs business people believe they have supporters and club best interests at heart. I have no doubt they feel passionately that this is the case.

They are engaged in a process and it looks like some are further down the road than others. But there is one consistent factor and it is typical of the way our club has been run over the past three decades.

They seek to assure us that business people know best. That we should trust their leadership.Yet at the same time there are currently hundreds of thousands of football supporters up and down the UK regretting that they put their blind faith in business.

So while I warmly applaud Paul and the other groups for engaging with the owners, I am still not seeing enough consultation. Forever Hibernian engaged with the HSA off the back of the Petrie Out campaign but that was 2 months ago and a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. I am worried that we will only be informed when something is a done deal.

It may be just me but as a supporter I don't see those methods as democratic enough to give supporters an input into the future of their club.

I don't care if someone buys the club without consulting the supporters. Just as long as they keep the club safe, run it correctly and the consequences on the pitch are the ones we all want to see.

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That's nice for the St Pat's members. Will they let the rest of us know in due course?

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Interesting then that the confidentiality clause doesn't apply to this meeting then. I have been looking forward to hearing just how the fans can get involved in this when the time was right. Guess those of us not in the inner circle will have to wait a wee bit longer then. Or join St Pat's.

The consortium that Kane is involved with/fronting is making a horse's erse of the entire saga IMHO. Not good for a group that apparently needs/wants us to chip in to help them buy the club.

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

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[/B]

Ex chairman by any chance?

Son of perhaps?

[Golden Bear]

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I'm sure there will be a public announcement very soon. Kano's a member of St Pat's. He would have been at the meeting regardless of Forever Hibernian. It's just that this time he will (hopefully) have some news about the bid.

Surely not - whoever would have guessed that?!

[DarlingtonHibee]

Got my tin hat on -

It doesn't matter if its Kano or Donald Trump.

If the potential investors dont have the long term secuirity of the club at the heart of any proposal - STF will tell them to bolt.

[NAE NOOKIE]

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The consortium that Kane is involved with/fronting is making a horse's erse of the entire saga IMHO. Not good for a group that apparently needs/wants us to chip in to help them buy the club.

Its exactly this sort of statement which leads me to think more and more that an agreement to a confidentiality clause with apparently no time limit is damaging the Paul Kane group ..... Word on the street is that this was agreed out of respect to STF ..... at what point does asking for respect become taking the piss.

If Beefster's post is alluding to the statement made on here that apparently a statement / update will be given at a St Pat's branch meeting by Forever Hibernian I also do not think using one branch of the HSA as a medium for spreading information is a good idea, irrespective of whether Paul Kane is a member or not. It not only looks small time and amateurish, it also has (like it or not ) the potential to provoke accusations of cliqueism.

IMO any statements or updates from Forever Hibernian should be given at either a full meeting of the HSA or through the TV or press.

[DarlingtonHibee]

Can someone explain how it went from "Petrie GTF" to "Hibernian Forever" - seems either a radical change of strategy, or WTF will we do next Kano

[RIP]

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Can someone explain how it went from "Petrie GTF" to "Hibernian Forever" - seems either a radical change of strategy, or WTF will we do next Kano

This was all explained in press, radio and TV interviews. I appreciate that folk in England and beyond may have missed out.

The campaign was inviting Petrie to leave the club. This can only happen if he is bought out. It appears that if Rod goes, so does Sir Tom. So Hibs-minded business groups have made approaches. Others with no prior connection to the club will have been given the brush off.

Forever Hibernian are the biggest and most advanced group. Given that the other groups are missing the support of the HSA leadership it's looking increasingly like a one horse race.

All IMO of course