Stay or Go? - Al Habsi

[Sluffy]

Ok, just newspaper talk (and posted in our transfer thread) but we are reported to be looking for a back up keeper - does this mean we are trying to raise some money for Owen to spend in the summer?

We have a Portsmouth like debt and a load of players who've played like stumps over the last couple of seasons who still are on contracts who won't be moving on anytime soon.

So do we sacrifice Ali to get some much needed money to strengthen the team elsewhere or do we keep this Omanian gem to become our number one keeper in a couple of years by which time we might no longer be in the Premiership?

Stay or go?

[Bwfc4eva]

We have a Portsmouth like debt?

We have around 50-60m debt, all owed to ED.

Pompey have reported 138m debt all owed to diffrent people/businesses/banks.

[Craig-J]

Stay!

As I said in the Jussi thread, Ali Al-Habsi is the future of BWFC goalkeeping! If we MUST move a keeper on, i'm sorry but it has to be Jussi! (Come on Arsenal, you know he's better than what you currently have! Give us £8m for Jussi!)

[Sluffy]

We have a Portsmouth like debt?

We have around 50-60m debt, all owed to ED.

Pompey have reported 138m debt all owed to diffrent people/businesses/banks.

We had £64 million debt at the last accounts PLUS another £13 spent on player registration shown in the notes since the accounts reporting day - so we were up to £77 million in debt as of last summer.

We traded at a loss that year.

We haven't sold anybody since and added another three player’s wages since the January window.  The current season has hardly got the fans flocking back to see us - and we now have Coyle’s wage to add to that of Megson who is on gardening leave!

Portsmouth debt at the time they went into Administration - as reported by the Administrator himself - was around the £80 million mark - ours must be getting on that way.

The debt itself is not a problem - as long as you can pay it back - but it will effect us IF Davies has reached his limit in pumping more money into the club for such thing as transfers.

If you think that BWFC has no day to day creditors other than Eddie Davies, then I humbly suggest that you do not fully understand how businesses trade.

[Bwfc4eva]

We had £64 million debt at the last accounts PLUS another £13 spent on player registration shown in the notes since the accounts reporting day - so we were up to £77 million in debt as of last summer.

We traded at a loss that year.

We haven't sold anybody since and added another three player’s wages since the January window.  The current season has hardly got the fans flocking back to see us - and we now have Coyle’s wage to add to that of Megson who is on gardening leave!

Portsmouth debt at the time they went into Administration - as reported by the Administrator himself - was around the £80 million mark - ours must be getting on that way.

The debt itself is not a problem - as long as you can pay it back - but it will effect us IF Davies has reached his limit in pumping more money into the club for such thing as transfers.

If you think that BWFC has no day to day creditors other than Eddie Davies, then I humbly suggest that you do not fully understand how businesses trade.

Sorry. I read somewhere that our debts were owed to ED? Must be dreaming again!

[Shaft]

Stay!

As I said in the Jussi thread, Ali Al-Habsi is the future of BWFC goalkeeping! If we MUST move a keeper on, i'm sorry but it has to be Jussi! (Come on Arsenal, you know he's better than what you currently have! Give us £8m for Jussi!)

Totally agree with this. I want Habsi to be our number one keeper. I have to say for a keeper as talented as Habsi, it is incredible that he never moans to the media or seeks a move away from Bolton. Its not like he is 21 or 22 with a lot of time on his side in terms of playing career, he is in his late 20s now.
He deserves his chance, Jussi's form has been very ordinary this season. It would be nice if Habsi was given a chance today against Birmingham, but he won't get that chance.

I agree with Sluffy, our debt is a big problem, its increasing all the time, I think it would be a good idea to cash in on certain players now who we could get some money for and who we can cope without - i.e. Jussi and Cahill.

[Sluffy]

Sorry. I read somewhere that our debts were owed to ED? Must be dreaming again!

No your not dreaming 4eva the vast majority of the debt is owed to Davies (think of him as a bank that has lent us the money) but BWFC will be purchasing goods and services all the time (utilities, policing, stock for the store, etc, etc, from a great many suppliers - on credit (to be paid by 28 days sort of thing) - in order to operate on a day to day (otherwise they would have to pay up front for everything).

All I was trying to say is Eddie Davies pockets are only so deep and at some point we will have to sell players if we want to raise money to buy new ones - maybe selling one of our two great keepers is a realistic option and is now being considered?

[Weststander]

I would start with Al Habsi. Quite a few high profile blunders would have cost Jussi his place in most teams except here where he's treated like some idol.

I think this debt thing is a huge concern and as Sluffy says it's pushing well towards Portsmouth territory. I would be very surprised if we bought in more than we sold so cant see many chances to the squad other than the few who get released and maybe Cahill leaving.

[Big_Sharps]

I would keep him and start him today, I once saw Al Habsi in the Sainsburys near town about 3 years ago when he had not long been at the club

[luczka]

He needs to say! If we can send him out on loan to a big-ish club for a season, i think Jussi will be comiong to an end by then, we have our direct replacement.

[jimbo_bwfc]

Im pretty sure we were 51M in debt as of June 2009. We made an operating loss recently of 13M-was it at the turn of the year?= 64M

I don't think we are 70M+ in debt. Not that any figures up in that region are great...

We also have a wage bill almost half as small as Portsmouth's as well as a much stronger infrastructure. A modern, bigger(than Fratton Park) ground that I believe is owned by Burnden Leisure PLC IE Eddie Davies. We have a top training ground and the Eddie Davies Academy. Portsmouth don't have any youth facilities, they don't have a training ground and one of the creditors Chanderi(sp) now owns Fratton Park just so he'd pump some money in to keep PFC trading.

Eddie Davies owns Bolton Wanderers and also around 95% of the debt. Unless he should decide to pack it in, or his family when he passes on want to let bwfc go- and there is a good chance they will- they may not want a company that is losing around 10M a year.

But even should he pass it on I'm sure being a Wanderers fan he'd want to see it in good hands but he has gotten past the stage where he is likely to make a profit. A steady premier league football club bought for 50-70M would be no big shock. As such he may have to take a small loss should he want to get out.

Ashley bought Newcastle for 134M with debts of 110M.

I take your point about not pumping more money in for transfers- we may have to sell to buy in the nearer future- bring players in like Cahill- sell at a profit then spend the profits but E.Davies has already put the club into more debt than he is likely to get back. He may go further until a suitable buyer comes in- end of the day the club is no use to him in the Championship as he will lose a good 30-40M off its value.

[Weststander]

Jimbo, I'm pretty sure it was about £65 mill in debt last June but the auditors said that a further £13 million had been spent after that on incoming transfers ( Knight, Lee, Ricketts etc ) and player registrations which could be money still owed for the likes of Elmander and Muamba. I dont think we sold anybody did we, so the debt will be about £80 million?

Those figures don't really mean much to me except when a couple of clubs announced similar debt levels it didnt go down well.

[Howfen White]

I would keep him and start him today, I once saw Al Habsi in the Sainsburys near town about 3 years ago when he had not long been at the club

What's that got to do with anything?

I saw Ricardo Vaz Te in the centre of Bolton about two years ago, I would keep him and start him today.

[Sluffy]

This is the thread posted about the accounts when they were published - the reported debt WAS £64 million.

http://www.burndenaces.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,1651.0.html

And Jimbo - yes we do have assets - football ground, academy etc - but realistically who would want to buy them?

Also I think there is a world of difference with the potential Newcastle has, than a club with United, City, Liverpool, Everton and even Leeds and Blackburn - all within easy travelling distance.  I doubt anybody in their right minds would buy BWFC for anything like £70 million.

[Sluffy]

As I keep trying to point out - as long as the debt can be repaid - it doesn't matter how big it gets.

The major source of income is the Sky money - so if we can keep trading costs down for a few years - that debt will soon reduce.

The danger is that we will get relegated before that.

Watching what Hull will do now they are relegated will give us a clue as to what might happen to us, as they have someone like Davies who totally owns the club - so going into administration will cost him millions personally - and is to be avoided if at all possible.

The reason we've played Megsonesque football for the last 3 seasons is simply to survive and get the Sky money.

Don't expect things to change drastically under Coyle - he will have the same remit.

[Big_Sharps]

What's that got to do with anything?

I saw Ricardo Vaz Te in the centre of Bolton about two years ago, I would keep him and start him today.

Did I say I would start him just because I saw him in Sainsburys? It was just a comment, a bit like your dad slipped his fingers into your arsehole everynight from the age of 7 to 17.  Admittedly not something that added strength but I thought I would bring it up all the same.

[Howfen White]

Did I say I would start him just because I saw him in Sainsburys? It was just a comment, a bit like your dad slipped his fingers into your arsehole everynight from the age of 7 to 17.  Admittedly not something that added strength but I thought I would bring it up all the same.

Well yeah, from your sentence structure that's exactly the message you sent across. Not come up with anything new recently? I've been told I'm repetitive and boring but you're winning hands down on that part.