Chris Swan

Has taken over Kidderminister subject to contract

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/k/kidderminster_harriers/9376883.stm

have just read it on teletext

Alot of scepticism on their forum, questioning his motives....what more do they want? Bin them Mr Swan...they don't want you!!

there gain our loss!

Am I the only one who thinks he might not be the best person to take over at Redditch?

Yes.

Chris is a nice guy...I played golf with him a couple of times.

He is a business man....no emotion, just pure facts.
You do not grow and sell a business for 55m$ being 'nice' during office time.

He wanted something for nothing...and why not? What is the value of the Reds or Kiddy or any other non-league club?

From what I understand, he was willing to pay authorised debts and not pay 'loans' that were taken out by people around the club that are considered 'unauthorised'.
He wants the club to be self sufficient and living within it's means without investment.
Not a bad business model for a sustainable club in the long term.

I think it was an opportunity lost for a fresh start, debt free.

Why didn't he come then?

I very much doubt Ken would have turned him down... why would he?

If he was that interested, he'd be here and it'd be sunshine and rainbows.

Sounds like the bloke has enough money to take over any club, he didn't take us over... i think we should forget it.

I agree with fingers.

I'd welcome him if he came here, but somehow i can't see it.

fingers wrote:Am I the only one who thinks he might not be the best person to take over at Redditch?

Compared to the queues around the block of other millionaires knocking on our door you mean.?

Hi all - just to bring you up to speed; Ken made contact with Chris' advisor last Friday, to ascertain whether Chris was still interested in acquiring RUFC. This advisor spoke to Ken on Monday (24th Jan) to confirm Chris was still interested in RUFC and arranged a meeting with Ken and Chris for today (Thurs) at 7pm. The venue was to be arranged on the day once Chris knew his business movements. As you are aware it was announced yesterday that Chris Swan had reached agreement with Kiddy. Ken found this out via the football conference website and immediately tried to make contact with Chris' advisor, unsuccessfully. Maybe we were the second option if Chris couldn't reach agreement with Kiddy but as Ken has been unable to contact them we may never know!!

TRae wrote:Hi all - just to bring you up to speed; Ken made contact with Chris' advisor last Friday, to ascertain whether Chris was still interested in acquiring RUFC. This advisor spoke to Ken on Monday (24th Jan) to confirm Chris was still interested in RUFC and arranged a meeting with Ken and Chris for today (Thurs) at 7pm. The venue was to be arranged on the day once Chris knew his business movements. As you are aware it was announced yesterday that Chris Swan had reached agreement with Kiddy. Ken found this out via the football conference website and immediately tried to make contact with Chris' advisor, unsuccessfully. Maybe we were the second option if Chris couldn't reach agreement with Kiddy but as Ken has been unable to contact them we may never know!!

Not sure How ignoring People who are trying to do there best while playing games with 3 maybe more clubs who really need a life line makes this man a Decent bloke, If that's how he makes his money and thinks it makes him holier than the rest of us then im glad he's not coming here. Can you imagine the trouble we would have with this guy, it strikes me that he would have no interest in working with the T.R.U.S.T or the Fans. If these clubs are worth nothing why is he so desperate to acquire one(and one in trouble at that)? Yes business is dog eat dog but if you say you will do something you do it, so if that's his nature we don't need him and he can get his portfolio filler elsewhere.

In all fairness we have to be realistic why would someone want to buy a club in debt, and at the bottom of the blue square north??
and we must not forget we barely attract over 200??

I think the club has potential. It's just getting the people down, and as we all know, only comes with success.

I really think the club needs a financial advisor though

Now Chris Swan has sacked off his takeover off Kiddy is there another chance to approach him about getting involved in Redditch Utd? Seems an astute business man so is the sort of person that getting on board could aid us on all fronts?

If we are his 'second option' then that'll do for me seeing as he has pulled out of Kidderminster. RedJeff, the sad fact is that money talks mate. Steve has mentioned that this guy is worth £50 million in a previous thread? If this is the case then personally I wouldn't care if a reincarnation of Hitler took over the club if he had that much financial clout! Sure, as Youngy1 has pointed out we struggle to reach 200 these days but Rawlings has it nailed on with the simple equation of success=fans! The club and TRUST can advertise, offer family tickets and everything else to get people coming in and I applaud everyone's efforts in doing that this season but the cold hard fact is that since this time last year and a couple of months before that we have had nothing to offer but dross on the pitch and are rooted to the bottom because of our financial predicament. Sure, it's been battling dross and again I have enjoyed watching the players put so much effort in despite their scant rewards but it's been dross all the same as that's all we can afford! This means that hardly any new fans will be enticed during this period and those that are may well think twice about coming again if we put on a horror show! But lets cast our minds back. In the most recent 'glory days' (or as I know it 'Sylla's Season') we must have been averaging the top 400's/500 WITHOUT ANY MARKETING OR ADVERTISING AT ALL! If the club had been marketed properly around that period like the guys from TRUST are doing now then I reckon we'd have averaged 800-1000 per match. Just think of the fanbase we could build if Swan took over, invested in the club and perhaps gave money to TRUST to market the club as well as marketing it himself? I have often criticised the folk of Redditch for being apathetic in the past and to some extent it's still true in my eyes. But if Swan took over, invested in the club and got us to the upper reaches of the CN then it would give a kick up the backside to floating fans and those who still don't realise the town has a club! A population of 80,000 plus those in the surrounding areas (myself included in the latter) also means we have the potential to SUSTAIN a football club well beyond the CN. For example just look at some of the teams in the Conference! Histon has a population of 4500 and their team nearly made it into the League! Rushden and Diamonds did make it into the league for quite a while with a population of 9000 in Irthlingborough where they're based! Surely Redditch with 80,000 residents could easily sustain a football team at Conference Level or beyond WITH THE RIGHT INVESTMENT! At the moment we are rowing up s**t creek without a paddle. We can't pay players a penny which means that from now until the end of the season we will have to rely on low league players who are pant wettingly desperate to get noticed at a higher level even if it means playing for zilch, sunday league players and maybe college kids! Chris Swan could= investment, opportunity and much more. For all the sceptics out there, I ask you WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE? If we look this gift horse in the mouth then possibly everything!

Terrace Guy wrote:If we are his 'second option' then that'll do for me seeing as he has pulled out of Kidderminster. RedJeff, the sad fact is that money talks mate. Steve has mentioned that this guy is worth £50 million in a previous thread? If this is the case then personally I wouldn't care if a reincarnation of Hitler took over the club if he had that much financial clout! Sure, as Youngy1 has pointed out we struggle to reach 200 these days but Rawlings has it nailed on with the simple equation of success=fans! The club and TRUST can advertise, offer family tickets and everything else to get people coming in and I applaud everyone's efforts in doing that this season but the cold hard fact is that since this time last year and a couple of months before that we have had nothing to offer but dross on the pitch and are rooted to the bottom because of our financial predicament. Sure, it's been battling dross and again I have enjoyed watching the players put so much effort in despite their scant rewards but it's been dross all the same as that's all we can afford! This means that hardly any new fans will be enticed during this period and those that are may well think twice about coming again if we put on a horror show! But lets cast our minds back. In the most recent 'glory days' (or as I know it 'Sylla's Season') we must have been averaging the top 400's/500 WITHOUT ANY MARKETING OR ADVERTISING AT ALL! If the club had been marketed properly around that period like the guys from TRUST are doing now then I reckon we'd have averaged 800-1000 per match. Just think of the fanbase we could build if Swan took over, invested in the club and perhaps gave money to TRUST to market the club as well as marketing it himself? I have often criticised the folk of Redditch for being apathetic in the past and to some extent it's still true in my eyes. But if Swan took over, invested in the club and got us to the upper reaches of the CN then it would give a kick up the backside to floating fans and those who still don't realise the town has a club! A population of 80,000 plus those in the surrounding areas (myself included in the latter) also means we have the potential to SUSTAIN a football club well beyond the CN. For example just look at some of the teams in the Conference! Histon has a population of 4500 and their team nearly made it into the League! Rushden and Diamonds did make it into the league for quite a while with a population of 9000 in Irthlingborough where they're based! Surely Redditch with 80,000 residents could easily sustain a football team at Conference Level or beyond WITH THE RIGHT INVESTMENT! At the moment we are rowing up s**t creek without a paddle. We can't pay players a penny which means that from now until the end of the season we will have to rely on low league players who are pant wettingly desperate to get noticed at a higher level even if it means playing for zilch, sunday league players and maybe college kids! Chris Swan could= investment, opportunity and much more. For all the sceptics out there, I ask you WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE? If we look this gift horse in the mouth then possibly everything!

+ 1 mate. I really hope Chris Swan phones Ken and looks into this possible investment.

Terrace Guy wrote:If we are his 'second option' then that'll do for me seeing as he has pulled out of Kidderminster. RedJeff, the sad fact is that money talks mate. Steve has mentioned that this guy is worth £50 million in a previous thread? If this is the case then personally I wouldn't care if a reincarnation of Hitler took over the club if he had that much financial clout! Sure, as Youngy1 has pointed out we struggle to reach 200 these days but Rawlings has it nailed on with the simple equation of success=fans! The club and TRUST can advertise, offer family tickets and everything else to get people coming in and I applaud everyone's efforts in doing that this season but the cold hard fact is that since this time last year and a couple of months before that we have had nothing to offer but dross on the pitch and are rooted to the bottom because of our financial predicament. Sure, it's been battling dross and again I have enjoyed watching the players put so much effort in despite their scant rewards but it's been dross all the same as that's all we can afford! This means that hardly any new fans will be enticed during this period and those that are may well think twice about coming again if we put on a horror show! But lets cast our minds back. In the most recent 'glory days' (or as I know it 'Sylla's Season') we must have been averaging the top 400's/500 WITHOUT ANY MARKETING OR ADVERTISING AT ALL! If the club had been marketed properly around that period like the guys from TRUST are doing now then I reckon we'd have averaged 800-1000 per match. Just think of the fanbase we could build if Swan took over, invested in the club and perhaps gave money to TRUST to market the club as well as marketing it himself? I have often criticised the folk of Redditch for being apathetic in the past and to some extent it's still true in my eyes. But if Swan took over, invested in the club and got us to the upper reaches of the CN then it would give a kick up the backside to floating fans and those who still don't realise the town has a club! A population of 80,000 plus those in the surrounding areas (myself included in the latter) also means we have the potential to SUSTAIN a football club well beyond the CN. For example just look at some of the teams in the Conference! Histon has a population of 4500 and their team nearly made it into the League! Rushden and Diamonds did make it into the league for quite a while with a population of 9000 in Irthlingborough where they're based! Surely Redditch with 80,000 residents could easily sustain a football team at Conference Level or beyond WITH THE RIGHT INVESTMENT! At the moment we are rowing up s**t creek without a paddle. We can't pay players a penny which means that from now until the end of the season we will have to rely on low league players who are pant wettingly desperate to get noticed at a higher level even if it means playing for zilch, sunday league players and maybe college kids! Chris Swan could= investment, opportunity and much more. For all the sceptics out there, I ask you WHAT HAVE WE GOT TO LOSE? If we look this gift horse in the mouth then possibly everything!

I wish he would take over, I just cant see it Happening. Its also my understanding that he will invest very little and would want to let it run within its means, this will not get the punters in unless decent investment is put in.My point I suppose is how many times does he want to ignore meetings and phone calls Ken is willing to let him take the club so where is he? A simple yes or no would be nice. yes Redditch Has 80,000 + but as we know most of them support/follow teams in the prem/championship, not such an issue with the teams above I feel.

Is this Chris Swann really interested any more if you think he could of had kiddy he will not come to us when we dont make much money.