Brent's publicity machine

Hitch wrote:

One thing we can be sure of is that people like Brent are ruthless when it comes to protecting their own wealth. If he can't get the HHP plans funded he'll have absolutely no hesitation in placing the club into administration as swiftly as his hotels. It's really a lose/lose situation.

Didn't Brent say at that recent meeting that he had fielded inquiries from people interested in buying the club - which makes it strange that the same people obviously had no interest in just investing?

Perhaps they are like him, and will only invest if they have total control?

Unless of course Brent was referring to Wrathell?

Yep, like spowell92 says, Mansfield will have a more eye catching main stand, with higher capacity than Home Park's proposed South Stand.

Brentford and Bristol Rovers have the vision to build at 20/21k minimum with possible future expansion so as to not limit future possibilities, just like Hull, Reading, Swansea have done.
All clubs of similar or less stature to PAFC.

JB doesn't give two shits about this, which is why it's best for the future of pafc if the HHP development does not go ahead.

To what extent JB's reputation and ability to attract funding has deteriorated by his hotels going into admin, time will tell. Despite this carefully orchestrated press release, it can't have done much good.

Webby didn,t take the news well when he was listening to it on the radio today - as soon as Brent mentioned cutting the luxuries in the new Webb/Newell stand, this happened.

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Rickler wrote:

Didn't Brent say at that recent meeting that he had fielded inquiries from people interested in buying the club - which makes it strange that the same people obviously had no interest in just investing?

Perhaps they are like him, and will only invest if they have total control?

Unless of course Brent was referring to Wrathell?

I think he said, via Martin Starnes, words to the effect that the board were tasked with seeking outside investment because he wasn't prepared or couldn't continue to prop up the club financially. Wrathall was the only person to step forward. A quick spot of due diligence would surely reveal what a poor and high-risk investment it would be to buy into the club. If Wrathall hadn't been prepared to gamble again then lord knows what would have happened. In Brent's own words the club has been haemorrhaging money since he took over and Wrathall's money has temporarily stabilised the cash-flow crisis.

In summery then PAFC are soon to be in the brown stuff -- yes?

Hitch wrote:

Rickler wrote:

Didn't Brent say at that recent meeting that he had fielded inquiries from people interested in buying the club - which makes it strange that the same people obviously had no interest in just investing?

Perhaps they are like him, and will only invest if they have total control?

Unless of course Brent was referring to Wrathell?

I think he said, via Martin Starnes, words to the effect that the board were tasked with seeking outside investment because he wasn't prepared or couldn't continue to prop up the club financially. Wrathall was the only person to step forward....

You got me thinking there, Hitch...

Was the mind still a steel trap, or now a drainhole?

A steel trap.

Question at 9.23  Answer at 9.43






So what happened to those interested?

I think that they are hoping that the playoff crowds will sustain them, 8k on Saturday was ok but we won't sell out until the last few games.

Iggy wrote:

I think that they are hoping that the playoff crowds will sustain them, 8k on Saturday was ok but we won't sell out until the last few games.

Derby day helps, shame its on a Tuesday though.

This is part of John Simmons' notes, posted on the farm, from the recent Senior Greens meeting with Starnes.

"New director
- James Brent has been seeking additional investors in the club for a while.
- Tony Wrathall offered and agreed to invest his money in the club again, despite having lost a significant amount of money before administration. (A supporter from the floor backed that up saying Tony Wrathall had committed his own money to pay the last three monthly wage bills before the club entered administration in 2011.)
- A number of club staff are happy to see Tony Wrathall return. He apologised to staff in 2011 and has done so again recently.
- Current board of directors are doing what they believe is best for PAFC - they want promotion and to establish the long term viability of the club."



I think there can be little doubt that Brent's recent 'restructuring' of Akkeron finances and the PR fiasco still happening all around him must have dented not only his confidence but that of potential investors in HHP and his other ventures. We'll soon find out. Whether or not he has received notifications from one or more interested parties in buying the club at some point, I have no idea. He needs the HHP project to go ahead of course and wants to keep the lion's share of any profit - so who would want to buy a L2 club with no further development potential, that has huge debt and is loss-making? I guess the answer is nobody other than a philanthropic walleted supporter or a fully funded Fans' Trust.

As others have said, it's really quite difficult to work out how this all plays out and certainly how it can possibly end happily for the club.

Hitch wrote:

This is part of John Simmons' notes, posted on the farm, from the recent Senior Greens meeting with Starnes.

"New director
- James Brent has been seeking additional investors in the club for a while.
- Tony Wrathall offered and agreed to invest his money in the club again, despite having lost a significant amount of money before administration. (A supporter from the floor backed that up saying Tony Wrathall had committed his own money to pay the last three monthly wage bills before the club entered administration in 2011.)
- A number of club staff are happy to see Tony Wrathall return. He apologised to staff in 2011 and has done so again recently.
- Current board of directors are doing what they believe is best for PAFC - they want promotion and to establish the long term viability of the club."



I think there can be little doubt that Brent's recent 'restructuring' of Akkeron finances and the PR fiasco still happening all around him must have dented not only his confidence but that of potential investors in HHP and his other ventures. We'll soon find out. Whether or not he has received notifications from one or more interested parties in buying the club at some point, I have no idea. He needs the HHP project to go ahead of course and wants to keep the lion's share of any profit - so who would want to buy a L2 club with no further development potential, that has huge debt and is loss-making? I guess the answer is nobody other than a philanthropic walleted supporter or a fully funded Fans' Trust.

As others have said, it's really quite difficult to work out how this all plays out and certainly how it can possibly end happily for the club.

Just a correction...it wasn't the senior greens meeting it was with PACSA  

The one piece of tangible evidence that the mini-stand WILL be built is the clubs decision not to sell season-tickets for the Grandstand for 2014/15 season. I was up there getting tickets for the Exeter game a few days ago and the woman at the hatch was attempting to explain it all to a bewildered old fella in front of me.

Of course Brent will move heaven and earth to get the mini-stand built because without it and the ice rink the whole house of cards falls, in terms of opening up the big profit area at Millbay.

He simply HAS to get it built, more's the pity.

Czarcasm wrote:

The one piece of tangible evidence that the mini-stand WILL be built is the clubs decision not to sell season-tickets for the Grandstand for 2014/15 season. I was up there getting tickets for the Exeter game a few days ago and the woman at the hatch was attempting to explain it all to a bewildered old fella in front of me.

Of course Brent will move heaven and earth to get the mini-stand built because without it and the ice rink the whole house of cards falls, in terms of opening up the big profit area at Millbay.

He simply HAS to get it built, more's the pity.

Sadly, probably correct. PAFC will then be a praaaper big fish in little ponds for a very long time. Bragging rights over Exeter and Avivafests for ever.

Don't think I could bear to attend, even if I lived back in the muff. It's just so village.

EMIRATES ffs. Not even as good as the current home of the travellers.

Pc machine kicking in.

Czarcasm wrote:

The one piece of tangible evidence that the mini-stand WILL be built is the clubs decision not to sell season-tickets for the Grandstand for 2014/15 season. I was up there getting tickets for the Exeter game a few days ago and the woman at the hatch was attempting to explain it all to a bewildered old fella in front of me.

Of course Brent will move heaven and earth to get the mini-stand built because without it and the ice rink the whole house of cards falls, in terms of opening up the big profit area at Millbay.

He simply HAS to get it built, more's the pity.

Without any doubt he'll try and move Heaven and earth to and previously I was convinced that'd be enough. But if he literally can't get his hands on the money, then well how much can he do...

The whole Brent empire scenario has never looked so much like a house of cards - shame our club is the bottom card hold the stack up!! The emperor's new clothes is the best analogy ive seen yet!!

I think that one of two things will happen, Brent will build his wonderland and the Club will get its mini stand and survive (if survive is the right word to use for a Club with little hope of a life outside of the two lowest leagues, maybe 'exist' would be a better word!). Or, Brent packs his bags and goes walk about back to the beaches of the Bristol Channel and the Club is left to rot with Sue shaking the bucket once again.

There's a price to pay for the shenanigans of Stapes, Wrathall and Todd and Co. and we haven't paid it yet and the cost of that is the rebirth of PAFC. Sooner or later we will have to pay off that debt and by delaying it we have merely managed to keep the hounds from the door by selling off the family heirloom, a family heirloom that sadly will not be there when one day the rebirth of PAFC takes place.

GOB wrote:

I think that one of two things will happen, Brent will build his wonderland and the Club will get its mini stand and survive (if survive is the right word to use for a Club with little hope of a life outside of the two lowest leagues, maybe 'exist' would be a better word!). Or, Brent packs his bags and goes walk about back to the beaches of the Bristol Channel and the Club is left to rot with Sue shaking the bucket once again.

There's a price to pay for the shenanigans of Stapes, Wrathall and Todd and Co. and we haven't paid it yet and the cost of that is the rebirth of PAFC. Sooner or later we will have to pay off that debt and by delaying it we have merely managed to keep the hounds from the door by selling off the family heirloom, a family heirloom that sadly will not be there when one day the rebirth of PAFC takes place.  

Absolutely this.

BBC1 wrote:

Hitch wrote:

This is part of John Simmons' notes, posted on the farm, from the recent Senior Greens meeting with Starnes.

"New director
- James Brent has been seeking additional investors in the club for a while.
- Tony Wrathall offered and agreed to invest his money in the club again, despite having lost a significant amount of money before administration. (A supporter from the floor backed that up saying Tony Wrathall had committed his own money to pay the last three monthly wage bills before the club entered administration in 2011.)
- A number of club staff are happy to see Tony Wrathall return. He apologised to staff in 2011 and has done so again recently.
- Current board of directors are doing what they believe is best for PAFC - they want promotion and to establish the long term viability of the club."



I think there can be little doubt that Brent's recent 'restructuring' of Akkeron finances and the PR fiasco still happening all around him must have dented not only his confidence but that of potential investors in HHP and his other ventures. We'll soon find out. Whether or not he has received notifications from one or more interested parties in buying the club at some point, I have no idea. He needs the HHP project to go ahead of course and wants to keep the lion's share of any profit - so who would want to buy a L2 club with no further development potential, that has huge debt and is loss-making? I guess the answer is nobody other than a philanthropic walleted supporter or a fully funded Fans' Trust.

As others have said, it's really quite difficult to work out how this all plays out and certainly how it can possibly end happily for the club.

Just a correction...it wasn't the senior greens meeting it was with PACSA  

Ahhh so it was - thank you   

We now have Brent telling us that not only will the mini stand be mini, but it will also be cheap.

The fact is, Brent doesn't want to build the thing and it's an almighty pain in the ass for him and if the truth be known he would sooner just build his cinema, hotel and junk food outlets and move on, that's how I see it.

The fact is, you will hardly find a single fan that is in favour of this mini stand outside of Brent's inner thug circle.

The fact is, PCC couldn't give a flying toss about PAFC or Home Park, they are only interested in moving things about to accommodate Tudor's dream of creating some sort of Mediterranean bollox in and around Millbay.

The fact is, NOBODY wants the bloody mini stand so why so fek is it even being considered, never mind being built!!

Leave the stand alone and allow him to build his white elephant and fek off, at least then everyone will have a hint of contentment!

Press release. here what the revised stand will look like :

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Mapperley, darling wrote:

Press release.  here what the revised stand will look like :

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Certainly an improvement from the original design

Mapperley, darling wrote:

Press release.  here what the revised stand will look like :

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I think you are secretly a supporter of the mini-stand. Why else would you be demonstrating that's all we need by putting a mini-crowd in there?

no sign of webb or nool there though, theyre not plastics!

on that note, I love being called a glory hunting supporter, ive waited 40 years for glory, its still not turned up

Anyone any idea how the international "farming" branch of his business is going? It's been interesting to read all the comments from Mr Brent referring to the money-making & financial aspects of it with, as far as I've seen, no mention of staving off hunger, finding local solutions & supporting human-scale developments.

The thing is, I have no problem with scaling back the spec in the new development. Indeed, why on earth do we need "white oak doors" or shiny steel rails? I want a development that sits lightly in environmental terms. With regard to that, we were promised state of the art energy generation, use of grey water, etc. I hope that hasn't been quietly shelved. I want something that lasts and does the job we all want.

I also want something that is creative, distinctive & even quirky. Quirky is good. A lighthouse on top would actually be good. I really don't want a structure that is the same as every other feckin development around the country. The sort of thing that if you are in a shopping centre - where nowadays people go to worship - you have to remind yourself which city you are in because they all look the same.

Maybe it's a bit late for all of that.

huge farms, huge machinery, huge fields, huge chemicals bill,huge profits. no respect for the planet