Re: Saturday

By Arthur16/9/2021 07:40Thu Sep 16 07:40:49 2021In response to Re: Saturday

Views: 783

The Thames Club are not the problem. They own the land it is true. However they have never had a profitable year and had to undergo a significant refinancing five or six years ago. It is the business that controls the Thames Club that is the problem. They have a lot of money ....... However I do believe Joe when he says he has made a very fair bid to buy back the freehold for the land under existing use (football ground and gym). I think the owners see the land as a prime development site. There is no arguing that this would have been true in the middle of th e last decade. Today we can see the increasing effects of global warming. The ground is in an area very susceptible to flooding with increasing regularity . The council have had to place very strict criteria on any proposed developments in the flood plain. I am not sure that residential development on the land is permissible, which means the land will have to be sold, if it is sold, for existing use. It is now a game of poker between Joe and the Thames Club backers which will determine the ultimate destiny of the football club. I believe that if the team is successful on the pitch and bringing in crowds of support reflecting that success then joe's hand in the poker game would be very much strengthened. If it is a team just above park level football followed by a handful of loyal supporters always reflecting on the good old days, there is a strong possibility we may be reflecting in our armchairs or in the Wheatsheaf and Pidegeon.