Official: The Wests Group buy the Newcastle Knights

Billy

Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/4075344/nrl-expect-to-sell-knights-by-christmas/?cs=306

The article says nothing about potential new owners.

My concern is that it will be too late for the new owner to pump a lot of resources into the pre season training, and the more I think about it, the more I think any money spent on pre season training for 2017 will be some of the best money ever spent by the club. We have never seen a younger squad or a squad with more potential than Brown will have for the 2017 pre season. Guys Like Cogger, Lamb, Dan and Jake Saifiti, Josh King, Sione Mataútia, Danny Levi, Pauli Pauli and many others, including several young players Brown will almost certainly sign from other clubs (similar to Pearsall, Barnett, Elliot, Tom Hughes etc).

I'd love to see a new owner come on board soon and hire the best training staff possible for the pre season. We have never had a squad with as much potential to benefit from a great pre season, so we really need to make sure they get one.
 
That would almost certainly rule Wests out then I think
Good. I've always thought Wests would only be interested in the Knights if they could think of a way to turn them into a cash cow, and would have no driving desire to make them successful.
They are the people who could make the team successful if they wanted to, but they are a well run, money making business with no focus on football.
 
I have no idea if they will place a formal bid but with what was mentioned in the article and again the members voting I think the members will want to see a more long term plan for the club in regardless to its sustainability both on and off the field, not just one facet.
I don't see Wests hiring the best of the best and spending money to do so for the football department but I imagine the future will be sustainable with them in charge.

To be honest Tinkler had a few things right in what he wanted to achieve for the Knights, he just went the wrong way about it.
 
There are no members any more, so there won't be a vote on anything.

It will be interesting to see who the NRL dredge up. There can't be many people interested in losing a million or more a year for fun.
 
There's glass half full type of of people and glass half empty type of people. Slotmachine seems a let's smash the glass and cut ourself type of person.
 
' make my dreams come true, all I want for Christmas is...
...a financially viable and successful rugby league club with vision, scope and resources to once more return to the top of the tree and start kicking *** on a weekly basis.
 
Why dont the greater or Newcastle permanent buy the club?
Neither bank have anything to do with the local club, yet both boast about being a local bank for the community!
Ohh i know why, there a bank.... money making comes as first priority everyday of the yr.
 
Be outside their Charter 88, particulalr now the Greater is the Greater Bank. Not enough dividend for we shareholders!
 
After reading Tony Butterfield's article in the Herald about community ownership like the Green Bay Packers. It got me thinking...
Could our community buy the Knights for 5 million off the NRL?
5 Million = 20,000 people buy 1 share at $250.
If the club continues to lose 1 Million each year. All of the owners would need to kick in $50.
If it was a requirement that each owner must buy at least one season ticket. We would sell out the stadium every game, every week, before the s...eason starts (AVG of 1.65 season tickets per owner). No opposition supporter tickets would be available.
If the owners sold out the stadium we would not make a million dollar loss each year.
Major sponsors are more inclined to support community orgs.
Thoughts?
 
After reading Tony Butterfield's article in the Herald about community ownership like the Green Bay Packers. It got me thinking...
Could our community buy the Knights for 5 million off the NRL?
5 Million = 20,000 people buy 1 share at $250.
If the club continues to lose 1 Million each year. All of the owners would need to kick in $50.
If it was a requirement that each owner must buy at least one season ticket. We would sell out the stadium every game, every week, before the s...eason starts (AVG of 1.65 season tickets per owner). No opposition supporter tickets would be available.
If the owners sold out the stadium we would not make a million dollar loss each year.
Major sponsors are more inclined to support community orgs.
Thoughts?

Doubt it with all members jumping off after this season
 
“Hopefully there’ll be a new Santa Claus,’’ Crawford said.


For the bloody NRL at $12 million, not the Knights! They have got thousands out of me over the last 29 years. Taking a 'wait and see' before committing further to a private owner's pocket.


 
After reading Tony Butterfield's article in the Herald about community ownership like the Green Bay Packers. It got me thinking...
Could our community buy the Knights for 5 million off the NRL?
5 Million = 20,000 people buy 1 share at $250.
If the club continues to lose 1 Million each year. All of the owners would need to kick in $50.
If it was a requirement that each owner must buy at least one season ticket. We would sell out the stadium every game, every week, before the s...eason starts (AVG of 1.65 season tickets per owner). No opposition supporter tickets would be available.
If the owners sold out the stadium we would not make a million dollar loss each year.
Major sponsors are more inclined to support community orgs.
Thoughts?


Love the effort and thought u have put into this Ethan!

Very hard sell to the public though atm.
 
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“Hopefully there’ll be a new Santa Claus,’’ Crawford said.


For the bloody NRL at $12 million, not the Knights! They have got thousands out of me over the last 29 years. Taking a 'wait and see' before committing further to a private owner's pocket.



Yeeeep!

Ive been a member for 13yrs and 11 of them yrs ive lived in Sydney and lucky to see 3 home games a yr!

I did my sums the other day, im at 9k in member ships in 13yrs for bugger all return in all honesty.
 
We really should have the training staff for next year in place now, and I'm not sure we do.

With all three teams finishing up in just over 2 weeks, and only a few guys who might play rep games, we are set for a very early finish to the season, and you would think that means a very early start to the pre season.
Brown has done the right thing with guys like Lamb, Levi and Chanel by sending them off for surgery very early, so we should have almost everyone ready to train early, unlike last year when Snowden, Hodko, Mullen, Stockwell, Rochow and Gagai were all doing rehab most of the off season.

They are saying we will have this sorted by Christmas.
I say we need the ownership, coaching and training staff all sorted by about the start of November so we can get on with the great pre season we have to put on for the very young squad if we are to get something out of 2017.
 
Alas Billy the 'we' is the NRL and as long as they get their grubby hands on the money a time frame will not exist. Nor will any concern about our staff in place come Januray.
 
Apparently Phil Gardiner of Wests group has stood down as a Knights director to avoid a conflict of interest, but he also says that if the Knights are sold for over 10 million, Wests won't be the buyers.
It sounds like Wests are going to make a lowball offer.
 
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