derry

Non executive board, employ specialists and let them manage, no executive chairman. majority 2, quorum 5, board 7. No interference. Anyway like I said no influence no deal, it won't happen anyway.

The league have deducted 10 points as they say SLH have no income except the football club. If we get out of trouble - this season, if relegated next season. Now let's see if the administrator has the balls to sue.

Pretty much what he told me yesterday. My answer to his question, any bid that would otherwise fail without assistance, gives an opportunity to ringfence and get a big slice of the influence. No influence - no deal. Influence means a large proportion of the board members. If the bidder couldn't stomach that it would be the end of their bid.

Bit late now Frank, they could have auctioned the seats, tidy sum there I reckon.

That's the thing, I have been told in confidence where we are and I'm doing my best to keep you informed without breaking confidence. It seems nobody can read and understand any more.

Their proposals are rediculous. There is not a hope in hell of them putting together a bid. The public for one just won't buy it. The only way the public MIGHT contribute on mass, is a final last ditch attempt to rescue the club all other avenues having failed. To be fair to the trust, and I'm not interested in history, that is the view that Nick Illingsworth gave me yesterday. If in the end we need to save the club, it will require the support of the trust for the simple reason they have the proper trust structure in place. The media also consider them to be of influence. To make a rescue work we need to use the media effectively.

I am saying specifically that there are potential bidders going through the process, which is stage by stage. I didn't say there wasn't anything happening, I'm sure there is, but until all the stages are carried out the actual offer and hopefully acceptance won't happen. An acceptable bid is the second last thing to happen apart from the signing.

There is a difference between passing the proof of funds stage, then doing due diligence and an actual bid which would depend on the state of the club as found in the due diligence. The potential buyers like the league, FA, administrators, club, will have had their lawyers looking at the rules. They all know where they stand we just haven't been told by the league because I suspect they are waiting and hoping that the club drop into administration. I wouldn't for one minute think that any buyer would be put off by relegation, I do know there is serious interest and the process can't be hurried. In the end do we put all our eggs in one basket or do we get a structure in place just in case, you know my answer. The sooner the fat lady gets up and sings the happier I'll be, Its the doubt that is the killer.

There have been no bids, I believe that all but three or four at the most have been weeded out. The criteria we are at, is evidence of funds before due diligence takes place. Any group that don't have the funds in place don't have a prayer. If all the boxes are ticked for a prospective buyer who have the funds in place, then it may well happen. Even then we don't know what part of the business and assets are being considered. At the moment to my limited knowledge it is still a bloody big 'if'. We have to organise a back up. That is where we are.

The only focus in my mind is to be able to gauge the level of support and if in the event of imminent liquidation try to rescue something out of the existing mess. I really don't give a rats arse about prejudices and historical issues. If it comes down to it, it is going to be you, me and the ordinary fan that will put their hands in their pockets. I hope there is going to be a buyer, but if that fails we need to do something. If that means shaking hands with the devil, so be it, if by combining we make ourselves more effective then that's the way to go. To that end I've asked Steve Grant to take that bloody silly business plan off the saveoursaints pledge page. It detracts from the only issue and only supports the bloody silly SISA proposal which isn't going to happen.

Let's just say that I'm hopeful the problem will be resolved and we can then dump this contingency plan.:smt117;)

If it was down to me then nick, I don't blink, so it would be the second option. I only ever give one chance then walk away. I come from a long line of Irish farmers and builders. I was born with a hard nose as anybody who knows me will tell you.

It's called horse trading, If they want the club and can't get it without help then they have a choice to make and so would we. We also have the choice to disregard the failed bid and mount a rescue attempt. In any event we really don't want either scenario.

I am hopeful we won't be needed and a buyer will be found. However we have to be prepared if that doesn't happen, to ignore that possibility would certainly mean the end of the club.

You are picking up on general terms I'm using, I'm not really in favour of this option but there would have to be ring fenced safeguards to protect the contributers interests and to avoid a 6% dictator getting his hands on the club. In my view the vital 1/3 equity to enable the deal brings 50% of the influence.

As I've said to you before where the hell did you get that from because apart from you saying it, nobody I know has said that or anything like it. It's obvious if we go down with the majority of the players out of contract in July there will be a mass exodus. There will also be the contracted players who won't want to drop down and will get their agents to find them a new club. Either way most of this years team will be gone.

Which saints trust, the old one or one that comes out of necessity. If the club is going down and the only way to save it was to make a pact with the devil himself I'd probably take it.

Who can answer that without knowing all the details, it was a general statement and not a cover all. Until the circumstances arise, option 1 is all there is. A judgement would have to be made at the time.

I don't think they are competing because neither us or the trust are remotely interested in anything except an all hands to the pumps rescue if nobody buys the club. The joint best position is a decent buyer with the necessary funds to take us forward.

I won't get hurt by this as Ron will tell you, I care about the club for historical reasons but I don't give a rats arse about criticism and know where the on/off button is. This is an emergency initiative only as the others will find out tomorrow night. If they don't like it that's tough. I won't be led by the nose neither will the original saveoursaints group and neither will Nick Illingsworth.

I have talked over this whole thing with Nick Illingsworth. Fundamentally the trust and us are coming from the same position and I'll restate it. 1) If the administrator indicates there is no buyer and the club is going under that is the point the supporters have to try against the odds to mount a rescue plan. 2) In the event there is only one decent buyer who is say 2/3rds funded but otherwise ideal it is conceivable that an appeal would be mounted to assist that bid in return for a share of the equity and influence. 3) In the meantime Nick Illingsworth has taken the pledge website address, and is going to put it on his website and the saints aid site he is going to contact the Echo and request their assistance in promoting the pledge site. He sees that what we are doing is necessary to create a base so that an appeal has a ready made foundation. The buy the club anyway movement is SISA not the Saints Trust. I showed Nick this thread and got him to read some of it. He recognises the need for change and a relaunching of the trust. I personally and Nick has said the same to me am not prepared to back an outright fans bid for the club in any circumstances other than those outlined above.

I think you may have something there, there has got to be a aura of inclusion for the whole thing if in the emergency situation, god forbid, we have to appeal to the fanbase.

Wilde, just to put the record straight and I would remind you Mark that it was this site that already had pledges of about £400,000, against a last resort rescue when you contacted me after the administrator gave you my number. The pledges now stand at close to £1m. It was your idea that the fans raise £15m to buy the club, which is essentially what this meeting is about, but that was not what we had laid down at all, and I had that corrected in the Echo the next day to a last ditch rescue plan. Secondly Duncan, Ron and the others used the save our saints motif when they had the runnymede meeting with Wilde and Co a year ago. Mike Fenner used it when he tried to set up the de Vere meetings. It makes no sense to come on here and claim things, which are not relative to this site, which was acting independently and furthermore has thousands of members who are aware of precisely the way things happened rather than four people acting in isolation.

Before I started this thread I knew pretty much what I was going to see and more or less from whom. I haven't been disappointed far from it, The cross section of views gives me a pretty good basis from where to start from. There has been some very thought provoking comments. I really am pleased with the level and strength of the views. My concern and that of the saveoursaints group one of whom is a box holder at SMS is essentially to let the bidding process run it's course and IF there is no bidder left to save the club try and mount an attempt to save what we can with whatever level of support we can raise. As to expertise and we aren't in a position to use any of it yet, on the site we have many and varied professions and levels of expertise, I have been inundated with offers of professional assistance from the CEO of a charity, lawyers, insolvency lawyers, accountants, directors, business analysts, you name it I've got their numbers. The unification attempt is worthy of consideration, whether the factions can work together, whether the people concerned are thinking of what they can do for the club rather than what the club can do for them remains to be seen. The cynic in me says the MP's are looking vulnerable and there is an election in the next 15 months, LM, MC and LC are not part of things anymore. Are they ready to assist in any way they can or are they in it for themselves and the attendant publicity. I'm going reluctantly with an open mind. It would be pointless to dismiss it as a joint, pie in the sky ego trip with no chance of success, until we see where everybody is coming from. For me the only criteria is to be in SMS next season watching Saints no matter what division they are in and hopefully not endlessly moaning about the awful skills, tactical ineptitude and lack of width. If that means giving up some of the plenty of time I've got then so be it.

Neither Ron or Duncan are involved in the meeting but I will be talking to them after the event.