Mr Gao....

[CB Fry]

But…maybe…the football club is bang in the middle of the bit of land he may have had his eyes on? Who knows what the long-term plans of Markus Liebherr were but I believe it’s not exactly a secret that his attraction to buying SFC was coupled with the potential to redevelop the area in front of and alongside the stadium. Kat is an acquaintance of the Gaos, she may have sold them the vision?

 

The riverside will eventually be redeveloped all the way from Ocean Village to the old Meridian studios, the industrial areas are slowly being replaced, as leases end the land will, no doubt, be sold off to developers. Unfortunately for the football club they missed the boat on bidding for the land in front of SMS over to the river.

 

It wouldn’t surprise me if Liebherr/Cortese saw the potential of the footprint of the stadium in redeveloping this entire area and who knows if they secretly may have wanted to relocate SFC to free up the land long term? Having said that, money is being spent behind the scenes at the stadium upgrading corporate facilities and the dressing room areas in the summer.

I imagine Nicola Cortese has taken this passion for real estate/property development, which he never got round to doing any of at SFC, into his subsequent career.

 

Weird that Gao decided to buy the single most expensive piece of real estate in the area, the one with most of the ball-ache of a going concern attached to it rather than just buy all around it and start this development he us so desperate to get started on.

 

Personally I cannot wait to see Gao-town take shape in Southampton. Presumably it will be just like all the other major urban regeneration projects has taken on in his time. So excited [emoji2956][emoji2956][emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]

[aintforever]

https://www.givemesport.com/1453518-the-premier-league-table-based-on-net-spend-over-the-past-five-seasons

 

Easy to see why we are where we are.

[Saints foreva]

https://www.givemesport.com/1453518-the-premier-league-table-based-on-net-spend-over-the-past-five-seasons

 

It's a joke that we are the only team in this league that have to sell before we can buy.

 

Newcastle fans call Ashley the worst owner in the league, Liebherr and Gao are far far worse.

[SuperSAINT]

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/17437490.southampton-fc-owner-gao-jisheng-loses-control-of-lander-sports/?ref=rss

[alpine_saint]

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/17437490.southampton-fc-owner-gao-jisheng-loses-control-of-lander-sports/?ref=rss

 

The bellend is broke.

 

Hopefully his next sale is SFC.

[Dusic]

There is not a single positive thing that has been driven from this takeover - zero evidence that it 'takes us forward' as was promised at the time.

 

The longer it goes without comment from Gao, the stranger it gets.

 

A dark cloud over the club, no suprise its been poor on the pitch with such a lack of clarity off it.

[hypochondriac]

There is not a single positive thing that has been driven from this takeover - zero evidence that it 'takes us forward' as was promised at the time.

 

The longer it goes without comment from Gao, the stranger it gets.

 

A dark cloud over the club, no suprise its been poor on the pitch with such a lack of clarity off it.

The real effects of it are largely masked by the obscene prem money. If we go down it will immediately become more obvious how much the ownership situation is hurting us. Kat really should be run out of town.

[Saint-Armstrong]

Wonder what his deeper intentions are and why he (and Nelly) attended a private dinner to fundraise/rally support for the Conservative Party lately...

[benjii]

If we go down we'll be absolutely ****ed. Fat Kat has screwed us over.

[benjii]

Wonder what his deeper intentions are and why he (and Nelly) attended a private dinner to fundraise/rally support for the Conservative Party lately...

 

Let's hope he takes a different approach to political liaison than he did in China.

[Turkish]

It's a joke that we are the only team in this league that have to sell before we can buy.

 

Newcastle fans call Ashley the worst owner in the league, Liebherr and Gao are far far worse.

 

And there are still some that defend this by claiming the profit goes on bonuses, agents fees and other costs, almost like no other club has these things to pay, just us. In the same period of the last 5 years our agents fees were £20m according to the this link

 

https://www.transferleague.co.uk/agent-fees-2013-14/agent-fees/agent-fee-comparison-table

 

Yes it’s a lot, But it puts our agents fees as one of the lowest of all clubs who have been in the premier league the same period. So that argument doesn’t wash. Mike Ashley gets absolute hell from Newcastle fans for their lack of investment yet in the last 5 years they’ve spent £60m more than they’ve made from transfers and £13m more than us on agents fees.

 

Yes we’ve had to sack 3 managers in that time, but so have Newcastle, Everton, Crystal Palace and Leicester to name just 4 and we’ve made money from Koeman and Pochetino leaving, so another argument that doesn’t wash.

 

The fact we have this sell before we buy when we are the relegation zone and our last accounts showed a pre tax profit of £43m is insane.

[Nordic Saint]

Wonder what his deeper intentions are and why he (and Nelly) attended a private dinner to fundraise/rally support for the Conservative Party lately...

 

A free meal?

[egg]

And there are still some that defend this by claiming the profit goes on bonuses, agents fees and other costs, almost like no other club has these things to pay, just us. In the same period of the last 5 years our agents fees were £20m according to the this link

 

https://www.transferleague.co.uk/agent-fees-2013-14/agent-fees/agent-fee-comparison-table

 

Yes it’s a lot, But it puts our agents fees as one of the lowest of all clubs who have been in the premier league the same period. So that argument doesn’t wash. Mike Ashley gets absolute hell from Newcastle fans for their lack of investment yet in the last 5 years they’ve spent £60m more than they’ve made from transfers and £13m more than us on agents fees.

 

Yes we’ve had to sack 3 managers in that time, but so have Newcastle, Everton, Crystal Palace and Leicester to name just 4 and we’ve made money from Koeman and Pochetino leaving, so another argument that doesn’t wash.

 

The fact we have this sell before we buy when we are the relegation zone and our last accounts showed a pre tax profit of £43m is insane.

 

Del, the spending of Newcastle has got to nothing to do with our ability to spend. Pointless point. Do you really take as gospel what you read as gospel on that website? It's made up figures based on unpublished transfer deals and agents fees. I mean, Cardiff were never going to say publicly that the £15m Sala fee actually cost them £25m were they. It probably doesn't suit your agenda to concede that we haven't got any money to spend but if you put that agenda to one side, its pretty easy to see that we haven't.

[Turkish]

Del, the spending of Newcastle has got to nothing to do with our ability to spend. Pointless point. Do you really take as gospel what you read as gospel on that website? It's made up figures based on unpublished transfer deals and agents fees. I mean, Cardiff were never going to say publicly that the £15m Sala fee actually cost them £25m were they. It probably doesn't suit your agenda to concede that we haven't got any money to spend but if you put that agenda to one side, its pretty easy to see that we haven't.

 

Yep pretty obvious we haven’t. The question is why? We are the only club to make a profit from transfers, we have relatively low agents costs, we reported a £43m pre tax profit last accounts, Cortese has been gone 5 years so we can’t really blame him anymore. We’ve been telling everyone who will listen for years what a well run club we are, yet we are the only club that has to sell players to buy new ones. It doesn’t all stack up does it.

[Wade Garrett]

We wouldn’t have been any worse off if Mickey Falko and lifelongsaint bought us with Monopoly money.

 

Well done Kat.

[Raging Bull]

Yep pretty obvious we haven’t. The question is why? We are the only club to make a profit from transfers, we have relatively low agents costs, we reported a £43m pre tax profit last accounts, Cortese has been gone 5 years so we can’t really blame him anymore. We’ve been telling everyone who will listen for years what a well run club we are, yet we are the only club that has to sell players to buy new ones. It doesn’t all stack up does it.

 

On top of all of this horse s**t we’ve been fed for years, the loans that were lent to the club by fat Kat (can’t remember how many millions it was) were charged at 5% so she’s been rinsing it for f*****g ages then thrown us under the bus for good measure.

 

I’m not say that she’s not entitled to profit from those loans (I would) but everything they tell us is that it’s to progress the club and this Chinese 2 hat was supposed to take us on to the next level.

[Saint-Fred]

I am glad the Fat Cow is now getting the recognition she deserves. I just hope that she starts to get an appropriate reception at the games now. It's funny watching the the polite reception she gets when she has been looking at you mugs as a cash point machine for the last few years.

[sadoldgit]

I am glad the Fat Cow is now getting the recognition she deserves. I just hope that she starts to get an appropriate reception at the games now. It's funny watching the the polite reception she gets when she has been looking at you mugs as a cash point machine for the last few years.

 

You do know it’s not the 70’s any more don’t you?

[egg]

I am glad the Fat Cow is now getting the recognition she deserves. I just hope that she starts to get an appropriate reception at the games now. It's funny watching the the polite reception she gets when she has been looking at you mugs as a cash point machine for the last few years.

 

Mr Gratitude eh. She could have sold us to the highest bidder at the earliest opportunity. She didn't, but its obvious that there would come a time when she wanted out. People take the view that she sold us down the river but who's to say that this wasn't the best deal for the club? Sure, Gao seems to be a man of straw, but that's hardly Kat's fault.

[Window Cleaner]

Mr Gratitude eh. She could have sold us to the highest bidder at the earliest opportunity. She didn't, but its obvious that there would come a time when she wanted out. People take the view that she sold us down the river but who's to say that this wasn't the best deal for the club? Sure, Gao seems to be a man of straw, but that's hardly Kat's fault.

 

Perhaps he was the only deal eh. Still when you need the cash you need the cash. If you don't then some sort of correct behaviour is expected. Saints fans have always been led up the garden path about the wealth of this branch of the family. They never trumpeted it or made false claims of course but when 3.5 billion or whatever it was was being constantly bandied about from false assumptions then a simple "we don't have that much" was a good move, knock back expectations and all that.

[egg]

Perhaps he was the only deal eh. Still when you need the cash you need the cash. If you don't then some sort of correct behaviour is expected. Saints fans have always been led up the garden path about the wealth of this branch of the family. They never trumpeted it or made false claims of course but when 3.5 billion or whatever it was was being constantly bandied about from false assumptions then a simple "we don't have that much" was a good move, knock back expectations and all that.

We don't know what options she had. She was a seller, he was a buyer, she took his cash. End of. My dad passed a car down to me once. I didn't really want it but I kept it a while feeling it the right thing to do. I sold it a few years later. I didn't ask the fella whether he could afdord to maintain it, service it, wash it, pimp it up, or if he just wanted to let it rot. I to his money, that's what seller's do.

[shurlock]

The evidence is that she tried to sell us very early on but couldn’t find a buyer. She sat pat and kept investment to a minimum while bringing in significant fees for players. But her eye was always on an exit. Goa like a bumbling knight in shining armour then appeared and she duly took him to the cleaners. Wanting an exit is fair enough as is making a profit on your investment; but not when everything about Goa screamed red flag, even to the laissez-faire PL authorities and Kat shamelessly dressed up the whole transaction as taking us to the next level and exploited fan trust in her family name to push it through with little resistance or questions asked.

[Batman]

The evidence is that she tried to sell us very early on but couldn’t find a buyer. She sat pat and kept investment to a minimum while bringing in significant fees for players. But her eye was always on an exit. Goa like a bumbling knight in shining armour then appeared and she duly took him to the cleaners. Wanting an exit is fair enough as is making a profit on your investment; but not when everything about Goa screamed red flag, even to the laissez-faire PL authorities and Kat shamelessly dressed up the whole transaction as taking us to the next level and exploited fan trust in her family name to push it through with little resistance or questions asked.

 

I reckon VvD sake was delayed from that summer as part/condition of the sale.

 

Not like us to turn down big money for any player

 

At times, we could not shift them out quick enough, whilst we fed ‘snippets’ to the press about the poor attitude of some.

 

Along the way, lots of saints fans applauded them for it. No way would many other owners get away with that.

[LGTL]

Fat Kat has played an absolute blinder, she’s been very shrewd. Has completely shafted us lube free for years to come.

[Window Cleaner]

Fat Kat has played an absolute blinder, she’s been very shrewd. Has completely shafted us lube free for years to come.

 

But no!

"Mr Jisheng Gao and his daughter, Mrs Nelly Gao, with whom I have built a close relationship, share our values and ambitions."

 

Unless of course she had no values and no ambitions.

[hypochondriac]

The evidence is that she tried to sell us very early on but couldn’t find a buyer. She sat pat and kept investment to a minimum while bringing in significant fees for players. But her eye was always on an exit. Goa like a bumbling knight in shining armour then appeared and she duly took him to the cleaners. Wanting an exit is fair enough as is making a profit on your investment; but not when everything about Goa screamed red flag, even to the laissez-faire PL authorities and Kat shamelessly dressed up the whole transaction as taking us to the next level and exploited fan trust in her family name to push it through with little resistance or questions asked.

Yes I think that's the important point. You can't blame the fans for putting their trust in her considering what her father had done. It's been abused.

[egg]

Yes I think that's the important point. You can't blame the fans for putting their trust in her considering what her father had done. It's been abused.

 

Unreal. ''You can't blame the fans for putting their trust in her''. She's a woman who owned a business and sold it. We're the customer's, nothing more, and she owed us fans no duty of care. Gao looks to be useless so vent your spleen at him, but that ain't Kat's fault.

[Saint-Fred]

Mr Gratitude eh. She could have sold us to the highest bidder at the earliest opportunity. She didn't, but its obvious that there would come a time when she wanted out. People take the view that she sold us down the river but who's to say that this wasn't the best deal for the club? Sure, Gao seems to be a man of straw, but that's hardly Kat's fault.

 

I wish she had.

She has dismantled what we had. This isn't about her investing, it's about the club competing. If all other clubs can invest in their team why couldn't we? Championship sides with less income have invested more than us net over that time.

In fact I bet there are some league one sides that have.

We had all the riches of the premier league and spent none of it and yet i am supposed to be grateful? The Newcastle fans aren't grateful and they have spent more than us.

[Batman]

Unreal. ''You can't blame the fans for putting their trust in her''. She's a woman who owned a business and sold it. We're the customer's, nothing more, and she owed us fans no duty of care. Gao looks to be useless so vent your spleen at him, but that ain't Kat's fault.

 

Of course it is kat’s fault

[egg]

Of course it is kat’s fault

Let me get this clear. You honestly think that when kat sold up that she was responsible for ensuring that Gao thereafter invested in the growth of the club? Really? That's like selling a house, expecting the buyer to build an extension, and then popping round to check that he's done it. Ridiculous.

[Batman]

Let me get this clear. You honestly think that when kat sold up that she was responsible for ensuring that Gao thereafter invested in the growth of the club? Really? That's like selling a house, expecting the buyer to build an extension, and then popping round to check that he's done it. Ridiculous.

 

When someone owns a football club, either by accident or by design, they have a responsibility to the fans and the city due to the unique emotional connection football has with people.

 

She (via Ralph) made a point in repeating the line that Gao will “take us to the next level”

 

Why bother if we are nothing more than a Tesco’s

[verlaine1979]

Let me get this clear. You honestly think that when kat sold up that she was responsible for ensuring that Gao thereafter invested in the growth of the club? Really? That's like selling a house, expecting the buyer to build an extension, and then popping round to check that he's done it. Ridiculous.

 

A house isn't a community asset though. That's (presumably) part of the reason why the league have ownership tests - because football clubs aren't just fungible goods that can be traded back and forth without consequences - if bad stewardship results in the collapse of a club then the whole community suffers.

[Katalinic]

Let me get this clear. You honestly think that when kat sold up that she was responsible for ensuring that Gao thereafter invested in the growth of the club? Really? That's like selling a house, expecting the buyer to build an extension, and then popping round to check that he's done it. Ridiculous.

 

What is ridiculous is your poor analogy.

[egg]

A house isn't a community asset though. That's (presumably) part of the reason why the league have ownership tests - because football clubs aren't just fungible goods that can be traded back and forth without consequences - if bad stewardship results in the collapse of a club then the whole community suffers.

 

Kats club was her asset, not a community one. Our fans have become too expectant. That all said, Kat may have been assured by Gao that he would deliver the earth, and may be as disappointed as the rest of us that it's gone the way it has. The point though is that she had no obligation to the fans or the community, and has no responsibility for the future.

[benjii]

So who's up for a march?

[egg]

What is ridiculous is your poor analogy.

 

You mean a comparison between the sale of an asset and the sale of an asset, and the obligations thereafter of the seller in both scenarios? The only difference is the ridiculous feeling of entitlement of the fans that populate this forum.

[verlaine1979]

Kats club was her asset, not a community one. Our fans have become too expectant. That all said, Kat may have been assured by Gao that he would deliver the earth, and may be as disappointed as the rest of us that it's gone the way it has. The point though is that she had no obligation to the fans or the community, and has no responsibility for the future.

 

As owner, she'd also have been entitled to surrender our place in the league, wind up the club and bulldoze the stadium. Would you have been just as sanguine if she'd done that?

[egg]

As owner, she'd also have been entitled to surrender our place in the league, wind up the club and bulldoze the stadium. Would you have been just as sanguine if she'd done that?

 

Err, that's beyond ridiculous! She sold up. That's a bit different to smashing it up.

[Katalinic]

You mean a comparison between the sale of an asset and the sale of an asset, and the obligations thereafter of the seller in both scenarios? The only difference is the ridiculous feeling of entitlement of the fans that populate this forum.

 

Selling a football club is nothing like selling a house, stop being silly.

[egg]

Selling a football club is nothing like selling a house, stop being silly.

 

To a seller, the sale of his/her asset is a sale. More importantly, in the sale of any asset (footy club, house, car, anything) the seller has no obligation after sale. The bottom line is that Gao appears to be a man of straw and will not take us forward. That's a problem, but not an issue for Kat.

[Katalinic]

To a seller, the sale of his/her asset is a sale. More importantly, in the sale of any asset (footy club, house, car, anything) the seller has no obligation after sale. The bottom line is that Gao appears to be a man of straw and will not take us forward. That's a problem, but not an issue for Kat.

 

One is a business and one is a personal asset so the scenarios are quite different. One has customers, suppliers, staff, goodwill, assets, the other is the asset. I suspect you don't have 30,000 people turning up in your back garden every week either. I do agree with your opinion of Gao though.

[Saints foreva]

To a seller, the sale of his/her asset is a sale. More importantly, in the sale of any asset (footy club, house, car, anything) the seller has no obligation after sale. The bottom line is that Gao appears to be a man of straw and will not take us forward. That's a problem, but not an issue for Kat.

 

Kind of is an issue for Kat as she still owns 20%

[fanimal]

She is probably waiting to buy back the 80% at a knock down price from the Bank of HK in due course, cute move...

[French Connection]

Has it ever occurred to the more dense amongst you that Noah read this board and if he reported back the rude and insulting comments made about Kat could have had an adverse feeling for the Club that her Dad loved , it has been quite unpleasant on occasions and I'm sure not all of you are beautiful or perfect so have a bit of respect and class , I have supported this club since 1947 so have been through most situations with it but this is just plain nasty and not our profile at all .

[Dalek2003]

Easy to see why we are where we are.

 

Yep. The smokescreen every summer transfer window was effective in fooling most fans as to our single ambition. Minimum investment and staying up (17th will do and the rest is a bonus), yet when it was called by the likes of myself and Alpine we were lambasted and derided.

[CB Fry]

Has it ever occurred to the more dense amongst you that Noah read this board and if he reported back the rude and insulting comments made about Kat could have had an adverse feeling for the Club that her Dad loved , it has been quite unpleasant on occasions and I'm sure not all of you are beautiful or perfect so have a bit of respect and class , I have supported this club since 1947 so have been through most situations with it but this is just plain nasty and not our profile at all .

Hi Noah. Suck my balls.

[Batman]

Who would you rather have

 

 

Mike Ashley or Gao/Kat double team?

[Dalek2003]

Kats club was her asset, not a community one. Our fans have become too expectant. That all said, Kat may have been assured by Gao that he would deliver the earth, and may be as disappointed as the rest of us that it's gone the way it has. The point though is that she had no obligation to the fans or the community, and has no responsibility for the future.

 

True. It's a shame we didn't get a better buyer.

 

I am hoping that if we get relegated we can steady the ship so that we become a solid championship side and build up again for another promotion push. Rather do it over 5 years than just waste money.

[ericb]

Things might be worse than we think.

 

[Block 5]

This is one of the nastiest threads that I've see on here in quite some time.

 

 

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