Re: AJ Bell stadium and Sale Sharks : Wed Apr 05, 2017 1:48 pm  

SteveH wrote:

There is a difference in multi-millionaires with millions readily available in the bank or in liquid assets that can be quickly converted in to capital and multi-millionaires with most their money tied up in property and other non-liquid assets that take time to sell. As a property magnate and race horse owner I suspect that Marwan is one of the latter and would need to sell some other properties before he could buy the stadium

Surely his credit score would be high, he's the big cheese of SL along with Moran?

Re: AJ Bell stadium and Sale Sharks : Wed Apr 05, 2017 3:29 pm  

I would assume that the term "big cheese" is ironic; I am sure "big " would be used at RLHQ.

We must ask, why would he buy it? He has suggested an interest in the past but not recently. If he left Salford (and he has never alluded to being here permanently), it would be a millstone around his neck. He is a businessman and so would choose whether the outlay (financial and personal) would be worth the returns.

Sale is different: they could turn the albatross into a success by utilising it as a regional flagship for Rugby Union: you can see financial support and kudos coming from the wealthy RU game.
This can be shown easliy: Sky have paid something in the area of £30 million to cover the non-6 nation England Internationals until 2020.(Imagine what they would have got to include the 6 Nations ... not that the Beeb and ITV would give such up.) Twickenham will be the venue for the games but there is always the possibility of Youth and Women's matches played elsewhere. Somewhere easily used by Cheshire, the Manchester area and Liverpool.

It's more in their interest to own such a stadium than the good Doctor's. I doubt the 'wealthy' RL would help him as much as RU would help Sale. Especially as the French RU have now attracted TV rights of over £300 million (for the top 14 clubs over 4 years) which will mean the English clubs will lose players to the wealthy French.

Re: AJ Bell stadium and Sale Sharks : Thu Apr 06, 2017 7:07 am  

Hillbilly_Red wrote:

I would assume that the term "big cheese" is ironic; I am sure "big " would be used at RLHQ.

We must ask, why would he buy it? He has suggested an interest in the past but not recently. If he left Salford (and he has never alluded to being here permanently), it would be a millstone around his neck. He is a businessman and so would choose whether the outlay (financial and personal) would be worth the returns.

Sale is different: they could turn the albatross into a success by utilising it as a regional flagship for Rugby Union: you can see financial support and kudos coming from the wealthy RU game.
This can be shown easliy: Sky have paid something in the area of £30 million to cover the non-6 nation England Internationals until 2020.(Imagine what they would have got to include the 6 Nations ... not that the Beeb and ITV would give such up.) Twickenham will be the venue for the games but there is always the possibility of Youth and Women's matches played elsewhere. Somewhere easily used by Cheshire, the Manchester area and Liverpool.

It's more in their interest to own such a stadium than the good Doctor's. I doubt the 'wealthy' RL would help him as much as RU would help Sale. Especially as the French RU have now attracted TV rights of over £300 million (for the top 14 clubs over 4 years) which will mean the English clubs will lose players to the wealthy French.

Very valid opinion, but IF Sale were to buy it, I don't see what kicking you (Salford, not you personally!) out would achieve, surely you could just continue to share it?

Re: AJ Bell stadium and Sale Sharks : Thu Apr 06, 2017 12:06 pm  

Agree: it is logical and makes sense.

My concern is from the history of Sale in Stockport (where I work). The opinion of County fans to the Sharks was, at best, robust, and often, vitriolic in the criticism levelled at their new owners. They felt that Sale tried to remove the identity and heritage of County and the phrase "bully" was frequently made.

It also comes from the stance of Rugby Union to Rugby League: I am not suggesting times have not hugely improved but I still get the whiff of objection to our existence from some quarters. Hopefully it is the decay of the horrible stance that I remember.

There is a long (and meandering) thread on VT of why RL has not taken off in Manchester. I do not want to revisit all of it here nor the definition of Manchester that took so many paragraphs. However it is obvious that Association Football has such a presence in the area that other sports struggle to intrude. Struggle is the phrase I chose as they have to work at keeping a occupancy in the media and in the mindset of the public. Today's Manchester Evening News has 7 pages for United and City (City played last night so would get 2/3 pages for the match) but only 7 paragraphs for Sale and a quarter of a page for the change to the RL Salary cap and Dr Koukash's reactions to that news. Lancashire cricket get half a page.

Any impediment to that presence which could come from a landlord (see Sale and Stockport above) will reduce the attraction of that club: Salford would suffer and it could start a terminal decline. Agreed with tact and a positive approach by Salford, it may not happen. But...

Re: AJ Bell stadium and Sale Sharks : Thu Apr 06, 2017 1:36 pm  

Hillbilly_Red wrote:

Today's Manchester Evening News has 7 pages for United and City (City played last night so would get 2/3 pages for the match) but only 7 paragraphs for Sale and a quarter of a page for the change to the RL Salary cap and Dr Koukash's reactions to that news. Lancashire cricket get half a page.

I think you have laid bear the issues & reason we are unable to grow the fan base. I would also add to your excellent comments, we no longer play rugby league in the schools, with football being played from a very early age at all levels, our game is really up against it.
If papers were to give our game wall to wall coverage & we had a fair crack in the schools, I am sure the game would grow, although I believe traditional rugby league areas are also facing the same issues.

Re: AJ Bell stadium and Sale Sharks : Wed Apr 12, 2017 3:04 pm  

mmm ... just saw this: Sale have made a bid for the L|SV stadium: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=604121 11th April post by the way, not 1st April

mmm ... just saw this: Sale have made a bid for the L|SV stadium: viewtopic.php?f=22&t=604121 11th April post by the way, not 1st April

Re: AJ Bell stadium and Sale Sharks : Thu Apr 13, 2017 7:17 am  

Hillbilly_Red wrote: mmm ... just saw this: Sale have made a bid for the L|SV stadium: http://forums.rlfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=604121 11th April post by the way, not 1st April That was a wind-up post (one of many) by someone who was 'using' Mr Chairman's log-in.

Hillbilly_Red wrote: mmm ... just saw this: Sale have made a bid for the L|SV stadium: http://forums.rlfans.com/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=604121 11th April post by the way, not 1st April That was a wind-up post (one of many) by someone who was 'using' Mr Chairman's log-in.