ancientnloyal posted:
Right ok... details.
How much money has Edwards got?
That, to me, is the important issue. Whatever people think about Whelan, he's not short of a bob or two, and we're not likely to end up in a situation like Halifax, Doncaster, London Broncos etc whilst we're still under DW's ownership, which is a relief given our financial situation prior to him taking over the club. Sports clubs rarely make money, so anyone else coming in would need to have plenty of reserves to draw upon and accept that the money is spent for fun rather than for a profit. Do Edwards and his friends have that kind of backing? Unless there are some major business figures then I would suggest not. Professional sport is not something for casual investors, you've either got to have some major product that you want to sell through the publicity that can be generated through the sport (JJB Sports, Glazer family at Man Utd. etc) and run the sports team as a loss but which is balanced out by commercial benefits elsewhere, or you're in the game as an amusement for something to enjoy with your millions of pounds (Abramovich, Whelan).
I'm not convinced that a Shaun Edwards' consortium would really have the depth of funding that's required, and whilst it would be a big thing to have a club hero back, it might be a risk in the long-term. The other thread about the collapse of yet another St Helens' title sponsor shows how easily these things can fall apart, and we don't want to have to go through the financial mess of that late 1990's again.
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