I was a bit bored

[GarySTFC]

So I did a search using Copernic search utility on Martyn Deaner. Brings up a number of references to a takeover bid of Oxford United some time ago (although no date is given, I can only presume it was around 5-6 years ago?) and it mentions Grenoble Investments (Bahamas based company I think) and also about Martyn developing Oxford United to have a hotel and leisure facilites.

 

More pie in the sky, and that was five-six years ago!

 

http://olympia.fortunecity.com/bischoff/404/fm2.htm

 

Then I did a look on this 'Grenoble Investments' which brought up the following:

http://www.credit-mgmt.com/hall/h001102.htm

10/27/00

"GRENOBLE INVESTMENTS LLC TO SOUTHEAST CROSSINGS LLC (EXEMPT) CONVEY

PART NW1/4SW1/4 S27 T11N R9 W6TH

PM "

 

Which was shortly followed by:

"In October 1997 a loss of £3.5million was announced over the previous two years. Not including the stadium. Big problem. The chairman resigned, the playing staff were put up for sale, the club was bankrupt. The club is a PR disaster, at war with the local media and dissenting supporters. Light at the end of the tunnel has been snuffed out by the withdrawal within the last week of a rescue package by a consortium known as Grenoble Investments."

http://www.bsad.org/matt/ox98.html

 

Further still:

"This season it slowly emerged that a consortium, Grenoble Investments Ltd., was interested in buying the club, despite debts approaching 15 million. Who were this mysterious Bahamas-based (tax haven alert!) company? Work was to start on the new ground in November – a highly necessary development, as if the club remain in division one for next season, it will have to be in an all-seater stadium. Not enough seats at the Manor really..."

http://www.chester-city.co.uk/isa_crisis.htm

 

Seems Martyn has taken over this 'view' of John Gunn:

"One of the people involved in Grenoble Investments is known to have been City businessman John Gunn, who wanted to make United's new stadium the centrepiece of a leisure development. He pulled out of the deal at the beginning of November."

http://www.thisisoxfordshire.co.uk/oxfordshire/archive/1998/12/02/NEWS6VQ.html

 

I'm sure that's bored enough people now anyway.... Ho hum.

[Barry Scott]

i think there's money somewhere then...

[Barry Scott]

well the facts (to me) seem to be:

 

a) there is definitely finance available from this investment group.

 

so why:

 

a) did they constantly pull out at Oxford and Chester (not fashionable enough?)?

have they waited so long to put together the Kennedy Park proposal, the same proposal they have put to the two other clubs, when, had they done their research they would have known that Wexham Park was practically undevelopable for their needs unless there was some drastic re-drawing of the county borders?

c) was 12 acres really enough space for the size of hotel they wanted to build at Wexham Park?

d) (from the Support Last Nite Thread) if he owes the Thornes £70,000, is paying Windsor £25,000 a year for the groundshare leaving us with no financial muscle to support a squad of the size needed to get out of this division, how the hell can they afford a stadium and leisure development that will in all probabilities cost in excess of £10 million?

 

all purely retorical (sic), and have all been asked over and over again, so is a future for Slough Town too much to ask Mr Deaner?