Julian Rhodes

Long post but quick question.

Was he in a position to vote against it turn down the £8m dividend paid out from a loss making company?

 

Almost all clubs are 'loss making companies', and almost all clubs have investors that want to see a return - and not just when it's sunshine and roses.

Again, that word, naive.

 

Apart from the fact that it's now illegal to do that.

But you didn't answer the question. You asked when he should have stood up and been counted and cited all the good things that Richmond did.

My question was should he take some responsibility for personally taking money out of a company that didn't have any.

 

Those weren't 'good things', though, they were daft things to do. Huge club shop, totally unnecessary, constant stadium improvements, totally unnecessary, we've filled it on a handful of occasions, but these are still the kinds of things people demand, we shouldn't be training at a school, we should invest millions in training facilities that won't even guarantee an ROI, possibly a new stadium for who knows what reason, the 'ambition' from idle fans is endless, and so is the jumbled logic for the criticism.

 

And yes, he should take 'some' responsibility for a lot of it, but he was never in charge or in a position to halt all of the overspend.

 

He could have voted against it?

So if he takes some responsibility for it then he also takes some responsibility for the repercussions.

 

I don’t think the fans were clamouring for constant stadium improvements and were probably embarrassed by the claim to have to have the largest club shop in England. Most City fans knew the signings of Collymore, Carbone and Petrescu were the signs of a madman on one, but as board members the Rhodes family should have stood up to him.

Fans currently want stadium improvements in the toilets with hot water and the pitch to last beyond November. What’s wrong with wanting your professional football club, who earned millions from cup runs, to own their own training facility. Why keep renting when owning is cheaper in the long run? We own the square root of f%+k all at the moment. That’s not down to Rahic and Rupp, that’s down in part to Rhodes who sold everything not nailed down.

 

Did fans think that at the time, though?

Where were the flyovers and protests?

I honestly can't recall it, but I was in my teenage years and it was all a bit of a blur...

 

I believe they did. It was like an out of body experience, looking at players coming into our club who wouldn’t give a third look, never mind a second look at us if it wasn’t for the wages they received.

Had we as fans not been in some sort of premiership trance, I’m sure the plane would have been up asking for ALL board members to sell up.

 

I remember Richmond baulking at signing Winston Bogarde for silly wages - and him saying it was unrealistic - but seemed to sign Benito on the same wages.

I dunno... If we'd stayed up it probably wouldn't have been a big problem.

I just think it's very rich blaming JR.

 

Unfortunately for him, he’s the common denominator...

 

Have you ever met David Rhodes? I can assure you he is certainly not a bloke that has the wool pulled over his eyes easily and certainly wouldn’t have been bullied. He’s has a strong personality and did very well for himself with his other interest. Hard to believe that he’d be so soft towards the football club.

 

They are a fair reflection of what went on.

The simple question though is "are board members responsible for the actions and effects on the company" and the answer to that in every legal and logical sense is "yes" especially when they are taking money out without a murmur.

We can dress up all the excuses we like about Richmond being a dominant personality blah, blah, blah but that doesn't absolve the other people involved in the control of the club from responsibility.

 

They were both culpable and both had no hesitation of taking £4 million pound each out of the club leaving it in further debt, The T&A raised over £300,000 to save the club which I believe that Rhodes also used to buy the club back out of Admin?

 

Interesting to read through much of this thread regarding the era of BFG.
I've been hypo critical of him as others due to what we've endured through the past two decades.

However, and I'll also hold my hands to this.
BFG had the Midas touch
From the moment BFG came to this club, pretty much every decision was a success, each one in its way pushed the club forward on and off the pitch.
From promotions, to top flight football to ground expansion and improvements, I took great pride in how our stadium was starting to look.
I don't recall any disenchanted voices in the summer of 2000 when the big contract players were coming our way.
We were all on the euphoric ride that BFG was giving us, and we had total belief in whatever move he made.
On holiday in Cyprus, the news of our 2:0 victory over Chelsea came through, I was in a bar in my City shirt, stood with mancs and fans of other premiership clubs, thinking I was now a part of that company with the big boys!
It practically enhanced a huge part of the leisure side of my life.

So, ok, have a pop at JR, but he'd rode that same crest also, he'd have been just as loath to try reign in BFG, as every other fan was.

The perfect science of hindsight

We know the rest :-(

 

And yet one of them currently oversees the everyday running of the club. Makes sense.

 

So to summarise for the thickos like myself, they were fully complicit in the everyday goings on at the club and the £8million dividend payment?