Did I just see a pig flying?
Feb 19, 2016 14:42:16 GMT
Russgas, Antonio Fargas, and 10 more like this
Post by RD on Feb 19, 2016 14:42:16 GMT
When I woke up this morning, I walked over to the window and drew back the curtains. As I did so, a pig flew past the window. I wiped my eyes in disbelief. When I opened them, I saw a cow jump over the moon.
I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. But nothing could quite prepare me for the biggest shock that was yet to come. Little old Bristol Rovers – my Bristol Rovers – were being taken over by an incredibly wealthy family from Jordan. Surely not?
I’ve had many a drunken conversation with friends down the pub asking why Bristol Rovers can’t attract investment when the likes of Forest Green Rovers, Bournemouth, Crawley Town et al have in recent years. Of course the conversation has always been tinged with a little bias but, nonetheless, it’s a pretty fair question in my humble opinion.
We’ve shown on occasion that this club can attract huge turnouts for big games. In 2007 we took circa 40,000 to a League Two Playoff Final. That was only months after taking somewhere around 25,000 - 30,000 (if my memory serves me correctly) to the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy at the Millennium Stadium. Of course I am not naïve enough to think that all 40,000 of the fans that attended that brilliant victory against Shrewsbury back in 2007 were Gasheads. But it did show the potential - and the hunger – were there; build a successful team and the potential at this club is far bigger than is portrayed at present.
When we won planning permission for a new stadium in partnership with the UWE, things looked up. Of course at the time, we weren’t to know that Shamesburies would use their usual underhand, disgusting tactics to pull out of the contract and royally shaft us.
Despite that, we were still in a strong position; we were sat on planning permission for a brand new stadium, with over 20,000 seats, fantastic facilities and brilliant transport links. I always hoped an investor would see this and realise what a fantastic proposition we were. It seems they finally have.
To all those fans – and there will be many – who greet today’s news with a degree of pessimism, I fully understand their concerns. Ultimately today – the 19th February 2016 – we have no way of knowing how things will turn out as a result of this. Will we end up with owners akin to Man City in the sense they’ll bring us success and wealth, or will we end up in even more of a mess ala Notts County? Time will tell.
What I will say is that with the reported financial position, we don’t really have much choice. Baring a miraculous outcome from the courts regarding the UWE, we’d have been left with huge debts, a ridiculously high-interest loan, planning permission for a ground that could never been built and would have remained playing in a ramshackle stadium for the foreseeable future.
With that in mind, it’s hard to see how the news today could possibly be any worse than the current situation. For that reason alone, I have to welcome the news.
There is of course that nagging feeling that “we are Bristol Rovers – nothing good ever happens to us!”. Perhaps that will once again be the case. However, maybe… just maybe… today’s news heralds a bright new future for this football club.
I am about to welcome my first child in to the world within the next few weeks… my son. To think he may be born in to a world where supporting Bristol Rovers is no longer a guaranteed life of misery, despair and ridicule is pretty incredible. How exciting.
Finally, although Nick Higgs has been slated by many during his tenure (and certainly of late) for increasing the club’s debts, not having a watertight contract with Sainsbury’s and overseeing relegation to non-league, it’s incredible to think that he may have actually delivered the biggest thing in Bristol Rovers’ long history.
I have no doubt that having planning permission for the UWE will have played a massive part in making us an attractive proposition for our new owners, and it was his vision that made that a reality. As such, against all the odds, it’s incredible to think that ironically, Nick Higgs may have left the biggest legacy of all.
In the words of the great Chris Kamara; Unbelievable Jeff.
I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. But nothing could quite prepare me for the biggest shock that was yet to come. Little old Bristol Rovers – my Bristol Rovers – were being taken over by an incredibly wealthy family from Jordan. Surely not?
I’ve had many a drunken conversation with friends down the pub asking why Bristol Rovers can’t attract investment when the likes of Forest Green Rovers, Bournemouth, Crawley Town et al have in recent years. Of course the conversation has always been tinged with a little bias but, nonetheless, it’s a pretty fair question in my humble opinion.
We’ve shown on occasion that this club can attract huge turnouts for big games. In 2007 we took circa 40,000 to a League Two Playoff Final. That was only months after taking somewhere around 25,000 - 30,000 (if my memory serves me correctly) to the final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy at the Millennium Stadium. Of course I am not naïve enough to think that all 40,000 of the fans that attended that brilliant victory against Shrewsbury back in 2007 were Gasheads. But it did show the potential - and the hunger – were there; build a successful team and the potential at this club is far bigger than is portrayed at present.
When we won planning permission for a new stadium in partnership with the UWE, things looked up. Of course at the time, we weren’t to know that Shamesburies would use their usual underhand, disgusting tactics to pull out of the contract and royally shaft us.
Despite that, we were still in a strong position; we were sat on planning permission for a brand new stadium, with over 20,000 seats, fantastic facilities and brilliant transport links. I always hoped an investor would see this and realise what a fantastic proposition we were. It seems they finally have.
To all those fans – and there will be many – who greet today’s news with a degree of pessimism, I fully understand their concerns. Ultimately today – the 19th February 2016 – we have no way of knowing how things will turn out as a result of this. Will we end up with owners akin to Man City in the sense they’ll bring us success and wealth, or will we end up in even more of a mess ala Notts County? Time will tell.
What I will say is that with the reported financial position, we don’t really have much choice. Baring a miraculous outcome from the courts regarding the UWE, we’d have been left with huge debts, a ridiculously high-interest loan, planning permission for a ground that could never been built and would have remained playing in a ramshackle stadium for the foreseeable future.
With that in mind, it’s hard to see how the news today could possibly be any worse than the current situation. For that reason alone, I have to welcome the news.
There is of course that nagging feeling that “we are Bristol Rovers – nothing good ever happens to us!”. Perhaps that will once again be the case. However, maybe… just maybe… today’s news heralds a bright new future for this football club.
I am about to welcome my first child in to the world within the next few weeks… my son. To think he may be born in to a world where supporting Bristol Rovers is no longer a guaranteed life of misery, despair and ridicule is pretty incredible. How exciting.
Finally, although Nick Higgs has been slated by many during his tenure (and certainly of late) for increasing the club’s debts, not having a watertight contract with Sainsbury’s and overseeing relegation to non-league, it’s incredible to think that he may have actually delivered the biggest thing in Bristol Rovers’ long history.
I have no doubt that having planning permission for the UWE will have played a massive part in making us an attractive proposition for our new owners, and it was his vision that made that a reality. As such, against all the odds, it’s incredible to think that ironically, Nick Higgs may have left the biggest legacy of all.
In the words of the great Chris Kamara; Unbelievable Jeff.
