A4E, strange conclusion to come to when I literally just posted we are trying all the time.

Sounds like at least one of the new DTB has given up on us ever even bothering to try to find investors - “tried it, it didn’t work, so what’s the point?” doesn’t exactly smack of a can-do attitude really, does it…? 😞

OI, I believe we get approached regularly, mainly by all sorts of chancers. I suspect most would fail even the most cursory due diligence. Nick Robertsons are very hard to find or attract.

DO perhaps, but do you think there will 5000 fans willing to lose their investment if their choice of a PLC board fail to come up with the goods?

A little light reading about Exeter’s Trust [Link] Warning: Seems that Rye has written a lot this Wikipedia content. Their Trust has been on a rollercoaster ride same as ours. They’re just doing better than us right now.

Keefy - I think the 5,000 shareholders would elect the plc board. The plc board would make the decisions - as they do now.

Exeter have a very good youth set up which earns them decent transfer fees

Following on from OTS - Anyone know how our PPG in top flight at PL compares to PPG at Selhurst in top flight? Would have guessed pretty similar (if you exclude relegation season).

Let's just clarify the example of Exeter that you constantly bring up up silk (and their patience): they are for the time being, a sustainable club based on huge transfer income, not prudence, innovation or breaking the mould...

Martin - it depends on whether we are talking about buying control or taking a minority stake with little or no control. We have been told we get enquiries about the former but they are not interested in the latter. Maybe it isn't true or they are totally unsuitable offers but we have been told we get offers.

Trigger: correct

Who's trying all the time and who gave them that remit? Selling to a new owner hasn't been approved by the membership.

Russ: spot on. JG: I just can’t see 5000 ‘normal’ people with their own mortgages and family commitments having that sort of money continually over long term and/or risking the losses etc

If we have 5000 owners who makes the decisions ? Nothing would ever get done As we are we cannot come up with a way of reducing the debt. Happy to be a share and Bond holder along with being a season ticket holder. I have no interest in running the club along with the majority of Wimbledon supporters.

Yeah the whole "you can't discuss selling out if you don't name the future owner" line is jurassic. Look at all the non-fan-owned clubs in UK football. Someone would buy us. They may be good they may be bad, but there wouldn't be nobody.

We're trying all the time. That's why we know they don't exist.

I would expect loses to get worse.since the budget my tackings have dropped, and many others that I talk to who have small buisness have said the same.. and the extra NI the club pays to employees will cost a bit.

I think our position in SW London, the catchment area, the potential of the stadium, etc, make us very attractive to someone that may want to build a championship/prem club. But it would take concerted time and effort to find someone who is looking to build the club up to make the next couple of leaps. What hampers us in that regards is that the owners do not want to sell, so there wont be a concerted effort to find a 'good' owner. The only two real outcomes will be continued fan ownership, or administration, which will likely result in a real gamble on ownership in the medium term.

Mark & Keefy: I'm not asking or expecting all fans to put money in. Just those who want to. But those that do then get to own the Club. A Rights issue would sort the issue out. Those people who like holding their ownership through the Industrial & Provident Society can continue to do so - amalgamating their ownership in one big Collective. The other 5000 shareholders can also be offered the opportunity of retaining or increasing our percentage stakes. Its time for fans to be given the opportunity of real fan ownership. Why would you be happy to sell to a pop or film star but not to 5000 individual fans???

TBK: unless you try you don’t know that but we won’t try so it’s conjecture

To me, the question is whether the club could operate sustainably as a league club (ie not at a loss) if it was well-run. I am not sure whether we know that as I don’t think a proper analysis has been done (or at least not share)

You can believe whatever you like but the owner you want doesn't exist.

Just about every club outside the Premiership is 'subsidised'. There are only 20 to 30 clubs that might provide a return, we aren't likely to join that group.

Ultimately we can give rich types some of what they seek from participation in fans ownership. But the bloke who sent the team to Vegas every year, the John Greens and the ASOS Nick's of this world are fewer and further between than the 'normal' owners and certainly the probability of a Wrexham type investor putting ridiculous cash in without actual ownership is close to zero. Ideally a real Chair of AFCW would be measured on 'advancement' like the Dean of a U.S. university with a significant proportion of their time spent schmoozing the great and the good to try and find ways to get donations and other non-dilutive forms of investment from high-net-worth individuals. Part of our problem is fundraising falls between DTB and PLC and (from the outside at least) it's not clear where responsibility lies for cultivating the next big benefactors.

The normal question to who would you sell makes me laugh? I’d get out there and listen to ALL offers and then make business decisions. If it’s not good enough we don’t sell but I believe (strongly) that people would be interested and I believe (strongly) it’s for the long term best interests of this club. As others say, we just keep kicking the can down the road and asking fans to keep propping up the club to the tune of millions won’t work