Archived News from May 2008
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TAKEOVER LATEST, PLUS BATCHELOR/EGGINGTON SPAT
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BOOTH: TAKEOVER LATEST, PLUS BATCHELOR/EGGINGTON SPAT
BOOTH DISMISSES SUPPORTER GROUPS AS SMALL NO.OF FANS Booth confirms Chad report of Friday Stags takeover meeting . . . and says club has received a new buyout proposal CHAD.co.uk, By Tim Morriss, 09 May 2008 MANSFIELD Town chief executive Stephen Booth on Friday afternoon revealed that the club had received a new buyout proposal - and again hinted at a possible sale early next week. He confirmed Chad's report on Thursday that a takeover meeting was to take place on Friday - and also said he had met chairman and Mansfield mayor Tony Egginton. And the chief executive added that he expected Stags owner Keith Haslam to give a response to Friday's takeover proposal within 72 hours. Full story at CHAD website here Full Booth statement at mansfieldtown.net here Chad reported earlier in the week that Haslam appeared to have five possible options over the sale of Mansfield Town. He has already received two formal offers for the club and now appears to be on the verge of receiving a third. Booth, who had said on national radio on Thursday evening that he hoped for a sale of the club within days, said: "This morning I had two very productive meetings. "The first meeting involved a prospective buyer, Keith Haslam and I. During the course of this meeting a proposal for the buyout of the club was put forward and was well received. "Mr Haslam is now consulting his various professional advisors with regard to the detail and I am anticipating a formal response within the next 72 hours. "Following this meeting, Keith and I met with non-executive chairman (Tony Egginton) to discuss the future of the club. Once again this was a very productive meeting and all parties agreed that they would work together in an attempt to ensure the rejuvenation of the club. "No parties will make any further comment until there is something sustainable to say." Chad can confirm that the takeover meeting involved one of the five interested parties mentioned in a report on Wednesday. Earlier this week the mayor had said he wanted to meet with the club's hierarchy to discuss his position. Mr Booth added: "All true supporters should be assured that all parties are working towards a goal of re-establishing the club to its rightful status in the Football League." --------------------- Perhaps Sammy the Stags will run for mayor, says Batchelor CHAD.co.uk, By Tim Morriss, 09 May 2008 THE man who could be the new owner of Mansfield Town FC within the next few days has thrown down an election challenge to Stags chairman and mayor Tony Egginton. The unpredictable John Batchelor still insists that he is the front runner as Stags owner Keith Haslam continues his takeover negotiations with various parties. And he reacted angrily today to comments from the mayor, which questioned the seriousness of his bid. Full story at CHAD website here Batchelor told Chad: "If the mayor is going to stand in the way of this football club moving forward, then perhaps the club could put up a candidate against him at the next election? "If I am in charge I will let the fans decide. Who knows, perhaps Sammy the Stag will run against Tony Egginton. "It happened at Hartlepool and look what happened there. The monkey was elected!" Batchelor added: "I object to him saying my bid is not serious; it very much is and I remain confident it will be the winning bid." Egginton later clarified his comments against the would-be owner, saying: "Whoever is the new owner has got to have the credibility or desire to get Mansfield Town FC back in the Football League. "I was questioning the calibre of person behind Batchelor's bid, not the bid itself. "He would have a hard job to win the fans over." On Thursday evening chief executive Stephen Booth, brought to the club in December to broker a sale, told national radio station 5 Live: "I am hopeful that within the next few days that we may be able to announce that the club has been sold. I can only remain cautiously optimisitic." -------------------- Astonishing Stephen Booth interview on BBC Radio 5 live, 08 May 2008. Booth dismisses joint statement by all 4 supporters groups as a 'small number of fans'. interview here ------------------- Mansfield Town to be sold within a few days - Booth Club expected to be critical of merged fans group Stags Fans United CHAD.co.uk, By Tim Morriss, 08 May 2008 STAGS chief executive Stephen Booth hopes Mansfield Town FC will be sold within the next few days - and has also launched an attack on new fans group Stags Fans United. Mr Booth, declining to talk to Chad for the past week, spoke to national sports radio station 5 Live on Thursday evening as a follow-up to its recent clubs in crisis feature. He said: "I am hopeful that within the next few days that we may be able to announce that the club has been sold. I can only remain cautiously optimisitic." Full story at CHAD website here Chad understands that takeover talks between Mr Booth - brought to the club to broker a sale for controversial owner Keith Haslam - and one of the five interested parties in the club will continue on Friday morning. Chad exclusively revealed earlier in the week that Mr Haslam appeared to have five possible sale choices - the maverick businessman John Batchelor who claims he is the front runner, Glapwell chairman and local man Colin Hancock, an Australian consortium, a Mansfield-based group and a possible interest from two or three local businessmen in a deal which would see the controversial owner retain 30% of the club. Chief executive Stephen Booth also reacted on 5 Live to the merger of the club's four major supporters groups into Stags Fans United - and its call for fans to boycott season ticket sales and businesses to put on hold sponsorship and commercial deals until a sale is completed. SFU is an amalgamtion of the Stags Supporters Association (SSA), TEAM Mansfield (TM), Stags Fans For Change (SFFC) and the Ollerton Stags Supporters Club (OSSC). When introduced by 5 Live as the man brought to the club to try to secure a sale, Mr Booth admitted: "It is a tough job not helped by a small number of fans who appear hellbent on making things more difficult for the club. "As recently as yesterday they announced in the local press that they would encourage fans not to purchase season tickets." And when asked why the supporters were taking this action, and was it because they wanted to buy the Stags, Mr Booth replied: "If they wanted to takeover they could have come in and done so long long ago. I really don't know - the fact is that the club is solvent, has money in the bank, doesn't owe anything to the Revenue . . . I am bewildered, I really am." The chief executive, who said he could not comment on the recent boardroom assault on Mr Haslam because of an ongoing police investigation, recently had a public fallout with supporters. He made an attack on the SSA in the last matchday programme of the season - and his decision to wrongly portray the OSSC stance as not being supportive of the SSA's stance over the ticketing snub for the last match of the season at Dagenham further angered supporters. Chad understands that the club is expected to issue a statement, probably on Friday, critical of the SFU's stance and in particular those businesses which have agreed not to put money into the club until a sale is underway. However, on Thursday club chairman Tony Egginton, Mansfield's mayor, said that he broadly understood the SFU pposition and agreed that Mr Haslam needed to complete a sale quickly. It is believed that the takeover talks are delaying a decision on the future of manager Paul Holland, who has repeatedly asked for the Stags to make him manager for their first season in non league football. The players have also been left in limbo by the takeover talks, with some openly questioning if they are going to be offered new contracts for next season - or are not wanted for the Blue Square Premier campaign. On Wednesday defender Alex John-Baptiste, one of a only a few players under contract for next season, had a transfer request granted the club - a decision revealed only late on Thursday by the club. --------------- |
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