Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 9, 2009 19:18:54 GMT
I see he is from South Devon, is he a solicitor I wonder? as I do seem to know this name, if he was he could be a man who once was a part of our club.
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 9, 2009 19:29:33 GMT
Forget my last post as I have just checked out the firm I knew the man I was thinking about works for and his first name is different. Still would be interesting to know who he is and why he wanted to put money into a Dorset club, when we have three clubs here in Devon.
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merse
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Post by merse on Mar 9, 2009 19:58:56 GMT
 Stephen Beer is a haulage contractor, and also owns a cleaning company and a hotel. Whilst commendable and positive, his £300,000 won't go very far considering the club owe former chairman Malcolm Curtis £250,000, hadn't paid the players for so long and lord knows who else. Jon and you tried to make out that my assessment of Weymouth's historical insolvency was incorrect, yet on researching the situation I found that when Ian Ridley took over as chairman they were £340,000 in debt and losing a further £2,000 a month - even the club's lottery was managing to lose £6,000 a month! Since they moved to the Wessex they have lost the considerable income from their harbour side social club and they are stuck in an unfavourable location with NO corporate facilities. Mr Beer says he took interest in the club's plight after staying at the town's Regency Hotel, owned by former chairman Martyn Harrison who in turn purchased it for one million pounds from another former chairman, Matt McGowan who's son Stuart posted on here just before Christmas. Mr McGowan snr is himself a former goalkeeper who played for the club in the famous FA Cup tie just after the war away to Manchester United and later managed the club into the bargain.
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 9, 2009 21:59:05 GMT
Jon and you tried to make out that my assessment of Weymouth's historical insolvency was incorrect,. Merse please try and get your facts correct as to what I post on the forum, I have never said your assessment was not correct. I had replied to a post by Phil I believe, after he stated that Weymouth had been paying wages they could not afford to be paying to their players. In reply I said I thought it was because the then owner had gambled on trying to buy success and the money that was being paid in wages, was going to be recovered when the ground was sold to a supermarket. That sale fell through and as a direct result the high earners at the club were moved out. As you say they seem to have a history of having financial problems, but as I pointed out to you, our own club has had the same problems, that is why it was sold to Webb. How many years before that was TUFC in debt and losing money every week? You state that we were in trouble because local businesses did not support the club, but can you tell me why any should really. Is not a football club a business in its own right and as such should be standing on its own two feet and not looking for other businesses to keep it going. Yes some nice rich company owner who loves football may well want to put some money into his local club, but any other company would be looking at what gains their own company would get, if they were to support any local team. People are so strange Merse, its fine to want to see Weymouth end and say that its their own fault, always had monies problems and therefore must have been poorly run. Yet our own club had very large debts, but its the local companies to blame as they did not help out according to you. The only time in recent history our club was not in debt, was under Bateson. Here you have a man who made the club run within its means and made cuts were they had to be made in order to do so. The end result is he was seen as a penny pincher, having no ambition and starved the club and reduced it to a shell. Still by hook or by crook he kept the club in the football league and even got it promoted two times. If he had of gambled trying to get success and it had not paid off, how many would have then said we were paying out money we did not have, because it would have been no different to what Weymouth did. No the money will not go far and Curtis is saying he does not expect he will get his money back, it seems its the local businesses that are being asked to come and put more money in again. I said in another post on here, I believe that clubs have to find their own level they play at, it will depend on the gates, who owns the club etc, Weymouth will in my view need to go part time and drop down one or two divisions, only then will it have a chance to survive as a club. Only then will it be able to live within its means. That is why I also feel that not going up this season at our club, may well result in the club starting to shrink, it could get even lower gates and therefore not be able to pay the wages it does now. The worst thing that could happen is to stop it getting deeply in debt, it would have to go down to a lower division and end up the part time club, Bateson always said it would be in the end. |
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Post by crispygull on Mar 9, 2009 22:08:17 GMT
Yes, the plot thickens even more at Weymouth. I may be wrong but I seem to recognise Stephen Beer - in fact I reckon he may well be the owner of a contract cleaning services company based in Torquay. Not only that, but if he is the owner of the business that I think he is, then he was also the official sponsor of Kenny Veysey last season and if memory serves me right they also were the company responsible for cleaning the stadium last season, in fact I seem to recall that they offered to do it for free - but we politely declined. It will be interesting to see how this pans out for Weymouth - there are some very, very interesting comments about Mr Beer on the comments section of an article on him in the Dorset Echo - with one or two "South Devon businessmen" suggesting that all might not quite be what it seems! www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/4182311.__300_000_lifeline_for_the_Terras/ |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 9, 2009 22:23:11 GMT
crispygull, I know looks aren't everything ;)but when I saw his picture the first thing that struck me was he does not look like a rich man.
I believe you are correct in what you said in your post and if the comments re TUFC and our chairman are correct on that article, then I have my answer to a post a few above this one.
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Post by crispygull on Mar 9, 2009 22:27:39 GMT
crispygull, I know looks aren't everything  but when I saw his picture the first thing that struck me was he does not look like a rich man. I believe you are correct in what you said in your post and if the comments re TUFC and our chairman are correct on that article, then I have my answer to a post a few above this one. Well you certainly have a good track record on these things Dave .... after all you sussed out Roberts early on (cough!) I presume you were originally thinking of Mike Beer, a former director of ours? I dont know whether he still follows TUFC, he was certainly a keen fan for many years as I recall - but I cant say I've seen or heard of him up at Plainmoor in recent years? |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 9, 2009 22:31:32 GMT
Yes it was Mike who was part of the second consortium that was talked about when Roberts was moved on. I did talk with him and Merv at a local game a few years back,Merv as you may know is the chairman of th SDL and Mike is also some part of it.
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Post by crispygull on Mar 9, 2009 22:36:57 GMT
Yes it was Mike who was part of the second consortium that was talked about when Roberts was moved on. I did talk with him and Merv at a local game a few years back,Merv as you may know is the chairman of th SDL and Mike is also some part of it. That's interesting. So, there was a second consortium then? I must admit I always thought that was old Mike up to his usual tricks - in order to get the best price! |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 9, 2009 22:44:14 GMT
Yes indeed there was, but what I don't understand with Weymouth is this, a local consortium of well know business men, many who are fans of the club, get their offer turned down. Now I was told it was larger than what Beer has said he is putting in.
But Beer is only getting 48% and claims he does not want to own it or run it, yet in his interview he sounds like he is very much hands on. The consortium would have wanted full control of the club, was that the reason their offer was turned down, If so there are still more twists to come for sure.
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Post by crispygull on Mar 9, 2009 22:54:25 GMT
Yes indeed there was, but what I don't understand with Weymouth is this, a local consortium of well know business men, many who are fans of the club, get their offer turned down. Now I was told it was larger than what Beer has said he is putting in. But Beer is only getting 48% and claims he does not want to own it or run it, yet in his interview he sounds like he is very much hands on. The consortium would have wanted full control of the club, was that the reason their offer was turned down, If so there are still more twists to come for sure. I have been following the developments at Weymouth with a great deal of interest, and to be honest you couldnt make it up ! I just hope for their sakes that Mr Beer is totally genuine and is only acting in their very best interests, after all their fans have been through enough already this season! In answer to your question though Dave, my understanding of the situation (based entirely on what I have read on their fans forum I might add) is that one of the reasons why the other bid (made up of genuinely "local" businessmen) was rejected was that they would have insisted on the removal of the Chief Executive Gary Calder - who is rumoured to be on a hefty salary - and that their objectives were based on a more realistic approach to the finances of the football club and an expectation that they may well end up having to play at a level lower down the pyramid in order to survive - given that the club struggles to get a 1000 people through the gate these days. I can understand why, to Gary Calder at least, the Beer proposal was more attractive! I see they have a Press Conference scheduled for the morning so I guess we will find out shortly what is going on, or will we? |
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 9, 2009 23:04:33 GMT
You are spot on and they would have wanted to have Gary Calder removed and I think many fans would want that as well. Is the money for real? or a way to just buy time? as I said you have to ask really why Beer would want to give what he claims is his own personal money and what a large sum it is, based on staying in a hotel in Weymouth.
Was it a holiday? money like that I would be abroad somewhere and not a Weymouth hotel ;D Yes they were looking to consider the club having to drop down to a lower division, but only to give the club a future. Trying to stay in a league the gates can't support, will just see the club getting more and more in debt.
The press statement will only contain what Gary Calder wants people to know and may not be the real picture.
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Post by crispygull on Mar 9, 2009 23:26:49 GMT
The whole story with Beer sounds too good to be true ... and as we know to our cost ... in situations like this it nearly always is!
The man has said he has no interest in owning or running the football club - and what use is 48% in reality? Lets face it 34% of our Football club is owned by Mick Sadler - but what power, or influence does that give him!
It just beggars belief that this man is going to offer up £300k of his hard earned money to save a football club with whom it appears he has absolutely no past connections - in return for sweet F A!
Not only that but with £250k still owed to the former owner/chairman and a substantial amount owed to other creditors - not least of which are the players, management and staff - the reality is that this £300k might be of little real use in trying to save the club, it may just be a case of delaying the inevitable!
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merse
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Post by merse on Mar 10, 2009 15:19:19 GMT
With allegations of creditors' complaints being "edited out" of the local press website (shades of the old HE "blue pencil" policy here), Beer allegedly owing thousands to local South Devon businesses and "hiding" from the bailiffs by staying away from his "rented flat"; now the Weymouth FC press conference that was scheduled for 1pm today apparently has been called off amid reports of Beer taken to Dorchester Hospital suffering from a suspected stroke.
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Dave
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Post by Dave on Mar 10, 2009 17:01:17 GMT
yes the Dorset Echo has claimed that Mr Beer had been taken by ambulance to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester about 12.30pm after falling ill at his hotel. It also seems that Calder was not at the club where the meeting was due to be held and it was director Mark Golsby, who broke the news to the media.
Not knowing who Mr Beer really is, I still think we should wish him well and hope he recovers soon, but who are these people who keep posting on the newspaper website. Are they for real? they claim they are owed money by Beer and they feel he should return to Devon to pay those he owes, before giving any money away to a football club.
Surely if he did owe these people money we would not be so public about the £300.000 he says he is giving Weymouth FC to help them out.I do think this is all rather strange and I hope for the Weymouth fans that this is not some sort of farce, as the news in the first place must have given many real hope for the future of the club.
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but when I saw his picture the first thing that struck me was he does not look like a rich man.