What kind of racecourse is a "state of the racecourse".....just wondering. LOL

I don't buy into this Buy Salford to get pally with Peel & the Council for a Racecourse .
However, Dr Koukash mixes in circles with the likes of the Reuben Bros, Billionaire owners of Northern Racing who run 11 racecourses,[urlhttp://www.reubenfoundation.com/ar_reubens_join_ranks.html[/url
They acquired Arena Leisure last year which now takes their total up to 17 racecourses.
So would Peel be interested in closer links with the Ruebens to back their bid to build a all weather Flat course on the old Bridgewater Estate , you bet.[urlhttp://www.reubenbrothers.com/NorthernRacing.aspx[/url

So you all feel that the honourable Dr woke up one day on his holiday and thought i know i'll go and buy myself a rugby league club and looked around to find one riddled in debt and up for sale.
Come on, wake up and smell the coffee.......it may not happen immediatley but in time the real deal will come to light and i'd hedge my bets on it involving horses and race tracks.
As it happens, it's great news for salford and good luck to you.

The Dr.'s possible involvement sounds fantastic.All the right noises being made.Lets hopebit all comes off including his ambitions.One thing did surprise me( despite his obvious connection)is that he did his press through a St Helens paper.

Although it is very positive news and I hope Salford do come through this, it's very easy to get carried away with comments like that.

Ste o'connor saved our great club in 2007. He's invested £2-£3million of his own money. However he has come out with comments such as "were not coming to superleague to make up the numbers" and "we are coming to dominate".

We do have a steady side and we are playing in the Uk's highest league which is the main thing but I think it's been a little more difficult than first imagined. A business plan went in based on average attendance figures, like most clubs do. When we didn't meet those figures he's been covering losses year upon year and rumours are he may want out, don't think they're true.

I'm glad somebody has come in to potentially save Salford, I just think it will take years upon years to achieve success. Like ourselves and Bradford

Personally I don't care what his motives are. All that interests me is that any deal which is agreed ties him in for long enough to make a concerted effort to improve the fortunes and raise the profile of Salford RL. If he benefits in some other way in making that happen then I for one see no issue with that.

Sensible post.

Most sensible Salford fans aren't getting excited at the prospect of us challenging for honours but at the prospect of the club being saved and then moving forward under new leadership (however slowly it takes) as opposed to the dross we've been served up year after year. The chance for Salford to fulfil our potential (whatever that potential is) is all we ask.

Seems there's still some way to go before any deal is announced.According to League Express Koukash wants to buy the stadium but at less than the initial construction price .Also wants more income streams for the club from the stadium and no settlement on the inherited debt.

Well he obviously thinks he is in a strong position. I thought he would want debt forgiveness but I'm surprised about the stadium.
Can't see him getting this deal as stated above, but on the plus side it seems he definately wants to do a deal. Peel need a viable tenant so perhaps a JV with them on the stadium might be the end result.

Hope it all works out for you.

Stadiums .. I wouldn't know If their value increases after build , I haven't bought any recently



The SL season is 15 days away , the council have millions tied up in the Stadium Development with Peel. millions they could use now , If they don't do a deal , they could end up with a 12,000 seat stadium & no one to play in it , especially if the RU club crash out of the Avviva League. If they do cut a deal , they get slagged off for losing money. deal or no deal eh.. It's RL monopoly , do they mortgage their Hotels on Mayfair . or hope someone elso rolls a 6 and lands on it .

The Council / RFL have vested interest to move quickly , doubt Peel could be hurried though.

The League Express initially states that he wants to improve the rental deal on the stadium and improve income streams. His business relates to selling Corporate seats at conferences around the world and he will be an expert on hospitality at Haydock ,Ascot and the like.
That's where he will be seeing the extra revenue,not just pies and pints although he will want that as well.
It only refers to his offer to purchase the stadium later in the piece and I'd be surprised if that was high on his wish list.

Brings in the incredible possibility of not only owning our own ground again, but getting revenue off Sale to play there...



I say this tongue in cheek obviously.

looks like short term goals v's long term plans.
He doesn't want the ownership of the club on the present arrangements and it looks like he's squeezing the JV stadium company for a better deal , IE less rent, more Bar & hospitality cut I would guess!, he also wants the ensure Peel stick ariound as main club sponsor!
Long term I would think he's thrown an offer in for the stadium to try his luck. that way he gets use of the facilities year round and not just Home fixtures. With Azure paying 13M 10yr deal for catering rights + the rents from 2 teams + other event income I can't see Peel letting go just yet . especially when the retail site come online & the link road in 2014 .

So we have it , a business man looking to save a Club ?
No , a business man seeing how he can gain leverage from an emotional purchase to expand his business empire and the Reds are just a conduit ( IMO)

Tarquin,jolly decent for you to contribute from the East Riding. We welcome your contribution.
All owners are leveraging to a greater or lesser extent,it's just a question of degree.
I guess the fans of Manchester City and Chelsea felt leveraged but it sure as hell beats the alternative.
Please continue to provide your input.

Couldn't care less about his interests as long as the Club are safe, that's all that matters to me.

Sorry Marshy, I missed the "art" out. I should know better than expecting a Swinton fan be able to fill in the gaps

Says in today's misspelled MEN article that the Dr has brought in Ed Farish, once Chief Finance Officer for the NRL and Graham Lowe. Makes me wonder what role Lowe is playing or will play.

( Lowe ) He ended up CEO of Manly Sea Eagles from 2009 - 2011 , he left the post due to health issues , ( he had a double heart valve bypass op in 2009 after collapsing at Auckland Airport).
He's 66 now , and looks like he's on the After Dinner Speaker circuit in Aus/NZ.

so health permitting CEO , or more likely ' consultant ' .

Ed Farish was Chief Finance Officer or the NRL - June 2011 was sent in to Gold Coast Titans over their incumbent CFO to sort out their financial troubles.

Cheers MM.

The Good Dr doesn't seem to be messing about. Get the right people in to do a job.

[url=http://lowie.co.nz/speaker.htmOffering sensible words of advice,perhaps ?[/url

Quote ="TheButcher"Says in today's misspelled MEN article that the Dr has brought in Ed Farish, once Chief Finance Officer for the NRL and Graham Lowe. Makes me wonder what role Lowe is playing or will play.'" Not sure if you have seen League Express but the quote from Blake Solly to 'MEN Sport' in the Barker piece is lifted word for word from there. I did some googling about Andrew Chalmers the other day and he apparently brought Lowe in at the NZRL as Director of Football so presumably he is behind this move. www.sportsfreak.co.nz/wp/?p=606 - article here.

Quote ="TheButcher"Says in today's misspelled MEN article that the Dr has brought in Ed Farish, once Chief Finance Officer for the NRL and Graham Lowe. Makes me wonder what role Lowe is playing or will play.'" Not sure if you have seen League Express but the quote from Blake Solly to 'MEN Sport' in the Barker piece is lifted word for word from there. I did some googling about Andrew Chalmers the other day and he apparently brought Lowe in at the NZRL as Director of Football so presumably he is behind this move. www.sportsfreak.co.nz/wp/?p=606 - article here.

Not the most positive of articles. I'll reserve judgement until I see what happens for us, after all, he'd have to do a particularly poor job to do worse than our current selection.

Agreed - just putting it out there for people to read.

It seems both Farish and Chalmers are associates of Wood at the RFL and therefore possibly not the choice of Dr Koukash;also PV knows Graham Lowe - [url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/rugby-league-lowe-takes-role-salford-takeover-bid-185733641.htmlSource[/url

Martyn Sadler has tweeted that the deal is 80/20 and further discussion taking place today.