The Crawley rollercoaster

[dcseagull]

Just seen this statement from the Crawley adminstrator on a CTFC website:

The Administrators are pleased to announce that the Club has received a last minute opportunity to stay in the Nationwide Conference.

Whilst bids were being sought for the sale of the Club's assets, a significantly improved sum to be paid to the creditors was offered by the current owners. The offer could not be ignored and was put to the Creditors' Committee for their views. Following extensive discussions with the Committee, the vote to pursue the new offer was split one for and one against with two abstentions. As no serious offers for the assets of the Club have been forthcoming, the Administrators have decided that the offer should be pursued.

The offer will see a return to unsecured creditors of 50 pence in the pound, although it is yet to be approved by the general body of creditors through a Company Voluntary Arrangement. It is sincerely hoped that the fans will be pleased that the Club is a step closer to staying in the Nationwide Conference and achieving some stability. Following the joint statement previously issued by the Supporters Club and Devils Trust offering support for the current owners, subject to certain assurances, the Administrators wish that all parties will now work with the common goal of achieving the best future for Crawley Town Football Club.

Both the Supporters Club and Devils Trust, whilst not always agreeing with the Administrators, have played their part in the process and should be applauded. All have the survival of the Club within the Nationwide Conference at heart.

The Club's next step is to comply with the rules and regulations of the Football Conference and Football Association in order to start the new season.

 

[The Wookiee]

If the creditors turn round in a couple of weeks and say no, then Crawley Town will we be chucked out of the league.

If so then there would be no football this season at Crawley as you can't play in 2 leagues in 1 season.

 

[sully]

If the creditors turn round in a couple of weeks and say no, then Crawley Town will we be chucked out of the league.

If so then there would be no football this season at Crawley as you can't play in 2 leagues in 1 season.

It's worse than that.

If the creditors vote against, it will mean liquidation. The league won't have to chuck them out.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I think Crawley are well and truly stuffed. The Inland Revenue are now in a position to proceed against the club, regardless of what the other creditors want.

They'll play their first game in the Conference.

Then they'll be liquidated and expelled from the Conference.

And they won't have the fallback option of playing this season in the Ryman League.

A disgraceful sequence of events.


From today's Argus:-

Majeed bid splits club's creditors
by Louise Acford

The future of Crawley Town Football Club remains in the balance.

Creditors yesterday failed to decide whether to accept a bid by former owners Chas and Aswar Majeed, which would have seen them regain control of the club.

It had looked like Crawley Town would go into liquidation before the brothers tabled an improved offer of 50p for every £1 owed on Wednesday.

But yesterday, the creditors' committee failed to agree whether to accept the bid, with the vote split evenly with two abstentions.

The committee is made up of the Inland Revenue, which is owed £250,000 by the club; Andy Sprott, an ex-lawyer and sports agent; Crawley Borough Council, which owns Broadfield Stadium, and Ian Holman, an ex-Crawley Town employee.

It is believed the Inland Revenue rejected the bid, the council accepted and Mr Holman and Mr Sprott abstained.

However, the club's administrators held the casting decision and have agreed to pursue the bid.

The vote will now go to all the individual creditors, who have 14 days to make a decision.

If they refuse the bid, the club will go into liquidation.

In the meantime, the Nationwide Conference has agreed for the club to sign on players and kick off the season against Rushden and Diamonds on Saturday.

A statement from Crawley Town said: "Following yesterday's increase in SA Retail Ltd's bid to procure Crawley Town Football Club, the creditors' committee have reverted their decision.

"The Devil's Trust and supporters' club, who represent the fans, have shown their support and agreement for the current owners to continue taking the club into the next season.

"The next phase for the club is to enter into a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) for a second time, offering 50p to the pound to all the creditors."

A statement from Begbies Traynor administrator Rob Sadler said: "As no serious offers for the assets of the club have been forthcoming, the administrators have decided that the offer should be pursued.

"It is sincerely hoped that the fans will be pleased that the club is a step closer to staying in the Nationwide Conference and achieving some stability."

 

[Rougvie]

I opended this thread thinking that they were about to build a big rollercoaster in creepy.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Is anybody else struggling to give two shits about Crawley?

 

[The Wookiee]

"The Devil's Trust and supporters' club, who represent the fans, have shown their support and agreement for the current owners to continue taking the club into the next season.

What an absolute load of s*it!

The Devils Trust and supporters club do not support the current owners in any way shape or form!

 

[The Wookiee]

Is anybody else struggling to give two shits about Crawley?

I bet you would of been the first to jump down somebody's throat if a fan from an opposing club said the same about our struggles at Brighton

 

[CHAPPERS]

Not really, I appreciate what other fans have done for us and have sympathy for other sides in the shit but just not Crawley.

 

[The Wookiee]

Not really, I appreciate what other fans have done for us and have sympathy for other sides in the shit but just not Crawley.

Sorry I thought you said you were struggling to give two shits about Crawley, not that you sympathised with their troubles

 

[CHAPPERS]

I meant I don't give two shits about their troubles. What I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't be upset if they didn't exist.

 

[Rougvie]

Is anybody else struggling to give two shits about Crawley?

 

[The Wookiee]

I meant I don't give two shits about their troubles. What I'm trying to say is that I wouldn't be upset if they didn't exist.

Perhaps next time us Brighton fans start bothering everyman and his dog about Falmer etc, we should remember that probably most other fans dont really give two shits!

What gives us the right to bore other fans/clubs with our problems when the next biggest club in Sussex makes us aware of theirs and we turn round and say we dont give a shit

 

[Rougvie]

What gives us the right to bore other fans/clubs with our problems when the next biggest club in Sussex makes us aware of theirs and we turn round and say we dont give a shit

Everyone has the right to feel any which way about anothers clubs plight, east Sussex tends to look upon Crawley in general as a necissary evil that really should be in Surrey (!!), so it should be no surprise that a many Brighton fans feel irrelevance towards a club that has only recently acheived anyrhing worth mentioning.

If a Crawley fan told me he wasn't interested in Falmer I would be 1% bothered, thats up to him, its a bit like the whole Wrexham debate, there were a few of us who remembered the 'reception' we used to get from their lot, I remember getting seperated on the way back to the minibus and narrowly escaping a kicking from 5 of the bastards, so my feelings about Wrexham will never change.

At the end of the day, why do Brighton fans always feel that as a group we have to take such a moral highground on any Fans United issue regardless of the facts or situation?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Everyone has the right to feel any which way about anothers clubs plight, east Sussex tends to look upon Crawley in general as a necissary evil that really should be in Surrey (!!), so it should be no surprise that a many Brighton fans feel irrelevance towards a club that has only recently acheived anyrhing worth mentioning.

What a nasty minded berk you come across as.

 

[Rougvie]

What a nasty minded berk you come across as.

Whats nasty about having an opinion ?

 

[sully]

At the end of the day, why do Brighton fans always feel that as a group we have to take such a moral highground on any Fans United issue regardless of the facts or situation?

Perhaps in this instance you should acquaint yourself with the facts, then. You might find you change your mind.

 

[Dez]

As a Brighton fan living in Crawley I care 100% if Crawley go out of business. What's happened to them over the last year has been a disgrace. As Brighton fans we should appreciate and feel sympathy to the plight of any club in trouble. If every club had this attitude about Brighton we'd probably have gone under years ago......

 

[sully]

What an absolute load of s*it!

The Devils Trust and supporters club do not support the current owners in any way shape or form!

I think there are now a number of their fans who do, though. Those that think Conference football is more important than paying your bills and not threatening your supporters (and those of other clubs).

Whilst the Devils Trust has collectively not supported the Majeeds revised offer, I think the Supporters Club representatives may have done (although I'm not sure their membership would support that position). There are supporters who are not in either organisation that do support the Majeeds, however, and a great divide is opening up.

Note that the statement in the quoted article has been made by the club. The Trust has clarified that they do not support the bid. So no change there - more lies from the Majeeds! Oh, and the creditors committee haven't "reverted" (whatever that means) any decision. The committee made no decision. The Administrator used his casting vote to take the revised offer to a full creditors meeting.

 

[Rougvie]

Perhaps in this instance you should acquaint yourself with the facts, then. You might find you change your mind.

Fair enough, I have no arguement with anyone on this, just merely pointing out that if you took a straw poll outside withers on Tuesday night I think people would be surprised at the level of apathy about Crawley Town.