Another billionaire wants to buy us...

[Chicken_Hunter]

I think the tigers are also in a position to be sold.

 

[Rusty]

According to Marwan on Twitter, reports are untrue. He is still interested in buying a club but long way off from finalising a deal.

 

[Sydney Knight]

I think the tigers are also in a position to be sold.

If the tigers end up with a private owner it will be the Blue Wiggle. You heard it here first.

 

[Alex28]

Who else is for sale?

 

[Nuffy]

I think the tigers are also in a position to be sold.

I don't think they are for sale, they can't agree on board seats so selling is miles off.

 

[Nuffy]

Who else is for sale?

Well in theory the storm and broncs would be due to private ownership.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

The fact that Marwan has said the deal is a long way from finalisation gives me hope it is still us he is wanting to own. We are always a long way off in deciding or sorting anything. This board better be something special, as in people who can make things happen. Really tiring of the secrecy and the NRL treating the members and general fanbase like a non entity.

 

[RL The greatest game]

The Red Devils fans says he puts his money where his mouth is. At the same time does expect a return on his investment just ask Brian Noble.
He will certainly get column inches for the Knights, and is a colourful character by all accounts. He doesn't suffer fools though.

 

[Tom155]

Salford owner ups ante on buying NRL club

Maybe it was the money he saved from cancelling his English Super League club Salford's end-of-season party.

Or perhaps it was the cash he forgot to use on promoting Salford's home games.

No matter, outspoken English billionaire Marwan Koukash has upped the ante in his bid to buy an NRL club, saying it is now "very, very likely".

While Nathan Tinkler's involvement left a sour taste, Koukash still looms as a white Knight for Newcastle after holding further talks with the NRL before a proposed visit Down Under next month.

St George Illawarra is another mooted as a Koukash target.

"Is it likely? It's very, very likely," Koukash told BBC Radio on Friday (AEST) about buying an NRL club.

"Currently I'm in discussions and it's going really, really well with at least a couple of the clubs over there and hopefully something will happen pretty soon.

"But it needs to be the right deal for me personally."

And the 55-year-old gets what he wants.

Koukash put a broom through a cash-strapped Salford when he took over in 2013, changing their club nickname, roster, coach and - more importantly - their financial plight.

However, Koukash wanted an immediate return on his huge investment - a point he made clear when he cancelled Salford's end-of-season presentation because they missed the 2014 finals.

Salford improved from 2013 wooden spooners to 10th spot this season but it wasn't enough for Koukash, who was eyeing a top four berth.

Then again, the former Palestinian refugee, who did not own a pair of shoes until he was 12 yet still became a self-made billionaire, is not one to accept anything less than a 100 per cent effort.

And Salford's fans are also not exempt from his high expectations, it seems.

Koukash is bristling after poor home crowd numbers this season, with an average gate of 3,000 people despite 7,500 at the start of the year, costing him STG 1 million ($A1.83 million) in lost revenue in 2014 alone.

"The fans are probably more frustrating for me than the on-the-field performances we've had this year," Koukash said.

"I admit, the (home) stadium (AJ Bell Stadium) is not the easiest to get in and out of, but it's not moving and we cannot move it.

"I do not want to hear fans making such excuses as not to come regularly because we need them here."

http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/mobile/a...=2052&_s=aac97232-63c4-4e65-ad6a-295e69a71bb7

 

[Yosh]

Sounds exactly like the kinda guy we need. Doesn't take sh*t and knows how to get stuff done.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

Do we get the clowns and the elephants this time around as well?

 

[Misanthrope]

The article does its best to paint Koukash in a negative light. By all accounts, it wasn't Salford missing the play-offs but the way they capitulated so abysmally in their must win game that prompted his decision.

If I were in charge of a team playing for the finals and they got hammered, I'd be putting the fear of God in them too. Fans pay their hard earned money to go and sit in the cold (England is always cold) and watch their team play, so the least the players can do is give a shit.

 

[Baron Vo Mandor]

The crowds falling by half when they just missed the finals shows his unlikely to be a man to engage the community.

And seriously who's to say they capitulated or if they just ran out of petrol.... canceling their end of season functions is just a petty brat act.

Instead of abusing fans for not coming one would think he should..... Encourage them.

Fans should NOT be taken for granted.

 

[Noname36]

Sure, because we'll be in much better shape with Midley and Hagan running us...

Let's wait and see how much our crowds fall when we have to bring Brian Smith back because our current admin run us into the ground.

 

[Dave_]

I don't like where any of this is heading tbh. Feels like 5 years ago all over again.

 

[Burwood]

The more I hear about this guy the less I like. Still think Wests is the way to go- they'll create a well run sustainable business and not throw millions at the club hoping for a quick fix like Tinkler and Koukash.

 

[Noname36]

Another thing to remember with the community engagement debate is that most of the Newcastle public hate Wests with a passion. If they get too much say or exposure through this I can see it getting people offside as much as Tinkler did.

 

[slotmachine]

Community engagement, lol. If we play some attractive footy and start winning the crowds will turn up.

 

[Newie is God's Country]

I really doubt there is any one solution to keep the fans happy. The club is run so secretly it is a disgrace. Members are an ATM now. Zero input and the NRL treating the fans as fools.

 

[Noname36]

Community engagement, lol. If we play some attractive footy and start winning the crowds will turn up.

We played very attractive footy under Smith and nobody showed up. Our fanbase is ridiculously fickle. Would rather sit by and watch us be bad under "one of the boys" than have a club that's run competently.