No sinister ulterior motive

[NHH]

Likelier to the do exact opposite; players are more liabilities than assets, so anyone looking to come in will think again, meaning the Trust don't find anyone, meaning they're stuck with the dude.

[Jobi1]

Yep, my gut instinct (and that of everyone I talked to today) is NHH's reading of it.

[Jobi1]

Further to Henderson's reaction towards fans at the game yesterday, as I reported in the match going thread...

https://twitter.com/ycfcst/status/1619428417690284032?s=20&t=uYfzjEuPEIfeqw7rICqWMA

[Jobi1]

Barely seems worth reporting this man's ridiculousness at this point, but some fans managed to record (covertly – not sure I entirely approve) a conversation they had with Henderson after yesterday's game at Southend, in which he appears to be still blaming John Askey for the team's current awful form and performances, which I think is just insulting the intelligence of all concerned. He was then asked about a rumoured transfer that did not go ahead this week and he said he'd wanted to do it but it had been blocked by the Supporters Trust. The Trust have responded, completely refuting this, and detailing that Henderson's original proposal for what to offer was completely unworkable, but that they'd come to an agreement on a more sensible offer (that would have been funded by the Trust themselves from a contingency pot they keep back to help with the playing budget if needed) and had submitted the bid to the parent club, but had simply been outbid late in the day.

Henderson it seems is either deluded or simply a bare-faced liar, but either way he appears to be a real danger to the future viability of the club.

[DCI Harry Batt]

I think recording liars lying is fine.

[Jobi1]

Another one picked up yesterday – the editorial from the latest issue of the Y Front fanzine. Editor Mick is one of the gentlest and loveliest blokes you could ever hope to meet.

[Jobi1]

In today's pre-match press conference with the manager ahead of the match tomorrow night, the BBC local radio correspondent and the manager both appeared to refer to Henderson most likely going within the next week. No further details were given, so who knows what they've heard behind the scenes, but I'm keeping all possible digits crossed. Who knows, there might just be time to save the season (and the club)...

[Grimmer]

In today's pre-match press conference with the manager ahead of the match tomorrow night, the BBC local radio correspondent and the manager both appeared to refer to Henderson most likely going within the next week. No further details were given, so who knows what they've heard behind the scenes, but I'm keeping all possible digits crossed. Who knows, there might just be time to save the season (and the club)...

Don’t give me hope! I can’t stand hope.

[My Name Is Ian]

If I had a pound for every year I've had cause to think to myself at some point, "Why are York City doing this?", I'd have almost enough money for a home ticket.

[MrLeam]

Another one picked up yesterday – the editorial from the latest issue of the Y Front fanzine. Editor Mick is one of the gentlest and loveliest blokes you could ever hope to meet.

The latest Y Front includes a report of Jackie McNamara talking about starting at York City, deciding there was a "cold atmosphere" at Bootham Crescent, so hiring a medium to "pacify the unhappy spirits" at the ground. Only for the medium to turn round and say that the spirits had an issue with McNamara. Bizarre stuff. McNamara hiring a medium is strange enough (as is admitting to it), but particularly odd is that he found the only medium in recorded history to bite the hand that fed them...

[Jobi1]

Quite the story that, and I'm glad they printed it so I didn't have to listen to Parkin's podcast that it was originally told on, which I imagine is quite the nauseating banter-fest.

If you want a bit more of a deep dive into the wonderful world of McNamara (and others) at York, a friend of mine has a Twitter thread that is worth a look. I'm sure a few of these will have been on My Name Is Ian's pound-raising list.

[MrLeam]

Lots of crazy stuff in that Twitter thread. The medium story just proves that McNamara was so unpopular in York that he was hated both by actual living people and by people who didn't exist...

[NHH]

That thread's completely amazing.

[Jobi1]

Another round of statement tennis today, both of which could pretty much have been copied from the twilight days of the McGill era last spring. First up, the chairman, Ol' Cheeky Chops Henderson...

York City FC Chairman – Glen Henderson – would like to provide supporters the following update:

I’m very much aware of the recent rumours around the Club, and whilst I appreciate that many fans have made their decisions about me, I feel it is appropriate to remain open about my ongoing involvement, and to ensure that fans are fully aware that I have agreed to sell my shares which I don’t believe has previously been made public.

Since the Trust’s announcement in January, I have been working with them as much as possible, and following all relevant protocol. The Trust have been working hard to secure funding to buy my shares in the Club, and as many of you would have been, I was expecting something concrete by today. However, I am told this has not come to fruition at this stage, but I confirm my commitment to keep working together with the Trust.

The Club remains priority, and I have no doubt that fans will agree, that it is vital that we continue to pull in the same direction aiming for success both on and off the pitch. I have offered to continue to provide resources to ensure stability, and am not looking to profit in any way, but can confirm this has not been accepted due to the ongoing purchase negotiations, so my hands are tied until 4th April. Following this date, I would then have the option to offer the shares to the open market.

We will all continue to work hard for the best interests of York City Football Club. Please continue to show your support for Mikey and the team.

Glen

...followed swiftly by the Trust...

The Trust would like to give supporters an update to clarify the situation with regard to our acquisition of Glen Henderson’s shares in the football club.

Glen has indicated in writing his willingness to sell his shares to the Trust in accordance with the Acceptance Notice we submitted to the football club on 5^th January 2023. It is important to stress that Glen has been working positively with the Trust to ensure that the transaction proceeds without delay at the appropriate time.

Due to various pressures both on and off the pitch, the Trust is working with various interested parties to expedite the process as quickly as possible. In the meantime, the Trust is providing an injection of working capital to ensure the smooth ongoing operations of the football club. The Trust welcomes online donations from any supporter who would like to contribute via our website at https://www.ycst.org.uk/one-off-donation/

The Trust were proud of the unrelenting vocal support shown throughout an exciting 90 minutes at Southend on Saturday. We are sure that supporters will continue to get behind the players, Mike Morton and Scott Barrow to help them achieve much needed points in our upcoming fixtures. Stay strong and keep the faith!

Absolutely laughable that Henderson is now saying 'Oh yeah, I am selling my shares, didn't I mention that before?' when his last word on the matter was the farcical attempt to backtrack on his offer to sell them in the first place. At least the Trust are trying to fund running costs themselves rather than allow him to put any more money in, which I can imagine would only complicate matters.

[Jobi1]

The Trust have issued an update today about the takeover process. Essential gist of it was they were hoping to secure funding to buy Henderson out immediately and run it as 100% owners until a new investment partner could be found, but unfortunately that has fallen through, so no change to the status quo for now. A large, interest-free loan has been provided by an anonymous fan to cover costs for the time being to ensure Henderson doesn't have to put in any more money, and the Trust are expecting several formal bids to arrive today that will receive due consideration ahead of the official deadline to repurchase Henderson's shareholding (4 April). Fingers crossed one of those bidders will prove to be suitable...

[Sunderporinostesta]

Ive read that Danny Rose is training with York. Hope its a sign he's regaining an interest in the game. Twas on one of our forums as his dad still comes up to see Sunderland games every now and then.

[Jobi1]

Yeah he knows our current caretaker manager from their shared Leeds connections. Apparently there's no intention for him to actually turn out for us though.

Meanwhile, back on the topic of this thread, there are troubling rumours abounding this week that discussions with all the bidders mentioned above have come to nowt, so we may be stuck with the cheeky one for now. Hooray, etc.

[Jobi1]

Right on cue, an update from the Trust, which strangely given how little faith a lot of the support have in them has not so far drawn too many accusations of not consulting the fans...

Following the work completed by the Scrutiny Committee in recent weeks, the Supporters’ Trust Board have been liaising with prospective investors to finalise potential sale details. However, it is clear that only one of the bids provides a viable option to take York City Football Club forward.

With only one bid remaining, the Trust Board have taken the tough decision to forego holding an SGM as the final stage of the process. Giving supporters an opportunity to vote on the future of the club was at the heart of the process outlined on January 18^th, and the Trust Board is bitterly disappointed to remove this step.

However, we have to do what is in the best interests of the football club and concluded that presenting a single bid in a confirmatory vote of members would only lead to unnecessary delay. We are sure that all supporters would agree that the football club urgently needs certainty and stability at this critical time in the season.

The Trust board have been extremely concerned about inaccurate rumours circulating on social media in recent days. These have caused unnecessary worry and upset for club staff, players, and supporters alike. Whilst we understand the strong appetite for news, we encourage everyone to only rely on official statements.

The Trust have been holding positive discussions with the remaining bidder and are now finalising various arrangements for the takeover. Due to the complexity and confidential nature of those discussions and processes, we are unable to provide a running commentary on those talks. However, we are confident that matters will be concluded well in advance of the April deadline, and we will issue a further update as soon as we can.

[Grimmer]

This does not sound good https://www.ycst.org.uk/trust-pay-club-payroll/

[Jobi1]

A very disappointing and extremely concerning statement from the Trust this morning. Headlines being all prospective takeovers have fallen through, some apparently due to meddling from Henderson, and we've come close to not paying wages this month. Bleak, bleak, bleak times....

The Supporters’ Trust have today met a substantial £50,000 payroll shortfall to ensure that York City staff and players get paid in full this month.

We were disappointed to hear that Glen Henderson was unwilling to provide any funds to pay staff and had openly told club colleagues this was the case yesterday. This understandably caused significant upset and worry for the football club’s valued employees. Like all of us, the club’s hard-working staff and players have mortgages, rent, bills to pay and families to feed. They deserve to be paid in full and on time.

Aware that the club had no funds available yesterday morning, Trust-appointed club directors Alastair Smith and Mike Brown made arrangements to expedite several payments due to the club. The Trust then topped up the balance to meet the shortfall. In the past two months, the Trust have now made a total contribution to the club’s payroll of £145,000.

The Trust are keen to replenish our cash reserves to ensure that we are in a position to provide further emergency funding to the football club in the future. If you are able to make a one-off or regular donation, please visit https://shorturl.at/pY579

Update on the takeover process

Whilst the Trust will continue to seek solutions for the acquisition of Glen Henderson’s shares before the 4^th April deadline, sadly this is now looking increasingly unlikely. We are extremely disappointed that after working around the clock for the past three months, the Trust have twice agreed legal contracts with parties only for them to subsequently withdraw at the 11^th hour for various reasons.

For example, the Trust were astonished to find that Glen Henderson had offered inappropriate side deals to prospective buyers, only to withdraw them because he did not have sufficient shareholding with which to honour them. Along with other factors, this cast a seed of doubt for one of the parties that resulted in their withdrawal from the process. The Trust are taking legal advice with respect to this unwelcome intervention in a constituted process and associated breaches of confidence.

This has been extremely frustrating for all those who have given a huge amount of their time and expertise throughout the process.

Call for deadline extension

In the best interests of the football club, the Trust has called on Glen Henderson to extend the deadline for a 3-4 weeks in order that investors can continue to complete their due diligence. Glen Henderson has put forward alternative proposals, but they are so preposterous that no investor or the Trust could ever accept the terms.

We repeat our call to Glen Henderson to give a little more time for a takeover deal to be completed. Not only do we believe that this would be in the best interests of the football club, but also Glen himself.

The Trust remain committed to securing new ownership to take the club forward under a stable, secure and sustainable model.

[Jobi1]

This does not sound good

Indeed not. I've tried to ignore all the internet rumours and OUTRAGE and doom-mongering, but I have to say I find myself feeling incredibly despondent this morning with this statement. Hard to see where we go from here without some kind of benefactor suddenly coming to the rescue incredibly swiftly. To have survived 15 years of McGill malaise only to be scunnered in a few months by this horror would be disappointing, to say the least.

As well as the stuff in the statement, there's also the other usual Henderson nonsense going on at present – after he appointed his wife as a director before Christmas apparently without consultation, he's now managed to get his daughter playing in goal for the women's team, and the rumours (which, as I say, I'm doing my best to ignore) still persist that he's giving his son a lengthy playing contract for the men's team. He's just an absolute nightmare.

[Jobi1]

Top banter this from the club accounts: seems Jason McGill could still potentially profit further from future "football-related income". (EDIT: Seems JM Packaging are also still owed £1m, due imminently, despite all the indications last summer being that the debt was cleared.) Just when you thought last summer's takeover deal couldn't have been any worse...

https://twitter.com/LSissoYCFC/status/1666519491830751264

[Jobi1]

Statement klaxon: ole Cheeky Chops breaks cover on the current state of play. Headline is he thinks he's identified a suitable party to relieve him of his shareholding, and: "We are now at an advanced stage with the interested party, and only a few details need to be completed. There are exciting times ahead for the club and I have complete faith that the ambition of the potential new owners will ensure a very bright future for YCFC."

Goes without saying that we've heard it all before, etc., but I guess for now we'll have to be tentatively hopeful that this appears promising.

[Jobi1]

I generally don't engage with internet rumours because they're silly and unhelpful. That said...

The hot word on the (digital) street is that the takeover is pretty much done and dusted, and will be announced on Monday. The buying party are strongly tipped to be members of an extremely wealthy family who had a nibble at another (now ex-)Conference club fairly recently. That one fell through, but it seems they're obviously still keen to get into football. Eagled-eyed fans have spotted that the individuals involved have in the last 48 hours registered a new business with Companies House with a sports-related name, and are now in mutual following relationships on social media with member(s) of staff at the club, so there is reason behind the rumour. Everyone is obviously getting completely (prematurely) giddy – there's already a thread on the main City forum titled 'Would you like York City to be like Wrexham' – but I shall reserve such reaction until there's some more concrete news and we know a whole lot more about these people. Still, a fun one to go into the weekend with.

[Sean of the Shed]

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Jobi1