Just heard a rumour that Raj Singh is part of Stellings consortium. I hope its not true.

That is interesting.

I don’t know the ins and outs of what happened at Darlington under his tenure but it didn’t end well.

Maybe he feels he never got a fair crack of the whip at Darlo and has a point to prove?

Going by his time at Darlo you would expect him to be someone who wants the fans united.

I’m not sure I know enough about him to be so dismissive, do you? Anyone prepared to put in the cash to save the club and work alongside Jeff and the Trust deserves a chance for obvious reason. We know the Trust and Jeff are working with the best interests of the club at heart and they need our support.

I'm with PJ on this, i dont know enough about him to say he is a good guy or a bad guy.

That club was doomed no matter who had it because of the stadium.

I'm sure the darlo lads on here could clarify? But even then everyone has a different version of events, this time last year some fans were saying we had nowt to worry about with coxall in charge and the winding up petitions were nowt to worry about.

What i am surprised with is why he'd want to get involved in football again, after being burnt once, he's got money if he's teaming up with jeff so why does he want to throw it away?

I've not got time for any more chancers who talk about developing land or buying the ground.

As long as were all singhing from the same hymm sheet then sounds good to me.

I think he was interested in putting money into Darlo again recently so he obviously wants another go at Football and doesn’t mind working alongside fans.

This was his side of the story - http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/local/darlington/15283743.Darlington__Raj_Singh_gives_his_side_of_the_story_in_lengthy_statement/

It is the echo so prepare for your computer to crash like.

If I remember rightly he refused to sign the football share over to the Darlington trust and refused to agree a CVA. Basically ensured that they suffered multiple relegations and had to start as a new club unless they paid back 'loans' he'd put in while the owner. Not a very nice man.

Depends what way you look at that from Pools point of view it’s probably a good starting point, I mean Joe Allon scores a winner on his backside and is considered a hero this bloke caused them multiple relegations.

No being serious I don’t he was in any way the biggest villian in the Darlingron situation he was just there at it’s conclusion. I remember the fans speaking quite highly of him before the very end and I’m sure he has his own version of events. The fact he was interested in getting involved again with a fans run club doesn’t suggest he felt he had anything to be ashamed about. I’m sure someone like Loan Star might feel differently!

I'd take Loan Star's word over his. If he'd do them over to get his cash back he'd do the same to us. I'd take an awful lot of reassuring about his involvement.

He didn’t get his cash back.

Didn't Darlo have a vote on whether or not to let him back into the club, and the vote was pretty much split down the middle? I remember reading a thread on their board that was divided too.

A lot of comments on a rumour!

Just shows how desperate for hard news we all are.

Is Raj a local gadge?

The ex darlo one is based in Teesside.

The one from Temple of Doom I’m not sure about.

He screwed us over, end of. He lied to players saying he was in for the long haul and then a few months later pulled the plug. He could have walked away with some reputation intact by agreeing to a CVA and handing over the football share and yet he didnt. He would have been better off both financially and morally by doing so yet he refused to.
I was interested in hearing his side of events last year when he tried to get involved again but the dummy was spat because he cant handle any criticism so he walked away again. He is only interested in what he can get out of something. With us it was the land around the arena and the general consensus was that he wanted to move us back to the arena and do some sort of deal with Mowden Park so he could develop the land around there . If its true he is interested in Pools it will be exactly the same as Coxall and Sage who were after the land around the ground to develop.
People on here did the digging on the Monkey Hangers, you did the digging on Coxall and Goldberg, the end results were what you expected once you found out they were dodgepots. Why on earth would you trust Singh who has previous for screwing a club over too? In fact some on here were stunned that Darlo even considered Singh again so why do it yourselves?

The way you put it there it does sound a little desperate.

How come your fans were apparently 50/50 over him coming back? What do the opposite side believe?

He was promising money, simple as that. Martin Gray wanted more to spend and he was never going to get what he wanted under the fans owned model so he wanted an investor to back him up. Some fans sided with Gray as they didnt want him to go, some were undecided and others were dead against it.
As I have said, he is the sort of person who wants something back. He wouldnt throw money at something just for fun. You want to run that risk again?

I take on board what you are saying but he’s a reputable businessman who actually has cash so he’s nothing like Coxall and Goldberg.

Finally, someone who can deliver the Milhouse masterplan.

For those against it(if true), remind me of the alternative.

True PJ but following his experiences at Darlo, it does make you wonder why he'd want to do it all over again.

Let's face it, unless its a Bill Gates type......folk will be suspicious of anyone that comes along.

And that is the question - why would he want to? I've heard both sides of the story from the chaos at Darlington - and let us not forget the involvement of the second George - and so he may not have been all bad. And then, as someone else says, when he almost returned, the Loids seemed to be fifty; fifty about having him back.

So there is clearly more to him than being the guys who simply said no...........

I say give him a chance - or at least a good hearing.

He should certainly be listened to

Got to agree with the loan_star, they did the best they could handing over a suitcase full of cash plus agreeing to take on some of the clubs debt with a promise they would be given a CVA, however when push came to shove he went back on his word and screwed them over.

If you want to be in the same situation in 18 months time then go for it. Fine til the money runs out and he doesn’t want to put anymore in then you’ll be high and dry with players on contracts that aren’t sustainable unless someone is pumping in external funds.

Just wait til he moves you to the Arena which he’ll likely own soon.

Darlo fans weren’t 50/50 on him taking over - it was more complex than that. The initial vote was simply to see whether to take £40K from him in order to further pursue what any kind of deal would look like with no obligation. As he’s not thick skinned enough to take the expected criticism he walked away. When the going gets tough Raj gets going.

I don't want yet another owner who we're thinking 'let's give him a chance'...for want of a better phrase, fuck that shit.

I want an owner who is a genuine fan or has a genuine interest in football, acknowledging that they will never (or are very unlikely to) earn money out of it. Either that or fan run via the trust with help from local businesses. Anything else and it's back to crossing fingers until the next drama unfolds.

Do we get a choice? It might be this or nothing.

Where has this rumour started? Darlow?

Cabbage told me.

Cabbage is always spot on.

hth

WAKEY WAKEY

Peter Ridsdale was a reputable businessman with pots of cash and still managed to make a mess of a few football clubs. Just because someone has money doesn't mean they are keen to spend it all on a football club they have no connection with, there is usually a motive behind it and it usually ends up with clubs in trouble.

I would have more reservations if an individual was making his move alone or with other unknown parties but this involves Jeff Stelling and our Trust. Every avenue should be and needs to be explored and nobody should be ruled out of hand.

This isn’t the sane situation as Darlo you were always going to be unsustainable in that ridiculous stadium. The damage was done before Raj. If we can clear our debts come up with a sensible business plan going forward and get everyone pulling in the same direction we can be a self sustainable club. We have our ground and we have the fanbase.

Wasn't the avenue of dodgy businessmen already explored pretty thoroughly with TMH and JPNG?

I honestly think this must just be a silly rumour. If, given his record and our record with people like him, we hop into bed with Raj Singh we shouldn't be surprised to wake up and find out that he's fucked us. I don't believe the Trust board would be that daft.

He’s not a dodgy businessman he’s a pretty succesful one and he’s Bill Fucking Gates compared to ‘THM’ and ‘JNPG’

Darlo fans spoke highly of him as a man until the very end.

I have an open mind, more than one person has been spoken to neither might be him let’s see what transpires.

No I don't suppose we do.

I don't want us to go pop. I desperately want us to survive as we are and not go the same way as some others BUT there is a part of me that thinks it maybe wouldn't be the end of the world if we started again without the debt on a fan run basis. Just to be clear I really don't want this but would accept it as a last option, which of course it would be.

The one positive for me in this process is Jeff's involvement. As a fellow Poolie I trust the bloke and he undoubtedly will do the best he can for the club and will hopefully be able to see through any charlatans.

Come on guys, give the man a chance...

Personally if he took over and sacked that numpty Harrison, I’ll be behind him, get that barnet elsewhere!

PJ I’ve got to disagree there, darlo fans all thought he was a good for nothing bastard ye!!!!!!

He doesn’t have a great track record, granted, but he’s got a fucking shit load of cash and that’s exactly what the good old pools need right now!!!!!!!!

Worth watching for comments by the man himself. All about money and land.

https://youtu.be/oJQPmDt2PiM

"the scum (darlo fans)"
No matter how tongue in cheek (perhaps) can you give this shit a rest? We've got supporters of Football Clubs from the World and elsewhere donating to our Club and The Darlington Supporters Trust have been a great help, by all accounts, to HUST. We are a gnats fart away from heading in their direction. All "the scum" are doing is sharing their experience and sounding a note of caution. We need to listen.

Find this very hard to believe but IF The Trust are talking to Singh I hope they are at pains to point out that with getting on for 1000 adult members and growing, he needs their backing a lot more then they need him.
All of their statements lately have said they will only work with people that share their goals of being self sufficient and successful. That should hopefully mean they are calling the shots not him.

Do people still describe fans of other football clubs scum?

I must concur with Mr star.

Comes across fucking horribly in my opinion.

'..do I care enough to buy a couple of season tickets, yes. Do I care enough to put in 10-15 thousand pounds every week, no I don't' - is that not what ownership of a football club at this level is all about? It's hardly an opportunity to make pots of cash is it?

It will take time to make us self-sufficient therefore I would think someone coming in will need to put in money they will never see again. From that footage, he won't exactly be up for that will he?

I am not the sort of bloke to write people off without good reason but he just doesn't come across very well at all.

This thread is crying out for an analogy from Mr Snowy about frying pans and fires.

Don't you mean the titanic and...

some other boat?

Here we go.
When you're in a rubber dinghy in shark infested waters and it's got a massive puncture, then along comes someone offering to help, you don't wait for a background check to come back.
The sharks are circling and our options are virtually non existent.

Happy to help.

I had a dream at the weekend that I was playing in the #savepoolsday match, I put a cross in that was too close to the keeper but he spilled it and thankfully Noel Edmonds (not in kit, in his gaudy shirt and jeans Deal or no Deal get up) was there to nod it in and put Pools 1-0 up. After half time the stadium became a big boat sailing in icy waters (this is my tenuous link to the above to mention it).

Anyone else had a dream where a bizarre celebrity has been playing for Pools? Anyway get Noel signed on for Saturday I'm sure he's a free agent

I've never had a dream about Noel Edmunds I can tell you that.

Businessman in a not very nice person shocker.
Businessman wanted his money back shocker.

I'm not shocked, I dont like greed or trust businesmen. They generally dont do anything for nothing and will do anything, including riding roughshod over anyone and anything to satisfy their lust for money and power.