Interesting comments from Ronnie Moore in his blog on the OS:

"IOR have obviously been here a long time and I would to thank them and Ken Hodcroft because he’s been fantastic to me since I came here. Everything I have asked for he’s given me and he’s allowed us to get the six new players in very early in the summer. He’s done everything he can to help me so I’ll miss him."

This is the time when managers do some obligatory sucking up to the new owners, so I don't imagine Ronnie would speak so warmly about Yesterday's Man unless he meant it.

If Pools do have a good season in 2015/16 the signings that have already been made are bound to be a big factor.

Yeah, Hodcroft is to public relations what Edward Scissorhands is to flower arranging and yeah, IOR took Pools to the brink of non-league oblivion last season.

The IOR era is over and not before time. Credit to Ken for recognising that fact and - with a huge slice of luck and Ronnie Moore - leaving Pools still a League club and with a future to look forward to.

You sure??

Hodcroft wanted rid so a little investment in playing staff (only the keeper apparently cost anything and that was a nominal fee) as well as the ground/pitch will have helped the sale.

Some fair points in there but lets not go overboard.

The big money came in from Berge Larson, since his troubles its dried up and it coincided with zero investment in the team and ground.

Contrary to money being poured in, the accounts show over 3m being taken out of the club in recent years.
The transfer money disappeared without explanation.
The FA Cup TV money went where?
The playing budget reduced dramatically.
The communication or lack of it.
The debacle over John Hughes.
The insistance on signing over the hill big names.
TMH
The fans panel and the bottle tops.
The court case with Billingham town over a friggin lawnmower.

I could go on but you get the gist.

Overall the IOR years were positive but nots let pretend that they kept the club afloat with their own money at any point in the last decade.

There's a lot there that I agree with MR I - I remember totally blowing a fuse over the disgraceful John Hughes sacking and being rebuked by PJ, who took the news more phlegmatically.

I'm not going to exonerate IOR for previous bad judgement, but in the last six months it does seem that Ken has been trying to make amends with Ronnie for the mistakes he made backing the rookie (or in Neale Cooper's case, ring-rusty) managers who almost dropped pools two divisions in three seasons.

Also, while I don't buy the £1 million a year admin charges it's hard to find evidence that other League Two clubs are able to operate within their means and without somebody's deep pockets. I tried searching for other League Two clubs audited accounts on http://www.footballeconomy.com and there's next to bugger all apart from Shrewsbury losing £285,000 in a season (on average home gates of over 5,000) and Newport County spending a million in one season just to get back into the Football League!

As IOR, by their own admission, don't have any money let alone deep pockets I think it's most likely that the income from transfer fees etc has gone on keeping the club solvent rather than been ripped off - maybe the new owners will publish some intelligible accounts and the fans will be able to see for themselves!

Overall? Thank you IOR....................

Some fantastic memories.

My view, and I won't be convinced otherwise.......

Hopefully AGMs will be back on the Agenda for all fans to see the proper accounts.

I never did buy that 1million a year shit that Loughlin used to always remind us about.

Anyway onwards and upwards.

If I were the new owners I would get the football clubs accounts looked at by an independent auditor

If there was nothing untoward then publish the findings and Ken, along with IOR walk away untarnished and we can thank them for the successful years and holding us together when the cash dried up

If anything untoward was found, then follow the relevant path

either way it will put and definite end to Kens tenure and will let the fans know what has happened to the cash over the last few seasons

The annual accounts were 'independently audited' and surely the new folks did some due diligence: can we now just move on, smile on face, waiting for the new strip and news that Van Persie is joining?

These admin charges aren't made up, I've seen them with my own eyes on the balance sheet, they existed, it's not summit you don't buy into or not, it's fact!


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I think you will find the old owners have nobody to answer to when it comes to what happened to the cash over the last few years.
Mainly because the cash was theirs.

Ok mate

The director and chairman at Hull city felt the same way a few years back

and then Adam Walter Mitty Shithead took over - had the books looked at and called in the police - one guy went down for 3 years for it and was banned from being a company director.