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As of 2004 the fit & proper persons test has applied to English football clubs under the Football Association of England.
It is designed to prevent corrupt or untrustworthy business persons serving on the board of football clubs.

So, how on earth, with the 'previous' of owner & sole director Clarke Osborne has he passed this test I would like to know ?
In no way am I suggesting he is corrupt (I have no evidence) but untrustworthy is a different matter, just ask Bristol Rovers, Hereford United, Swindon speedway & Reading speedway etc, the promises made the total lack of transparency the delaying tactics the 5 year plan etc etc.
Has Clarke Osborne even been subjected to this test ? And if he's passed it what an utter nonsensical waste of time.
Your thoughts please, if I'm wrong I apologise, but only 'cos I care.

Don't think it's based on football related intention more how they behave running the business. Morals don't come into i believe

The policy isn't worth the paper it's printed on, so long as they haven't been convicted of anything in the past then they're fine to buy a club. It's not the Football League looking at owners' past history and seeing whether they're the kind of person who should be morally in charge or a real 'football person'. For reference Massimo Cellini at Leeds passed the test at one point...and the reason why he had issues later down the line was tax issues in Italy, not his frankly ridiculous ownership and running of the club.

I’d love to think this will help us, but I can’t see it. Just run through in your head the people that have run football clubs in the UK. Football boardrooms in the UK in 2018 are riddled with corrupt, shameless people, not surprising when the world organisation for football is a nest of crooks.

So what we're basically saying is without the corrupt shamefull people within the professional football set up in this country a good proportion of the clubs wouldn't even exist ?

Teigngull wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 13:52So what we're basically saying is without the corrupt shamefull people within the professional football set up in this country a good proportion of the clubs wouldn't even exist ?

I could name names; but am not rendering myself liable to libel; but PM me and I'll enlighten you a little about some of the crooks nesting in clubs not a million miles from Torquay United right now ~ it really is frightening.

Fit and proper persons test!

Leeds, Blackpool, Blackburn, Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Stockport, Darlington, Cardiff, Hereford, Hartlepool, Rushden & Diamonds, Chesterfield, Hull, Bolton, Forest, Notts County, Pompey, Birmingham, Sunderland, Charlton, Doncaster, Brizzle, Northampton, Luton, Mansfield, Coventry, Vale, Newport, Morecambe, Aldershot, Chester, Wrexham, Halifax, Orient..............basically most teams at some point or other have had troubles with shithead owners.

The fit and proper persons test should be a test for those morons who came up with the idea in the first place!

Yorkieandy wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 14:25 Fit and proper persons test!

Leeds, Blackpool, Blackburn, Exeter, Plymouth, Torquay, Stockport, Darlington, Cardiff, Hereford, Hartlepool, Rushden & Diamonds, Chesterfield, Hull, Bolton, Forest, Notts County, Pompey, Birmingham, Sunderland, Charlton, Doncaster, Brizzle, Northampton, Luton, Mansfield, Coventry, Vale, Newport, Morecambe, Aldershot, Chester, Wrexham, Halifax, Orient..............basically most teams at some point or other have had troubles with shithead owners.

The fit and proper persons test should be a test for those morons who came up with the idea in the first place!

Boston, Kettering the list could be endless, Newcastle fans would say them as well

Ashley at Newcastle squeezing the club dry for years

greb46 wrote: ↑14 Jan 2018, 22:40 Ashley at Newcastle squeezing the club dry for years

I'm not having that.

He's hired Real Madrid's previous coach to keep them up, 20 months back. Then persuaded him to stay and backed him financially in the championship.

He has invested in the club, sold players at high profits, ensuring they are financially sound.

There's a lack of ambition there, but there are far, far worse owners than Mike Ashley.

Ashley reminds me of Mike Bateson as an owner.

Agree with Parky's People.

Newcastle's problem is that they won't sign players for 30 million and pay them 100k a week instead the poor things only buy players around 10 million and can only pay them 50k a week.

Hardly constitutes being on the brink of obliteration.

If Newcastle fans want a change of ownership quick then STOP FRIGGING TURNING UP EVERY WEEK!!! Ashley will soon get rid.

Do the away games instead.

He got them promoted for sure but also managed to get them relegated on more than one occasion,the same thing is happening this year he's trying to survive without re investing in the squad,the supporters are fed up with him and he's treated them badly for a long time, admittedly he took Benitez but he's getting more and more frustrated with the lack of investment in players for the current window.Ashley wants to sell getting the utmost fee but without currently improving the squad hence the new interested party stalling on buying the club.Every Newcastle fan would relinquish a week's wages to see the back of him.Mike Bateson is someone Torquay could do with now he was often derided but stabilized the club for years unlike the current encumbent.

Agree with your sentiments greb46 although i think the thread was perhaps more about owners who just seem hellbent on running their respective clubs into oblivion rather than huge wealthy clubs who are just 'struggling a bit'.

I do appreciate where the Geordies are coming from though as you say about Ashley. It's been said for decades but that club is absolutely gigantic and the support extraordinary and if ever anyone came in and got it right they could be regular top 6 IMO. It just needs that investment, that right manager and a bit of luck and it's possible.

They've under achieved pretty much ever since i started watching footy in the late 80's and continue to do so.

For a large club one of the most under achieving for sure all down to owners with using clubs as a cash cow,for Torquay it's worse like you say as the current owner has no interest in the team whatsoever and again is looking for personal gain which however things pan out I hope he cannot gain the free hold to achieve what he intended from day one.

Bateson was fantastic and not just saying that because of our predicament. Always said it. When he sold up first time i wanted to send him a expenisve bottle of whisky as thanks but times were hard then for me .
Ran a steady ship with shrewd business like acts. I can always remember saying that a new owner could buy the club and pay himself a salary of 35000 a year. Seems such a modest amount , shows what a down to earth guy he was. Remember I travelled to barnet in 2001 and seeing him in that grandstands smoking his Rollups ? Maybe he preferred them but again modesty. Having said that remember a few signings 60000 plus he made so could splash the cash for the club. Anyone remember his tv adverts on TSW. Loved them so dry talking