Not so random rumour

[ayjaydee]

Ladies & Gentlemen I give you our new chairman

Roger Smee

Rumour is that he has wanted to be involved again for some time but does not have the funds himself. He will be the front man for the Arabs.

[Terminal Boardom]

Not 1st April is it?

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Jeez grey suit, next to JM today at the reserves game!!!!

[Arnie_Pie]

If true, would be effing amazing.

[Terminal Boardom]

Jeez grey suit, next to JM today at the reserves game!!!!

JM and man in grey suit crossed the road in front of me today. No way would I have said it was Roger Smee. He had way too much hair (Smee that is, not the man WITH the B I G hair).

[Sun Tzu]

If true, would be effing amazing.

Not in a good way though....

Really don't see this happening.

[Alan Partridge]

I can imagine the next board meeting

All sit down all sit down, all sit down
sit down next to Smee

[Barry the bird boggler]

Well Roger would be an excellent choice having been the financial force that saved the club originally and we may have achieved more had the property business of the late 80s not collapsed.

So, if true, would be someone with local interests and certainly someone who is very close to the club - you never know Mr Branfoot could be back next...

[Sun Tzu]

Well Roger would be an excellent choice having been the financial force that saved the club originally and we may have achieved more had the property business of the late 80s not collapsed.

So, if true, would be someone with local interests and certainly someone who is very close to the club - you never know Mr Branfoot could be back next...

That doesn't really describe how RS was involved though does it.

He saved us by stepping in and fronting the defeat of Maxwell but financially he wasn't a rich man and we were a mess financially during his tenure. JM only got involved becasue we needed bailing out. The property crash wasn't really the reason Smee left, he'd simply had enough, had experienced a lot of issues as a result of spending so much time at the club and wanted out.

He was close to the club 20 years ago but it's a different club now. Is he the right man to be involved today ? He may make a good front man but I'm not at all sure he'd be the right person to make the key decisions or actively get involved in running the club.

[Row Z Royal]

[Deathy]

I can imagine the next board meeting

All sit down all sit down, all sit down
sit down next to Smee

"Only Smeeeeee"

Well Roger would be an excellent choice having been the financial force that saved the club originally and we may have achieved more had the property business of the late 80s not collapsed.

So, if true, would be someone with local interests and certainly someone who is very close to the club

What ^ said.

[tomrfcurz]

Would be better than mr mad for the future anyway

[Royal Lady]

Smee is nowhere near as wealthy as JM though and why would any Arab led buyout ask Smee to head up the club?

[Row Z Royal]

I'm Smee

[mx]

why would any Arab led buyout ask Smee to head up the club?

Because they know diddly squat about football and aren't likely to spend a lot of time here themselves. They would need someone who is "their man" on board here to keep an eye on their interests I guess.
They may also think that having a local on board would be good PR.

Not that I believe the rumour mind!

[Barry the bird boggler]

Roger (60) is now based in Doha in Saudi Arabia and earlier this year spent in excess of 50 million buying up 3 building design companies. Locally he still operates CFC, now trading as ISIS, which is based on Rose Kiln Lane. For the record his major interest is a company known as ROG(!), or Real Office Group, who look to lead the market as the complete one stop business for commercial building fit outs,

So I would suggest that the links between Roger, and the suggested Saudi consortium could well be a strong one and Roger may well be a wholly logical person to "front" such a bid. But then, perhaps someone's put 2 and 2 together and got 5.

[Sun Tzu]

Roger (60) is now based in Doha in Saudi Arabia and earlier this year spent in excess of 50 million buying up 3 building design companies. Locally he still operates CFC, now trading as ISIS, which is based on Rose Kiln Lane. For the record his major interest is a company known as ROG(!), or Real Office Group, who look to lead the market as the complete one stop business for commercial building fit outs,

So I would suggest that the links between Roger, and the suggested Saudi consortium could well be a strong one and Roger may well be a wholly logical person to "front" such a bid. But then, perhaps someone's put 2 and 2 together and got 5.

Does Roger really operate CFC ?

That was his brother's company and his brother sold out some time ago, not to Roger.

Interesting link to Doha, does he still have his place at Crazies Hill as well ?

Roger has always been a bit of a 'contacts' man and I could certainly see him looking to do a bit of a middle man job on this sort of thing, whether it would be in the best interests of the club I wouldn't even speculate but having your 'local' front man based in the Middle East would be a touch odd - would the front man need a front man as well ?

[Deathy]

Smee is nowhere near as wealthy as JM though and why would any Arab led buyout ask Smee to head up the club?

It's not about Smee's wealth. A lot of consortiums, especially foreign, are headed by a football person, if you like. Smee is as good as any 'football person', bearing in mind is previous relationship with Reading.

Is the above 'sightings' of Smee sat with Madejski genuine, or is this all cock n ball?

I'm Smee

You are awful... but I like you!

[RoyalBlue]

Well Roger would be an excellent choice having been the financial force that saved the club originally and we may have achieved more had the property business of the late 80s not collapsed.

So, if true, would be someone with local interests and certainly someone who is very close to the club - you never know Mr Branfoot could be back next...

Never forget how he met with some of us in the rain in Norfolk road one evening after a dreadful performance had led to protests from the supporters. Was quite happy to spend time debating the issues with us (and gracefully accepting the return of some season tickets!). Of his manager Branfoot he uttered these memorable words ' He got us into this mess so he can damn well stay and get us out of it'! Probably the most unorthodox vote of confidence a manager has ever received!

Sadly his loyalty (or desire to make Branfoot suffer) backfired.

[Terminal Boardom]

Never forget how he met with some of us in the rain in Norfolk road one evening after a dreadful performance had led to protests from the supporters. Was quite happy to spend time debating the issues with us (and gracefully accepting the return of some season tickets!). Of his manager Branfoot he uttered these memorable words ' He got us into this mess so he can damn well stay and get us out of it'! Probably the most unorthodox vote of confidence a manager has ever received!

Sadly his loyalty (or desire to make Branfoot suffer) backfired.

I remember it well. 19988/89. We had just lost 2-1 at home to Bristol City. There were about 20 of us in Norfolk Rd once the Old Bill got wind of what was going on. Annie Bassett came out in her tight skirt and high heels. Smee was there as well so fair play to them both. A fairly calm discussion was ongoing when some twat from one of the fanzines came steaming in shouting his mouth off. He got told to feck off fairly quickly by all and sundry.

What happened next was that I reminded Roger Smee of his statement at the start of the season where he said that Branfoot had got us into this mess (Relegated back to the third) and it was up to him to get us out of it. He looked me in the eye and nodded. The following day on Radio 210 (That's what it was called back then), he recounted our encounter. We only stayed up that season after beating Chesterfield 4-2 at Saltergate on the last day of the season. Had we lost, and we were 2-0 down at half time, we would have been relegated back to the 4th Division.