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James Anderson


Craig_

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15 hours ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

The one thing the Romanov time did prove is that you don't need to spend the same as the OF to get close to them. We still had a wage bill that was a fraction of theirs. The key is to bring in a MUCH better standard of player in all the key positions and a top manager although even then we still finished second with about 4 managers that season, so even the manager isn't the key thing. It's spending to retain your best players and bring in serious quality throughout the team. Romanov proved that can be done without spending as much as Celtic and Rangers. However he also proved it can't be done sustainably over a few seasons if the gamble (to get into the CL) fails.

 

Always liked the way FC Cluj"s investors operated. Refused to pay transfer fees ("That's just handing your cash over to other clubs") and put it all into offering big wages and bonuses to good quality, out of contract players. A tough gig enticing talent to chose Transylvania and the Romanian League over Italy, Germany, Spain...but they've managed it very well. Not too many household names, by any means, but players good enough to beat much larger clubs to the domestic title and compete well in European competition. 

 

And they've sustained the early success since with frequent appearances in the group stages of the CL and Europa League. 

 

The way ahead, imo, for someone with deep enough pockets, to get the plan started. 

 

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13 minutes ago, Neil Dongcaster said:


Good for her.

 

:robboyas:

I knew I should've paid more attention to learning programming the BBC B Acorn computer at school.

:jj_facepalm:

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On 12/09/2020 at 07:23, Whatever said:

Anyone else heard about him recently relinquishing his duties at Baillie Gifford and him being invited to join the HMFC board in an official capacity?

He’s still lead Investment Manager in The Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. 

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1 hour ago, Jack Torrance said:

I knew I should've paid more attention to learning programming the BBC B Acorn computer at school.

:jj_facepalm:

 

There was computer classes in my last year at school in 1983/84. 

 

a) It meant giving up your dinner hour

b) No smokes

c) No sharing a bag of chips with the girlfriend

d) No fitba chat with the lads

e) An hour instead with the swotty squad

 

Feck it. Computers will never catch on, anyway. 

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On 12/09/2020 at 15:13, jambo89 said:

Does anyone know where he was born / comes from? Listened to an interview and can't tell if he is Scottish (Colin Montgomerie 'Scottish') or just an Englishman with a keen interest in Hearts.

 

There''s some information about him on this link.

 

https://spfltrust.org.uk/who-is-james-anderson/

 

 

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8 hours ago, Kiwidoug said:

They just couldn't bring themselves to admit he is a Jambo.

Very strange that they mention other clubs but omit the main club that he supports

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23 hours ago, Jack Torrance said:

I knew I should've paid more attention to learning programming the BBC B Acorn computer at school.

:jj_facepalm:

🤣🤣

There's a throwback from the past. 

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On 11/09/2020 at 20:53, Craig_ said:

This could probably go in the Tesla thread, but it appears our benefactor has done extremely well out of Elon Musk's outfit over the last few years. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/sep/11/scottish-firm-investing-in-tesla-baillie-gifford

 

Now if even a small fraction of this was to head Gorgie-ward, he could quite feasibly turn Scottish football on its head, if he so desired. 

A small fraction of it has headed to Hearts.

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9 hours ago, Kiwidoug said:

They just couldn't bring themselves to admit he is a Jambo.

 

I think both sides were keen to emphasise that it was a donation without strings.

 

SPFL Trust seems a good thing for Scottish Football, especially for local communities, and worth a read about on their site.
 
Wasting his money on the (F)Arts rather than Hearts though, Lols.
 
He no doubt has a soft spot for us.
Edited by Jingle Bells
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Big Slim Stylee
On 12/09/2020 at 20:48, Leveins Battalion said:

James Anderson must feel like a grade A prick,despite his huge contribution Ann Budge has managed to lead us to relegation,unable to play football and a shambles.

 

That and the SPFL taking the piss.

:cornette:x a million 😀

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Leveins Battalion
7 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

@Leveins Battalion

 

WTAF with those comments

 

Ban pls

 

 

 

Anyone going to +1 this?

 

 

 

Disgusting

Care to explain your logic?

 

James Anderson must feel like a right dafty,or are you saying that despite his extra funding that Ann budge has not led us to relegation?🤣🤣

 

Also Ann Budge brought him to Doncaters table to keep us in the league,only for them to take the cash and run,hardly disgusting is it stating that is it.😎

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On 12/09/2020 at 20:48, Leveins Battalion said:

James Anderson must feel like a grade A prick,despite his huge contribution Ann Budge has managed to lead us to relegation,unable to play football and a shambles.

 

That and the SPFL taking the piss.

 

Sometimes it's just embarrassing to be a Jambo.

 

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Leveins Battalion
Just now, upgotheheads said:

 

Sometimes it's just embarrassing to be a Jambo.

 

What not true?She has led us to relegation and we are not playing football.🤣

 

Sometimes it's just embarrasing that some Jambos bury their head in the sand.

 

 

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1 minute ago, Leveins Battalion said:

What not true?She has led us to relegation and we are not playing football.🤣

 

Sometimes it's just embarrasing that some Jambos bury their head in the sand.

 

 

The jury is still out on you, btw.

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When's he getting invited onto the board? :D Thats what I want to know!

 

Budge can't keep the chair stuff up for much longer, so if she wants a succession plan, perhaps this is the way to go. Let him get involved on the board, then hand things over to him when she wants to step back. 

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On 23/09/2020 at 01:17, Jingle Bells said:

 

There''s some information about him on this link.

 

https://spfltrust.org.uk/who-is-james-anderson/

 

 

Thanks very much.

 

Interesting that he is also a Bologna fan and our latest protege has just signed for them.

 

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but thanks for posting the info!

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Glamorgan Jambo

What a snidey bunch the SPFL are. Every time there’s been a photo published from

our directors box for years now it was easy to spot JA for those that knew of him. Would be interested to know how many Norwich and Bologna matches he attended during the last three years. My guess is they will add up to a very round figure.

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Do people understand that he will have had full sign-off on the SPFL Trust 'Who is James Anderson' article? If he had wanted it to mention that he is a Hearts supporter it would have done so.

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7 minutes ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:

The entire arrangement was well weird. We brought Anderson to the table and then gained nothing from doing so.

It is.  Maybe Anderson is more decent than me, but if I was giving the SPFL and other clubs my money, I absolutely would have made it conditional.  

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Dusk_Till_Dawn
2 minutes ago, Paolo said:

It is.  Maybe Anderson is more decent than me, but if I was giving the SPFL and other clubs my money, I absolutely would have made it conditional.  


The question I’d like answered is what material difference his money actually made to the SPFL as a whole. Because the pyramid looks and feels like it’s as in its arse as ever.

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1 hour ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:


The question I’d like answered is what material difference his money actually made to the SPFL as a whole. Because the pyramid looks and feels like it’s as in its arse as ever.

It looks worse than ever.    
 

Meanwhile, Doncaster, who already has a track record of failure, seems totally incapable, but still continues to collect a salary that is higher than that of the US President. 

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4 hours ago, jambo89 said:

Thanks very much.

 

Interesting that he is also a Bologna fan and our latest protege has just signed for them.

 

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but thanks for posting the info!

 

Pleasure,

 

It reads like he is an all round good guy, out to help others with his wealth.

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Quite a few Budge haters out tonight .... and some now turning on JA too.      😲

 

 Why do some folk keep saying that he's donated money to the SPFL   with no strings attached ?   There are  strings  ...... evidence of good community projects, and evidence of Covid testing.  

 

 

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6 hours ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:


The question I’d like answered is what material difference his money actually made to the SPFL as a whole. Because the pyramid looks and feels like it’s as in its arse as ever.

Did you read the bit that it was basically a quick way he could distribute some of his money around the communities all across Scotland?

If clubs used the money for the benefit of the community they were in then it was up to them how they spent it

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I really hope that there aren't clubs looking for another hand out. From Robbies comments here it sounds like there may be some scepticism about how much of that money actually went to Covid testing as intended. Admittedly, I'm biased because **** every single one of the back stabbing *******s but also, we're all aware that there are too many clubs in the 'professional' set up in Scotland. Perhaps this could be an unsavoury cull of the ones who just shouldn't be here? 

 

I would be keen to see the receipts tbh. I am highly dubious that these clubs did do as JA intended with the money (i.e spent it keeping their sinking ships afloat rather than on the covid testing). Obviously, the clubs are all in perilous situations, but this goes to a deeper problem, Doncasters inability to negotiate a competitive TV deal or bring sufficient commercial partners in to create some kind of trickle down effect to benefit our smaller clubs. 

 

The point I'm making is that if you make a donation for an express purpose and its not fufilled, why should you feel compelled to offer more? I hope JA isn't allowing himself to be taken for a ride by these chancers. God knows Ann has fell for there pish enough times. 

 

Our (SPFL) CEO is earning almost £400k a year whilst clubs are being forced into letting staff go and make tough choices. A simple question is, do we feel he brings £400k's worth of value to the game? The answer is fairly clear here. Not a ****ing chance. Perhaps now that clubs are facing going to the wall, they might entertain a future without that odious weasel. You could half his salary and probably save every single League 2 club from going to the wall. 

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By donating funds to football communities JA was clearly keeping away from supporting the day-to-day running of the clubs. It is to be hoped that he continues with this stance and does not get duped into propping up the incompetents that run the Scottish game. Likewise, the Scottish government should not be taken in by Doncaster & Co., whose leadership is non-existent.

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  • 4 weeks later...

This is pay site so copied in full.

James Anderson: The Old Firm does not appeal to me. The more we can rebalance football the better

In a rare interview, financier explains why he put his hand in his pocket to help Scottish clubs

 
Anderson says spending money on football is more satisfying than spending it on himselfAnderson says spending money on football is more satisfying than spending it on himself
Saturday October 17 2020, 12.01am, The Times

James Anderson is unique, the only man who could walk the length of the Royal Mile or Sauchiehall Street without being recognised and then be welcomed in every football boardroom in the land simply by introducing himself. He is the Scottish Professional Football League’s winning lottery ticket, the financial heavyweight who emerged as if from nowhere in June to deliver a £3.1 million donation with no strings attached. Better still, he is the gift that keeps on giving.

There is a case for saying Anderson is the best thing to have happened to the Scottish game in the whole of 2020 although that feels like damning him with faint praise. The 60-year-old’s generosity touched all of the 42 senior clubs and he has emails and letters of gratitude to show for it. His favourite was the one saying his money helped to prevent the ground from being messed up by pigeon droppings.

When Ann Budge, the Hearts owner, told the SPFL that she knew of a benefactor prepared to help all the clubs there was widespread scepticism. It was during Hearts’ attempt to avoid relegation via league reconstruction and there was suspicion that no such benefactor existed or, if he or she did, this amounted to an inducement to keep them up. Even the governing body appeared cool, asking Budge to submit details in writing. And then everyone sat up straight and started paying attention. Anderson’s name was leaked — against his will — and in an instant it was clear that Budge had brought a serious, substantial figure to the table.

“I was uncomfortable that first 48 hours after I got named,” Anderson told The Times yesterday in his first newspaper interview on the Scottish game. For six years he had put money into Hearts and its Big Hearts Community Trust without his name having come out. “I had wanted to keep this anonymous and in the background and that choice was rather taken out of my hands. There was also the element that my involvement was associated with trying to dig Hearts out of a difficult situation. Trying to separate it from that perception was quite hard for a while. But I think once you write the cheques and start giving people attention, and start encouraging other associates to get involved, it changes.

“Broadly speaking it’s been fine since then. And as I said to one or two people from [SPFL chief executive] Neil Doncaster to Ann Budge at the time: don’t imagine that some of the stuff in the investment industry isn’t unpleasant too. It’s hard to make the comparison but being an investor in Tesla and dealing with the ups and downs — mostly ups — of Elon Musk over the last few years hasn’t exactly always been a picnic. So it was all less shocking to me than you might think.”

 

That initial scepticism had included the SPFL hierarchy of Doncaster and chairman Murdoch MacLennan. “I hope Neil wouldn’t be taken aback if I said that, like many people, from the way it was being presented in the first 48 hours he didn’t necessarily believe it. But whether it was because he genuinely did see that we meant it, or it was our mutual Norwich connection when we started talking about greats from Norwich City’s past, I think from that point he got the impression that it was fine.”

Anderson grew up in Norfolk and, as a schoolboy, would make the trip from Great Yarmouth to Carrow Road to watch Norwich City, where years later Doncaster spent time as chief executive. Anderson was drawn to what Norwich meant within its community and found more of the same when he went to university in Italy. “I admire what Norwich represented and it upped the ante when I spent a year at university in Bologna. That was fantastic. The extent to which it was a spectacle and a real part of local society was quite revealing for me."

 

He has gone to Hearts games since moving to Scotland in the mid-1980s, becoming a fund manager and partner at manager Baillie Gifford. “Myself and my family are socially and politically liberal and therefore the Old Firm-type stuff doesn’t appeal to me very greatly. The more one can do to rebalance Scottish football about that [the better]. Over the years I’ve been very impressed by those clubs that are outside the big things. What Atalanta do in Italy is amazing on a small basis. Or Alkmaar in Holland. Some clubs have been great forces for social openness and good. Look at what Frankfurt or St Pauli or Union Berlin do. It’s a different type of agenda and I think we’ve maybe missed out on that in Scotland. I think we should be able to do a better job in a societal sense and a football sense.

“I am lucky enough to be part of a firm that for luck or skill or some mixture of both has been very successful not just in local but global terms and the rewards in finance are absurdly high. I find it [donating to football] more satisfying than just going out and spending some more money on something personal. The amount of difference it makes to Celtic is absolutely nothing but, to be fair, I got a very nice message from them saying they would use it in their charitable efforts.

“I was looking for something I really believed in that could make a difference. There is nothing I want to do with this, no post I want to have or anything like that. I feel pretty strongly that one of the problems we’ve got in a much deeper sense in Scotland and elsewhere is that you’ve had this form of social and geographical atomisation and I think football is one of the very few forces which can counter that.

“I’m not sure that recent governments in Scotland have been terribly good at recognising this part of sport in general or football in particular. This is a broader political point rather than one about the current government we have, but I think there is an undervaluation of the impact you can have through sport and football in particular. It’s a mistake a lot of governments are making.”

Anderson is a modest, thoughtful, easy-going figure for whom publicity holds no appeal. “I’m not interested in that. It’s quite weird, by market capitalisation Scottish Mortgage is the biggest company in Scotland but I would never come up in the Scottish newspapers at all, either at Scottish Mortgage level or Baillie Gifford. But I found myself doing an interview with Bloomberg in America about investments and the last question was about Scottish football! Then I was talking to a guy from one of the ten biggest companies in the world, which we’ve invested in for years, and he said ‘oh by the way congratulations in what you’ve done in Scottish football; I have a friend out in Hong Kong who’s a Rangers supporter’.”

On Thursday it was announced that the Challenge Cup will be renamed the SPFL Trust Trophy when it resumes next season: more philanthropy from Anderson and an unnamed fellow benefactor. He is not going away. “My resources are dependent on how our business and our investments go. The main source of my wealth is my own shareholding in Scottish Mortgage in which I own a bit over one per cent so you can do the maths in terms of where I am.

“I do believe that, relative to what I can put in, the impact is really quite great [in football] compared to lots else we do. I’m not going to give up with culture and education and things like that and it depends on business and what I’m doing in the long term. I don’t necessarily say there’s going to be a lump sum of the equivalent amount every year but I would like it to be quite substantial. I think a desire to help more broadly away from the top half-dozen clubs is something I’d like try more of in the future. I’m more interested in the lower levels.”

Kenny Dalglish suggested his contribution had been so significant he should be invited to present the end of season trophies. “I thought it was delightful of him to say it but I wouldn’t want to do it. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be nice to go to Hampden at some point but, hopefully, I can do that with Hearts.” He will settle for simply taking his wife Morag to visit some of the smaller clubs he has helped. There has been no shortage of invitations.

 
After The Times, the next thing in his diary was a Zoom call with Dr Anthony Fauci, a familiar face as a lead member of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force. As a trustee of the Johns Hopkins University, Anderson was not the only one on the call, but the only one with a recent anecdote about Cliftonhill. “I got a really nice series of emails from Albion Rovers saying one of the things they were doing was reinforcing their netting against pigeon droppings. I genuinely did like that.”
 
 
 
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Sorry we can't test because we used the money on cleaning up pigeon droppings.

 

Feck off Leanne.

 

Haha....only read first few paragraphs when I posted.

 

 Very end in very low case confirms Albion Rovers.

 

;)

 

 

 

 

Edited by DETTY29
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ToadKiller Dog

Decent read ,clearly a thoughtful guy ,who has looked into the game at a deeper level ,and see the benefits it can have on society if balanced better .

Whats the bet the hard of thinking Ugly supporters will see that interview as him being anti Old firm 

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I selfishly hope that once this pandemic is out the way and he makes another few million he’ll give us a big huge wad of cash towards bridging that gap between the OF and the rest.

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Byyy The Light
7 minutes ago, Neil Dongcaster said:

Scottish Mortgage are valued at around £10billion.

 

So if his stake is worth £100 million, any idea what level of income he would return off that a year?

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1 hour ago, ToadKiller Dog said:

Decent read ,clearly a thoughtful guy ,who has looked into the game at a deeper level ,and see the benefits it can have on society if balanced better .

Whats the bet the hard of thinking Ugly supporters will see that interview as him being anti Old firm 

He is anti old firm and quite rightly too.

He just puts it in very diplomatic language.

He wants to get back to Hampden with the Hearts. He is a Hearts supporter but unlike many others, sees the bigger picture before and clearer than most, if not all.

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Glamorgan Jambo

SMT latest market value is a tad over £15 billion. Yield (income) is low as it invests in a lot of growth companies that don't pay dividends (Tesla, Amazon, Alibaba etc)

 

Just checked and the dividend yield quoted is 0.3%. So if you have a stake worth £150 million you'll get £450K pa in dividend income. And if you're the manager you'll get your salary and bonus as well.

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45 minutes ago, Byyy The Light said:

 

So if his stake is worth £100 million, any idea what level of income he would return off that a year?

 

😎 enough to see us alright Jack, thats for sure 🤗

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He sounds a really decent guy, we're quite lucky to have him helping Hearts out like he has.

 

The closing line:

 

Kenny Dalglish suggested his contribution had been so significant he should be invited to present the end of season trophies. “I thought it was delightful of him to say it but I wouldn’t want to do it. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be nice to go to Hampden at some point but, hopefully, I can do that with Hearts.”

 

 

:jjyay:

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