Are Kaunas "stars" up for sale also

[Jammy T]

Just a quick query, probably best focussed towards our lithuanian posters, but everyone else for discussion

 

It seems an open secret we have to sell at Xmas. Fair dues

 

Are we the only subsidiary of UBIG that are being required to flog the crown jewels or are we all in it together

 

People like Ledesma, Mendy and a couple of other first teamers at Kaunas may be worth a few Lita's - are these guys up for sale? Is there talk about financial issues at Kaunas

 

Or is it just us?

 

ps has Vlad re-sold or is he marketing the property he bought in St Andrews square, or is it just us that is needing to raise cash?

[Drylaw Hearts]

I could be wrong.......

 

But I think we're probably the only Club that pays proper money for FBK Kaunas players.

 

And by proper I mean anything over a nominal fee.

[Charlie-Brown]

I don't know about kaunas but i did notice some of the most promising young mtz players had gone to russian premier league clubs earlier this year.

[Getintaethem]

Dunno.

[Frankenstein Jambo.]

I doubt any kaunas players are worth anything more than 100K

[djf]

I'm sure any players at Kaunas who Vlad felt could yield a profit would have been transferred here for the higher profile.

[The People's Chimp]

Just a quick query, probably best focussed towards our lithuanian posters, but everyone else for discussion

 

It seems an open secret we have to sell at Xmas. Fair dues

 

Are we the only subsidiary of UBIG that are being required to flog the crown jewels or are we all in it together

 

People like Ledesma, Mendy and a couple of other first teamers at Kaunas may be worth a few Lita's - are these guys up for sale? Is there talk about financial issues at Kaunas

 

Or is it just us?

 

ps has Vlad re-sold or is he marketing the property he bought in St Andrews square, or is it just us that is needing to raise cash?

 

Mendy doesn't even exist and is an invention of Vlad's PR team. You can't sell someone that doesn't exist.

[Boris]

Just a quick query, probably best focussed towards our lithuanian posters, but everyone else for discussion

 

It seems an open secret we have to sell at Xmas. Fair dues

 

Are we the only subsidiary of UBIG that are being required to flog the crown jewels or are we all in it together

 

People like Ledesma, Mendy and a couple of other first teamers at Kaunas may be worth a few Lita's - are these guys up for sale? Is there talk about financial issues at Kaunas

 

Or is it just us?

 

ps has Vlad re-sold or is he marketing the property he bought in St Andrews square, or is it just us that is needing to raise cash?

 

I think with regards to UBIG and football teams Heart of Midlothian IS the only one of the pyramid that is an actual subsidiary of UBIG.

 

Kaunus are simply sponsored by them (I think - I may of course be totally wrong) however I am not sure of the relationship with Ripo.

[Charlie-Brown]

Kaunas are a city owned club who are sponsored by ubig or ukio which is probably the bulk of their income.

[Guest JamboRobbo]

Aye. ?2.50 each, or five for a tenner.

 

Roll up roll up, get your diddies here.

[Jammy T]

I think with regards to UBIG and football teams Heart of Midlothian IS the only one of the pyramid that is an actual subsidiary of UBIG.

 

Kaunus are simply sponsored by them (I think - I may of course be totally wrong) however I am not sure of the relationship with Ripo.

 

So are Kaunas and MTZ Ripo self sufficient then?

 

Kaunas must de facto be "owned" by the same people otherwise we'd never get all these players so easily, you know "for a mars bar and a packet of crisps", or "we'll have ?3.8m management and agency fees thanks very much" as it is now known....

 

Either way, the clubs must be controlled by the same money men, or is it less of a pyramid than we have always thought?

 

Anyhow, just wondering if it is all hands to the pumps at family UBIG, or is it just the youngest sibling they've picked on to go out and get the money in?

[Boris]

So are Kaunas and MTZ Ripo self sufficient then?

 

Kaunas must de facto be "owned" by the same people otherwise we'd never get all these players so easily, you know "for a mars bar and a packet of crisps", or "we'll have ?3.8m management and agency fees thanks very much" as it is now known....

 

Either way, the clubs must be controlled by the same money men, or is it less of a pyramid than we have always thought?

 

No idea on all points, unfortunately!

[Jammy T]

 

Roll up roll up, get your diddies here.

 

I had thought the only reason we had these diddies was because we were owned by the same people.

 

Us being owned by the same people meant we would essentially get freebies from them

 

If we are not owned by the same people it makes perfect sense that Kaunas would want compensated for their team being heavily decimated at regular intervals

 

This near ?4m agency figure actually makes more sense now. If the contributionson this thread are correct we are not related to Kaunas at all, we have a business deal with them whereby they get millions of pounds in exchange for use of their players. They also get the sell on fee, for Velicka

 

Oh well, I have learned something from this thread

 

I almost believed the argument for a while that what was good for Kaunas was good for us. That was also clearly bollox

[Charlie-Brown]

Kaunas like Hearts have been reliant on Romanovs funding that is how he's able to control and put ubig staff in club management but the club ownership is different

[Jammy T]

Kaunas like Hearts have been reliant on Romanovs funding that is how he's able to control and put ubig staff in club management but the club ownership is different

 

So, leaving aside what Hearts subsidised bungs the owners of Kaunas have had from us, if UBIG are financing them they will have similar financial pressures as us?

[Charlie-Brown]

Most of the A lyga teams are municipally owned but most rely on a major sponsor or benefactor for financing, if the benefactor struggles then it's a problem.

[Drylaw Hearts]

Kaunas are a city owned club who are sponsored by ubig or ukio which is probably the bulk of their income.

 

I think Hearts will have given them a fair chunk of money over the past 2-3 years.

 

There were ?3.8million in unexplained registration fees in last years Accounts.

 

Hmmmmm.

[Jammy T]

Most of the A lyga teams are municipally owned but most rely on a major sponsor or benefactor for financing, if the benefactor struggles then it's a problem.

 

So that is a "yes" then?

[Charlie-Brown]

Vilnius couldnt get a license or enter a team last season after their russian backer withdrew financing & sold all the players. Hearts got Arvydas.

[Drylaw Hearts]

Vilnius couldnt get a license or enter a team last season after their russian backer withdrew financing & sold all the players. Hearts got Arvydas.

 

Who ?

[Guest JamboRobbo]

Who ?

 

the boy who scored against falkirk

[Charlie-Brown]

Arvydas Novikovas a 17 year old striker in the U19.

[Drylaw Hearts]

the boy who scored against falkirk

 

Arvydas Novikovas a 17 year old striker in the U19.

 

I only know them by their numbers guys.

 

Get with the programme.

[Jammy T]

I think this is right. Vlad technically does not own Kauas they are municipally owned. However, as the major sponsor they call the shots by the fact that they are financing it.

 

With regard to potential problems UBIG may or may not be having. I doubt very much that the expenditure at Kaunas and Ripo would be anything like that at Tynie, though I don't doubt in their respective league they are amongst the top finance teams. Also I would doubt significant amount would be raised from flogging Kaunas players. Isn't that the whole reasons Vlad sends them here first, so that they can be sold for more!

 

Personal opinion but I suspect in Jan we will see a lot of players leave but the only signings will be loanees from Kaunas.

 

Its all relative though

 

I am sure one of our lithuanian posters confirmed that some Kaunas players were on about 5 times the average Lyga A footballers salary and was surely because they were earmarked for Hearts. Pehlic maybe was one? Mendy is also on a large wage I recall.

 

Maybe we have been subsidising those wages through our agency payment, who knows.

 

That said, Kaunas are either reliant on cashflow from UBIG to pay their wages or they are not. Even if the numbers are smaller scale if they have debt / costs which cant be serviced by crowds of, what a few hundred, low thousands, then surely they are in the same position?

[Mr Quagmire]

Every player has a price to sell.

[Lovecraft]

Isn't Bruno still a Kaunas player?

[Eldar Hadzimehmedovic]

I don't mean to drag the thread off topic but I wonder if UBIG's stadium developments in Kaunas and Minsk are still planned, what with the credit crunch and all?

[Drylaw Hearts]

Isn't Bruno still a Kaunas player?

 

Signed to Hearts last Summer.

[AndriusG]

Ledesma is leaving Kaunas and going to a central European club, which he can't currently disclose (according to an interview on a Lithuanian football website).

[Dunks]

Signed to Hearts last Summer.

 

How long for DH? I thought his contract was up Summer 2009?

[Drylaw Hearts]

How long for DH? I thought his contract was up Summer 2009?

 

IIRC......

 

When he signed for FBK Kaunas in January 2006 it was on a 3.1/2 year deal and then during the Summer 2007 the remainder of his contract (2 Years) was transferred to Hearts.

 

But at what price shall forever remain a mystery............

[Magnoem]

So many things pointed out I don't know where to start... But let's move to the beginning.

 

Are we the only subsidiary of UBIG that are being required to flog the crown jewels or are we all in it together

 

People like Ledesma, Mendy and a couple of other first teamers at Kaunas may be worth a few Lita's - are these guys up for sale? Is there talk about financial issues at Kaunas

 

I think everyone is for sale at the right price. But talking about current situation at the moment it's not really clear - Kaunas is probably the club who is the most in dark about transfer activity. But the current financial climate and the developments of recent year suggest money saving. Luxury foreigners (I mean those who are paid well but contribute average) like Pehlic, Kvaratskhelia, Valkanov were shipped out to MTZ RIPO; some went to Hearts (Kello, Mrowiec); some (Dreer) left after their contract was not renewed, and there may be more to follow him. Meanwhile the new signings were one unknown brazilian, who looks useless and players from 'mother' club Hearts and 'feeder' club Silute.

 

As for sales there aren't much to sell except maybe your mentioned Mendy and Ledesma, or Pilibaitis - to sell you need someone to buy and nobody is going to buy players in 30's or youngsters without any reputation, or players who had average contribution in the league.

 

Ledesma was excellent though and he said in an interview that he wantts to leave. But i guess that'll depend on agreeing the price with Kaunas.

 

I could be wrong.......

 

But I think we're probably the only Club that pays proper money for FBK Kaunas players. And by proper I mean anything over a nominal fee.

 

I could be wrong also but I don't think Hearts pay anything for Kaunas players, except maybe their wage and maybe agent fee of some sort or whatever.

 

So are Kaunas and MTZ Ripo self sufficient then?

 

Kaunas must de facto be "owned" by the same people otherwise we'd never get all these players so easily, you know "for a mars bar and a packet of crisps", or "we'll have ?3.8m management and agency fees thanks very much" as it is now known....

 

I think any club works on their own in some way, but VR seem to make all major decisions for all 3 (Kaunas, MTZ, Hearts). So it's like a "de facto" ownership. Oficially a sponsor or shareholder but realistically an ownership. There's no other way people would be moving in beetween these clubs easily.

 

Kaunas are a city owned club who are sponsored by ubig or ukio which is probably the bulk of their income.

 

Most of the A lyga teams are municipally owned but most rely on a major sponsor or benefactor for financing, if the benefactor struggles then it's a problem.

 

You are partly wrong but partly right. Municipalities don't own clubs and I don't think they could even if they wanted. All the football clubs are private owned, but some might be sponsored by their cities. Nevertheless, the municipality has from little no to influence to the clubs apart from that they own the stadiums (except capital city Vilnius, where both are privately owned, one of them by UBIG).

 

Most of the clubs realistically depend on only one backer.Only one or two are owned by corporate companies or have several major sponsors. And at least two clubs (probably three, maybe more) are dependent on VR.

 

Vilnius couldnt get a license or enter a team last season after their russian backer withdrew financing & sold all the players. Hearts got Arvydas.

 

Correction - a Lithuanian backer, and he hasn't withdrawn completely but just sold all players and left only youngsters (no one really knows why).

 

I don't mean to drag the thread off topic but I wonder if UBIG's stadium developments in Kaunas and Minsk are still planned, what with the credit crunch and all?

 

It was planned in Kaunas but the municipality disapproved the project. Have no idea if any plans will be affected by financial crisis. But I think not, since such are long term projects.

[Drylaw Hearts]

I could be wrong also but I don't think Hearts pay anything for Kaunas players, except maybe their wage and maybe agent fee of some sort or whatever.

 

I think they do.

 

In Hearts last set of accounts there was a figure of ?3.8million used for players registration fees.

 

When asked which players this for for RR basically refused to answer.

 

I would guess that within that ?3.8million is Transfer Fee's for Goncalves and Bruno.

[Magnoem]

I think they do.

 

In Hearts last set of accounts there was a figure of ?3.8million used for players registration fees.

 

When asked which players this for for RR basically refused to answer.

 

I would guess that within that ?3.8million is Transfer Fee's for Goncalves and Bruno.

 

Why he would have to answer that? It's a club's issue. There are many undisclosed fee's these days. Now there is that 3.8 million and no one knows what's it about but are only speculating. I myself have no idea what's that money for but I can assume they are not money paid for Kaunas players because:

 

1. Both clubs are basically owned by the same man/group.

2. The sum is too huge. Even if Hearts signed 10 players for Kaunas and paid 100k pounds (which is not a small amount) for each of them that would only make 1 million.

 

Of course, unless you count Goncalves, Aguiar, Bednar, Jankauskas, even Cesnauskis etc. etc. as Kaunas players, which they never were.

[Drylaw Hearts]

Why he would have to answer that? It's a club's issue. There are many undisclosed fee's these days. Now there is that 3.8 million and no one knows what's it about but are only speculating. I myself have no idea what's that money for but I can assume they are not money paid for Kaunas players because:

 

1. Both clubs are basically owned by the same man/group.

2. The sum is too huge. Even if Hearts signed 10 players for Kaunas and paid 100k pounds (which is not a small amount) for each of them that would only make 1 million.

 

Of course, unless you count Goncalves, Aguiar, Bednar, Jankauskas, even Cesnauskis etc. etc. as Kaunas players, which they never were.

 

There are still other Shareholders within Hearts other than UBIG.

 

FBK Kaunas paid around ?700,000 for Gonacalves and I think when he was transferred to Hearts there would have been a fee way above that ?700,000.

 

Same with Bruno, Bednar etc etc.

[Charlie-Brown]

I think they do.

 

In Hearts last set of accounts there was a figure of ?3.8million used for players registration fees.

 

When asked which players this for for RR basically refused to answer.

 

I would guess that within that ?3.8million is Transfer Fee's for Goncalves and Bruno.

 

Bednar also transferred DH and the club also signed Kingston and acquired Pinilla's registration from Sporting Lisbon and Inter's share as well eventually I think?

 

RR when asked if the money went to Kaunas said he didn't think so & when pressed further said it was confidential.

[Jammy T]

Magnoem and AudriusG thanks for your info. Cheers.

 

Good to see Kaunas transfer policy seems just about as gash as ours.

 

Unsurprising given the commonality between "benefactors".

 

I guess I am just trying to find out if we are the only poor suckers having a car boot sale over January to raise funds. Are we the runt of the UBIG litter?

[WalterEgo]

RR when asked if the money went to Kaunas said he didn't think so & when pressed further said it was confidential.

Charlie, as I'm sure you well remember, he tried to bat the question back, then he said he didn't know, then he blustered and attacked the questioner, then Sergejus came running over and whispered in his ear, then he pleaded confidentality.

[Jammy T]

Charlie, as I'm sure you well remember, he tried to bat the question back, then he said he didn't know, then he blustered and attacked the questioner, then Sergejus came running over and whispered in his ear, then he pleaded confidentality.

 

Aaah, the sign of somebody with nothing to hide.

 

Deflect, deny, get angry, take the fifth amendment.

 

Is there any "get out of answering the question" technique missing from that list, short of setting the fire alarm off?

[AndriusG]

Bits of the Ledesma interview if anyone is interested.

 

Just like last year, Kaunas couldn't avoid managerial changes, and their best players went off to Hearts. How does the team react to that?

It's difficult for me to judge. I know that it all depends on the owner. His decisions, his opinions. We just carry on because there's no point talking about it. Stability in the team is a big advantage. When there is one manager, who everyone trusts and believes in, it's perfect. Everyone knows what the manager wants. When managers change, you have to adapt and that isn't easy. As for players going to Hears, I think the manger chooses the players he wants. But it is difficult for me to talk about that, I'd rather talk about me.

 

You can't go to Scotland because you don't have a European passport. Is there any truth to the rumours that you tried to get Portuguese citizenship?

No, there is no chance for me to get Portuguese citizenship. I have no ancestors from this country. For now, it is impossible.

 

Do you know whether you will move next season?

Yes, I think I will change clubs. I need to leave, go forward. I hope that it will be good for my career. I have made up my mind on which offer I will accept. I will travel West - the club is in a central European country.

[Jammy T]

Bits of the Ledesma interview if anyone is interested.

 

Just like last year, Kaunas couldn't avoid managerial changes, and their best players went off to Hearts. How does the team react to that?

It's difficult for me to judge. I know that it all depends on the owner. His decisions, his opinions. We just carry on because there's no point talking about it. Stability in the team is a big advantage. When there is one manager, who everyone trusts and believes in, it's perfect. Everyone knows what the manager wants. When managers change, you have to adapt and that isn't easy. As for players going to Hears, I think the manger chooses the players he wants. But it is difficult for me to talk about that, I'd rather talk about me.

 

You can't go to Scotland because you don't have a European passport. Is there any truth to the rumours that you tried to get Portuguese citizenship?

No, there is no chance for me to get Portuguese citizenship. I have no ancestors from this country. For now, it is impossible.

 

Do you know whether you will move next season?

Yes, I think I will change clubs. I need to leave, go forward. I hope that it will be good for my career. I have made up my mind on which offer I will accept. I will travel West - the club is in a central European country.

 

Sounds a sensible enough guy.

 

Footballer craves decent manager and stability shocker

[steven100]

I think Hearts must subsidise Kaunas and Ripo thats why we never see any figures etc. If Hearts were to go bust Kaunas would profit. Which team would Vlad save Hearts or his beloved club Kaunas??

[KisLas]

I think Hearts must subsidise Kaunas and Ripo thats why we never see any figures etc. If Hearts were to go bust Kaunas would profit. Which team would Vlad save Hearts or his beloved club Kaunas??

 

So how Kaunas was financed before Hearts? remember that they were dominating long before any Hearts connection and have not been in better situation after the connection was established. They are even in a worse one all thing considered.

[Jammy T]

So how Kaunas was financed before Hearts? remember that they were dominating long before any Hearts connection and have not been in better situation after the connection was established. They are even in a worse one all thing considered.

 

So are we.

 

A marriage made in hell then....

[KisLas]

So are we.

 

A marriage made in hell then....

 

The Kaunas players are the ones winning IMO. Just that Kaunas are even less stable than before (if thats possible) but from my wiewpoint thats a good thing.

 

Plus that was not my point