Thanks Wetenhalls!

Thank you for driving the team into the ground! The team will go belly up after 2019.

THAT IS ON YOU WETENHALLS!

Should have named the thread EFF U Wetenhalls…

I reserve my disdain and disgust for the son, who didn’t listen to anyone because he believed he was the smartest guy in any room. Really he’s a stain on his old man.

Agreed. Andrew is the *&?%$#?&(! >:(

But, daddy let it happen.

True … but we don’t actually know how “involved” Robert is/can-be these days.

Ten years ago, we were at the top of the league, about to go to win back-to-back Grey Cups. Look at us now. Look. At. Us. Now. :’( :’( :-[

I hold both Wetenhalls accountable, but like Hfx, I reserve most of my scorn for Andrew. The entitled idiot son who thought he knew better than more knowledgeable people, which was literally anyone around him.

Pour ma part, je suis reconnaissant envers Robert Wetenhall pour ce qu’il a fait pour la renaissance du football canadien à Montréal. Il a pris de mauvaises décisions, mais il en aussi pris de bonnes. Nous n’avons pas pu vivre toutes ces belles saisons qu’à coup de hasard.

Je ne sais pas exactement quelles sont ses facultés cognitives aujourd’hui, mais je pense que son âge vénérable l’autorise à ne plus s’impliquer outre mesure dans l’équipe.

Ceci dit, le règne de son fils et marqué par une cascade de mauvaises décisions qui a fait de cette équipe, à juste titre, la risée de la ligue. Sans en faire l’énumération (la liste serait longue), on peut dire que la force d’Andrew est probablement dans les chiffres, mais certainement pas dans la direction.

Guzzo vient de se retirer, et on ne sait pas si le groupe d’Éric Lapointe est toujours en lice. Je ne vois pas nécessairement d’un mauvais œil le retrait de Guzzo, qui aurait probablement signé l’engagement de Maciocia comme directeur-général. On seraient passés d’un désastre à un autre. Il demeure que la situation n’a rien d’encourageant, sinon que les Wetenhall m’ont fait mentir : j’avais prédit que l’équipe fermerait avant cette saison, et ce n’est pas encore arrivé. C’est toujours ça de gagné.

C’est tout de même tragique parce que le football canadien, dans sa facture actuelle, ne peut se passer de Montréal. Les droits de télévision ne vaudraient plus grand chose sans la population du Québec dans le compte des auditeurs potentiels.

J’espère que le groupe d’Éric Lapointe ou que fiston Smith est encore quelque part dans le décor des acquéreurs potentiels. L’équipe aurait besoin de gens qui comprennent assez le football pour remettre cette équipe sur pied.

J’espère encore, sans trop y croire.

Je peux te dire tout de suite LeStaf que le groupe d’Eric n’a pas les reins pour acheter ce business-là.
Il est probablement capable de mettre un pot de 10 million, mais après, il fait quoi ?
De toutes façons, il n’y a pas une firme comptable qui va bénir cette transaction-là. Il y a des dettes, des pertes operationnelles enormes, il y a un problème de revenues, des problèmes avec Revenue Québec. Personne va toucher a ca.

Guzzo ce n’est pas un fou. En achetant un “chien pleins de poux” se mettrais immédiatement son équité et son habilite d’emprunter pour le reste de ses entreprises a risque.

À moins d’un miracle à la fin de la saison, la clé va être mise dans la porte un peu comme les Renegades d’Ottawa, et revenir dans quelques années si les Montréalais s’ennuis de la LCF.

Je m’excuse de péter ta balloune, c’est triste, surtout que ca n’aurait jamais du se rendre à ce point là.

Johnny a bien peur que tu as raison. Johnny préférais parler des batailles au camp d’entrainement. Mais, ça sent la fin.

A moins d’un miracle, 2019 sera la dernière saison. C’est triste. :frowning:

Alouettes RIP

1946-1986
1996-2019

I for one certainly don`t see the CFL and/or TSN allowing the Montreal franchise to fold. Too much at stake.

As for the debt load, the league is responsible for it whether the team folds or not. So might as well ease a new owner into the situation by absorbing it.

And as Rick Moffat has speculated, I even expect Guzzo to revisit his interest at the end of the season, when there are more personnel options than just Maciocia.

Whats sad is that a few of you guys used to defend this team to the teeth and sometimes tell me off. Im truly sad that the last few hardcore Alouettes fans have no hope for this franchise. Its Montreal for eff sakes…we lost a baseball team now were gonna lose a football team…Montreal the most beautiful city in Canada, the city everyone wants to visit and explore…embarrassing!!!

Johnny hopes you’re right Sheldon.

Ne t’es fais pas pour moi. Ma balloune a pété en décembre 2016 quand les Alouettes sont passés tout droit sur Sunderland.

Pour le reste, tant qu’il y a de la vie, il y a de l’espoir. Un peut comme pour les Argonauts au milieu des années 2000. Espoir mince, j’en conviens, mais tant que c’est pas mort, c’est pas mort.

Yeah … the Expos moved because the fans walked away … fans were beaten down and eventually chased out the door by managing partner Claude Brochu who needed to sell to get his money out … Loria and Samson were executioners but Brochu built the stage, the guillotine and gave then the axe.

My completely arbitrary and uniformed opinion is that the “conflict” relates to the debt … be it how the “price” factors in the debt or whether the CFL will cobbler losses this season … if he does (as he says) still have interest then it could well be that he doesn’t want, as you say, to spend money/take on debt for a season he can’t impact as an owner … if things don’t get worked out in the near future I could see him circling back in November.

They’re trying to sell a business that:

  • has a significant outstanding debt the league apparently wants them to absorb
  • loses money on a yearly basis
  • has no infrastructure or installations to speak of, significant investment would be required
  • has an incompetent staff that has guaranteed contracts that would have to be absorbed if they wanted to gut them out and start fresh
  • … and who the hell is available if you want to start fresh with the season starting soon
  • has a bottom-league worthy roster including no established QB
  • has no 1st rounder for years to come
  • the “media darling” candidate available to come in and manage the team actually wasn’t very good in the CFL, to put in mildly

I mean other than having money to burn and wanting a new toy, how the hell is anyone even interested in buying this team?

If someone if going to buy this turd, gimme the one who intends on spending the most… cuz unless you’re ready to throw a massive cash injection into this franchise to jolt it out of it’s coma, I think you’re wasting your time.

You are looking at a 30 to 50 million dollar investment to possibly eventually have an asset worth 15 million (franchise) + 3 million (training center) = 18 million and that is if it goes well!

In all practicallity, this is a bankrupt business. That is why I don’t think anyone will want to touch this. Whoever wants to own a CFL team in Montreal is likely to be more successful with a clean business plan, local political support and a hungry fan base.

The ultimate resolution may well be to drive the team into bankruptcy … that would eliminate the debt and I wouldn’t see it becoming too expensive to then buy the team as there will hardly be a bidding war … wonder if there is a means for the league to yank the franchise from the Wettenhals.

There are complexities with that too. For example, (these are just examples) negotiating a new lease with a landlord who has been burned for example. Also, the league took possession of all team names, logos trademarks a few years ago, making it impossible for any prospective owner to buy the team from trustee liquidation without the league getting its say and “cut”.

For a miracle to happen, the team has to catch fire out of the gate and create a buzz in the city. It is a tall order but I wish them that, they are a very likeable group of young players and coaching staff.