[geoff]

Yes "with a sad heart"
History shows that evolution is inevitable & in you are not one step ahead of the times you will fall by the wayside.
 

[divinewind]

If it is the guy we suspect it is and if it is his desire to improve the club then I am cautiously optimistic.  The reason the Chinese are so successful is that like the ethos at our club, they don't do debt. This could be a big factor in our attraction? All this however is still speculation and until I know more I am "unsure".

Let's hope it's not a Greek then. 

[Yamaka]

I guess one stereotype deserves another 

Although I must admit my total bemusement with regards to the whole idea of "debt management" since almost without exception all "successful" clubs and countries for that matter seem to be hocked up to the hilt.

Whilst ripping off those who can least afford it...

[robnewbold]

I voted yes, although I'm a staunch supporter of JP and am grateful to him for what the club has achieved during his stewardship.

I believe if he himself thinks it's time for change, then it is.

Whatever happens, sold or not, there is a risk and I just think, overall, the risk of a new owner, whoever that might be, offers possibly more benefits and renders the risk more tenable.

This....

Of course, I am assuming that JP will be as good as his word when he said he would only sell to benefit the club and of course he will also benefit and rightly so.

[wodenson46]

unsure but cautiously  - very cautiously optimistic. Standing still is stagnation. We need to move on and JP knows better than most when the time to do so is right. Just hoping that what he sees as 'right' is as much in favour of WBA as it is JP. I have no reason at all to suspect it is not favourable to WBA as far JP can make it, but it is still a big step into the unknown. Been a Baggies fan for 60 years plus  so hoping for the best but not really expecting it 

[WBAinDEVON]

Yes yes yes no doubt about it, i only have another 20 years left in me and i want to follow us in europe again

[BobTaylor]

I'm getting carried away! 
38 years since my first game and I've put a lot in without a trophy to my name, so the thought of something happening to change that, fills me with excitement. Ok, it may go t!ts up, but it could do that at anytime, whoever's in charge.
If that makes me a glory hunter then so be it, let the hunt begin!

Yes yes yes no doubt about it, i only have another 20 years left in me and i want to follow us in europe again

This ! Why not dream if you have a chance thrown your way, Why would anyone on here be happy with not seeing the Albion win a cup again, This club is special and a unique club we deserve it.

[AshD]

If the sum of our ambitions is to simply survive and hope for the odd cup run, you have to question what the point is!

With the current regime and system, you could never see us do what Southampton have done, or compete with the likes of Everton (on a regular basis).

If new owners coming in means we have a bit more financial clout to push the boat out a little on signings and attempt to turn us into a team who can have a bit of a dart at finishing in Europa spots, then I'm all for it.

Yes its risky, and I don't think anyone would deny there is a bit of apprehension with a takeover, but I'm more concerned with being in 2025 and us still being in exactly the same position - never seen us win anything, getting by each year with no real excitement. Is being in the prem really the be all and end all, especially when scraping by each year???

With all the money flooding into the Prem, most clubs will be taken over sooner rather than later - it would be nice if we were on the front foot and tried to progress and improve as a club now rather than playing catch up further down the line!

[newbaggie]

I am 67 now and have supported the baggies since I was a babby.I voted yes and trust jp to find the right buyer.I personally would make the hawthorns bigger keep the name and history.I do not go up the albion anymore because of health reasons[used  to have a season ticket in the Halfords].I do not post on forums as a rule, but I feel that this is a milestone for the club and will be bitterly disappointed if it falls through.

[devonbaggiecjaj]

Yes yes yes no doubt about it, i only have another 20 years left in me and i want to follow us in europe again

Not sure if you have 20 mins left in ya some saturdays

[baggie82]

With the current regime and system, you could never see us do what Southampton have done, or compete with the likes of Everton (on a regular basis).

What is so magical that Southampton have done? We finished 8th under Clarke with JP. as for competing with Everton didn't we finished above them last season? What's to say that Southampton or Everton won't be 16th next year. Fact is qualifying for the Europa league increases your chance of relegation and we can never make the chanmpions league. Lack of realism amongst lots of posters as to our club size relative to the league. Fact is 14 teams start the season with a best placed finish of 7th. No change of chairman will alter that.

[Millsey61]

I am a regular reader but rarely post, here are my thought for what they are worth. The last couple of seasons have been pretty dire watching the Albion apart from the occasional barnstormer, you do question the logic of why we keep turning up, but we are baggies and its in our blood. I have become a bit disillusioned with the premier league and the fact that all we and other clubs of our size have to aim for each year is survival and anything above 17th place, points are more important than performance and I do understand the importance of staying in this league. However, we are all starved of success, Peace and his board have done a great job, even with the errors made along the way, he realizes the time is right to move on and if he makes money on his investment then good luck to him. I voted yes because I dare to dream, I want my club to entertain me, I want us to be competitive and I don't want to be fighting relegation every year. If we stay as we are eventually we will fall, I just hope Mr Peace is as good as his word and the new owners have the best intentions for our club.

[caravanc58]

voted yes, its getting quite boring just playing for survival every year. would sooner take a gamble and give it a go and see where it takes us just what we should have done against the vile.

[overseas baggie]

What is so magical that Southampton have done? We finished 8th under Clarke with JP. as for competing with Everton didn't we finished above them last season? What's to say that Southampton or Everton won't be 16th next year. Fact is qualifying for the Europa league increases your chance of relegation and we can never make the chanmpions league. Lack of realism amongst lots of posters as to our club size relative to the league. Fact is 14 teams start the season with a best placed finish of 7th. No change of chairman will alter that.

Totally agree with you, although I wouldn't under-estimate what Southampton did.  Until about the end of March they were still in with a shout of Champions League.  Even when we finished 8th we were well out of CL contention by early January.

7th or 8th and good Cup runs is a very realistic ceiling as well as being a very realistic target.

[hardtobeat]

 by voting no you have voted to continue down the same path e.g most years fighting for survival, disregarding the carling cup or whatever it is at the moment and maybe just once every so often when the draw permits having a bit of a tilt at the fa cup. Surely the best reason to vote yes and maybe just maybe we can have a go at something slightly better.

[slugga1]

Voted yes.  I'm thankful for what JP has done (for the majority.. Some shockers but hey ho)
We definitely need a boost and without spending crazy money can still look above where we are now. I have to say another major factor for me is that we have a decent manager at the min too,  apart from Roy in recent years I think my answer could have been completely different.  God knows how tits up it could have gone with some of the dodgy managers we have had!
For me there is actually no better time for this to happen.

Onwards and upwards boing boing!!

[Londonbaggymike]

I voted yes because I want us to be in with a chance of winning something and realistically the club has to be sold for us to do this.  Just got to hope that the new owner is the right owner.

[PsalmXXIII]

by voting no you have voted to continue down the same path e.g most years fighting for survival, disregarding the carling cup or whatever it is at the moment and maybe just once every so often when the draw permits having a bit of a tilt at the fa cup. Surely the best reason to vote yes and maybe just maybe we can have a go at something slightly better.

Nope.

I like several others voted no because nobody knows who this new owner is. If the question was 'do you want to win some trophies, have some fantastic players playing beautiful football, and make West Bromwich Albion a real force in football' then everyone would answer yes.

The question is 'do you want Albion to be taken over?' - you said it yourself 'maybe just maybe we can have a go at something slightly better'. Maybe just maybe it could all just go to pot. Before I'm branded a pessimist, consider this. Wealthier clubs have come into this league and not done what we've done (Wigan, QPR, Cardiff, Birmingham, Hull, Leicester just about survived, Villa have regressed since having a billionaire owner, Fulham, Derby, Wolves all have considerably struggled despite owners at least five times richer than ours). Money alone doesn't guarantee anything. It helps but you need someone in control who knows that they're doing.

And before again I have 'well Wigan and Blues won trophies' - does that have anything to do with spending tons of money on good players? Oh hang on they both got relegated the same seasons and won with good management and a ton of luck. We can win a trophy without a new owner; they aren't going to suddenly make us luckier or better at cup games.

The question doesn't ask 'do you want to win it all' it asks 'can a new guy with more money do better than the man who defied the odds and built us up to where we are?' And until I see evidence that the new owners know what they're doing, I don't want to take that risk.

[caravanc58]

Nope.

I like several others voted no because nobody knows who this new owner is. If the question was 'do you want to win some trophies, have some fantastic players playing beautiful football, and make West Bromwich Albion a real force in football' then everyone would answer yes.

The question is 'do you want Albion to be taken over?' - you said it yourself 'maybe just maybe we can have a go at something slightly better'. Maybe just maybe it could all just go to pot. Before I'm branded a pessimist, consider this. Wealthier clubs have come into this league and not done what we've done (Wigan, QPR, Cardiff, Birmingham, Hull, Leicester just about survived, Villa have regressed since having a billionaire owner, Fulham, Derby, Wolves all have considerably struggled despite owners at least five times richer than ours). Money alone doesn't guarantee anything. It helps but you need someone in control who knows that they're doing.

And before again I have 'well Wigan and Blues won trophies' - does that have anything to do with spending tons of money on good players? Oh hang on they both got relegated the same seasons and won with good management and a ton of luck. We can win a trophy without a new owner; they aren't going to suddenly make us luckier or better at cup games.

The question doesn't ask 'do you want to win it all' it asks 'can a new guy with more money do better than the man who defied the odds and built us up to where we are?' And until I see evidence that the new owners know what they're doing, I don't want to take that risk.

good points psalm but stop wetting on our chips.

[mifos]

Nope.

I like several others voted no because nobody knows who this new owner is. If the question was 'do you want to win some trophies, have some fantastic players playing beautiful football, and make West Bromwich Albion a real force in football' then everyone would answer yes.

The question is 'do you want Albion to be taken over?' - you said it yourself 'maybe just maybe we can have a go at something slightly better'. Maybe just maybe it could all just go to pot. Before I'm branded a pessimist, consider this. Wealthier clubs have come into this league and not done what we've done (Wigan, QPR, Cardiff, Birmingham, Hull, Leicester just about survived, Villa have regressed since having a billionaire owner, Fulham, Derby, Wolves all have considerably struggled despite owners at least five times richer than ours). Money alone doesn't guarantee anything. It helps but you need someone in control who knows that they're doing.

And before again I have 'well Wigan and Blues won trophies' - does that have anything to do with spending tons of money on good players? Oh hang on they both got relegated the same seasons and won with good management and a ton of luck. We can win a trophy without a new owner; they aren't going to suddenly make us luckier or better at cup games.

The question doesn't ask 'do you want to win it all' it asks 'can a new guy with more money do better than the man who defied the odds and built us up to where we are?' And until I see evidence that the new owners know what they're doing, I don't want to take that risk.

Peace can't take us any further; he's done fantastically well to get us this far, the only way to go further is with greater financial clout and perhaps new ideas. Its a risk yes, but I'd rather give it a go than stay where we are.  Peace knows this and it was his idea to seek investment; I see it as a continuation of his work, and as such I trust he's being very careful in who he entrusts his legacy.

[cuckfield1704]

It will not be 'Our Club' anymore and I remain of the view that, for many reasons, this deal will not happen.
The £150m for Peace is of course just the start. It will take the same again for players and ground capacity improvements before we can made headway in this league. And it is all up front. Peace will not agree to any payment by instalments plan. So who is going to stump up £300m for Albion with no hope of Champions League money which by the way virtually doubles the yearly income of Arsenal and Chelsea.
Also if the ground capacity is somehow increased to say 45,000 where are all the extra punters coming from at £30/£40 a pop. West Ham are clearly very nervous.
In the immortal words of the late Eddie Braben would you want anyone who could not find their way to Dartmouth Square owning 'Our Club'?

[Mo]

I vote yes as posted before if JP feels it's the right time to go then it's time for change.

Things will never be the same again either way as we know he has tried to sell the club.

My only concern or desire is that whoever takes us over appoints somebody to run the club with the necessary business acumen who will be at the club and available  on a daily basis with their finger firmly on the pulse.

[LongBridge Baggie1]

Voted  unsure because JP no longer wants to stay and We have no clue the new Owners intentions

[Dubya BA]

I voted unsure because how can you be?

Having said what difference does it matter what we think?

I remain cautiously optimistic-just hope we are in safe hands.

[sconesy]

Voted yes purely down to the fact that my opinion makes no difference whatsoever - if JP wants to sell, he is entitled to sell. In many ways it's the best possible move for him.....as at some point, due to our inability to sustain prolonged periods punching above our financial weight, we more than likely will fall through the trapdoor at some point. Surely if he wants out, the more relevant question should be, "who would you like to take over" not "would you like a takeover"? Who knows JP's exact reasons for sale - maybe it has taken its toll on his family life, maybe health/mentally or just that he realises he just can't generate the finacial muscle to push us on in any significant way without potentially compromising the clubs future....which effectively is his own also. At some point he was always going to sell...that fact is unavoidable - the only thing we should all be concerned about is 'who' takes over? This leads me to my next point and something that needs to be considered - if the rumours are to be believed, and a wealthy consortium with (steady) long term plans are set to take the helm, then surely this is better than a wealthy 'one man band' that we are beholden to? If R A leaves Chelsea...then what? Hull, Cardiff, Blues, Leeds the list goes on and on. A consortium with the sole aim of long term wealth creation and diversification surley means less risk to them, ultimately lowering our exposure? I hope the rumours are true as I'd take this any day over an oil midas or Russian looking for a new toy!