Patienceform Limited no more

[Chris Black come back]

Just noticed that we have finally dispensed the historic legacy of Westferry and JR.

We formally changed the name of the company that owns the club from Patienceform Limited to Doncaster Rovers Limited.

[Chris Black come back]

Big shout out also to the following people who still own shares in Doncaster Rovers Limited despite the company being in the total control of Club Doncaster Limited (essentially Watson and Bramall):

Michael Garrity
Michael Collett
Joseph Cartwright
And of course, the VSC

[RedJ]

Are these people supposed to be people of any note? genuinely never heard of any of these shareholders other than the obvious.

Guessing just random friends of past and present shareholders.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Mike Collett was a shareholder from way, way back. Used to be the Chairman I think, back in pre-Uncle Ken days.

[Guernsey Exile]

He lives in Guernsey or Jersey can't remember which. Used to own an airline freight company. One of the planes used is now a commercial plane and it's tail name is DRFC

[Chris Black come back]

The original Doncaster Rovers Football Club Linited is also still existent. This was what Westferry bought and (I think) was the historic entity that had the lease on Belle Vue assigned to it. Why they still have the business ticking over I have no idea. It does have some modest assets still contained within.

[VSC]

We did report this in more detail earlier this year here;

https://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk/index.php?topic=262105.msg699705#msg699705

[Jenny]

The name change only occurred a couple of weeks ago.

[NickDRFC]

Are these people supposed to be people of any note? genuinely never heard of any of these shareholders other than the obvious.

Guessing just random friends of past and present shareholders.

This is a bit disingenous, they have all put money into the club to become shareholders so have all done their bit.

[Jenny]

The shares that they own are pretty worthless:

80,000 Michael Garrity (0.3%)
107,000 VSC (0.4%)
334,684 Michael Collett (1.3%)
1,000 Joseph Cartwright (0.003%)
25,890,924 - Club Doncaster (98.02%)

As you can see, Club Doncaster own over 98% of Doncaster Rovers Limite. There isn't an open market for selling shares in a private company, and I imagine the only reason they still hold shares (The VSC as an exception) is because they are effectively worthless, with no voting power, and therefore Club Doncaster (effectively the Watson & Bramall families) see no worth whatsoever in buying the shares.

[Chris Black come back]

Yes - as I said, the company is totally controlled by the two families.

What Jenny is the potential logic for the original Doncaster Rovers Football Club Limited still bring in existence (even if dormant) and what assets does it control? I imagine since the lease was surrendered on Belle Vue there is nothing left?

[Jenny]

Its hard to say, they have a small company accounts exemption so what is in their filed accounts is very basic.

Winding up a company costs £££ and they have net liabilities so those who they owe money to would have to agree to it also.

[RedJ]

Are these people supposed to be people of any note? genuinely never heard of any of these shareholders other than the obvious.

Guessing just random friends of past and present shareholders.

This is a bit disingenous, they have all put money into the club to become shareholders so have all done their bit.

Well I didn't quite mean it like that. I'm just not familiar with any of these people's names.

[silent majority]

Are these people supposed to be people of any note? genuinely never heard of any of these shareholders other than the obvious.

Guessing just random friends of past and present shareholders.

This is a bit disingenous, they have all put money into the club to become shareholders so have all done their bit.

Well I didn't quite mean it like that. I'm just not familiar with any of these people's names.

As far as I'm aware Michael Collett is still a big supporter of the club and attends matches regularly.

[Dutch Uncle]

Is that the same Mike Collett that wrote an excellent book that I have titled 'The Complete Record of the FA Cup'

The reason I ask is that in the short 2 page Introduction the author Mike Collett tells a story which he says 'captures the magic of the FA Cup like no other'. It involves non-league Wigan defeating Doncaster Rovers in a replay in 1965, and the Wigan hero Harry Lyon, was carried off with 'sprained ankle ligaments' and fortified by tablets and whisky, came back on to score a hattrick.

I am not sure if it is the same Mike Collett because there is no mention that he is a Rovers supporter, and there is a suggestion he might be a Spurs fan (favourite moment Ricky Villa's Cup Final winning goal for Spurs). The author Mike Collett was born in 1953, and was living in London when the book was first published in 2003.

Just a coincidence?

[silent majority]

Doubt that Dutch. MC lives on Jersey and was part owner of Air Atlantique up until his retirement.

[sheffield exile1]

At the "famous" AGM at the back room in the Park Hotel when "Uncle Ken" was selling us the dream of a new stand, minus the petrol cans he maligned two directors who wouldn't give him total control of the club, saying, I vividly remember, they weren't honourable gentlemen- his exact words. One was a certain John Ryan the other, yes you guessed Mike Collett. Nuff said?......

[Dutch Uncle]

Doubt that Dutch. MC lives on Jersey and was part owner of Air Atlantique up until his retirement.

Thanks SM, a bit more digging and it seems to me there are indeed two separate Mike Colletts. The other was Reuter's global football editor, not a job to be done in parallel with Air Atlantique. Quite a coincidence with the Rovers story in the introduction of the book though.

[Chris Black come back]

Amazing that someone like Collett has played an important role with Rovers over many, many years but few if any of us know who he is.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Amazing that someone like Collett has played an important role with Rovers over many, many years but few if any of us know who he is.

Collett was one of those people who kept the club just about managing in the days before the ante required to sit at the table went out of control.

He's a throwback to the days when small town clubs didn't need half-billionaire benefactors to bankroll a £4-5-6M wage bill in Div 3 in order to survive. The days when it was about cutting your cloth to fit your means.

Maybe those days weren't that bad. The days before football became a rich man's plaything at the top level, and everyone else had to lash out the cash to survive.

[Chris Black come back]

Any ideas about the other two - Garrity and Cartwright?

[NickDRFC]

Someone I know used to be on the board, joined back in the conference days and was still involved up until a few years ago, I met Mike Garritty a few times - he came on board about the same time. Pretty sure he was a friend of JR's who he persuaded to put a bit of money in, he went to a few games but don't think he was really that interested. No idea about Cartwright, the only name like that which rings a bell is Miles Cartwright who I believe was on the commercial team back in the conference years.