Robbie Stelling discusses the latest takeover developments at Hartlepool United on the latest episode of the Poolie Podcast.
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00:00Might as well just start with the latest takeover situation, Robbie.
00:02Obviously Pools fans still waiting with increasingly bated breath for a positive resolution to takeover talks at the VIC.
00:11Deadline of May 5th was given, obviously, when he stepped on as chairman in terms of him funding the club.
00:18Obviously, we've had a couple of updates since then from the interim board after the first couple of weeks or so to say that the talks were progressing.
00:25It all seemed relatively positive, at least, that there's interest in at least one party.
00:32But yeah, obviously, understandably, things are a little quiet at the minute as confidential talks go on.
00:37What's your latest understanding and how worried should Pools fans be given the date of May 5th is looming of an era?
00:45Well, I think it's natural that fans are concerned.
00:48And Rich, as you say, there's only three weeks, even less than three weeks until the end of the season, when, of course, as we know, Raj Singh has vowed to stop funding the club.
00:59That's clearly a hugely significant date.
01:03As you say, there hasn't been a lot of news, certainly not public news.
01:07At times like this, it can be difficult to separate fact from fiction.
01:11We've obviously had a couple of updates from the interim board, assuming, as you probably would at this stage, that talks are at a relatively advanced stage.
01:21Then I suppose it makes sense that we have not heard too much because of, as you said, there are things like non-disclosure agreements.
01:28Confidentiality is supremely important.
01:30That's previously been a sticking point for Raj Singh in any previous takeover negotiations.
01:36Obviously, there has been, I don't know whether to call it an issue, but the last update that we had from the interim board said that while proof of funds had been provided, they hadn't been deposited.
01:47Clearly, those are two significant steps, as I said previously, just because they haven't been deposited don't mean that they won't be.
01:55There's obviously a legal process to go through in between the providing of the proof of funds and the deposition of them.
02:01It's really difficult to know what stage we're necessarily at in that regard.
02:06Rich, obviously, the hope has been that the takeover will be completed before May the 5th.
02:13I understand that the hope was the takeover would be completed before the end of this month.
02:19Inevitably, that's probably going to be something that changes.
02:23It's very difficult to predict exactly how negotiations are going to go.
02:27Although it certainly is significant, the fact that Raj Singh, through the interim board, conceded that there had been acceptable offers.
02:35That previously seems to be something that he's been slightly reluctant to do, even when it seems clear that there's been concrete interest in the past.
02:42He seems to have rubbished it and has obviously sort of lambasted a lot of the previous interested parties as time wasters.
02:52So I suppose by the admission of the fact that there has been acceptable offers is an admission that these are people Raj Singh feels he can deal with and negotiate.
03:01Clearly, that is significant.
03:03Obviously, May the 5th is the date that is looming on the horizon.
03:08Now, even if a takeover deal is not completed by then, Hartlepool United are not going to be faced with footballing oblivion on May the 6th.
03:17But obviously, it would be a less than ideal scenario.