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Begibies Traynor bill for Southampton's takeover half-a-milion pounds


MARK Fry’s bill for being in charge of selling Saints could be close to half a million pounds.

Or, in other words, almost £5,000 A DAY.

The administrator had racked up a bill of £273,008 as long ago as May 27.

That was just 55 days after Fry’s company Begbies Traynor were called in after Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC had gone into voluntary administration.

At that point Fry’s daily bill to Saints was equivalent to £4,963.78 a day or around £340 an hour.

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If the costs have been running at the same rate since then, his estimated bill could end up about £486,450 based on 98 days of administration.

A spokesperson for Begbies told the Daily Echo: “This has been a complex case requiring negotiations with a range of creditors and interested purchasers for the sale of the assets of Southampton Leisure Holdings which include Southampton Football Club.

“The Administrator was invited by the Board of Southampton Leisure Holdings to take on this case and has done so on a risk basis – meaning that we will only get paid on the successful conclusion of SLH’s administration or sale of its assets.

“There are strict regulatory guidelines on how much an Administrator can be paid which is ordinarily from the assets of an entity either on a time cost basis or as a percentage of the value of the assets.”

Fry, meanwhile, believes Liebherr’s purchase represents a “fantastic opportunity to rebuild the club.

“Markus Liebherr was attracted to Southampton by a number of qualities which include the club’s rich sporting heritage, loyal fan base, first class stadium and training facilities and the potential for the Saints to regain their rightful place at the higher echelons of English football.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all Saints’ fans for their support and patience in what have been uncertain times for the club.

“I would also like to wish both Markus and the club well for future success.”


Your Say YourEcho

seedhouse, Ampfield says...
1:06pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Oh well, he got us a good deal in the end. Bit like a play and pay deal.

doversaint, Dover says...
1:07pm Thu 9 Jul 09

£5K/day, blimey I'm in the wrong line of work!

Rudd Gillett, Saffhampton says...
1:09pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Nice work if you can get it. At least we look like we are in good hands now. So thanks Mr Fry.

The_Shotster, Southampton says...
1:24pm Thu 9 Jul 09

It doesn't matter, we know these things are not cheap. I think under the circumstances Mark Fry and his company have done a fantastic, professional job.

curly99, Jersey says...
1:37pm Thu 9 Jul 09

No wonder it took him so long to sell the club on 5K a day

LWsaint, Lightwater says...
1:38pm Thu 9 Jul 09

sw - game-cash

Well done Mark Fry

St Retford, Manchester says...
1:51pm Thu 9 Jul 09

To be honest, I thought it would be more than that.

Jesus_02, Freemantle says...
1:57pm Thu 9 Jul 09

I dont think that this story is that relevent really.

I think he did a good job.

He tried to keep fans informed (which he had no requirement to do )

sw = name-wage

I really would like to know how they make these things up

matt del torro, milan says...
1:59pm Thu 9 Jul 09

its quite a bit cheaper than id thought it would be

brennothornhill, manchester says...
2:03pm Thu 9 Jul 09

less than what i earn

sw ican-wish

RupertLoweIsGod, Alton says...
2:11pm Thu 9 Jul 09

5k a day? Thats 25k a week.

For that sort of money he should be playing in the premiership!

Condor Man, Southampton says...
2:14pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Money well spend, Mark Fry is due an MBE for his efforts. Well done.

Ringwood Saint, Ringwood says...
2:26pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Shame the deal wasn't done earlier thou, I suspect that McGoldrick was sold to cover the wages and then Surman was sold to cover his fees, when he became concerned that a deal might not happen......

SaintPaul, says...
2:28pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Working it the other way Begbies fee based on the sale price of £13m is only 3.8%

Who are 'Begibies' anyway - Nice typo again Echo!

brummysaint, Birmingham says...
2:28pm Thu 9 Jul 09

almost £500k, that is nothing to what football agents get.
Money well spent.

jealous Pomp*y fans eat your hearts out!

Super-Saintz, Swanmore says...
2:51pm Thu 9 Jul 09

don't care...he was worth every penny... thanks again Mark you have done us proud...

SW = meal-come

(I'd take him out for one)

Northern Saint, Selby says...
3:16pm Thu 9 Jul 09

As i understand it, the creditors pay this anyway as he is acting for them.

Wish the Echo wouldn't try and stir things up!!!

H0ckeyd, Southampton says...
3:22pm Thu 9 Jul 09

and worth every penny; although I would SERIOUSLY like to know why he passed Liebherr up for the Pinnacle Debacle in the first place....if it was only because of Matty and Crouch, I think he let familiarity get in the way of a billionaire.

Rossbkr C.O.Y.R, southampton says...
4:18pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Saints won't pay his bill! Norwich or aviva now will and so will barclays! He in theory worked for them not us! Why even mention this thou echo?

oxfordsaint1973, Whiteley says...
4:44pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Rossbkr C.O.Y.R wrote:
Saints won't pay his bill! Norwich or aviva now will and so will barclays! He in theory worked for them not us! Why even mention this thou echo?
I think you'll find the purchaser has to pay the administrators fee - at least the 500 grand will pay the petrol bill for his Bentley - nice for all the staff to see when they scrimping and saving because their wages weren't paid. I think a big thank you should be made to all the loyal staff who stuck by the club even when they weren't paid - that's loyalty - forget the players - most of them can afford to not be paid for a month or two.

UTS, says...
5:06pm Thu 9 Jul 09

Yet more tabloid trash reporting.

You will be hacking phones soon !

BenJovi, Patcham says...
8:25pm Thu 9 Jul 09

This is loose change for our Marcus anyway. He's got 2.5 billion for goodness sake.

boondocksaint08, Boston says...
3:13am Fri 10 Jul 09

Rupert Lowe should be forced to pay the bills, it was his doing that got us into it, but I'm not complaining at all. No more Rupert was all I wanted, that and SFC alive and well, the Swiss billionaire is just a massive massive bonus :)

icannotrace, says...
5:00am Fri 10 Jul 09

RupertLoweIsGod wrote:
5k a day? Thats 25k a week. For that sort of money he should be playing in the premiership!
Mate...there are 7 days in a week make that 35k

Rich Unemployed Saint, Warmley says...
12:01pm Sat 11 Jul 09

Let's put things into perspective here; players earn that amount of money for 1 or possibly 2 games of football each week; where did their efforts get SFC last year. Then look at the administrator he got paid £5k a day (money well spent) and got SFC the best possible deal anyone could have ever imagined; quit your moaning and give Mark Fry and Markus Liebherr a big pat on the back for an excellent job well done. We now have a club that will be playing Premiership football in 3 years time.

Comments are closed on this article.

HARD SELL: Mark Fry Mark Fry

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