Finnity Sets The Date

Finnity believes("confident" anyone?) that the takeover will now be completed by the next Football League meeting which is on the above date.

If this is true, and we have heard similar in the past, then Notts would finally come out of administration (Hurray!!) after being in it for a record breaking 16 months.

The fans will be hoping to finally leave the dark cloud that is administration

"I think we'll be looking at October 7," Finnity told the Nottingham Evening Post. "That is the date of the next Football League board meeting.

"If all goes well I think that is the date when we will be looking to have our share transferred back to the club.

"That is the important thing, not coming out of administration.

"Once the new owners are in place and the business has been transferred to them, it doesn't really matter what happens to the old company.

"That company may remain in administration for a little while longer, but that is largely irrelevant.

"The important thing is having the share in the club transferred back to us on October 7.

"Then the running of the club can be taken over by the new consortium and we can start looking to the future."

Finnity also insists that things are running smoothly as regards the Blenheim consortium's takeover.

"At the moment, three groups of lawyers are talking to each other," he said.

"We have our lawyers talking to the Blenheim consortium's lawyers and, in addition, people are talking to Derek Pavis's lawyers, with regard to the West Stand.

"It is more complex than that but it is basically a question of crossing the 't's and dotting the 'i's.

"We are happy with the way things are going, there have been no problems.

"Nobody from outside has tried to rock the boat and hopefully it will remain that way."

The initial £1.4m takeover deal is only the first step in securing the future of the club.

In the near future, probably before Christmas, the new owners will enter into negotiations with several companies over a property deal.

The sale of the new lease on the Meadow Lane ground, which will be granted by the City Council once the takeover deal is completed, is expected to raise a further £1.8m, to pay off the club's remaining debts.

"The encouraging thing for fans is that the people taking over the club have the future of Notts County at heart," he said.

"There will be a property deal done in the near future, over the sale of the lease.

"There are several companies already interested in doing that and I would expect something to happen in the near future.

"What you almost had before was a situation where people wanted to buy the club as a property investment, where they were almost willing to take on a football club as a side issue.

"Now they are two separate things."