EXCLUSIVE

ALBION'S NEAR MISS - HOW THE BAGGIES MIGHT HAVE HAD A NEW OWNER

22-08-2006

Aston Villa are about to be bought by the American millionaire Randy Lerner - but they aren't the only local club at the centre of takeover speculation.

Rumours have been rife for months that West Bromwich Albion are about to change owners too, with chairman Jeremy Peace quitting the Hawthorns.

Now, for the first time, The Stirrer can reveal the identity of the fan who wanted to buy the Baggies - and why he never will.

The man at the centre of the mystery is Roger Dickens, a local businessman who featured in the Sunday times Rich List with personal wealth estimated in the region of £40million.

He was an accountant who made serious money leading the floatation of the Manchester based computer firm iSoft on the stock exchange.

Dickens was also chair of the West Bromwich Building Society and the NEC and sat on the board of Carillion - formerly Tarmac.

The Stirrer understands that he was the leader of a consortium of wealthy Albion fans, disenchanted by Peace's leadership, who were preparing the ground for a takeover bid.

Any deal was scuppered though by Dickens untimely death in January.

That left the group of would-be owners without their richest member, and any possible deal fell by the wayside.

Sources close to the Albion tell us that although Roger Dickens was a minority shareholder, the board were unaware of any he plans he might have had to buy the club.

Fans may well be wishing that he had lived and been successful in his ambitions.

Although the club was relegated to the Championship in May, it's on a secure financial footing and fans are pointing accusing fingers at the boardroom for the lack of activity in the transfer market.

Albion have sold or released four strikers sine January (Horsefield, Earnshaw, Campbell and Kanu) but signed just one (John Hartson).