Robinho!!!

Originally posted by scoop122
we have a mr vidic on the line direct from a football team near manchester....

rec'd!

I agree with Angry Boy though. Having another billionaire club at the top doesn't really help the league, it just broadens the gap.

Originally posted by Angry Boy
So, let me get this straight. You want Man City (not your club) to break into the top 4 to break the "strong-hold"?

... and when Man City, Chelsea and maybe Man Utd break away from the rest becoming even more powerful and reducing the EPL to an almost too simple "who has the richest billionaire owner" this will be good how?

Changing who's in the stro ...[text shortened]... a term self-coined by fans of teams outside the top 4) have a different team to despise.

I seeyour point but I object to the real football fans comment. I was brought up in the Manchester area and supported Man U since I was 8 Spent every other sat throughout my teens queing up to stand on the terraces,watching the likes of Charlton Law and Best,then after the european cup, went through the misery years, relegation I saw Dennis Law relegate us ,division 2 ,and many potless years.Yes I hate what is happening financialy, Yes I hate the Glaziers,Yes I hate all the band wagon jumping fans,BUT MAN UTD ARE MY TEAM ALLWAYS HAVE BEEN ALLWAYS WILL,I HAVE GOT TOTHE POINT WERE I HAVE TO APPOLOGISE TO OTHER SOCCER FANS FOR SUPPORTING THEM, BUT WHAT CAN I DO. YOU CANT CHANGEYOUR TEAM

Originally posted by smartrrrrs
I seeyour point but I object to the real football fans comment.

Read carefully, I'm not having a go at you. I'm having a go at the people who call themselves "real fans" based solely on the fact that they don't support one of the top 4. It doesn't matter how many games you attend, according to this lot if you support a big 4 club you're a gloryhunter and plastic by default. It's simply bitterness.

I think the Man City situation is terrible for football. What we have is a bunch of very wealthy people buying a PR vehicle, they don't need to run it as a business because they have virtually never ending cash. What happens when/if the Dubai lot buy Liverpool and do the same? We'll have Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City with unlimited spending and inevitably eventually pulling even further away from everyone else (bar ManU and possibly Arsenal) in the league. How is this good? How is it any different from what we have now? (except that the gap gets wider).

I'd like to see all teams competing on a level playing field (i.e. being forced to run the clubs as a business like everyone else).

Originally posted by Angry Boy
I'd like to see all teams competing on a level playing field (i.e. being forced to run the clubs as a business like everyone else).

I've made this argument before, but it was pointed out to me that businesses can be run at a loss while the brand is being built.

I think salary caps will need to be implemented. Otherwise, things are going to go out of control.

D

Not Yevil town surely

some good points folks
do you think most investors are looking for the well known ' sleeping giant ' syndrome ?
they want a club which has a massive fan base but has under achieved,,,, please mention my beloved lfc if you want to.....see you in rome :-)........ on the grounds that they are relatively cheap to buy but have ' potential '
i actually think the money in football has gone beyond obscene for a while now. how man utd generate the money they do is a puzzle and a credit to them but, as referred to earlier. anyone earning over a hundred thousand pounds per week is bizarre considering what normal people get by on.

Originally posted by scoop122
some good points folks
do you think most investors are looking for the well known ' sleeping giant ' syndrome ?
they want a club which has a massive fan base but has under achieved,,,, please mention my beloved lfc if you want to.....see you in rome :-)........ on the grounds that they are relatively cheap to buy but have ' potential '
i actually think ...[text shortened]... over a hundred thousand pounds per week is bizarre considering what normal people get by on.

I think that Abramovich & Thaksin are money launderers but also chose "bigger" clubs so they could justify the expeditures (washing more money) coupled with the BIGGER benefit of being high profile and better political shelters.

I think the rationale of Abu Dabi types is different and they are looking for a club that could be successful very very quickly and that is their primary objective.

Originally posted by MrHand
I think that Abramovich & Thaksin are money launderers but also chose "bigger" clubs so they could justify the expeditures (washing more money) coupled with the BIGGER benefit of being high profile and better political shelters.

I think the rationale of Abu Dabi types is different and they are looking for a club that could be successful very very quickly and that is their primary objective.

fair point but do you think they just have money to waste or do they seriously expect to re-coup hundreds of millions of pounds ? it can't be done through gate receipts alone.
i am reminded thet the most watched game of club television in the world was actually manchester city vs everton as both had chinese players and they put it up for subscription.
does anyone feel the earlier idea stated of a sslary cap is either beneficiasl or remotely possible ?
it will be more than interesting watching man city over next five to seven years

Originally posted by scoop122
some good points folks
do you think most investors are looking for the well known ' sleeping giant ' syndrome ?
they want a club which has a massive fan base but has under achieved,,,, please mention my beloved lfc if you want to.....see you in rome :-)........ on the grounds that they are relatively cheap to buy but have ' potential '
i actually think ...[text shortened]... over a hundred thousand pounds per week is bizarre considering what normal people get by on.

Scoop mate, Liverpool is not a "cheap" option. Those septic tanks want a profit before they bow out so it's going to cost at least £500M to buy the club. Add to that the cost of a much needed new stadium ang we're talking over £800M. Of course, in the long run, with a 75k seater stadium and a shrewder CEO and marketing team, LFC could start taking the same kind of money that ManU and Arsenal do on a matchday, but whether anyone would make any money from it until sold again I doubt.

Clubs like Man City and Newcastle have big, newish stadia and large fan bases. Unlike QPR, they're also in the Premiership too for starters! They'll be much cheaper options than LFC. If they can tempt quality managers (I rate Hughes but don't know if he'll survive the expectations of the new owners) to come and spend big bucks on players then they have a serious chance of challenging the big 4.

I love LFC. I enjoy the quality of the players and the football in the Premiership but English football has become one big circus since the dawn of the SKY era. I don't mind the extra money in the game because stadia are full and clever marketing is drawing it in. But Abramovich, Abu Dabi etc are taking the game to somewhere I'm not sure I like.

Originally posted by MrHand
I think that Abramovich & Thaksin are money launderers but also chose "bigger" clubs so they could justify the expeditures (washing more money) coupled with the BIGGER benefit of being high profile and better political shelters.

I think the rationale of Abu Dabi types is different and they are looking for a club that could be successful very very quickly and that is their primary objective.

Abramovich doesn't need to launder money... He's a Russian oligarch.

D

Originally posted by Ragnorak
Abramovich doesn't need to launder money... He's a Russian oligarch.

D

That didn't help Khodorkovsky (Yukos). I think that Abramovich saw writing on the wall for potential govt. (re)takeovers of the oil industry. I think that Abramovich hedged his bets by insulating his money by putting some of it in Chelsea.

Originally posted by Angry Boy
[b]So, let me get this straight. You want Man City (not your club) to break into the top 4 to break the "strong-hold"?

I am a realist and dont live in a fantasy world where 'my team' is the test in the whole world😉

Originally posted by spurs73
I am a realist and dont live in a fantasy world where 'my team' is the test in the whole world😉

I presume you mean "best" not "test". That makes your sentence read a bit better but I have no idea how it answers the question.

Originally posted by Angry Boy
I presume you mean "best" not "test". That makes your sentence read a bit better but I have no idea how it answers the question.

sorry yes i did mean best.

What i am saying is that the game now is all about money and who has the most.

City have now become the richest club in the world(?), Spurs cant compete with citys spending power.

Liverpool could well be the next team to be taken over by a arab business, if not i feel they or Arsenal will lose their top 4 place this season to Man City.

The PL will go to Chelsea or Man Utd, on one else will come close to them.

I still think it is about the managers ,yes Chelsea have abought team but they are the only English team to ever do it,Yes of course an open cheque helps,but it is not the be all and end all,Yes open cheque books attract big managers,What we need is another Cloughie ,dont know what he would make of it all ,but his comments would be good