US invasion' of English soccer

[Lauren Hynde]

"Poor" in football is always a relative term.

A poor performance by a team in the upper half of the Premiership could be seen as a brilliant performance if it had been from a team in a lower division.

The price of world class football players is ridiculous. I remember when professional footballers were paid little more than the average working man. Without new money, UK football would have been in serious financial trouble when TV fees dropped. Many clubs are still surviving with impractical business plans and losses that would make most bank managers suggest hara-kiri as the only solution left. Football isn't about financial sense.

The financing of the purchase of Manchester United depended on so many unknowns that it shouldn't have happened. Now it has, but the finances are still like a house of cards. One piece removed, and the whole lot could collapse in disaster. The longer the structure stands, the stronger it gets, but I wouldn't want to be a Manchester United Board member...

Og

Yes, it's all very relative. But the fact is that Manchester United makes more money selling shirts than the entire budget of any of the teams who eliminated them from the Champions League in the last three years, for example.

 

[oggbashan]

Yes, it's all very relative. But the fact is that Manchester United makes more money selling shirts than the entire budget of any of the teams who eliminated them from the Champions League in the last three years, for example.

I think the Glasers bought Manchester United for the merchandising, not the football. Half the boys in my town wear Man U shirts yet most have no idea where Manchester is. 'Up North somewhere' is the closest guess.

They do know Ibiza, the Algarve, Disney Florida but why would they visit Manchester?

Og

 

[English Lady]

And the world of football laughed its ass off, the day Manchester United tried to pass itself for poor.

No one is claiming that Manchester United is poor - just that Alex Ferguson has a limited budget to buy players with -huuuuugggge difference. All the dosh earned is going to pay off Glaser's debt.

But it's okay, I realise that our current non-bank breaking success is just another thing for football fans worldwide to be jealous of.

 

[R. Richard]

I think the Glasers bought Manchester United for the merchandising, not the football. Half the boys in my town wear Man U shirts yet most have no idea where Manchester is. 'Up North somewhere' is the closest guess.

They do know Ibiza, the Algarve, Disney Florida but why would they visit Manchester?

Og

A few years back, the Dallas Cowboys were "America's team." People all over the US wore fake Cowboy herseys, etc. Most of them knew where Dallas was, but had no desire to go there, just to be part of the Dallas championship run. Apparently things are not all that different in England.

 

[jeanne_d_artois]

A few years back, the Dallas Cowboys were "America's team." People all over the US wore fake Cowboy herseys, etc. Most of them knew where Dallas was, but had no desire to go there, just to be part of the Dallas championship run. Apparently things are not all that different in England.

But you will find Manchester United shirts being worn in rural China, in Japan, in large parts of SE Asia, in sub-saharan Africa.

I don't think the Dallas Cowboys has that much market penetration. Man U is nearly as ubiquitous as Coca-Cola.

Jeanne for Og

 

[drksideofthemoon]

I think the Glasers bought Manchester United for the merchandising, not the football. Half the boys in my town wear Man U shirts yet most have no idea where Manchester is. 'Up North somewhere' is the closest guess.

They do know Ibiza, the Algarve, Disney Florida but why would they visit Manchester?

Og

I was wondering what Fag-Ash Lil's take on the 'doughboys' coming back is?

 

[pop_54]

I was wondering what Fag-Ash Lil's take on the 'doughboys' coming back is?

Dunno but Slack-Alice isn't too amused about all this

 

[Goldie Munro]

Do football fans really care who 'owns' or gives money to their teams as long as their team is well managed and win?

I know nothing by the way! (about football!)

 

[Lauren Hynde]

No one is claiming that Manchester United is poor - just that Alex Ferguson has a limited budget to buy players with -huuuuugggge difference. All the dosh earned is going to pay off Glaser's debt.

But it's okay, I realise that our current non-bank breaking success is just another thing for football fans worldwide to be jealous of.

I think you're missing my point, EL. The fact is, Manchester United has been knocked-off the Champions League by clubs with yearly budgets for the entire football department that wouldn't be enough to pay the salary of two or three of their players. Alex Ferguson's "limited budget", as you call it, would be enough to keep the entire Portuguese League (which is the 5th in the UEFA ranking and whose teams have been pretty good at knocking out the English ones in the last few years) for three years.

Of course football fans are jealous of Manchester United. But we're jealous of your money, definitely not of your ability to make due with little...

 

[pop_54]

I think you're missing my point, EL. The fact is, Manchester United has been knocked-off the Champions League by clubs with yearly budgets for the entire football department that wouldn't be enough to pay the salary of two or three of their players. Alex Ferguson's "limited budget", as you call it, would be enough to keep the entire Portuguese League (which is the 5th in the UEFA ranking and whose teams have been pretty good at knocking out the English ones in the last few years) for three years.

Of course football fans are jealous of Manchester United. But we're jealous of your money, definitely not of your ability to make due with little...

Man U's budget would sort out the national debt of half a dozen third world countries

 

[R. Richard]

Do football fans really care who 'owns' or gives money to their teams as long as their team is well managed and win?

I know nothing by the way! (about football!)

The answer to your question is that who owns a sports team often has quite a bit to do with how well managed the team is and how the team does in competition. A good general manager can get the necessary players and a good coach can then obtain results from said players. A poor general manager will tend to get inferior players and a poor coach will tend to get less than the potential from players.

 

[SimonBrooke]

Do football fans really care who 'owns' or gives money to their teams as long as their team is well managed and win?

I know nothing by the way! (about football!)

They do, passionately.

I can say this with confidence, not being a football fan but living with one. When Glaser bought United it was like a death in the family - or worse, I think. Weeks and weeks of tears and tantrums. And the existence of the rebel club is evidence that my partner is not by any means alone. For football fans it seems that club allegiance is more intimately part of their personal identity than anything else - certainly than nationality, probably than family.

This isn't like cycling. I follow CSC and Bouygues Telecom pretty much equally. When Basso left CSC to join Disco this winter I was gutted, because I'll find it pretty hard to cheer anyone in a Disco shirt. But I will, because he's a great cyclist.

 

[Seamus123]

They do, passionately.

I can say this with confidence, not being a football fan but living with one. When Glaser bought United it was like a death in the family - or worse, I think. Weeks and weeks of tears and tantrums. And the existence of the rebel club is evidence that my partner is not by any means alone. For football fans it seems that club allegiance is more intimately part of their personal identity than anything else - certainly than nationality, probably than family.

This isn't like cycling. I follow CSC and Bouygues Telecom pretty much equally. When Basso left CSC to join Disco this winter I was gutted, because I'll find it pretty hard to cheer anyone in a Disco shirt. But I will, because he's a great cyclist.

There was a giant, huge uproar when Glazer took over. And sure, there's now a big debt to the club, but they're expanding the stadium. We've got a great team, we're top of the Premiership and the Champions League is looking more of a viable proposition than it has for the past couple of years, so I can't really complain.