James Barclay

[Futre4]

Given that Liverpool have been bought out by sheik mohammed ( I follow horse racing this guy is loaded) or at least they will be soon. It begs the question is it all getting a little silly. Is it about football or football managment anymore or who has richest 'Fan' ( I say this with a pinch of salt given Abramovich wanted Man utd before chelsea , how big a fan can he be).
Also to push the question to the next level , should their be wage caps or even transfer caps on teams. One idea that came up a few years ago was to have at least a certain amount of youth players in the team , (this is a grey area given teams can buy 14 year olds from other clubs nowadays but hey ). But ultimately what is everyones opinion on the new billionaires hobby of buying teams. I know this is a few questions rolled into one but it gives good scope for a variety of opinions.
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I always knew Chang was Chinese Intelligence.

http://richardpmurfin.wordpress.com/

[Mantyluoto]

I think that all money does is inflate the ego's of the players making them believe they are worth more than they already are. now if some rich billionaire wants to buy a cluvb and have it as a status symbol then fair play to them. As long as it is a UK club and the money is coming to the UK.

the question whether it makes a difference to the game is i don't think so. Liverpool were one of the greatest teams ever, Spurs have ridden high as well and that is without money yet teams like Chelsea haven't conquered the premiership, they have had bad games and lower placed teams know they can be beaten and so the skill will come back to the game.

[Parmenion]

i think its slowly killing the game, making a elite that others cannot compete with, its also inviting the criminal element into a lucrative market.

BTW: despite Roman buying chelski over man u i think he is a fan, at least of the game if not a club, he turns up for every game, and given his business intrests that shows commitment, im sure many of us who are or have been commited fans know just how hard it is going to every game. even if its chopper flown and limo driven, things get in the way..so he is commited at least!

[Drizzt]

It all depends on how the money is being spent. Clubs nowadays are running on such thin profit margins, if they're making profit at all, success is essential to stay afloat and so clubs buy for now rather than for the future. There's only a handful of clubs out there now actively funding young players and youth systems.

The scary thing is the big three are three of the main players here too. Man Utd have always had a good youth system, thanks mainly to Fergie's being there so long and structuring the club his way; Chelsea are buying young players from all over the place, though too few from our shores for my liking; and Arsenal, well, Wenger's a master at spotting and nurturing young talent.

Wage caps are now illegal, thanks to good old Jimmy Hill and his mates from yester-year, and will probably never be allowed back in. I'd love to see them myself. Clubs would then, in theory, have more cash available to actually run themselves. Players could make as much as they like from sponsorship - that's the sponsors' problem - but these 6-digit weekly wages need to stop. It's vulgar, they don't earn it, and there is so much more which could be done with that kind of money.
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Pagan Music

[sir robin]

have to agree on the salary caps. It works well in the nfl so why not here and would give more chance to lower clubs to stay afloat.
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I phoned a psyhic hotline and they told me they see a large phonebill in my future

[Drizzt]

I suppose it depends on how high the cap would be.
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Pagan Music

[Futre4]

Most of what was said I agree with , that said I think I am a hypocrit if a billionaire wanted to buy Newcastle id welcome him open arms
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I always knew Chang was Chinese Intelligence.

http://richardpmurfin.wordpress.com/

[Drizzt]

Bah! You guys have spent a fortune and stil won nowt! (so says a Sunderland fan mind... tad biased... and depressed )
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Pagan Music

[Futre4]

heh I am equally as depressed, then again we have picked up some results recently (beat reading, qualified for europe) , but your right we have spent very badly, other than parker he was the bargain of the century. Im mystified by owen though , i think hes finished certainly not an england star anymore. I shouldnt say this it may be against my relgion or something, but i think sunderland will pick up and finish well.
_________________
I always knew Chang was Chinese Intelligence.

http://richardpmurfin.wordpress.com/

[Saxx]

Im going to love it when Liverpool start winning things again, and hear them try and defend how they have "bought" their silverware like chelsea have supposedly, it should be very amusing.
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Excuse me, is your refrigerator running? Because if it is, it probably runs like you - very homosexually - Peter Griffin

[Max Power]

I have no problem with any club 'buying' success. It's always been the way, it's just that it's far more pronounced these days. Sure you need good managers, but cash has always spoken in football and always will.

Personally I'm not a fan of wage capping, but perhaps my view is tainted by supporting a big club. Like I say though, money speaks in football - always has, always will.
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If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.

[Saxx]

I dont agree with a limit on transfer fees, its the only way smaller clubs can compete with billionaire owners of others. Charge inflated prices to the clubs who can afford it, sounds like good business to me. Then at least they have a chance of bringing in a few players themselves.
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Excuse me, is your refrigerator running? Because if it is, it probably runs like you - very homosexually - Peter Griffin

[Futre4]

All i know is no matter what laws are brought in the clubs just find their way around them , remember the 3 forreigners rule in Italy , all they did was get good lawyers to give them euro passports, if wage caps were initialised , i get a feeling all they would do (the big clubs ) would still have control via offering the players huge signing on fees instead.
Itl be interesting to see what Platinis new directives can do, the 6 home grown players for each euro team is an interesting one, but what do they mean home grown ?,does that mean native or through the youth ranks?.
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I always knew Chang was Chinese Intelligence.

http://richardpmurfin.wordpress.com/

[DeathJunior]

There most certainly should be a limit on how much footballers can earn.

**** all!
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Dan Jaines a walking dictionary of Danisms

[Drizzt]

Good lawyers? Ha! The majority simply had documents forged citing many a grandparent with sudden european roots - especially in Portugal. Half the Brazilian/Argentinian leagues' players seemed to develop dual-nationality overnight.

Then there are the age issues...

The worrying side of the spending issue, for me at least, is people like the Iranian chap (Joorabchian?) who heads that conglomerate who own the contracts for Tevez and Mascherano. I don't like the idea of big syndicates owning a player's contract as opposed to his team. The clubs have no power, the player even less... luckily this is something we've not had much bother with in the UK but in Brazil it's becoming quite common. Everything from these same syndicates owning large portions of a player's contract down to their parents owning the contracts...

Football is being, and has been for a few years now, exploited by rich businessmen from abroad. Or, perhaps exploited is the wrong word. These mega-rich businessmen are coming in, using players as investments and clubs as tools, making a fast buck and leaving. Everything 'behind the scenes' has been heading towards becoming more corporate rather than more passionate for a long time. Is this good? Bad?

Ever sine the advent of the Champions League, football has become a mega money industry. It incorporates everything a potential investor in the game would want: worldwide customer base offering repeat business, massive sponsorship, massive coverage, easy customer access... and soooo many legal loop holes most law students could have a lot of fun with any case. Hell, the current transfer system can be contrued, if so wished, as being against EU regulations.

The problem is those now willing to invest in the game are very rarely looking to invest for the sake of the sport or the sake of the club. Too few 'local businessmen' own profitable clubs and the business side is insanely cutthroat with tiny, if any, profit margins and most big clubs in the world floating on credit.

The spending will never stop. It's all gone too far to go back. Clubs are so in debt they need to make ANY money they can which means they must invest money which means transfers, big ones, to bring in the revenue and drag in the fans. And that's the ironic crux of the entire thing - the fans are the most relied upon, most necessary and most blinkered component in the business that is football. We see everything going on, bitch about it over drinks in the pubs on a Sunday when the match is on, yet week on week we turn out in numbers that would have toppled most ancient civilizations, and pay our money. We keep to traditions long-since lost from the boardroom and in doing so we add to the weights of the wallets of those who are doing exactly the opposite... funny old game, isn't it.
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Pagan Music