Saul on Sunday
They think it’s all over………
The Government are entering a period described as time added on for injuries and stoppages.
Much has been said about the recent financial woes of football clubs, especially since the last casualty, Portsmouth FC, was a member of that elite cash generating cow that is the Premier League.
Labour are said to be planning reforming the way our clubs are run.
Now this may be an admirable idea, the recent “green and gold until we are sold” campaign by Manchester United fans and the Liverpool fans attempts to also rid themselves of their American owners has received lots of publicity. Both of these clubs would be attractive propositions for their large fan bases to buy into.
But what about the likes of Darlington FC currently languishing at the foot of League 2 and facing relegation to non league football? The couple of thousand who regularly turn up to watch them would have no chance of raising the necessary capital.
That the government are looking to control the financial side of football, especially on the subject of foreign ownership can only be a good thing. But it needs to go much further than that. The football authorities need to put their houses in order before someone else does it for them.
When Labour came to power one of the first things they did was to set up the football Task Force, if they were serious about this they have had 13 years to sort it out.
The fact that this latest news comes just before a general election could lead to the more cynical amongst us thinking it was just a cheap electioneering stunt…..
For all you footy fans out there, HERE is a bit of fun.
-
1
April 4, 2010 at 19:37 -
Who gives a f*ck?
It’s a sport followed by yobs and dullards, a bit like rugby which is just followed by dullards. -
2
April 4, 2010 at 19:44 -
Here we go again the government interfering where they have no right to. The F.A. the premiership and football in general have got their house in disorder then it is up to them to reorder it.
The government in there interference with banks, businesses and our social fabric have only postponed the inevitable and so doing made the tsunami that is about descend on one and all that much much worse.
-
3
April 4, 2010 at 19:47 -
JimToo, you know where you can stick that comment about rugby? And sideways.
-
4
April 4, 2010 at 20:28 -
I still don’t get how people can get a huge loan to buy a football club but then once they take ownership, transfer the liability for that debt from themselves to the club.
Thats what seems to have happened in quite a number of clubs and seems to be happening to Manchster United (albeit slowly).
The sooner its made illegal to rack up a huge loan, buy a club and then scarper once the tranfer of the debt is complete and the club is lumbered with the loan the better.
-
5
April 4, 2010 at 21:50 -
Having read Antisthenes’ reply to JimToo’s about rugby, don’t you think yobs follow rugby as well? It’s only a game after all.
-
6
April 4, 2010 at 23:13 -
“The sooner its made illegal to rack up a huge loan, buy a club and then scarper once the tranfer of the debt is complete and the club is lumbered with the loan the better.”
It isn’t just football clubs where this happens. You’ll find it occurs in the non-football business world as well. It is called a leveraged buyout – financing the purchase by borrowing debt against the worth of the business you are buying. The business is then taken private and the debt transferred to it.
-
7
April 4, 2010 at 23:19 -
Antisthenes
You’re a dullard and a yob. Therefore you probably don’t have much of a life
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }