[Archived] Credit Crunch - From Nicko's Thread

[The Prof.]

The Credit crunch seems to have come to football with lots of moves depending on someone injecting a little liquidity. The AC Milan move of Ronldinho made me think that the sums clubs say they have to spend might not be real cash. I wonder if this would be a fair analysis:

Man Utd - Some liquidity but all borrowed - seem to have underbid a little for Berbatov - Awaiting King Juans cash to go to RM for Ronaldo? £25m to

spend?

Arsenal - Should have cash but slow to be linked - awaiting possible income from Adebayor? Cash borrowed against Erimates huge revenue £20m+

Chelsea - can spend forever (£16 m 4 year contract for Wayne Bridge for heavens sake!) In a league of their own but cash going abroad (and IKEA/Selfridges or Sandbanks pad keeping Ms Bridge happy) £infinity I'm afraid.

Liverpool - can't afford anyone big without selling -fairly skint, looking for any capital they can get, limit borrowed? £0

Everton - dreadfully skint - re-mortgaging re-mortgages. Arteta anyone? negative funds sell to buy until Kenwrights magician mate pull another rabbit out? £5m max borrowed of a pal?

Aston Villa - Loadsandloadsa......well might have but big name links died as Liverpool failed to find £17m for Barry. Short bid for Bentley pitiful one for Freidel

seem to have about £10m cash spare without sales

ROVERS - £10 m + maybe £3m but all CASH! Strong position in todays market in my opinion.

Man Citeh - Zilch - but willing to borrow big if (a big if guys) they can. Go there and they'll put your kids in hock. Did £25 million Citeh quids only equate to

£16m AC quids or wot?

Begs the question what a Manc quid actually does equate to!

Portsmouth - New cars/old cars 'arry will keep the liquidity situation moving at Pompey plus probably has cash. £25 million spends this year?

West Ham - Skint selling no cash. Might scrape £10m through more debts

Tottenham - Probably pulling enough from WHL to generate £15m cash (couldn't make the £17m for Bentley though apparently) and whatever Berbatov brings in - £25m on rubbish! (Still laughing at Levy being called a tough negotiator)

Wigan - A benevolent £5m maybe?

Middlesborough - £10m cash from Steve is usual

Fulham - Cash gone already on 2 second division players - oh dear! £0

Bolton - Whats going on here? - spending Anelka money and some. Doubt if much is left £0

Sunderland Unknown - £15m maybe but as they are dependent on Irish capital and thats in building portfolios who knows. It's worthless if no one will go there though

Newcastle - Up for sale - again who knows in Barcode wonderland.

Promoted clubs - currently using SKY cash. £18m between the 3 of them.

With the Crunch going to get worse holding onto REAL cash might just be the most prudent thing to do as 'big' clubs struggling to find or release liquidity through staged payments or debts. Rovers are in a very strong market position right now.

[Billy Castell]

I suppose things may be interesting by Janurary if we can keep a bit of ready cash to one side. Maybe things will go our way and other clubs will get kicked in the groin by the recession that is supposed to be happening, whilst we'll be reletively unscathed.

I'd love one or more of the big 4 to have a dire season, miss out on CL qualification and get beaten in the earlyrounds of that tournament. I can imagine Arsenal or Man U having a bit of a mini-Leeds situation.

[The Prof.]

I suppose things may be interesting by Janurary if we can keep a bit of ready cash to one side. Maybe things will go our way and other clubs will get kicked in the groin by the recession that is supposed to be happening, whilst we'll be reletively unscathed.

I'd love one or more of the big 4 to have a dire season, miss out on CL qualification and get beaten in the earlyrounds of that tournament. I can imagine Arsenal or Man U having a bit of a mini-Leeds situation.

Liverpool and Everton are nearly there!

[Scotty]

Everton are the surprising one for me. I always thought they were a pretty well run club, much like ourselves, and tended to live within their means. To see they are mortgaged to the hilt against future earnings was a real shock - a bad season or two and they could be in real trouble.

[waynerovers]

Money don't make my world go round! Reaching out to a higher ground

[Hughesy]

Where has the info about everton come from? Is there a link to this news about them being all mortgaged up?

[Scotty]

Where has the info about everton come from? Is there a link to this news about them being all mortgaged up?

I wouldn't do this for everybody, but seeing as it's you Hughesy:

Guardian link

[Brfcrule1]

Hello Good Evening and welcome,

yeah reading the above I have to say I am glad our club being run the proper way is best. As stated I thought Everton was a very well run club I had no idea they were in so much debt I have to say I can't see them buying much this summer. You have to laugh at the Man city situation sparky going there to have more dosh to play with now if Shinawatra is thrown in jail all his assets will be frozen for a very long time even permanently. As said I think L'Pool are also in trouble as with regards to the new stadium they will probably have to put it off for now. Spurs have probably got 10m which is less than us hence the fact they can't even find 17M for Bentley with their assortment of players that are a shower of crap by that I mean Lennon,Robinson,Bent and now Ledley king I can't see King coming here why do we need him we have Samba would probably frighten the life out of king. Can understand Pompey having more as they have always struck me as prudent in the transfer market,can understand hammers having not much in the kitty as they have to reduce their wage bill but have just sold Pantsil and Zamora think they have 10M at moment trying to offload bellamy and Lucash Neill doubt Man City have enough dosh as their owners assets have been frozen. Fulham have no cash as well as bolton I think both of those will struggle as well as the three coming up 6M is nothing. So to be honest in financial terms we will be the 6th or 7th biggest spender in this league with 13M so I would rather the takeover took a lot longer as I would not want to have owners who would re-mortgage the land/club to fund future transfers. I would rather have an owner who has his own cash to take us to the next level instead of landing the club in trouble also quite soon we will probably have a bit more to spend on transfers as the club shop is up and running with proper rovers merchandise I know it won't be a lot but as they say every little helps so some of us should just be thankful the future looks bright it's blue and white! LOL!

Goodnight John Boy.....

p.s. someone is editing my posts

[Mr Creosote]

I wouldn't do this for everybody, but seeing as it's you Hughesy:

Guardian link

Jeez, not the best that.

Before we start getting all smug are we SURE we aren't in similar merde?

[Ozz]

Hello Good Evening and welcome,

yeah ...! LOL!

Goodnight John Boy.....

p.s. someone is editing my posts

That's made my day that has! Cheers Ste.

[philipl]

It is probably premature for Rovers support to go out boasting but it would follow that if the Trust think there is value in this summer's market, JW would be active.

The prof's opener more or less echoes what I wrote a few days ago in the Rovers takeover section so I am bound to agree:

So, in order of league position last season-

Mancs give Spuds a £25m take it or leave it over Berbatov, worried sick over number one asset Christina and his 42 goal contribution disappearing: mild +ve might turn fatal -ve

Chelsea playing hardball over fat frank cos nobody pushes an oligarch around, Drogba dithering, Deco and Bosingwa landed and who knows what to follow but better than evens that Kaka will be a blue IMO Mild +ve might turn ++++ve

Arsenal quietly imploding on the field and going to pieces in the boardroom -ve might go anywhere but Samir Nasre is a huge ? in my book.

Liverpool finding out the hard way that sloppy seconds are not the way to an EPL manager's best players meanwhilst in a Tratoria in Turin right now, Juve top brass celebrate stitching Rafa something rotten over Alonso. No cash. -ve probably going ---ve unless Rafa gets mega lucky

Everton- Moyes making are you as ambitious as me statements. -ve off to Kirkby Tesco with the dosh and mortgages.

Villa- no keeper, probably no Barry but Lerner is Mr Cool even if MoN dithers, neutral probably at the moment.

Pompey- strengthened +++ve

Man City- better mgt, Joe, megabucks for Dunne +ve going --ve when Thaksin gets it in the pocket and a criminal record.

West Ham- Icelandic banking -ve

Newcastle- clothes retailer tells players to buy own clothes -ve so far

Spurs- good so far but stalled on Levy's ego and too much over-priced reject stock to shift ++ve

Sunderland- got loadsamoney so George McCartney the first name that leaps to everybody's lips? -ve so far

Boro- I'm in a minority on this but my tip for a BIG +ve this season

Notlob- not bad but won't be bothering top half

Ditto Wigan

Ditto Fulham

Newly promoted= Newly relegated

Get the picture? So long as the new Rovers management keeps its wits and John Williams remains on form, we are in better hands with the Trust than any of the cash starved suitors who have been keeping Rothschilds in expensive London lunches.

[The Prof.]

I've worked at Everton periodically over the last five years and it was a proud 'peoples club.' Many of the fans are local and live in the terrace houses around the club. The Community Association was an excellent operation and the disabled sports programmes were excellent. Finances have been tight since the Moores took a back seat. The ground is 1975 ewood in many respects and even in hospitality seats the smell of the toilets permeates the air. I doubt it has much more revenue despite 40,000 sellouts than a decent 30,000 crowd at Ewood as the corporate side is not really developed.

However times have changed greatly in my opinion but not sure if they are better or worse.

2 key factors seem to be:

1. Moyes has added a great deal of stability himself to the club and this in itself now looks uncertain

2. The new Chief Executive who arrived in 2006 (I think) tried to put the club on a football/money first business footing. This caused a complete loss of the 'hometown' approach. I remember going down to our office and everyone not football had been made redundant and were to be interviewed and re-employed on half salaries. People who had worked there for decades were treated poorly and then the club closed it's nearby shop. This all went down very badly with the locals. Even the new ground if it gets finished will probably struggle to sell out as Kirby is really seen as an out of town operation - imagine Rovers moving to Clitheroe!

It's one less competitor for the next few years in my opinion.

[Wiggy]

The football credit crunch is hitting the business media now....Credit Crunch in Football

[scotchrover]

Wigan had a £9 million bid rejected for 'is on is arse again' Johnson