[Archived] 10 More Epl Clubs To Be Taken Over

[Stuart]

And surrounded by close rivals.

Get rid of the rivals, make one team for the entire North West and Lanky Utd would be snapped up in the blink of an eye by Bill Gates / Sultan of Bruneii or similar.

Problem is no one wants football in this area to progress and compete on an equal footing with the big boys in this country and Europe. We'd all much rather be standing on a windswept terrace, watching 3rd rate football whilst wringing our caps in angst for 90mins every other Sat afternoon.

But without all the money, that's what football is all about. Tribalism.

Would you be in favour of scrapping England and forming Team GB?

[thenodrog]

But without all the money, that's what football is all about. Tribalism.

Would you be in favour of scrapping England and forming Team GB?

Easier if Craig Bellamy chose to become an Englishman, it's tantamount to the same thing.

[Stuart]

Easier if Craig Bellamy chose to become an Englishman, it's tantamount to the same thing.

Spoken like a true Englishman. Different story if you were Scottish, Northern Irish, or Welsh though.

And by default, and a subconscious display of tribalism, you've answered your own question. You'd be happy because there'd be 10 Englishmen playing so you don't lose your identity in the same way a Scot would. (Although I'm sure there must be a better non-English keeper - is Hennessey Welsh, I forget).

Therefore, by the same logic, if Lancashire Utd were called Lancashire Rovers and played all of their games at an increased capacity Ewood Park, it'd be okay, I guess...

[mellison24]

Spoken like a true Englishman. Different story if you were Scottish, Northern Irish, or Welsh though.

And by default, and a subconscious display of tribalism, you've answered your own question. You'd be happy because there'd be 10 Englishmen playing so you don't lose your identity in the same way a Scot would. (Although I'm sure there must be a better non-English keeper - is Hennessey Welsh, I forget).

Therefore, by the same logic, if Lancashire Utd were called Lancashire Rovers and played all of their games at an increased capacity Ewood Park, it'd be okay, I guess...

Without Blackburn, I'll not support a team unless they re-formed at a later date. Rovers are my life in football. I'd watch england, but otherwise I'd divert to supporting the local egg-chasers (Wigan).

[thenodrog]

Without Blackburn, I'll not support a team unless they re-formed at a later date. Rovers are my life in football. I'd watch england, but otherwise I'd divert to supporting the local egg-chasers (Wigan).

Local? Wigan? You live in Darwen!

[mellison24]

Local? Wigan? You live in Darwen!

Proves that I know jack all about Rugby. Who's closer to darwen than them?

[Big Fat Sam]

You'd be happy because there'd be 10 Englishmen playing so you don't lose your identity in the same way a Scot would. (Although I'm sure there must be a better non-English keeper - is Hennessey Welsh, I forget).

Craig Gordon!!!!!!

Team GB, no-one north of the border would ever accept that, me included. Your all just hoping to pinch John Fleck.

[LeChuck]

Craig Gordon!!!!!!

Hasn't he been struggling to start games for Scotland recently on account of not being first choice at Sunderland?

[T4E]

The last Sunderland game Gordon didn't start was when they beat us third game of the season.

[Big Fat Sam]

Hasn't he been struggling to start games for Scotland recently on account of not being first choice at Sunderland?

Not anymore.

Started the last two with Fulop back where he belongs, I'm hoping Craig shows his class more this year.

He also played against Japan, so he's back where he belongs in the scotland set-up as well.

[LeChuck]

Ah right. I always thought it was strange how he was struggling to be first choice for both teams, he looked excellent when he first joined Sunderland.

[TimmyJimmy]

10 owners looking for clubs? It's not the clubs that interest them it's the business opportunity.

Must be like the internet model, doesn't matter what cr*p is on the site just look at the number of hits and if it's high enough pay them for advertising space. The guy being interviewed said that they were interested in large potential support so he would not rule out the buying up of clubs from large cities even if they were down the leagues right now. Investment would get them promotion and then they would have well supported clubs in the premiership.

I see that as social engineering, the bad forcing out the good. Teams like Rovers, Wigan even Bumley will be forced out of existence based solely on the revenue generating potential of the area alone and the avarice of some foreign owner.

Better money buys better players, the ultimate rise of teams like Notts County will displace us and the other small town teams. It's started and there's no stopping it without some form of legislative intervention yet we have seen nothing from the FA or government, it's a joke. There's no salary cap, there's no max transfer fee, there's no draft system like in the states, there's no nothing. Best we can hope for is an apology when the inevitable happens - which will make it alright of course, that fixes everything.

IMO the writing is on the wall, it's choice time. The EPL is either about footy or it's about business. If it's about footy then the authorities should act now, if it's about business then thenodrog is right and team amalgamation with a larger catchment area is the only way.

Selling Rovers to a new investor isn't going to happen and neither of the other options is going to happen either. We're faced with a period of not ethnic cleansing but rather social cleansing when towns like us are swept aside and investment goes only to the city conglomerates. North / South divide becomes City / Town divide. They'll be shutting our pubs next - - - doh wait a minute

[Stuart]

10 owners looking for clubs? It's not the clubs that interest them it's the business opportunity.

Must be like the internet model, doesn't matter what cr*p is on the site just look at the number of hits and if it's high enough pay them for advertising space. The guy being interviewed said that they were interested in large potential support so he would not rule out the buying up of clubs from large cities even if they were down the leagues right now. Investment would get them promotion and then they would have well supported clubs in the premiership.

I see that as social engineering, the bad forcing out the good. Teams like Rovers, Wigan even Bumley will be forced out of existence based solely on the revenue generating potential of the area alone and the avarice of some foreign owner.

Better money buys better players, the ultimate rise of teams like Notts County will displace us and the other small town teams. It's started and there's no stopping it without some form of legislative intervention yet we have seen nothing from the FA or government, it's a joke. There's no salary cap, there's no max transfer fee, there's no draft system like in the states, there's no nothing. Best we can hope for is an apology when the inevitable happens - which will make it alright of course, that fixes everything.

IMO the writing is on the wall, it's choice time. The EPL is either about footy or it's about business. If it's about footy then the authorities should act now, if it's about business then thenodrog is right and team amalgamation with a larger catchment area is the only way.

Selling Rovers to a new investor isn't going to happen and neither of the other options is going to happen either. We're faced with a period of not ethnic cleansing but rather social cleansing when towns like us are swept aside and investment goes only to the city conglomerates. North / South divide becomes City / Town divide. They'll be shutting our pubs next - - - doh wait a minute

Playing devil's advocate, we wouldn't be where we are but for Jack, so maybe we are the biter bit?

[TimmyJimmy]

Playing devil's advocate, we wouldn't be where we are but for Jack, so maybe we are the biter bit?

Fair call Jisty, the irony occurred to me as I was typing, but ...

I think the difference is that Jack was a fan and he was passionate about the club and not passionate about a profit. He invested because he loved the club and not because it was a city club with a big fan base, Wigan and Whelan ditto. You could extend the argument to include Ellis/Villa and Gibson/Middlesbrough because the fact that they are city clubs was incidental to the investment decision.

This situation is different and a real step change in ownership philosophy, the new new guys are interested only in business and couldn't give a hoot about which club they buy or which division it is in - to them it's about fan base (a proxy for revenues) and nothing else.

Big business often runs by manipulating it's environment, mergers and acquisitions and the like, governments are there to prevent iffy practices like monopolies and other dodgy competitive practices. At a local level protection of small high street business is supposed to come from other bodies like local councils who control the excesses and appetites of the Tescos of this world.

It's way to easy to let big money investors have free reign over an unprotected market like football, that's why they're all piling in. It'll take a few years but soon you'll only be able to by your football from the equivalents of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and the like. The small but highly appreciated high street stores will all be forced out of business.

The biter bit is a bit harsh because whilst we were undoubtedly involved in giving this thing momentum it was a purely coincidental spin-off and not a designed outcome.

If this thing is to be controlled then the time is now, it's almost too late already. In the case of football this means authorities like the FA and Footy League and FIFA earning their rake-off by policing the development of the game's ownership.

Would I change my view if the richest guy in the world bought us, no! I want us to be competitive and I want us to be protected against other clubs poaching our players with the lure of wonga that we can't match, but that's all I want, a bit of cash to make it a fair arm wrestling match. I'd be happy for the trustees to stay in charge for ever if they'd just put something into the club. Too much of anything is bad for us, including cash, so I'd be happy with just enough to keep us competitive with the mid table clubs.

[Iceman]

Uncle Jack was the real deal! Al Faraj and these other guys, are all fakes who know nothing about football.

[gumboots]

Link to Brum getting up to £40m for transfers and wages in January.

McLeish: "we will not go down the road of paying silly money"

Yeah, just like Sunderland, Tottenham, Citeh and Newcastle.

They'll have no choice anyway as everyone will hike their prices for any player Brum are interested in in January when nobody wants to sell anyway.

[Iceman]

Bit silly to announce, how much you have to spend. As mrs G says, selling clubs will just milk them for as much as they can. I understand that location is important, but anybody wanting to buy a 3rd divison team from London are crazy. The big draw card is the EPL, and at the end of the day its where you want to be as a new owner. QPR, despite all that money are not going to attract the best players.

[Stuart]

I think the difference is that Jack was a fan and he was passionate about the club and not passionate about a profit.

This situation is different and a real step change in ownership philosophy, the new new guys are interested only in business and couldn't give a hoot about which club they buy or which division it is in - to them it's about fan base (a proxy for revenues) and nothing else.

Which is probably why we are struggling to find a buyer. There aren't (m?)any rich Rovers fans out there and our fan base is such that we can't provide big business with its profits.

It's way to easy to let big money investors have free reign over an unprotected market like football, that's why they're all piling in. It'll take a few years but soon you'll only be able to by your football from the equivalents of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and the like. The small but highly appreciated high street stores will all be forced out of business.

That's a bleak view of the future. However, you only have to look at the difference in revenue and TV coverage between the Premier League and non-league. Footballers will still want to play football and people will still want to watch it. I know I don't have to tell you that football existed before Sky and the PL. (Probably what the SPL clubs are thinking when hoping Rangers and Celtic finally move on). I'm certain football could exist just on gates. It just means we would have to live without the world's finest whingers and divers and put up with good old fashioned guts and heart.

Second point on this one, going in the other direction, the other threat would be franchised football. The kind of owners now in the PL are Americans and Saudis. They would very much like to corner the market and guarantee the big bucks year after year.

The biter bit is a bit harsh because whilst we were undoubtedly involved in giving this thing momentum it was a purely coincidental spin-off and not a designed outcome.

Fair enough but I was more emphasising the 'bit' than the 'biter'.

Would I change my view if the richest guy in the world bought us, no! I want us to be competitive and I want us to be protected against other clubs poaching our players with the lure of wonga that we can't match, but that's all I want, a bit of cash to make it a fair arm wrestling match. I'd be happy for the trustees to stay in charge for ever if they'd just put something into the club. Too much of anything is bad for us, including cash, so I'd be happy with just enough to keep us competitive with the mid table clubs.

That's seems fair enough. But pretty soon we will need one of the world's richest people just to make it a fair arm wrestle.

It comes down to this: what do we want for the future of BRFC?

1) Continue to EXIST so that Blackburn folk (and friends) can watch THEIR club

2) To COMPETE at the highest level in English football

3) To CHALLENGE for Europe and domestic trophies

4) To WIN the league or 'settle' for a champions league place

Well, all but number 1) require either a lot of money or some great collapse in the league structure from which we might benefit.

4) is the nadir and no longer likely. Personally, the romantic in me would be quite happy with 1) - provided it was a level playing field - but being honest I want 2) as a bare minimum but would obviously prefer to be at 3).

Short terms 3) means we need to be taken over by someone prepared to invest; long term means we 'put up with' the Walker Trust and hope their limited financial support can keep us in the PL long enough.

Pretty soon you'll need to replace 3) with 2) for the last sentence to apply.

[PAFELL]

Which is probably why we are struggling to find a buyer. There aren't (m?)any rich Rovers fans out there and our fan base is such that we can't provide big business with its profits.

That's a bleak view of the future. However, you only have to look at the difference in revenue and TV coverage between the Premier League and non-league. Footballers will still want to play football and people will still want to watch it. I know I don't have to tell you that football existed before Sky and the PL. (Probably what the SPL clubs are thinking when hoping Rangers and Celtic finally move on). I'm certain football could exist just on gates. It just means we would have to live without the world's finest whingers and divers and put up with good old fashioned guts and heart.

Second point on this one, going in the other direction, the other threat would be franchised football. The kind of owners now in the PL are Americans and Saudis. They would very much like to corner the market and guarantee the big bucks year after year.

Fair enough but I was more emphasising the 'bit' than the 'biter'.

That's seems fair enough. But pretty soon we will need one of the world's richest people just to make it a fair arm wrestle.

It comes down to this: what do we want for the future of BRFC?

1) Continue to EXIST so that Blackburn folk (and friends) can watch THEIR club

2) To COMPETE at the highest level in English football

3) To CHALLENGE for Europe and domestic trophies

4) To WIN the league or 'settle' for a champions league place

Well, all but number 1) require either a lot of money or some great collapse in the league structure from which we might benefit.

4) is the nadir and no longer likely. Personally, the romantic in me would be quite happy with 1) - provided it was a level playing field - but being honest I want 2) as a bare minimum but would obviously prefer to be at 3).

Short terms 3) means we need to be taken over by someone prepared to invest; long term means we 'put up with' the Walker Trust and hope their limited financial support can keep us in the PL long enough.

Pretty soon you'll need to replace 3) with 2) for the last sentence to apply.

I think with the build up to the game against Burnley today - people outside of Blackburn - maybe for the first time - are seeing the passion of this fixture. That is in itself a good advertisment for rovers to be worth a punt from a good investor. As much as we dislike Burnley this is an essential fixture for both clubs.

[Iceman]

I think with the build up to the game against Burnley today - people outside of Blackburn - maybe for the first time - are seeing the passion of this fixture. That is in itself a good advertisment for rovers to be worth a punt from a good investor. As much as we dislike Burnley this is an essential fixture for both clubs.

I was thinking the exact same, while watching the game. The atmosphere was fantastic, and a great advertisment for football. This was just the type of game, where we could benefit from in terms of new investment.

[neekoy]

Uncle Jack was the real deal! Al Faraj and these other guys, are all fakes who know nothing about football.

I wouldn;t go that far, the Saudi's are big followers of football.

We just need to sit tight for long enough for them to lose interest, with the increase in competition becomes a much more difficult atmosphere for those who purchased to make money to operate.

[TimmyJimmy]

Which is probably why we are struggling to find a buyer. There aren't (m?)any rich Rovers fans out there and our fan base is such that we can't provide big business with its profits.

That's a bleak view of the future. However, you only have to look at the difference in revenue and TV coverage between the Premier League and non-league. Footballers will still want to play football and people will still want to watch it. I know I don't have to tell you that football existed before Sky and the PL. (Probably what the SPL clubs are thinking when hoping Rangers and Celtic finally move on). I'm certain football could exist just on gates. It just means we would have to live without the world's finest whingers and divers and put up with good old fashioned guts and heart.

Second point on this one, going in the other direction, the other threat would be franchised football. The kind of owners now in the PL are Americans and Saudis. They would very much like to corner the market and guarantee the big bucks year after year.

Fair enough but I was more emphasising the 'bit' than the 'biter'.

That's seems fair enough. But pretty soon we will need one of the world's richest people just to make it a fair arm wrestle.

It comes down to this: what do we want for the future of BRFC?

1) Continue to EXIST so that Blackburn folk (and friends) can watch THEIR club

2) To COMPETE at the highest level in English football

3) To CHALLENGE for Europe and domestic trophies

4) To WIN the league or 'settle' for a champions league place

Well, all but number 1) require either a lot of money or some great collapse in the league structure from which we might benefit.

4) is the nadir and no longer likely. Personally, the romantic in me would be quite happy with 1) - provided it was a level playing field - but being honest I want 2) as a bare minimum but would obviously prefer to be at 3).

Short terms 3) means we need to be taken over by someone prepared to invest; long term means we 'put up with' the Walker Trust and hope their limited financial support can keep us in the PL long enough.

Pretty soon you'll need to replace 3) with 2) for the last sentence to apply.

Good sensible comments mate, we're both on similar wavelengths I think. For me 1) is what it's all about but as we all need optimism I'd like to harbor a sneaky unspoken aspiration for 2 - 4 also

Bumley bashed - oh yes! Ave it as they say in the best quarters

Comfortable EPL survival and two victories a season over the dingles is enough to keep me going, anything else is a bonus.