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Worcester City under threat

Submitted by WG on Fri, 10/05/2013 - 09:25

The future of Worcester City football club is under threat. It's always questionable whether a club should sell its ground without having a new one to go to. Next season there will be a ground share at Kidderminster which is not an easy journey from Worcester (not least because it means coping with the joys of the Kiddy ring road).

Mourinho for Chelsea?

Submitted by WG on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 07:26

With David Moyes set to take up over at Old Trafford, the way is clear for José Mourinho to return to Chelsea. Many United fans might have preferred Mourinho to come to United, but Moyes is clearly Sir Alex Ferguson's favoured successor and will offer the stability the club rightly emphasises.

Fergie is to retire

Submitted by WG on Wed, 08/05/2013 - 06:52

Manchester United have confirmed that Sir Alex Ferguson will retire at the end of the season. He will continue to serve as a director and ambassador for the club.

The sad tale of Wolves

Submitted by WG on Tue, 07/05/2013 - 16:51

When I first started watching football in the 1950s, Wolverhampton Wanderers were one of the top teams in the country, if not the top team (although their Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion were also in there).  For a small boy, a visit of Wolves to The Valley was the equivalent of Manchester United today.

Is the German model that superior?

Submitted by WG on Tue, 07/05/2013 - 09:24

The latest conventional wisdom is that the German football model represented by the Bundesliga has established itself as a better one than that of the Premiership.

The first piece of evidence cited for this view is the all-German final in the Champions League and the relatively poor performance of Premiership clubs in the competition.  Methodologically, this is not a sound argument.   It's what is called an individualistic fallacy, generalising from an individual case.

Everton's success against the odds

Submitted by WG on Mon, 06/05/2013 - 07:29

In the FT Weekend Magazine distinguished football writer Simon Kuper provides an in depth profile of the success of Everton FC.  Quite a lot of article is about how much use the club makes of performance analysis and how demanding manager David Moyes is in his demands for data.  This is translated into very detailed instructions to players that anticipate the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.

The Torres effect

Submitted by WG on Sun, 05/05/2013 - 08:49

The Financial Times is not slow to comment on football.  It is big business, after all.  In the Pink Un's 'culture' pages one can find the likes of Simon Kuper writing about the broader implications of the game.

However, it is less common to find football referred to in the Saturday Money section which offers detailed advice on the likes of 'structured products' for more prosperous investors.  After all, most investors lose money in football, Manchester United being a possible exception.

Aldershot Town FC enter administration

Submitted by WG on Sat, 04/05/2013 - 07:58

Aldershot Town FC have entered administration following their relegation from League 2. They have debts totalling £1m, of which £300k is owed to football creditors. Player wages for April were not paid.

Club chairman Shahid Azeem had been in talks with owner and majority shareholder Kris Machala over acquiring his stake in the club, but the talks broke down after Machala demanded proof of funds.

Ricoh deny 'lock out' claims

Submitted by WG on Fri, 03/05/2013 - 17:33

Arena Coventry Limited (ACL), the operators of the Ricoh Arena, have denied claims by Coventry City chief executive Tim Fisher that the Sky Blues have been locked out of the stadium.   They insist that the doors remain wide open for the club and argue that, in any case, statements of this kind should be made by the administrator.

Manchester United break more records

Submitted by WG on Fri, 03/05/2013 - 08:49

Robust growth in the three key sectors of commercial, broadcasting and match day income helped Manchester United to achieve record profits and revenues in the three months to 31st March.

Underlying profits increased 25 per cent to a record £25m. Turnover rose a near 30 per cent to £91.7m. Sponsorship revenues increased 52.2 per cent. Group debt decreased by 15.9 per cent since June 2012 to £436.9m. Some analysts think that it could drop to £100m in a few years if the Glazers do not pay themselves dividends.