Category

The formula for success

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A Blackpool fan rightly pointed out in a comment on one of our pieces the other day that there is no automatic correlation between a town’s size and its prosperity and the success achieved by its football club.   That is right, although in the long run the size and wealth of the catchment area of the club is one of the most important factors.  One factor that can offset this relationship is the strength of competitor sports such as rugby.  And a benefactor can allow a football club to punch well beyond its weight: think about the creation of Rushden a

Naming rights plan upsets Toon Army

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Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has upset the Toon Army by reviving plans to sell off the naming rights of St James’ Park.  Part of the scheme involves erecting giant advertising hoardings which would dominate the skyline at the stadium and this step requires planning permission from Newcastle Council.   This has enabled the Football Supporters’ Federation to mobilise opposition to the plan.

Question marks over Rovers bid

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Questions marks over the bid for Blackburn Rovers by Ahsan Ali Syed have been raised after his company Western Gulf Advisory was closed by the authorities in Bahrain for operating outside its remit.  The Blackburn takeover is being organised by another company and it is being insisted that the bid is not affected.  However, the Premier League is yet to receive any formal notification of a bid.

Cricket scandal spills over into football

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The match fixing scandal in cricket has spilled over into football with allegations made that Ryman league club Croydon Athletic has been used for money laundering purposes.   Originating from a merger of two clubs, and plagued by other financial scandals in its short history, it is reported that Mazhar Majeed has been arrested by Revenue and Customs.

Transfer spending down

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A report from Deloitte confirms that transfer spending by Premiership clubs fell significantly in the transfer window that has just closed.   Total spending was down from £450m to £350m, a fall of 22 per cent.   It would have been even lower if it wasn’t for Manchester City splashing the cash: they accounted for 36 per cent of all spending.

Subdued transfer window

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If one takes the net £120m splashed by Manchester City out of the picture, it’s been a subdued transfer window.   This reflects a lack of cash in the Premiership and a scarcity of quality players available at affordable prices.

The geography of the Premiership

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Today it’s almost a M1/M6 Premiership.   Once you have left the five clubs in London behind, it’s a short journey off the M6 to the four West Midlands clubs.   You then pass through Stoke and it’s not too far off the motorway to the two Manchester clubs or those on Merseyside.   Bolton, Wigan, Blackpool and Blackburn are all easily accessible.   That leaves just two clubs outside London, the West and North Midlands and the North-West: Newcastle and Sunderland.   Forty per cent of the clubs are in the north-west.

Status quo likely to continue at Arsenal

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After Arsenal’s largest shareholder, Stan Kroenke, took a controlling stake in the St. Louis Rams it looks increasingly like that the status quo in terms of ownership will continue at the Emirates.  Four large shareholders are likely to continue sitting on their positions, an outcome that would be acceptable to most Arsenal fans, avoiding off pitch distractions.