Football 100 years ago: Thursday football under way

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This is the first of an occasional series of articles in which we look at what was happening in football one hundred years ago in the run up to the outbreak of the Great War.

In the early months of 1914, most people fortunately had no idea of what lay ahead later in the year. Their focus was rather more on how they could make the best use of their valuable spare time. The retail sector was a large employer in a town like Leamington, a medium-sized town in Warwickshire in the heart of England.

Are feeder clubs the wave of the future?

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Many Charlton fans were upset yesterday at the replacement of their popular manager Chris Powell by a Belgian coach, although in some cases that was tempered by the realisation that football remains a results business.

There was also resentment at the conversion of Charlton in what is perceived to be a feeder club for the Belgian Pro league leaders, Standard Liege. However, given the state of football finances and the difficulty of achieving success without a wealthy benefactor, could that be the way ahead for smaller clubs? Are Charlton ahead of the curve?

Bayern Munich tainted by association

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We are always being told by David Conn and other advocates of transplanting the ‘German model’ into English football (and other aspects of UK life) that the Bundesliga and its clubs are in effect morally superior to those in the Premiership. They charge fans less, have more fan involvement and have managed to be both ethical and profitable.

Indian Super League bids invited

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An advert in the Financial Times today invites bids to establish teams in the Indian Super League. The ‘first edition’ of this city based football league will take place between Srptember and November 2014.

Bids are invited from prospective team owners for nine cities: Bengaluru, Chenna, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. Franchises will be granted for eight of these cities.

Another Conference North club in trouble

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Following the resignation of Vauxhall Motors from the Skrill North, Histon are the latest club to encounter difficulties.  The club’s board of directors has announced that they are to resign at the end of the month. Five of the six largest shareholders have agreed to relinquish their shares, which are essentially worthless, to make way for new investors.

However, Angelo Dama who holds 31 per cent of the shares is holding out.   He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire that he felt that the club had been struggling for two years and should have asked for help before now.

United seal new kit deal

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Whatever problems they have been having on the pitch, and the tide may be turning there, Manchester United continue to enjoy great success of it.   After admittedly protracted negotiations, they are about to sign a new kit deal with Nike worth £600m over ten years which will treble the value of their current deal.   This will give David Moyes the financial muscle he needs in the summer transfer window.

Leeds takeover stalled

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The official Football League line on Massimo Cellino’s takeover of Leeds United is that they are waiting for ‘outstanding issues to be clarified’.   In practice, this means they are waiting for the outcome of a court hearing in Sardinia on March 18th.

Blues in limbo following Yeung sentence

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Despite the ‘business as usual’ signs hanging outside Birmingham City, the club faces a period of uncertainty following the six year sentence imposed on owner Carson Yeung for money laundering.

The club must wait until next month to see if prosecutors seize all his assets, including his shares in the Blues. He is understood to have attempted to sell his shares.