Dramatic start to Premier League

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Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain etc. may well be stronger than any clubs in the Premier League.  However, what the Premier League does offer is drama and it has provided that in the opening weekend with champions Chelsea going down at home to Burnley; Arsenal’s narrow 4-3 victory over Leicester City; unfancied debutantes Huddersfield Town winning 3-0 at Selhurst Park; and a rejuvenated Manchester United beating West Ham United 4-0.  Not to mention Wayne Rooney’s winning goal at Everton.

Brighton owner provides more readies

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Brighton chairman, poker player and chartered accountant Tony Bloom has increased his loan to the club to £170m.  Getting a club into the Premier League and keeping them there is not a cheap hobby.   The Bloom family has been involved with the club for about 50 years.

The Seagulls made a loss of £25.9m in the 2015-16 season.  Similar figures are expected this season and covering those losses will push his investment towards £200m.

What will be the economic impact of Huddersfield’s promotion?

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What impact will the promotion of Huddersfield Town AFC to the Premier League have on the local economy? Supposedly Swansea City’s promotion gave a boost of £58m to the local economy in the first season alone. I am sceptical about that figure and think that there were other factors at work in the case of Swansea, a view I expressed when I was interviewed for this blog post by Matthew Engel of The Guardian.

25 years of the Premier League

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The Premier League started on 15 August 1992.   In its first season it was really the old First Division rebadged, still with 22 teams taking part.  Only 3,039 watched Wimbledon play Everton at Selhurst Park on a cold Tuesday night in January.  

Only 13  foreign players (less than six per cent) took part in the first games.   Since then, 1,840 foreign players from 105 countries outside the British Isles have taken part.

FA Cup loses its lustre

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Proposals to change the format of the FA Cup are being considered.   They represent a further downgrading of the competition which was once on a par with the league and arguably a more glamorous trophy to win.

Bolton Wanderers looking for Sports Shield solution

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Bolton Wanderers are hoping a solution can be found between Dean Holdsworth’s Sports Shield company and its creditors.  Sports Shield have a 37.5 per cent stake in the club.  The hearing of a winding up order against Sports Shield has been deferred until August 21st.

The whole matter is complicated and the English Football League has become involved.  Their agreement is required to a proposed solution.  However, there is no impact on the club’s day-to-day operations.

Aussie bidder for Charlton identified

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The money man behind the Australian consortium interested in taking over Charlton from unpopular Belgian owner Roland Duchatelet has been identified by fanzine Voice of the Valley.   He is Andrew Muir who sold his family owned electrical chain for £585m last year.