Super-rich foreign investors???? has every club with a foreign owner got one, I don't think so, we've been extremely fortunate thank god. Ask our friends down the road what they think of the underwater hotelier who has become smitten with them.
It's not necessary that every club has one. As long as one club has a super-rich foreign investor, then that's one person injecting money into the club and into the game. Every time an investor injects money into his club, he is injecting it into the market, because that money ends up being circulated between clubs through transfers and all sorts of dealings. Therefore, an investor isn't just increasing the value of the club he invests in; he's also increasing the value of football as a whole. Each new investor multiplies this effect. As an example, take a look at Dinamo Zagreb. They don't have a rich foreign owner, and are relatively poor compared to all Premier League teams and probably most Championship teams. However, they have been able to sell players like Eduardo, Corluka and Modric to rich teams in this country and have made what to them is an absolute fortune. Think about how many teams like this must have increased their value significantly from selling players to teams with rich owners. Think how many teams other than Man City must have benefited from Sheikh Mansour's injections. Now they're all probably paying their players higher wages and charging their fans more for tickets. That's how it works. If a foreign investor comes in and invests hundreds of millions of pounds in a team, he's not just investing in them; he's investing in the economy of football as a whole.
It's a good point. Not only have you got the likes of Everton (Lescott) and Villa (Milner) getting nice large sums of money from City, but you've also got the likes of Spurs (Adebayor) and Liverpool (Bellamy) getting City's rejects at a cheaper price than they ordinarily would (as they wouldn't ordinarily be rejects).
"paying their players higher wages and charging their fans more for tickets. That's how it works " I don't know how many games you attend from your haven in Hatfield??? I pay for 2 season tickets and have done several away games, I'm fortunate, but I know many Saints fans who cannot afford this luxury. With ever increasing players wages, more expensive ticket prices you are destroying the heart and soul of the game...the fans!!! Man City could not sell out for a semi final home tie....the Emirates has been noticable for empty seats today and other games....even Man U and Liverpool are not selling out every week. If you think paying players higher wages and keep charging fans more to see games in this economic climate is sustainable I have to disagree......hopefully Saints get promoted...best part of a grand for me and nipper to get a season ticket...that's goin to be tough
What I think is that you've completely missed the point of what I've said. You said that you think "English football will one day come down to earth with a big financial bang", and I'm telling you exactly why I think that won't happen. I also don't think you've ever been to Hatfield.
Played in a golf competition at Hatfield GC, unfortunately came runner up. "English football will one day come down to earth with a financial bang." I got your point, we beg to differ but I stand by that statement.
Wages will need to be kept in check for football to survive the economic downturn as its clear clubs are struggling. Football with its appeal and marketing potential is unlikely to go bang
As you say these football clubs have acquired good fees for players and others getting good players on loan. Wouldn't describe any of them financially thriving though, Villa and Everton hardly splashing the cash, god knows what Liverpools and Spurs debts are. My point is, it is well documented these clubs still spend an extortionate high percentage of thier expenditure paying their wages. Therefore Sheikh Mansour's injections end up in Ferrarri showrooms and Saville's estate agents.
If your associated with Ferrari or Saville's...yes... different world to what the mass population in this country live in though. Footballers get paid money me and you can only dream about. As Saintlyhero says, their wages need to be capped sometime soon.
I know salary cap is never going to happen in this day and age. Just can't see how English football at the top level can sustain paying ever increasing wages without imploding at some point.
Spending is good for the economy. Footballers piss their money away, and so they are the best kind of rich people.
It'd implode if we brought in salary caps for non-financial reasons. Look at Rugby Union, it's why players run off to France.
Chances are accountants would find clever ways around the caps. But presuming that a person's salary is what they actually get paid (I'm looking at you, City of London Bankers) - and presupposing that a salary and transfer cap was applied throughout Europe - it would ultimately improve the game. Tycoons could no longer play Top Trumps with football teams, investment would have to be made into youth teams to bring the next generation through. Matches would be won by teams who fielded the best team and used the best tactics, rather than an unlevel playing field where one team has supserstars and one team doesn't. The top of the Premiership would become interesting again. Would it kill English football? No, the Premiership brand is already well-established. There'll still be Man U fans that have never left Machuria and Chelsea fans from the Black Sea, but it'd make matches far less of a foregone conclusion. Look at the Championship. Anyone can beat anyone in this division. Isn't that more exciting than watching a select Premiership elite roll over the teams near the bottom of the table?
I'm not denying a European/Worldwide salary cap would be a good thing, of course it would, but it's very unrealistic. A country like France or Netherlands would go "Oh, look at the giants England and Spain with their salary caps... no way are we gonna do the same thing, let's double their wages!!" Nobody would turn up the opportunity to overtake the two big leagues. Also we're already starting to have problems with players packing up and buggering off to the middle east. This would hardly help. A salary cap would only work if there was a global consensus.
