I am not saying that foreign investment or owners is a bad thing, just what these owners are trying to do with the heritage and history of the clubs. It's only Cardiff and Hull that are 'suffering' the consequences (to date), all the others have continued with what they bought. Yes, both of these two examples have done well since the respective change in ownership, but that has nothing to do with generation of funding from Asia (other than the owners pockets) - which is what these desired changes are being focused on (without foundation). I hope above anything else this season that the FA step in and stop Dr Allem (not a real doctor btw) making this proposed change as I can see this as just the tip of the iceberg.
All I would say is that if football clubs want to be a business they should be run like a business and not be able to pick and choose when it suits them. If they are able to pay players huge sums from revenue they have gained then fine but all too often they spend beyond their means and get bailed out where all other business would of gone under. They need to be much better regulated and while financial fair play is supposedly meant to stop this it wont as clubs have already found loads of loop holes.
Financial Fair Play is empty posturing. Do we really think that if (say) Man United, Real Madrid, and A C Milan broke the rules one season, they would be refused entry into the CL?
I agree it will do nothing. It is an ideal that should be aspired to but will require much better regulation then FFP will give. It is easy to get around anyway, can just get one of the owners companies to pay way way over the odds for sponsorship and that equals revenue under FFP so is fine.
I take the points that VC and Thai are making that little revenue has been generated thus far, but these guys know other markets and they will also know the difficulties in breaking in to them. But to stand still is to get passed. It may seem unpalitable to the older generations of fans, but what of the next generation. OK Tigers has a long standing name association with hull and could have been exploited with out the name change but what of Cardiff. I think it is not just about a lucky colour its about a powerful association with Wales and trying to stir up greater support by being club Wales, the Red, the Dragon. The next generation of young fans will see the red of wales, see the big scary dragon emblasoned on t-shirts and think yeah I'm having some of that! Dragons are bold and mythical, a blue bird perhaps a little less inspiring to the juvanile mind. This can also apply to the foreign fans, look at the chinese market, there is strong symbology and affinity for dragons. This brings me on to the next and most pertinent point, these are your growing markets. They are rapidly acquiring individual wealth and for all the attempts to improve there own domestic leagues it could never happen that they will catch up to europe in quality and interest. One day these growth countries will start having a greater financial input in to the global game. For all the premier leagues ills It has done a magnificent job of marketing the PL as the number one in the world. Look at each passing rights deal, Its not cause my subscription went up £3 that revenues increased again so dramatically. If the rights are sold to a country then there are oportunities to try to exploit and only the naive will not attempt to do so. Would I like it if we became the Norwich vikings, striding on to the field to the ride of the valkyries in our finest sheep skin shirts and goat legging tracksuits with the horned helmet the cherry on top? No I bloody well wouldn't but if a slightly more realistic way was found that respected our identity that would be fine, JUST NOT BLUE!!!!! Bah!
GM, by that reasoning (i.e Dragons & the Chinese), it would seem prudent for the majority clubs to simply add 'Dragons' to the club logo, badge etc that have no association with the club, to catch the Chinese market, tigers for the Malaysian market, Elephants for the Thai market......need I go on........... Fixtures weekend 2nd December 2017 Cardiff Dragons v Hull Tigers Derby Elephants v Millwall Lions Ipswich Serpents v Birmingham Kangaroos (breaking in to the Australian market) etc which would of course be ridiculous.
Surprising that there hasn't been any hissing of discontent on here yet Vietnam is correct, rugby (Wigan Warriors, Sale Sharks) - and even the sedate game of cricket with it's Essex Eagles , Hampshire Hawks, Suffolk Snakes, etc
That in many ways would be ridiculous, so far they are generally doing things a touch more subtly. Hull already has Tigers as a reference, and the dragon is a welsh thing. I don't like it any more than you do, but all of these things have been part of a number of clubs already. I've seen t-shirts in the shop at Carrow rd with big canaries on them and inflatables and other things, is it that bigger stretch to become the Norwich Canaries and really does it disociate you from the team? Yes it will irritate a little at the time and you will maybe move marketing men one slot higher in the most hated professionals league table, but is it that big of a deal if it can add to the clubs profile and earning power long run? Coming from near by I believe that Derby are sheep not elephants, and that doubtlessly already appeals to broad markets such as the welsh and the kiwi's! How about Ipswich cockroachs? They survived both Keane and Jewell's reigns so they have that apocolyptic survival ability! Bah!
Not a "real" doctor? Do you mean that he isn't a medical doctor? If so, you have it the wrong way round. The vast majority of medical "doctors" are not "real" doctors, since that title is officially accorded to those who hold a university Doctorate (Ph.D). I believe Assem Allam was awarded a Ph.D in economics by the University of Hull, and so is indeed a "real" doctor. The vast majority of medical doctors hold only the degree of Bachelor of Medicine, though some also hold a higher (research based) degree called the Doctor of Medicine (DM). The latter, however, is usually deemed equivalent to a Masters degree rather than a Ph.D and hence is still not a true doctoral qualification. (There are variations from country to country; I am referring to the UK and associated -- mainly Commonwealth -- countries.)
You may have shot yourself in the foot there Robbie, are you saying Hull awarded him an honourary doctorate? If so, he's hardly earned the title has he?
I wasn't saying that. What I was saying was that if Thai deemed Dr Allam "not a real doctor" by virtue of his not being a medical "doctor", he had things the wrong way round. Although Dr Allam's doctorate is an Honorary one, he is still a real "Dr", since he holds a doctorate awarded by a bona fide university, allbeit an Honorary doctorate. For interest, here is a summary of the citation from the U of H website: "Local businessman and philanthropist Assem Allam will become a Doctor of the University. Mr Allam fled his native Egypt after being imprisoned and tortured for being an outspoken critic of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the then President of Egypt. He enrolled as a postgraduate at the University of Hull before going on to buy a generator company, Allam Marine, which has grown into the largest independent manufacturer in Britain. Mr Allam has featured in the Sunday Times Rich List’s top 20 biggest risers in 2009 and last year was placed at number 45 in Management Today’s list of Britain’s leading 100 entrepreneurs. In 2009, he donated £1.5 million to the University of Hull to establish a new biosciences research centre, with construction expected to start later this year. Mr Allam is also the Chairman of Hull City AFC, after he bought the club and saved it from administration."
