What did people make of the Dispatches programme, the shady dealings and blatant disrespect for FA and Football league rules over club ownership that Bryan Robson was involved in? For me, to hear a former England captain say that 'Football is not a sport, it's a business' was a sad moment and massive indictment on his character. The fact that Joe Sim, the man pulling the strings behind the consortium that tries to circumvent the rules, has such a close relationship with Alex Ferguson is also very worrying. His blatant disrespect for the game, the fans and the rules to protect clubs from greedy businessmen simply looking for profit should mean that any decent Manager would want to steer well clear of him. The sooner there is a select committee review into football club ownership, the better. The game we love is viewed by some as simply an easy money making tool, at the expense of the values that true fans hold dear. The Dispatches programme can be viewed here: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od#3212204
Unfortunately, Robson was correct. It's no longer the sport of the working classes, it's all about selling corporate boxes and hospitality packages. It's a hard one whether to blame Sky for this as the coverage we get of games from all around the world is fantastic. However, they've definitely influenced how football is now "packaged"
It shouldn't mean that he's complicit in breaking the rules that try to protect the game from greedy businessmen though. For me he has totally ****ing sold out
I didn't see it I was watching the darts but this quote from another board just about sums up what a **** Captain crutches is
Hey, totally agree with you ma man. His reputation is totally destroyed now. The mantle of "Captain Marvel" is a thing of the past for the rest of his living life
He also said that it would be a good idea to sell off a club's training ground to a rich supermarket and then build another one on greenbelt land with the money - pocketing some of the profit along the way of course.
I'm going to be different here, I'm going to say that what I watched was nothing more that what happens during every business deal I have ever been involved in, and like Robson said, football is now a business. Channel 4 tried to pull one here and I think it failed, mainly due to nothing really happening. Yes, it's sad that many clubs are now so poor or in debt that they need to be sold to anyone who is willing to buy them, but that is business and professional football is no longer a community based activity. Robson made it clear a few times what the rules were, so did the COE, but they also informed how you can get past these rules, that's what every business does and anyone who tries to say they don't is a liar. The programme showed (poorly) that the rules need to change and more investigations into who owns the clubs must be regularly carried out, as for Robson or anyone else in the programme, they did nowt except show a business side which some may think they shouldn't have.
From a morally bankrupt businessman, maybe I'd expect that - From a former England captain and self appointed 'ambassador for Man Utd' - I would expect him to show more respect to the game, the clubs and the fans who put him on that pedestal in the first place.
The crooked business was in the most part on Man Utd property(the official man utd bar bangkok),Robson even namedropped his former team-mates that are now managers into the shady dealings to try and push it to a conclusion. Official Ambassador? More like crooked embarrassador. And SAF is'nt squeaky clean either.
Not been that many comments on here about this eye opening programme though really I suppose we were all aware that those foreign businessmen that buy into football clubs are only there to make money for themselves. What did surprise me was that a former England captain and once respected player was quite prepared to help sell these football league clubs for his cut whilst supposidly working in an advisory capacity for Man U in Asia. With Alex Ferguson also shown to be keeping company (albeit without any involvement) with Joe Sim the brains behind the whole thing it does show that there is much to be concerned about with regard to the future of the beautiful game in the UK.
Although your observations are correct, I think its wrong to say that is the norm now so we just need to accept it. Football is starting to head in a dangerous direction, in a way sky is footballs saviour and its villian, it has open so many doors but in the long run may ruin the sport.
None of the alleged corruption can be laid at Uniteds or SAFs door.Sir Alex might pick his acquaintances better but then so could page moss kopites mother.All fans should be worried about corruption in the game and if this programme has opened a few more eyes to it then its a good thing.
You swerved the part were your clubs former captain marvel and now global "ambassador" used club premises and former united players names as bait to conclude a crooked business deal.
It is a totally corrupt game. I have done a lot of work in and around football in the past and everyone I have come across in the game is either corrupt or thinks of it as a business. Players, Chairmen, agents, managers, the lot. There was one exception and that was at chief executive level and his club got rid of him. It turned me off the game in a big way, but of course, I keep getting sucked back in.
You could sit in that tip anfield with your murders scarf on saying what you did at heysel but it would be you as an individual that takes the rap not your won nothing for years club!CHAMP19ns!
Distressing seeing him saying those things and drinking again after his illness.Cant and wont defend him.
please log in to view this image Cant think of proper argument so resort to heysel , well played *****
