On Channel 4 at 8 pm U.K. time. The dispatches programme this week is called "How to buy a Football club". Sounds like it could be interesting.
All interested oligarchs and Sheikhs please apply to: D Levy Esq. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Tottenham High Road N17. Remember the value of football clubs may go up and down......
Yes, I saw this advertised over the weekend, says it will show the seedier side of deals ...I know one thing, that programme Dispatches doesn't mess about.
You're right. I don't think Fergie will have been at all happy about that programme. I wonder how much longer Robson will be Manure's "Global representative"?
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/d...es/4od#3212204
I think the rather cosy photos of Fergie and the aforementioned slippery Mr Fixit, not to mention his claimed connections may prove to be a little more embarrassing than you would like us to believe, Luke. Robson was clearly caught condoning, and conspiring in a plan to buy and hold multiple ownerships of English league clubs - a clear breach of F.A. rules. I'm sure that as a Manure fan you would love to just laugh it all off as a "damp squib". I think, however, you may find those who are not Manure supporters, take it a bit more seriously than that.
We can agree totally on this one, Piskie. Of course, Luke, and other Manure supporters would love to just dismiss the whole thing as a hyped up storm in a tea cup. Personally, I take it a lot more seriously than that - and, unfortunately, what we saw tonight was probably just the tip of the iceberg.
I just saw your comment on the Tonight thread mate. Totally agree. For me to hear a former England captain say that football 'is not a sport, it's a business' whilst trying to justify breaking the rules that protect the game from greedy profiteers, was totally disgusting. Bryan Robson has completely tarnished his reputation in my opinion. Alex Ferguson's links with Joe Sim (the fixer) is also very worrying.
Totally agree with you once again, Luke. The programme showed up the gapping loophole in the "fit and proper person(s)" rule for owners and documented it being exploited. Robson knowingly took and advisory role in aiding this. The FA had to admit they don't know who all the true owners are in the PL and Football League. The worst thing about the whole show was that despite the evidence of all their intentions and actions, there's not anything anyone can do about it. You might not believe some of the things said about Fergie and the other Ex-United managers but the accusations are damaging nonetheless.
Yes. Slidy Joe is clearly more slippery than a bucketful of eels. The saddest thing in the whole programme, for me, was the admittance of the chairman of the F.A. that they suspect that these things are going on, but "We are an alliance of 72 clubs, most of whom lose money. We don't even have a few hundred thousand pounds - let alone millions, to investigate these matters more thoroughly" Meaning - we know it's going on, but we don't have the muscle to do anything about it.
Trying to pass the buck won't work, Luke. Robson has been caught with his elbow in the cookie jar. His own words were "As Man Utd's global representative" True, or false??
It's a really sad indictment on Robson and his cronies, that the rules that are put in place to enshrine the values that real fans hold dear are simply seen as an inconvenience to them making money. That they are so willing to circumvent the rules simply for the sake of profiteering, is disgusting. The fact that the FA and Football league don't have the teeth to challenge it, is the most alarming thing of all.
The point is Luke, that the rule around multiple ownership of clubs is in place so that we don't end up with a Murdoch esqe scenario, where one or two Ultra rich businessmen own and control all of the most profitable clubs outright We've just seen what happens when that arrangement is allowed to fester in the media industry. If it happened in football, the already skewed competition towards the rich clubs would just get worse and the ethos of the sport would cease to exist. The fact that Bryan Robson and the owner of Man Utd's Asian PR arm are trying to engineer these situations, for their own profit - is totally reprehensible. Robson clearly has no respect for the clubs, the fans, or the players. He was put on a pedestal by those very same people who he is now trying to profiteer from and for that, he has lost all respect as a footballer and a man.
Robson answered a question as to whether he would look to buy, or part buy a football club and he said yes. Upon hearing that FA rules were being broken, he did not get up and walk out saying 'I'm having nothing to do with that' did he? No, he stuck around promoting the idea for others...and his part of the 5% management fee. "saying a few meaningless things"... Meaningless???...stop being a tit Luke, take the Bias goggles off dear boy!, Robson is caught red-handed there, we'll see how meaningless footballs governing bodies see it. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...ged-dodgy-soccer-deals.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News They arranged meetings in Thailand, where Robson - employed as a global ambassador for Man U - was managing the national side until last month. EMPLOYED by UNITED as a Global Ambassador... Is this true?
The fact that these deals were going on in Man Utd's offical restaurants and being conducted by a close friend of Alex Ferguson would worry me if I were a Utd fan. The fact that Bryan Robson, who was once hailed as a Utd and England hero, and is now a self appointed 'international ambassador for Man Utd' was complicit with breaking the FA and Football league rules would also worry me. The fact that he was so dismissive of a club's fate at the hands of an investor who was simply looking to strip it of it's value for their own gain, as long as his reputation wasn't tarnished - is frankly disgusting.
