During the summer of 2012, the recently retired Alex Ferguson had the following to say about the dominance of money in football, and how his beloved Manchester United did things the right way: âItâs not just the transfer fees or the salaries, itâs the agent fees. Itâs getting ridiculous nowâ¦Thatâs the difference between United and the rest â we can play 18-year-olds because itâs part of our history. Itâs like a destiny for us. No other clubs can do that.â Though Fergusonâs words were more than likely heartfelt at the time, in truth the idea that the club possesses some innate identity â âthe United wayâ â whose uniqueness renders it superior to other run-of-the-mill football clubs is nothing but a fallacy. âThe United Wayâ is mere marketing jargon to emphasise just how supposedly special a club Manchester United is, in a world where the major European clubs constantly strive to swell their global fanbase. It is nothing more than an empty phrase, a meaningless concept which bears no resemblance to the Manchester United of the real world, whose astronomical transfer fees were the highest in Europe during the summer transfer window. The Red Devils are by no means alone, and no worse than many others, in their method of self-promoting disguised as hyperbolic baloney. Barcelona proudly proclaim themselves to be âmes que un clubâ â more than a club â a notion which is particularly daft and insulting to even those with a passing interest in football when we bear in mind the high-profile scandals which rocked the Catalan side last season. Modern football is a stinking moral cesspit of greed, corruption and decadent wealth; when it comes to money, which it almost always does, most of the top clubs form a single homogenous entity who treat football solely as a business, neglecting its original purpose of being a sport to be played and enjoyed. Their use of such slogans is simply a way of embellishing this fact. There does, however, exist a true way, even in the ethically bankrupt, cash-rich world of modern football. This way is primarily concerned with money â an inescapable necessity in todayâs climate â although its aims, and the way in which they are realised, make for a refreshing antidote to the questionable ways of most other top football clubs. The true way â the template for running a football club in a responsible and ethical manner â can be found in South Wales, and it is the Swansea Way. The emergence of the Swansea model has been a relatively recent occurrence, and was motivated by necessity, not choice. The clubâs well-documented troubles at the beginning of the last decade saw them flirt with bankruptcy and relegation from the Football League. The Swans just managed to survive, and their meteoric rise to the Premier League has garnered such praise and attention that it has been made into a film. The secret to their success lies in fan ownership and responsible, sure-footed leadership. The 20% acquisition of the club by the Swansea City Supportersâ Trust in 2002 played a huge factor in the clubâs survival, allowing the fans to have a say in the running of their team, whilst chairman Huw Jenkins has ensured that the club has not run into the same dire financial difficulties that it experienced 12 years ago. So successful has the Swansea model been that it has since been adopted by other clubs, most notably Portsmouth last year. As well as having an authentic identity with regard to the way the club is run, there is also a clear philosophy on the pitch to accompany its business method, with the Swansâ pleasing brand of passing football first being implemented by Roberto Martinez and now overseen by current coach Garry Monk. The Swansea Way is not footballing balderdash, nor a marketing ploy to attract âglobal followersâ â it is simply an effective, democratic and highly admirable way of running a football club, with fan ownership ensuring that decisions are taken with the clubâs best interests at heart and shrewd expenditure safeguarding against financial oblivion. Judging by Swanseaâs incredible success in recent times â epitomised by their League Cup victory in 2013 â it is a model that works, and their dealings in the transfer market this summer only go to show that in the right hands, a football club can succeed and develop without the need to spend excessive amounts of money. The South Wales clubâs net spend totalled £1.5 million, and after three games of the season they find themselves in second place with maximum points. Manchester Unitedâs outlay came to in excess of £150 million, and are currently winless in the league. Modern football is in a morally parlous state, but by ignoring empty slogans, meaningless, money-driven mottos and false philosophies, and turning to a pragmatic model with substance and sense, there may yet be hope for the game to become beautiful once again. Written by Gruffudd Owen for footballfancast.com
More arrogant nonsense. Who the f**k do you think you are to tell ANYONE they are wrong about anything?
There are various ways to run a club. Ours has proved to be successful but let's be honest the 'Swansea Way' rules have ben bent or even broken out of necessity. For every bargain basement Michu there's an expensive signing - by our standards anyway. Thankfully for us we do tend to sell on at a profit. But if the 'Swansea Way' means spending within your means and playing good football then yes I agree. But if you think that means 'on a shoestring' then you're wrong. The money we spend on players, inclluding wages, makes some clubs eyes water - I suspect even new arrivals like Burnley would say so - but as Laudrup said once you have to spend a lot of money in the Prem to stand still and he was right. We should be proud of the way our Club is run but as Lib says it's not the only way - if we were bought up by a wealthy foreigner tomorrow you'd see that.
Surely you have not forgotten who i am Lib ???? you follow me about enough not to know.....See a doctor quick ...
I have never met anyone called "Gruffudd" mate but I take your point. It's not the only sustainable way. Provided the FFP rules aren't breached there are numerous ways to run a successful club but it's true that we've been a model for smaller clubs coming through and the Board have done a very good job by and large. Have to say though that this has inevitably resulted in arrogance from some of our fans. It's those same fans that'll be screaming "spend spend spend" in the event of a billionaire takeover imo. I actually hope that doesn't happen because I like the way our Club is mainly owned by local interests and the fans have a big say in how the Club is run. If that's part of 'The Swansea Way' then I hope we stick with that.
Football is a business and like all other businesses running an enterprise in continual debt will eventually lead to collapse. The only thing that has saved most of the English clubs is that TV money has continually increased but certainly cannot continue forever, a 1923 style financial is going to happen one day and that is a given so when it does the likes of Sky and BT can kiss goodbye to its subscriber base and thus the big football collapse will begin. Only those clubs with real cash will survive, most have been in debt for over a decade. No business can survive in perpetual debt.
Watch and learn from jack to a king and maybe you will see how much the Swansea way has brought us so much success and the position we find us in today......
