Investors will not be too concerned with the manager ... he is dispensible ... they will focus on the real managers ie, Short, Quinn and Byrne, and the structure, stability, revenue potential, brand (home and abroad) overall performance trends. by way of an example, the Arabs invested in Man City because of their business set up, not Mark Hughes ... who was later dispensed with!!
The writer of this article, says quite a lot of things that I like, and I agree with him, that Shorts taking over as chairman is the right business move. Ellis Short Replaces Niall Quinn as Sunderland Chairman: What Does This Mean? By Chris Siddell Niall Quinn is probably the most loved chairman Sunderland has ever had. Everybody likes him, he can do no wrong, and he was the club's saviour. But why is it that nobody has kicked up a big fuss now that he has âstepped downâ as chairman? Because, itâs the right call. Quinn seems to have finally made the decision that he canât take the club any further as chairman, and as usual, not many fans disagree with him. Stepping into the breach and taking the reins is owner Ellis Short. The big question is, what can he bring to the club as chairman? First of all, heâs prepared. For those of you thinking this is a shock, and that Short is simply plugging a gap at the last minute, youâre very wrong. Short has been waiting for this day, and he will have had a huge influence over Quinn and his timing. Short has spent just over three years getting to know the club, the league and football, and this season he seems to have steamrolled into action after a series of new boardroom appointments and renewed business plans. The American is a billionaire, and you have to be either incredibly lucky, or incredibly smart to get there. The way he has gone about the takeover and preparations for running the club seem to suggest Short is the latter. Sunderland's new chairman has sat patiently and learned the football way from Steve Walton and Niall Quinn, and after three years of learning, he has set up his own team and has decided it is time he took over. Possibly the biggest advantage to having Short as chairman is his desire to be a success. It is clear that Short is not at the club to sell it on and make a quick profit, he doesnât need the money and he has invested too much. He wants to be a success, he wants to have the biggest and best football club in England, and he will do anything he can to ensure that. Itâs not that Quinn doesnât want success for the club, itâs that he has done all he can. He was never going to develop an international marketing plan, or be ruthless with managers and staff. Making Sunderland a stable Premier League club is all he could do, and he has done it. Not only has he done that, but he has stepped aside to let someone else take the club further. That is why the fans love him. Quinn doesnât have a background in business or brand building, he is a football only man and that is no longer enough in football. Short brings a vast amount of business experience to the helm, and along with his newly appointed board members Anderson and Farnan, the legal expertise of new CEO Margaret Byrne and former MP David Miliband as vice-chairman, Sunderland is fast becoming one of the most fearsome boards in the country. With Quinn at the helm things could have been difficult, but Short has the knowledge and experience to command and rule over the board of powerful figures, something Quinn would have been less comfortable with. Quinn has always been a popular and likeable figure in football, and as such, has many friends in the game. He has allies in many places and as we have seen with the appointments of Bruce, Staunton and Roy Keane, he has the ability to bring in big names. On the other hand, Short has no friends in football, and I would suggest he wonât make many. Good. Why is that an advantage you ask? Well, he wonât appoint Steve Staunton because heâs a mate, he wonât try and persuade Roy Keane to stay when he goes off the boil, and if Steve Bruce doesnât turn things round quickly, he will sack him. What does this mean for Short, what does he have that Quinn doesnât? The ability to take Sunderland further. Football is no longer just a game, itâs a business. Quinn is not the man to run a business, Short is. His self-appointment as chairman means the club is finally run by a hugely successful businessman. He has the resources and desire to take the team forward into a new era. of success, both on and off the field. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...nn-as-sunderland-chairman-what-does-this-mean
Someone's different view... http://www.footballfancast.com/2011/10/football-blogs/the-sack-race-the-5-runners-and-riders
Nice one Bill. Good read. Quinny is a figurehead and a much loved and respected footballing person who was needed 5 years ago to breathe life in top a dying football club. He did just that but he is just a footballing man and not a businessman. Ellis has indeed learned the footballing side form Niall over these past 3 years and the timing of this transition is perfect. Niall was NEVER going to be a long term chairman, he said so himself 5 years ago and his stepping sideways imo, means he will be around a lot longer as a that figurehead and an iconic figurehead at that of our club, for many years to come. By his own admission, this is HIS club now, as much as it is ours. We were born here but Niall was certainly reborn here too. I look forward to seeing Ellis Shorts business connections and financial acumen develop and grow the business of SAFC, something we have been bloody hopeless at for ever. The business and the football side go hand in hand and are mutually reliant. Our problem is we have had neither for the entirety of the time I have supported the club, since 1975. Bruce still has some way to go to get the football bit right imo but in Short, we have a top class business guru to match anything in the EPL currently. Fingers out Steve, Good luck Niall and welcome Ellis. The future has never looked so bright for SAFC fans.
