What's There to Celebrate, Liverpool Fans?

Liverpool Football Club continues to dominate the financial pages with a series of measures and counter measures to decide the future ownership of the club. Later today, club chairman, Martin Broughton goes back to the high court in an attempt to overturn the ruling of a Texas court that yesterday halted the original high court ruling which effectively allowed the club to be legally sold. Apparently, the case all boiled down to a legal precedent set by some poor soul who locked himself out of his hotel room and who subsequently sued and lost his case for damages against the hotel.

This continuing farce reinforces everything that RTG has been trying to illustrate about the dangers posed by the corporate world in threatening the very future of football as a Sport. More and more of the influencing factors that affect football are discussed in the financial pages, rather than the traditional back pages. The sight of a handful of Liverpool fans emerging from the high courts as if celebrating a cup win disturbs RTG even more. What exactly are they celebrating? Are these the same supporters who welcomed Gillett and Hicks as saviours to the club just over three years ago?

These were, after all, owners who in their time have bankrolled, after Chelsea and Manchester City, the highest spending in English football history. Why exactly have these scarf waving supporters, yet again, satisfied themselves that a new set of saviours are waiting in the wings? The prospective new owners come with their PR led platitudes of humble intent and, supposedly, a commitment to a debt free future. Really?

How will a new football stadium, so prioritised as an essential step for Liverpool FC’s future development, be financed? Maybe, the prospective new owners, New England Sports Ventures (NESV), will do what they did for the Boston Red Sox, and CANCEL the development of a new stadium – despite Fenway Park, the Red Sox’s stadium, being the most antiquated ball park in Major League baseball with a paltry 37 thousand capacity. The CEO of NESV, John Henry, has a successful track record within several sports, including another baseball team, the Florida Marlins in maximising revenue streams for his ‘franchises’. He also has a reasonable track record of delivering success on the proverbial pitch (or diamond, court, rink etc). Not a dissimilar reputation, if slightly less sporting success, to a certain couple of other gentlemen of LFC’s recent acquaintance.

Until football and its powers recognise the futility of successive takeovers and the corporate machinations enveloping the game, this will just be one more bean fest for lawyers and other football hangers on, paid for by us supporters. It has to be recognised that any future prosperity of a football club has to be away from the corporate interests that are continuing to ebb away the spirit and essence of our beloved game. All those scarf wavers and “walk alone” warblers have also to realise that you cannot continue to welcome with open arms the next ‘big thing’ – just because their PR agency say they’re good blokes with tons of money. Whatever happens with the high court rulings, it is unlikely that much will change in reality for Liverpool in the next few years.

The Keeper

.…it’s a lonely life between the posts

In those difficult and tedious afternoons in between spit roasts and training sessions, the Keeper likes nothing more than a nice relaxing round of golf. Naturally then he was delighted with Europe’s Ryder Cup victory over the US last week. One of the interesting things about this victory was that European Captain Colin Montgomerie banned all the European team from Twittering during the tournament. The Keeper couldn’t help thinking modern day football managers could learn from this. I mean who wants to be party to the trivial outpourings of disillusioned millionaire footballers. “The Gaffa’s dropped me for Saturday. He’s a c**t.” or “Think we’re going to get stuffed this weekend.” Perhaps what we’re looking for is more along the lines of, “The Gaffa’s just stuffed my mobile phone up my aaaaaaaah!”

No such treatment from within the England camp where early signs were looking good ahead of the Euro qualifiers. Apparently after Robert Green’s recall following his gaff against the USA in the World Cup, he kept a clean sheet in training despite 100 shots on goal. The not so good news was that Rob and Kevin Davies were in a one to one training session together. Looks like Kev’s vow to England fans in The Sun this week that he will comfortably fill Emile Heskey’s boots is beginning to bear fruit.

Emile, of course, will no longer feature in Fabio Capello’s plans but who knows if the next England manager may also try and persuade him out of retirement. Early indications from whoever is in charge at the FA (and the Keeper certainly doesn’t know!) are that the next manager has to be English. I mean there’s a whole crop of eager English guys out there just itching to be given the chance. Stuart Pearce and Sam Allardyce for instance… well, it certainly is probable the next England manager will possibly be English…Steve McClaren and Ian Holloway, to name a couple…I mean he doesn’t have to be English by any means, that would just be the preferred option! Harry Redknapp (assuming he’s not otherwise engaged in rough sex at Her Majesty’s pleasure)?...we’ll do whatever we have to do to get the best manager….English or otherwise!

What is in no doubt at all is that the next Olympic Games will definitely be an English affair. It seems that West Ham (not really from around there) are still favourites to pip North London rivals Spurs (definitely from nowhere around there) to taking over the stadium as their home when the Olympics is finished. Ed Warner, Chairman of UK Athletics said that the West Ham bid was more sensitive to the Olympic Legacy in that it involved retaining the running track around the stadium. Well, if the Keeper had to watch West Ham in their current form every week, he’d want to be as far away from the pitch as possible also. Not only that, the original ‘innovative’ design actually intended to make the top tier of the stadium easy to dismantle and be recycled after the games. What football fans in the 60’s and 70’s would have given for such an opportunity to be able to wreck a ground so easily!?

Reasons to be Cheerful. Reasons to Despair

There’s a lot going in the football world this week: perhaps a sign of the times that much of it is taking place in courts (and we’re not talking about an ailing furniture store). So RTG thought today we would provide some highlights for you to mull over.

One highlight, by the way, is we’ve just had our email read out on Sky Sports News in response to a poll that they ran saying that 80% of respondents thought that Beckham totally deserved to be included in Capello’s first England squad. We’re not going to bang on about it again, but it looks likely that Capello has put England’s interests first and not those of a media celebrity. Well done Fabio. Long may it continue. A place in the international team should be a cherished highlight of a player’s career, not a photo op for Vogue or OK magazine. Let Beckham fight for his 100th cap by playing at the right quality level and playing consistently well.

A ruling made yesterday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland throws the transfer system into yet more contention and confusion. The ruling provides for a formula that allows players to breach their contracts after a certain period and pay his club compensation based on the value of his remaining wages within that contract. The case arose from the transfer of Andy Webster from Hearts to Wigan where he unilaterally decided the move. Whilst details are sketchy at this point, most commentators have interpreted this as first, more power to the players and second, a drastic reduction in transfer fees. For example, it is believed that under the new formula, Fabregas or Ronaldo (arguably the two best young players in the world currently) could be transferred for as little as £12 million without the consent of their clubs under their present contracts. As a side issue, CAS also criticised FIFA for its handling of the case - no surprises there. Expect many more lawyers to earn a lot more money following this ruling.

Speaking of FIFA, in yet another court case in Switzerland, it is expected that the mystery individual who paid £1.2M to FIFA’s TV rights broker, ISL, will be revealed today. FIFA initiated proceedings claiming that it had not received its £29.6M share of the rights sale from ISL. But, investigating magistrate, Thomas Hildebrand, suspects that the original deal was oiled by backhanders (again surprise surprise), and that only revealing the identity of the mystery donator will prevent long-term prison sentences for those involved. Watch this space.

In an interesting development this morning, during a post-match interview with Steve Coppell, the Big Four have suddenly become the Elite Three! Which we can only imagine is bad news for Liverpool after losing 1-0 to West Ham last night. On a more positive note for Liverpool, there is talk of a £500 Million supporters bid for the club based on the Barcelona model. Needless to say, RTG thoroughly endorses their efforts and hope that it proves both a resounding success and a blueprint for the future of other clubs.

RTG is priding itself on its first exclusive. We have the first photograph of Keegan meeting with Dennis Wise. Scroll down for this ‘exclusive’.

Business Issues Blur the Fantasy of Football

There was a time, not that long ago in fact, when football coverage in the national press was limited to match reports (and even then covering only clubs in your region). Nowadays both Sunday and Monday’s papers contain their own supplements detailing every aspect of irrelevant trivia – David Beckham’s attendance and his great parenting (in remembering both his son’s gloves) at the Emirates Stadium being a particularly pointless one from this weekend’s offering.

Increasingly, the sports pages and financial columns are featuring stories concerning the fiscal side of football. Most of the stories around Liverpool FC this season have focused on the triumvirate of Gillette, Hicks and Benitez and their conflicts over money. Given the current world financial credit squeeze, rumours are circulating that Messrs Hicks and Gillette may have to sell out to a potential buyer on account of problems transferring their own debt liability on to the club itself. According to reports, both Gillette and Hicks, despite arriving as people who simply ‘love this franchise and soccer’, are reluctant to put up £20M each as part of the refinancing of their purchase. This is clearly having a detrimental effect on the team as well as disrupting any transfer plans that Rafa has made.

Liverpool supporters, so desperate to see their team at least challenge for the Premier League, welcomed Gillette and Hicks in as the answer to all their problems. Why? Because in modern football, loads of money has come to mean loads of success – as proven by Abramovich’s Chelsea. Indeed, at the start of their first full season, money was made available for Liverpool’s record transfer in acquiring the services of Fernando Torres. In addition there were promises and architects’ plans for a new 60,000 seater stadium in Stanley Park. Little wonder that Liverpool supporters were so optimistic at the start of the season. However, they are now starting to appreciate the potential pitfalls that a small but vociferous group of Manchester United supporters identified when the Glazers took over the club in 2005. This is a classic example of how sporting and corporate objectives are very different and, some would say, totally incompatible.

Furthermore, just because someone has red hot business skills, shown by their billionaire status, this does not automatically translate readily into success on the football field. Simon Jordan, Crystal Palace’s CEO, has admitted that he paid far too much for the club in his takeover and that his emotional attachment to the club had clouded his judgement. Where he and Palace have subsequently flourished has been because he, in particular, has learnt from some very painful and expensive lessons.

To see the current managerial merry-go-round, you would have to question the motives and competence of the boards of most Premier League clubs. Fulham gave their vacant managerial position, and a fairly sizeable transfer budget, to Lawrie Sanchez on the strength of him passing his trial period, which involved one victory against a Liverpool side preparing for the European Cup Final. He had never managed above League One level and was chosen on the basis of some good, but not outstanding, performances by Northern Ireland. Wigan Athletic appointed Chris Hutchins as manager following Paul Jewell’s successful reign but chosen departure last summer. Hello! Exactly the same scenario happened at Bradford City a few years previously with exactly the same result - Chris Hutchins in the job for a few weeks and then sacked. Why is Harry Redknapp at the top of just about every club’s wanted list when he’s never won a major honour and he’s managed to get three clubs relegated? Besides his obvious (but often forgotten) litigation problems, what stands out in his CV that makes him so in demand?

Today’s papers are dominated by talk of a ‘dream ticket’ of Keegan and Shearer taking over at Newcastle. Shearer, who has never managed any football club, and still has to complete some of his coaching badges, and Keegan, who walked away from football vowing never to return, are seen as football Messiahs to the Newcastle public. RTG does not know whether Shearer will turn out to be a good manager or not. We’re desperately trying to think of an example in the modern English game where a great player evolved into a great manager. It clearly doesn’t necessarily happen that way. If Mike Ashley, the new owner of Newcastle, chooses to go down this route, it will only serve to illustrate the point further. Reports suggest that Mr Ashley has chosen to ditch the ‘I’m one of the lads’ image in favour of a more rational approach. The most obvious gesture will be to ditch the replica kit in favour of a suit and tie proving that sound husbandry of a football club requires setting realistic long-term, football objectives and not reacting to short-term, emotive issues by throwing loads of money at a problem.

In November 1989, a friend of RTG was joined in a round of golf by the Manchester United board member, Bobby Charlton. At the time, and against a backdrop of a recent 5-1 thrashing by Manchester City, and a relegation berth, RTG’s friend asked when Alex Ferguson was going to get the much-rumoured bullet. Bobby Charlton stated categorically that United had the best man for the job and that he just needed the time to repair twenty years of neglect at the hands of a succession of short-termists. As an aside, United even had to play their first team, including the England captain, to prevent relegation from the reserve league. The history of Manchester United since then, speaks for itself!

Reclaim the Game – The Week’s Events

• Nice to see the Carling Cup semi finals producing some tasty stuff. You’d think the teams were actually taking it seriously!
• Kevin Blackwell chose to relinquish his post at Luton Town (unpaid of late) due to the club's ongoing financial problems and potential liquidation. How ironic that while Premier League clubs are announcing record revenues and profits and arguing over who gets the biggest share of the financial pie, the plight of lower league clubs is constantly being ignored.
  
  Hats off, Take a Bow! (or not)
  
  Player of the Week – Kieran Richardson. Recently returning from a four month lay-off, he was instrumental in Sunderland’s victory against Portsmouth. Scored a match winning brace.
  
  Hero of the Week – Harry Redknapp. OK, let’s not pretend Harry needs the money but that could apply to all of the Premier League fraternity these days. He chose to stay at Pompey saying that he wanted to build on what he has already achieved rather than take the easy money at Newcastle.
  
  Villains of the Week – Liverpool owners, Gillette and Hicks. You can hardly blame Rafa Benitez for the turmoil caused at Anfield by this corporate pair. Offering Rafa’s job to Jurgen Klinsman – well it is just not cricket!
  
  Shock of the Week – How did Sam Allardyce last that long in the first place?
  
  Cliché of the Week – “Dream ticket of Keegan and Shearer”

Grand Slam Sunday Just Reinforcing the Status of England's Elite

‘Grand Slam Sunday’, or was it, ‘Super Sabbath’, came and went. In the end, not so much Grand or Super anything really, more Damp Squib. Not because both games weren’t interesting. They were quite compelling, in fact, if you were a supporter of any of the teams involved, or, if you were a ‘cognoscenti’ of football tactics. Nothing much has been decided from the match results, although it has probably confirmed the outcome of the premiership – a three way fight between Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, with Liverpool bringing up the coat tails of the so called Big Four. The hype though for the matches was, to put it into the modern football vernacular, “massive”. Sky, as is their wont, started the build up weeks ago. No doubt Richard Keys, Sky’s Grand-Super Slam presenter, had his stock of long winded rhetorical questions prepared even before that. Even the BBC was mesmerised enough to switch the Match of the Day (Two!) highlights programme from ‘dead air’ BBC2 Sunday post 10pm slot, onto mainstream BBC1 to accommodate Super-Grand Sabbath.

As usual, the hype over-awed the events. Disturbingly, though, the mainstream Premiership and Football League programmes were almost completely overlooked. Is this what English football has amounted too? Ever more predictable in form and shape, are we to go the route of Scottish and other European national leagues, where nobody but the predictable two or three forever win the major honours? Like Scotland, the lack of competitiveness for major honours is being echoed throughout European Leagues. It is well over two decades since the either of the Glaswegian Big Two relinquished their title. After all, we have the predictable regular members of the European Champions League from Spanish, German, Italian and French leagues, supported by the usual crowd from Norway, Ukraine, Russia and the Balkans.

Supporters surely want a competitive league and the lack of this competition is being reflected in crowd attendances at matches outside of the Big Four. Five to ten years ago, it was practically impossible to buy a ticket on match day for a Premiership game. Now, apart from the Big Four, you can get a ticket on the day for most games. Indeed, gone are the days when Manchester United or Arsenal would draw a full stadium to Middlesbrough or Bolton, for instance. Current economic conditions will only serve to exacerbate the problems as people question more strongly the priorities of their spending: save for a rainy day or spend a couple of ton on taking my kids to a game when I know we won’t win, or, will be rolled over by a Big Four team?

But, what of the world wide support and viewing public? The world wide market is increasingly making its mark. TV, from outside of the UK, is changing football dynamics. Whether it's in the form of a Vietnamese beer commercial (unavailable in the UK) being put out on the Emirates advertising boards or the rumoured changing of kick off times to suit Asian markets. Payments for televising football on overseas rights are paltry compared to what are paid by Sky, Setanta and the BBC for their various television packages in the UK. Big matches have viewing figures of 5-8 million in the UK, maybe double digit millions for the FA cup final. Overseas the viewing figures run into hundred’s of millions if not billions. Logically, it must follow that as there are hundreds of millions of viewers ex-UK, that these are far more profitable for the broadcasters and advertisers than UK viewers – especially given the low amount that the Premiership receives for overseas rights. It must therefore also follow that, as those ex-UK markets get economically stronger, - and they will - broadcasters will want to maintain or increase those audience figures. How do they do that? Well, they just keep showing the so called popular Big Four and thus keep perpetuating and maintaining the elite in English football.

RTG believes that we need to open the market completely to television – given that RTG cannot see a way that we can move away from football commercialisation – but controlled and suitably shared by all in the Premiership and in English football – yes, including Burton! All matches available for viewing by all. The revenues would be so great, that inevitably, there will be huge arguments over the spoils. But they would dwarf anything that is available now. Yes, it might well be a recipe for disaster, but that is what we are heading for anyway. At least this gives a huge benefit for the UK balance of payments, rather than the faceless multinational corporations who are gorging themselves on football money. It might just save the soul of football. It might just bring about a more equitable environment. If billions can be made from one match – and just one billion dwarfs the total annual revenue of all Premiership clubs – then that money could just build a generation of sportsmen and women to match England’s potential.

Or, it could just go into a few players/managers/agents and the pockets of other hangers on. If we, the supporters who care about the game, do not get a say in how it is run, that's exactly where all the money will end up. RTG thinks we can have the voice. Join us.

Reclaim the Game - The Weekend's Events

• Fabio Capello confirmed the worst kept secret in football and took the England job. He had ac tually stated he really wanted the job. Which makes you wonder why the FA were so keen to sign him up and at such expense. There was no particular rush so perhaps Brian Barwick might have bided his time. Or was it the case that he just couldn't bear to look a fool again if he'd lost Capello. The Italy national manager earns £1.5M per year. Spain £350K per year and Billic at Croatia earns £47K per year. At £6M per year for Capello could RTG suggest that Brian Barwick is not the best negotiator in the world?
• Tom Hicks' son proposed to his girlfriend in the centre spot 24 hours before Liverpool's game with Manchester United as he gave her a tour of the stadium. Given the current state of Hicks and Gillet's financial plans for the new stadium, it is likely he'll be able to take her back for their 10th anniversary.
• David Beckham's recent modelling gig for Georgio Armani underwear raised a few eyebrows and indeed a few questions in Posh's direction as to whether he'd fortified himself down below with a pair of Galaxy football socks. Posh was quick to defend Davids saying the meat and two veg was all genuine. However, a fashion commentator was heard to remark, "he looks to me like he's all veg and no meat."

Hats off Take a Bow (or not)!

Player of the Week - Marcus Bent. For his impressive hatrick in Wigan's 5-3 demolition of Blackburn. Special mention to Roque Santa Cruz for his hatrick in the same game. Sadly he finished on the losing side.

Villain of the Week - Asylum and Immigration Tribunal for deporting Watford's Al Bangura who fled Sierra Leone aged 15 and made it to Watford where Adie Boothroyd had high hopes for him. Talk about going for the low hanging fruit!

Hero of the Week - Fabio Capello. Well here's hoping!

Shock of the Week - Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3 Celtic 2. Given that ICT are now in the top flight it is not quite as big a shock as the 'super caly go balistic, Celtic are atrocious!' days of old, but a shock nonetheless. Even more so as they were two nil down.

Cliche of the Week - Anything with the word 'Fab', 'Fab-ulous', 'Fabio'. Think you get the drift!

Platini's Aims Laudable but Need Concrete Proposals

In a recent interview with The Guardian newspaper, Michel Platini talked about his concerns, expressed in a letter to all heads of EU government, regarding the “rampant commercialism that assails it” [football]. Interestingly enough, our own ‘gorgeous’ Gordon Brown was the only head not to reply. What a surprise! With all the talk and wringing of hands over recent sporting failings, how interesting that several commentators have identified that the UK government’s lack of interest in football, and sport in general, is reflected by the UK being one of the few leading nations in the world that does not have a sports minister in the main cabinet. Indeed, Australia’s failing at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where they won only one gold medal, and finished well down the medal table, resulted in a permanent cabinet position being set up. At Athens in 2004 they won 17 gold medals and finished fourth in the medal table.

Despite no comment from Gordon Brown, Richard Scudamore, Premier League Chief Executive, commented in the Financial Times (note, not a paper with a great sporting tradition) that Platini’s ideas, “do not rise much above the view of people in the corner of the pub.” Actually, Richard, your comments reveal exactly what you think of us – your paying “guests” that you so patronisingly referred to us as. We’re all those supporters in the corner of the pub and we pay your exorbitant wages.

Platini replied through the Guardian by saying, “I prefer to speak with the fans in the pubs.” Great. This is a very encouraging sign. He does appear to be saying all the right things and RTG wholeheartedly supports his sentiments. He has, since his election as President of UEFA, originated some interesting and controversial proposals – not all of which RTG has agreed with (see earlier posts re Champions League qualification for FA Cup winners). But, his letter to the heads of government did not appear to make any concrete proposals. And how easy would it be to fight the money men in actually getting through any proposals, anyway, when his organisation, and FIFA, are rife with rumours of financial impropriety?

Let’s stress again, RTG believes (as Platini seems to) that sport has to strike a workable balance between the financial side of matters and its role in civilisation as a cultural and recreational activity. This is not going to be an easy fight for Platini but RTG believes that we, supporters of football, should give him our backing. That’s why this blog exists and why we need you to lend your support by signing the guestbook.

Reclaim the Game – The Week’s Events

• The ambivalence of both Richard Scudamore and the UK government, as mentioned above, is unlikely to help England’s cause in winning the 2018 World Cup bid. It beggars belief how the FA and Premier League continue to walk around with their feet permanently in their mouths.
• Next week sees the launch of the new 24/7 Setanta Sports News Channel. Great. Now we can look forward to Kelly Dalglish (ex of Sky and still of Kenny) delivering yet more WAG stories and over-sensationalised, trite items on an already dangerously over-exposed sport. Now, we’ll have the pleasure of Sky and Setanta being able to bid for the privilege of showing the England plane taking off for the World Cup (if they get there).
• The World Cup 2010 organisers have announced lower priced tickets to matches for residents of South Africa in order to encourage the full cross-section of the South African population to be able to attend. Applaudable if it is being taken up by genuine South African football supporters. What RTG suspects will happen is a rampant black market where the corporates get all the tickets they want and national supporters’ associations get hardly any. Think about the mark-up they will be able to make from tickets purchased at £9.65 each (the proposed price). Sadly, RTG can not really offer any solution at this point.
• When Tom Hicks and George Gillett first took over Liverpool, RTG expressed our dismay at how most Liverpool fans (in the hope that it was a chance to be more competitive) welcomed them in with open arms. The recent spat between the owners and Rafa Benitez is a wake up call to the reality for Liverpool supporters. What a pity that neither Hicks nor Gillett were in the country to see the supporters’ march before their crucial game against Porto last night. RTG supports those who took part.