Good Clubs v Bad Ownership.

[mickd1961]

If you look at any of the present day calamitous clubs of reasonable pedigree, it comes down to terrible owners in virtually every case.

By “bad” I mean both bad from the point of view of intent in the case of asset strippers such as the various Portsmouth owners a few years ago.

I mean bad from a point of view of being totally egregious and profligate such as Risdale was at Leeds and the owner at Bolton who allowed Phil Gartside the freedom to spend ludicrous amounts on players and contracts.

I mean bad from the likes of Mel Morris at Derby who abandon the rigorous business practices that made them wealthy in the first place.

I also mean bad from the likes of Lai, people who buy a club as a trinket, a status symbol and then who put nonentities in charge of the daily running.

This type of owner then has to raid the parachute money and decimate the squad to recoup what they paid.

Just to name a few,

Sunderland

Blackburn

Derby County

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield United

Portsmouth

Bolton

Blackpool

Wolves on more than one occasion

Villa until two years ago.

The last two also show what can happen once you get the right owners in.

There’s one thing that it’s impossible to overcome in football and that’s a bad owner!

[DaveP67 is back!]

100% just look at our recruitment, one job to bring in players that improve the squad, what a disaster our first team squad is now the worst for 20 years, this firmly sits at the owners door as its Lai who recruited the management team…

[Johnny on the spot 1]

If you look at any of the present day calamitous clubs of reasonable pedigree, it comes down to terrible owners in virtually every case.

By “bad” I mean both bad from the point of view of intent in the case of asset strippers such as the various Portsmouth owners a few years ago.

I mean bad from a point of view of being totally egregious and profligate such as Risdale was at Leeds and the owner at Bolton who allowed Phil Gartside the freedom to spend ludicrous amounts on players and contracts.

I mean bad from the likes of Mel Morris at Derby who abandon the rigorous business practices that made them wealthy in the first place.

I also mean bad from the likes of Lai, people who buy a club as a trinket, a status symbol and then who put nonentities in charge of the daily running.

This type of owner then has to raid the parachute money and decimate the squad to recoup what they paid.

Just to name a few,

Sunderland

Blackburn

Derby County

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield United

Portsmouth

Bolton

Blackpool

Wolves on more than one occasion

Villa until two years ago.

The last two also show what can happen once you get the right owners in.

There’s one thing that it’s impossible to overcome in football and that’s a bad owner!

Good post Mickd & very true 👍

[Yarmbaggie]

Good post Mickd & very true 👍

The saddest part of it for me, isn’t that it is so true, but the fact that it is true throughout football worldwide, at all levels and has been going on for absolutely years!

Many great clubs across many countries have either been relegated or even folded due to bad owners stewardship and the fans have had to suffer the consequences.

[boingy]

Good post Mick. That's EXACTLY it.

[kettering_baggie]

The root of this evil is of course…………..

……money.

The best things that could happen to football would be if the TV companies and the betting parasites ****** off. Sadly, very unlikely to happen.

FOL, FOL Sky, FOL Bet 365 et al.

[mickd1961]

Good post Mick. That's EXACTLY it.

Regardless of what we might think of a clubs set of fans, there are some clubs with amazingly loyal support such as Sunderland and Pompey who have had to put up with terrible ownership.

I feel we are destined to be the next Sunderland/Portsmouth and find ourself trapped in League One.

The next 6 months are the most important at Albion in the last 23 years in my opinion.

If Lai isn’t gone by early June then I think we are doomed.

He has to go before mid June to allow a new set up to get everything in place.

But he won’t, he’ll pocket the last parachute money and totally ruin us.

[Acido]

Mick, what your saying there has an annoyingly familiar sound to it.
We're also being run into the ground right now by our appalling foreign owners. They aren't football people and they don't care about us or any of the clubs they own. It really is just about making as much money as they can.
The Leeds fans are also saying this now about their bad owners, and Im sure there are loads more clubs in similar peril.
It reflects very badly on the Efl though for allowing this to happen. Do they not even care that loads of their clubs are being run so badly like this. And like you say, the fans are always the ones who have to suffer and clean up the mess in the end!. 😬

[renno]

If you look at any of the present day calamitous clubs of reasonable pedigree, it comes down to terrible owners in virtually every case.

By “bad” I mean both bad from the point of view of intent in the case of asset strippers such as the various Portsmouth owners a few years ago.

I mean bad from a point of view of being totally egregious and profligate such as Risdale was at Leeds and the owner at Bolton who allowed Phil Gartside the freedom to spend ludicrous amounts on players and contracts.

I mean bad from the likes of Mel Morris at Derby who abandon the rigorous business practices that made them wealthy in the first place.

I also mean bad from the likes of Lai, people who buy a club as a trinket, a status symbol and then who put nonentities in charge of the daily running.

This type of owner then has to raid the parachute money and decimate the squad to recoup what they paid.

Just to name a few,

Sunderland

Blackburn

Derby County

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield United

Portsmouth

Bolton

Blackpool

Wolves on more than one occasion

Villa until two years ago.

The last two also show what can happen once you get the right owners in.

There’s one thing that it’s impossible to overcome in football and that’s a bad owner!

If you look at any of the present day calamitous clubs of reasonable pedigree, it comes down to terrible owners in virtually every case.

By “bad” I mean both bad from the point of view of intent in the case of asset strippers such as the various Portsmouth owners a few years ago.

I mean bad from a point of view of being totally egregious and profligate such as Risdale was at Leeds and the owner at Bolton who allowed Phil Gartside the freedom to spend ludicrous amounts on players and contracts.

I mean bad from the likes of Mel Morris at Derby who abandon the rigorous business practices that made them wealthy in the first place.

I also mean bad from the likes of Lai, people who buy a club as a trinket, a status symbol and then who put nonentities in charge of the daily running.

This type of owner then has to raid the parachute money and decimate the squad to recoup what they paid.

Just to name a few,

Sunderland

Blackburn

Derby County

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield United

Portsmouth

Bolton

Blackpool

Wolves on more than one occasion

Villa until two years ago.

The last two also show what can happen once you get the right owners in.

There’s one thing that it’s impossible to overcome in football and that’s a bad owner!

You say this - and I mean this in no way argumentative - but with the exception of Blackpool, how many of the fans of the clubs you mentioned gave a crap whilst the team was riding high and everything looked rosy? You ask any modern era Leeds fan and they will likely point to the Rio Ferdinand type era, Blackburn fans - the Jack Walker days, Sheff weds - 2 playoff seasons at championship level, Bolton - youri Djorkaeff etc the list goes on.

Its only when the wheels fall off that the spending comes under the microscope - fans idea of a good owner is one whereby they throw the money about like confetti , yet mention the idea of sustainability and fans see it as a lack of ambition.

Are AV well run in terms of bottom line? Does their revenue generated exceed their outgoings? I very much doubt it. Football clubs are one of the only businesses that are allowed to run at a huge loss year on year with no/little consequences. The solution is simple, have a salary cap - as L1& L2 have had (SCMP) and if they don't get their finances in order - put them to the bottom of the football pyramid - make an example of someone like Derby, instead of someone like North Ferriby Utd (Who were sent to the wall for about £8000 debt!).

The problem with fans is they want to be in the promised land - which I get, but at what cost? because a club is in the top flight it is then perceived to be a financial success - take the sky money away and what are you left with.

The reality is this, clubs at this level are encouraged to spend to appeal to the global TV audience - then selling more TV package rights at a higher cost - TV channels love it if a player in the championship sells for £20m - are they bothered about the Clubs coffers/balance sheet if they can get another subscription sold?

Take our owners - they were top banana and shrewd last season - this season they are public enemy number 1 - Dont get me wrong I think alot of criticisms by our fans towards the owners can be justified - but are they doing an absolutely shocking job - I dont think so in sustainability terms - they have alot of failings mind. All I dont want to see as a fan is boardroom sticking there beak into footballing matters on the pitch - which has been rumoured.

I will put this to yourselves as I have on the Barnsley message board - If you have 20000 fans turning up, why dont you all put £2000 a year each in - thats £40m a year - run it how you see fit. If your/some fans' answer is 'I'm not paying £2000 of my money' then why should an owner drain his/her own wealth to have their parts/ego inflated to gain favour off fans?

The majority of better run clubs are in the non leagues as they have to make the books balance off bare bones crowds - its only if they get a sugar daddy that they will climb the leagues quickly but creating another higher level scenario

Like our own deceased ex-owner said when asked the question 'how do you become a millionaire?', his reply was 'Be a billionaire and buy a football club' - enough said!

[Yarmbaggie]

You say this - and I mean this in no way argumentative - but with the exception of Blackpool, how many of the fans of the clubs you mentioned gave a crap whilst the team was riding high and everything looked rosy? You ask any modern era Leeds fan and they will likely point to the Rio Ferdinand type era, Blackburn fans - the Jack Walker days, Sheff weds - 2 playoff seasons at championship level, Bolton - youri Djorkaeff etc the list goes on.

Its only when the wheels fall off that the spending comes under the microscope - fans idea of a good owner is one whereby they throw the money about like confetti , yet mention the idea of sustainability and fans see it as a lack of ambition.

Are AV well run in terms of bottom line? Does their revenue generated exceed their outgoings? I very much doubt it. Football clubs are one of the only businesses that are allowed to run at a huge loss year on year with no/little consequences. The solution is simple, have a salary cap - as L1& L2 have had (SCMP) and if they don't get their finances in order - put them to the bottom of the football pyramid - make an example of someone like Derby, instead of someone like North Ferriby Utd (Who were sent to the wall for about £8000 debt!).

The problem with fans is they want to be in the promised land - which I get, but at what cost? because a club is in the top flight it is then perceived to be a financial success - take the sky money away and what are you left with.

The reality is this, clubs at this level are encouraged to spend to appeal to the global TV audience - then selling more TV package rights at a higher cost - TV channels love it if a player in the championship sells for £20m - are they bothered about the Clubs coffers/balance sheet if they can get another subscription sold?

Take our owners - they were top banana and shrewd last season - this season they are public enemy number 1 - Dont get me wrong I think alot of criticisms by our fans towards the owners can be justified - but are they doing an absolutely shocking job - I dont think so in sustainability terms - they have alot of failings mind. All I dont want to see as a fan is boardroom sticking there beak into footballing matters on the pitch - which has been rumoured.

I will put this to yourselves as I have on the Barnsley message board - If you have 20000 fans turning up, why dont you all put £2000 a year each in - thats £40m a year - run it how you see fit. If your/some fans' answer is 'I'm not paying £2000 of my money' then why should an owner drain his/her own wealth to have their parts/ego inflated to gain favour off fans?

The majority of better run clubs are in the non leagues as they have to make the books balance off bare bones crowds - its only if they get a sugar daddy that they will climb the leagues quickly but creating another higher level scenario

Like our own deceased ex-owner said when asked the question 'how do you become a millionaire?', his reply was 'Be a billionaire and buy a football club' - enough said!

Have to agree with so much of what you say. Only big disagreement is that most of us have never seen the club as well run under Lai, or the recruitment team, no matter where we have been in the league.

I was making so many of the points you raise with my Spurs supporter brother last night who blames all of their woes at the door of their ‘rubbish’ owners and his henchman Levy. No matter where you are the fans expect more to be invested by these wealthy people than they ever would in any other type of business.

Football is broken and needs a complete overhaul.