Premature evaluation and Liverpool
EVEN AT this early stage, Liverpool’s current team, as exceptional as it is, is being prematurely labelled the club’s best ever side. There’s a degree of “presentism” about this claim, not least because if any club has a phenomenal list to choose from, it is Liverpool. Liverpool are odd-on champions-elect this season but as yet, Jürgen Klopp’s team has won just a single prize, albeit … Continue reading Premature evaluation and Liverpool
Football’s decade of capitalism
THE Deloitte Football Money League always makes interesting reading, but its annual appearance reminds us what big-time football has become – a major global industry. The past 10 years has created footballing behemoths, but never has the gulf between the elite and the also-rans been so great. It would be wrong to say football has never been about the rich and poor. The composition of … Continue reading Football’s decade of capitalism
Everton record loss – better days ahead?
EVERTON’S pursuit of success isn’t working at the moment as evidenced by their financials for 2018-19. The club recently appointed one of European football’s most successful managers, Carlo Ancelotti, prompting great enthusiasm and hope that Everton can turn the corner. But the announcement of their financial performance, coming just after a Liverpool second string side knocked the Toffees out of the FA Cup, has really … Continue reading Everton record loss – better days ahead?
Crisis, what crisis? – Barcelona’s problem
LOOK at the facts: top of La Liga, in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, crowds of 74,000 people packing the Camp Nou every game, and now top of the Deloitte Football Money League for the first time. Barcelona were supposedly, in crisis mode. It’s all relative, of course, as some people have noted. Bury was a crisis and they are no longer … Continue reading Crisis, what crisis? – Barcelona’s problem
What’s in a football club’s name?
FOOTBALL fans have always been intrigued by club names. Just scroll down a list of fantasy football team names or even Sunday clubs – there will be a plethora of Dynamos, Sportings and the odd Real and Lokomotive. People don’t always know what they might be giving their club in terms of the original meaning of that exotic name and mostly it doesn’t matter. Borussia, … Continue reading What’s in a football club’s name?
Opium for the masses – the cost of Premier addiction
IF football is a supply and demand industry in England, then on first glance it appears to be working. Crowds in the Premier League are at their highest level since the 1950s and some clubs have waiting lists for season tickets that stretch back years and years. True, there is an argument that “modern football” is pricing people, notably the traditional working-class out of the … Continue reading Opium for the masses – the cost of Premier addiction
1971-72 – the title chase to end all title chases
MALCOLM ALLISON, that big, brash, iconic figure from the early 1970s, once said the period between 1967 and 1972 was a golden age for English football. Of course, during that time, Manchester City were very successful, so naturally, Allison would look back on this six -year spell as special. But this was an age where the big prizes were not monopolised, no matter how hard … Continue reading 1971-72 – the title chase to end all title chases
Time for football to look after its own
BURY’s recent expulsion from the Football League was a reminder that the overall state of English football is not as resilient as top Premier League income streams would have you believe. The reality is that many clubs still live hand-to-mouth and revenues at the lower end of the 92-club structure are merely a fraction of what the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool enjoy. Mismanagement … Continue reading Time for football to look after its own
Chelsea make a loss as revenues flat-line, but what of the future?
CHELSEA received almost a quarter of a billion pounds in additional funding from owner Roman Abramovich as the club made a loss of around £ 100 million in 2018-19. Chelsea’s turnover totalled £ 447 million which was more or less on par with 2017-18 (£ 443) as a result of lower broadcasting (£200m) and matchday income (£67m) streams. Commercial income was up by 9% to … Continue reading Chelsea make a loss as revenues flat-line, but what of the future?
Europe’s Champions: 1973-74 – Bayern Munich
THE year 1974 really did belong to West Germany. Bayern Munich won their first European Cup and in the summer, the nation rejoiced as the World Cup was won. Suddenly, it was “cool” to be German and players like Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller and Uli Hoeneß were among Europe’s finest. Bayern were also crowned champions of the Bundesliga in 1973-74 and were just a couple … Continue reading Europe’s Champions: 1973-74 – Bayern Munich
Big clubs devalue the FA Cup, because they can
AS USUAL, the FA Cup third round brought with it heated debate about the way Premier League clubs abuse the competition. If we are truly honest with ourselves, the FA Cup used to be so important because of a number of reasons, but these have largely become null and void in the modern game. Firstly, the FA Cup was the only game that the majority … Continue reading Big clubs devalue the FA Cup, because they can
Everton and Carlo Ancelotti – now the hard work begins
CARLO ANCELOTTI knew he wasn’t taking over a bulge bracket club when he agreed to join Everton, making him one of the most celebrated managers ever to walk into the Goodison Park hot-seat. At Anfield, in his first Merseyside side, the constantly raised eyebrow told you everything you needed to know: the three-times Champions League winner has a major task on his hands at Everton. … Continue reading Everton and Carlo Ancelotti – now the hard work begins
Manchester United, the religious argument
ACADEMICS somewhere in the world are probably debating right now whether football has replaced religion as a defining element of society. To some people, football is the prominent feature of their life, the opium that drags them away from the mundane. The importance of the game, to those who have little else to lift their lives, was highlighted in the press a year or so … Continue reading Manchester United, the religious argument
