English Premier League threads [Merged]

[marella jube]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

(dirty) Leeds v Derby on the opening Saturday (August 09) of the Championship...

Former Blackburn & Man City boss ,Mark Hughes , appointed as manager of Fulham .

 

[ThePercies]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Looks like things may be about to take a turn for the better for Liverpool

By Dan Roan
BBC Sports News Correspondent

Liverpool could be bought by a Chinese business tycoon within days, according to a source close to the deal.

Kenny Huang, head of Hong Kong-based investment company QSL Sports Ltd, wants to take full control of the Reds, who have been up for sale since April.

"A deal has to be done before the transfer window closes [on 31 August]," a source close to Huang told BBC Sport.

"Huang has made a firm proposal. The club's board has to sanction the sale and it could be sewn up in days."

Huang has been talking for several weeks to representatives of the Royal Bank of Scotland, with the aim of taking full control of the Premier League club.


RBS are Liverpool's main creditors, owed about £237m by American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

"Kenny is the only serious bidder interested in the club and he's optimistic," added the source.

Huang is offering to clear Liverpool's debt to RBS and hand new manager Roy Hodgson funds to do business in the transfer window.

The tycoon also plans to build the club a new stadium as soon as possible.

Huang was reported to have turned down the chance to buy Liverpool in 2008 because he felt a valuation of £650m was too high. BBC Sport understands he now values the club at about £350m.

Hicks and Gillett bought the Reds in March 2007 in a deal that valued the club at £218.9m.

But the American duo have endured a difficult time at Anfield, with supporters regularly voicing their dissatisfaction at the level of debt taken on by the club after their buyout.

Last October, several hundred Liverpool fans staged a protest march against the owners ahead of their Premier League match against Manchester United.

The board's popularity with the fans disintegrated further when Hicks' son, Tom Hicks Jr, became embroiled in a row with a supporter who alleged the American had sent him abusive emails.

As a result, Hicks Jr resigned as a director of the club and parent company Kop Holdings, leading to a restructure of the board.

Gillett and Hicks have also endured a fractious relationship with each other, which early on in their reign threatened to undermine their ownership with the former revealing the partnership had become "unworkable".

In 2008, Hicks blocked Gillett's moves to sell his 50% share to Dubai International Capital group as the pair feuded over future plans for the club.

An outright £500m takeover bid by the DIC group was also rebuffed, with Hicks hinting he would attempt an outright takeover bid himself.

They subsequently patched up their differences but took the decision less than four months ago to put the club up for sale, insisting there had been numerous expressions of interest in a buyout.

British Airways boss Martin Broughton was brought in as Liverpool chairman in April to facilitate the sale of the club and along with Hicks and Gillett is part of a five-man board at Liverpool that also includes chief executive Christian Purslow and commercial director Ian Ayre.

 

[tannerztigers]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Torres has commited to Liverpool and has re signed :hearton

 

[Barnzy]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Torres has commited to Liverpool and has re signed :hearton

Interesting. I was following that and it seemed like he was going from what I was reading. Something about Liverpool selling him would allow them to pay off their huge debt as he's their most valuable asset?

Anyways, looking forward to my 1st proper season of watching EPL.

 

[marella jube]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Martin O'Neill quit as manager of Aston Villa overnight . No reason given but disagreement with US owner Lerner over transfer policy thought to be the cause ...Interesting to see if both Milner & Young are sold (& replaced) before the transfer window closed in less than a fortnight.

 

[Leysy Days]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Is that right Marella. Massive loss for Villa after all the ground they have made under a great manager like him.

 

[evo]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

After 35 years following the EPL I still can't work out the transfer system.

Why, for example, has Chelsea let Joe Cole go for nothing? It seems ludicrous to me that we get no compensation. But yet you see it all the time.

On the flip side we have paid Liverpool 5.5m squid to sign Benayoun

 

[TigerForce]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

After 35 years following the EPL I still can't work out the transfer system.

Why, for example, has Chelsea let Joe Cole go for nothing? It seems ludicrous to me that we get no compensation. But yet you see it all the time.

On the flip side we have paid Liverpool 5.5m squid to sign Benayoun

Coz his contract expired.

 

[evo]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Coz his contract expired.

Well why don't they do what we do in the AFL and negotiate another contract in the last year? Cole was about the equivalent in talent and value to Benayoun. Yet we get zilch.

It is just pissing money away.

Moreover, where is the incentive to develop young players?

 

[TigerForce]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Well why don't they do what we do in the AFL and negotiate another contract in the last year? Cole was about the equivalent in talent and value to Benayoun. Yet we get zilch.

It is just p!ssing money away.

Moreover, where is the incentive to develop young players?

Free agent. Had enough of Chelsea and is now at Liverpool.

Who knows what the politics are clevo.

 

[Harry]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

yeah can't understand this free agency thing. it was the bossman ruling many years ago i think that started it all. restriction of trade. in effect a club can spend 30 mill on a player and he can walk out for nothing in 2 years time. and the club can't do anything about it. the Gunners lost flamini a few years back and i think gallas walked out the same way this year. clubs can get into the ear of a player and offer him a massive salary if he agrees to not re-sign and walk from his current club at the end of the year. the club can use a portion of the money they saved on the transfer fee to fund the players salary.

anyway a few more sleeps to go. go GUNNERS !!! Do something this year.

 

[Leysy Days]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Well why don't they do what we do in the AFL and negotiate another contract in the last year? Cole was about the equivalent in talent and value to Benayoun. Yet we get zilch.

It is just p!ssing money away.

Moreover, where is the incentive to develop young players?

Exactly. Leysy's club Crystal Palace have near the best academy in England & get next to nothing to show for it.
Our best youngsters get taken by the likes of Tottenham for nix regularly.

this lack of incentive for clubs to develop there own is also the major reason the national team has so little talent.

Its all about the big clubs winning trophies with foreign players these days.

Ask just about any Pom & the championship & lower leagues is where true futbal is at in Engerland.

 

[tha8ball]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Martin O'Neill quit as manager of Aston Villa overnight . No reason given but disagreement with US owner Lerner over transfer policy thought to be the cause ...Interesting to see if both Milner & Young are sold (& replaced) before the transfer window closed in less than a fortnight.

Huge loss for Villa. Huge.

 

[Harry]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Our best youngsters get taken by the likes of Tottenham for nix regularly.

this lack of incentive for clubs to develop there own is also the major reason the national team has so little talent.

It's not only england, it applies everywhere. but agree.

lol at tottenham spuds poaching players.

 

[Leysy Days]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

It's not only england, it applies everywhere. but agree.

lol at tottenham spuds poaching players.

Far moreso in England than almost anywhere else ILO Harry.
A lot of that is to do with the money that can be made there for overseas players due to the pound.

Germany for instance, most of there players are at the bigger Bundesliga clubs getting regular games.
We can see the plethora of talent they have coming through.

 

[Harry]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Far moreso in England than almost anywhere else ILO Harry.
A lot of that is to do with the money that can be made there for overseas players due to the pound.

Germany for instance, most of there players are at the bigger Bundesliga clubs getting regular games.
We can see the plethora of talent they have coming through.

yeah but talented kids all over europe can be lured by big bucks, not only english kids. we're talking about clubs who invest in development not being able to keep their players due to free transfers and big salaries. would also affect clubs like ajax and lyon for example. actually it's no surprise that ajax was quite a powerful european club until this bosman ruling came out. now they are widely regarded as a feeder club.

 

[Elmer]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

After 35 years following the EPL I still can't work out the transfer system.

Why, for example, has Chelsea let Joe Cole go for nothing? It seems ludicrous to me that we get no compensation. But yet you see it all the time.

On the flip side we have paid Liverpool 5.5m squid to sign Benayoun

Geez a Chelsea fan complaining about transfer compensation, gimme a break. They’ve been the biggest poachers for five years. Carvalho is also off to Madrid but at least you're getting some dough for him.

yeah can't understand this free agency thing. it was the bossman ruling many years ago i think that started it all. restriction of trade. in effect a club can spend 30 mill on a player and he can walk out for nothing in 2 years time. and the club can't do anything about it. the Gunners lost flamini a few years back and i think gallas walked out the same way this year. clubs can get into the ear of a player and offer him a massive salary if he agrees to not re-sign and walk from his current club at the end of the year. the club can use a portion of the money they saved on the transfer fee to fund the players salary.

It is pretty straight forward stuff, Cole and Flamini came out of contract and signed somewhere else. They're well within their rights to do that. Obviously clubs pay massive transfers to other clubs because they want their prized capital, if they subsequently let that capital go out of contract/control and depart for free that’s poor management. Cole left because he wasn’t getting regular starts at Chelsea, Flamini went for cash. C'est la vie.

The real problem IMO is players like Ronaldo, Mascherano and Fabregas who sign updated long-term contracts every 12-18 months to maximum their wage value and within another 12-18 months go public about wanting a move. As much as I admire Cesc I hope Arsenal hold him to his contract and don’t let him leave. What till his last 18 months then let him leave or make Barca pay through the nose. If I was Liverpool I would make Mascherano rot in the reserves. Time to make a stand.

Everyone knows the current transfer payments and salaries are unsustainable in the long term. Even Barca had cash flow problems and couldn’t pay their players two months ago. When exceptionally huge clubs like Barca with 90k+ stadium, huge sponsorship and the best TV deal in Europe are having problems what chance the rest? Liverpool, Man U etc are now riddled with debt and will require subsidisation (along with Chelsea and Man City) by gazillionaires to bail em out. It still hasn’t stopped Barca spending another £50m+ on Villa and Correia and trying to spend another £30m on Fab! That’s a potential £80 million on 3 players by a club that couldn't meet its wage bill two months ago. Although this total cost was offset by the Yaya transfer to City for £28m and an attempt to offload Ibrahimovic to fund Cesc.

As this stage I am happy for Arsenal to remain a ‘feeder’ club as you put it. The music will stop soon enough and would prefer to see Arsenal with a sound seat when it happens. IMO until the FA apply some minimum local player requirements like the Bundesliga or UEFA impose some sort of transfer/player salary restrictions it will continue to spin out of control and bankrupt clubs.

Adebayor is on £150K a week and will be lucky to play – he is already calling for a move to Milan and has been at City a year. Toure is now on a basic wage at City of £185,000 a week, up to £221,000 when 50% tax bracket is introduced. That’s $384k AUD a week, a week! It’s such crazy money it is not surprising the players have little or no loyalty.

Currently it’s down to the clubs to reign it in. Pleasingly Arsenal have maintained balance through this exorbitant Abromovich/City period. Liverpool and Man U now seem to be forced into negligible spending this year by circumstance. Somehow Tottenham seem to do it pretty well although Harry will no doubt *smile* that up and even Big Brom has pulled back the spend with Chelsea. Be interesting to see how long the circus lasts.

 

[evo]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

Geez a Chelsea fan complaining about transfer compensation, gimme a break. They’ve been the biggest poachers for five years. Carvalho is also off to Madrid but at least you're getting some dough for him.

I'm not complaining so much as trying to understand the system. I could've used any number of other examples but that is the most recent one of which i was familiar.

It is pretty straight forward stuff, Cole and Flamini came out of contract and signed somewhere else. They're well within their rights to do that. Obviously clubs pay massive transfers to other clubs because they want their prized capital, if they subsequently let that capital go out of contract/control and depart for free that’s poor management. Cole left because he wasn’t getting regular starts at Chelsea, Flamini went for cash. C'est la vie.

Well it seems fairly ridiculous to me. And not because it hurts my club. As Leysy pointed out, it seems many of the smaller clubs have been get milked of their promising juniors for years.

 

[Elmer]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

I'm not complaining so much as trying to understand the system. I could've used any number of other examples but that is the most recent one of which i was familiar.

Well it seems fairly ridiculous to me. And not because it hurts my club. As Leysy pointed out, it seems many of the smaller clubs have been get milked of their promising juniors for years.

I'm not saying it's reasonable, just how it is and has been for a long time. Everton couldn't hold onto Rooney with him being Everton born and raised and them a decent side. It happens at every level with the better league one sides poaching the best league two players and so on. But it happens in all the other European leagues. That's why purchasing power with City (and previously Chelsea), Barca, Milans is everything. Until there are spending or minimum domestic player requirements it will roll on.

The only carrot some others can offer is Champions League (or Europa but that doesn't mean much now) and if you're outside the top four (Liverpool) with debt and without a truckload of money you're completely stuffed. Hence Liverpool’s desperation for the Chinese buyout.

Homegrown players mean virtually nothing now. Academies are for growing stock that you attempt to hold until you sell for a premium. Then you use it to buy good players from smaller or relegated clubs. My mates that follow West Brom, Hull etc get their thrills in being promoted or avoiding relegation. They watched Brom dominate last year and they have probably offloaded a stack of players that got them there for a 6 club journeyman mercenary with slightly better skills. Thing is they'll be wrapped if they barely win 15% of games yet stay up. They have no expectation to ever win the Premier League.

Most PRE fans love the trade/draft week as it gives us hope. It is not surprising the transfer periods are almost the favourite part here too for those not supporting a “big club”. Bloke in the office next to me comes in four times a day with West Ham transfer speculation, asking if I know anything about the Mouri they signed from the NZ world cup team.

Quite a few things can be improved in the AFL but thank god for the draft and salary cap. Infinitely fairer and hopeful player transfer system, although not for the players!

 

[Elmer]

Re: 2010/2011 English Premier League

this lack of incentive for clubs to develop there own is also the major reason the national team has so little talent.

Its all about the big clubs winning trophies with foreign players these days.

There is still incentive to grow your own as it is an avenue to land a player on the cheap and build some stock. Barca's academy produced Iniesta, Xavi, Valdes, Pique, Fabregas and Messi (since 13). However even they couldn’t hold onto Fabregas when Arsenal came calling offering first team football.

It is all about winning the league and qualifying for Champions League. The FA cup is virtually meaningless for those inside the "big club" bracket. I reckon the failure for development of national team players is the FA being too gutless to introduce a Bundesliga rule requiring a minimum of homegrown players in each selected side. Can’t expect managers whose short shelf-lives depend on performance to spend a few years developing players. It is not in their interest and the quick fixes they need result in the glut of foreign players and journeyman mercenaries.

It is why given the current system it staggers me when people slag off Arsene Wenger. He is just about the best at picking good young players on the cheap or making very astute moderate purchases. Arsenal’s own pulling power helps too in that regard. God help us when he departs.