The big match this weekend is the Manchester City v Arsenal game at Eastlands. Chelsea look set to extend their lead at the top when they host Wolverhampton wanderers. Manchester United should abandon the draws and the Rooney saga and get their 2010/2011 campaign on the roll. Tottenham need to avoid a loss not only to prove that they have the mantle to carry out a challenge on twin fronts- especially after their loss to Inter Milan in midweek. While West bromwich Albion at home to Fulham should seek to keep their dream season going after impressive results against Arsenal and Manchester united. For a full guide to the Barclays premier league action read more:
Guide to Weekend Football: English Premier League Matches, Preview and Soccer Talk
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Liverpool Sale To Boston Red Sox Owners, New England Sports Ventures, Set After Judge Ruling
LONDON:
If football clubs were generals, Liverpool Football club would be the most decorated amongst the ilk competing in England. With 18 league titles and triumph in 5 European cup finals, Liverpool FC ought to be the embodiment of success.
However, as the English saying warns: ' Do not Judge the book by the cover '; on the books, Liverpool football club is in debt to a tune of some 200 million pounds owed to the Royal Bank Of Scotland. In the pitch, following its worst league start in over half a century, Liverpool lies among the top three clubs that stand to be relegated from the English top flight- in the Harry potter world scenario that the 2010-2011 season of Premier League were to somehow prematurely end now.
This is the situation as the two men from the land of soccer-not football- leave following an English courts ruling to back the decision of the Board of Liverpool Football club to sell the club to new owners, in an effort aimed at averting a case similar to the Leeds United debacle or the more recent Portsmouth FC fall into financial administration+/- relegation to the lower echelons of English Soccer.
Hicks and Gillet are the villains in this football epic. The two American billionaires took over Liverpool football club in 2007 betting on leveraged financing to help realize the Merseyside dream of a new home, more world class players to add on to the enigmatic captain Steven Gerard and a loaded trophy cabinet.
A global recession later and a shift in the dynamics of English football finances that saw half of the football clubs in the premier league being foreign owned, that Merseyside dream turned into drifting log to a shipwrecked sailor. Away it went, as financial trouble sucked Liverpool further into the abyss of the open sea. The lack of success in the pitch since the dramatic 2005 Istanbul triumph over Ac Milan in the UEFA champions league final just served to confound Liverpool's troubles as the much needed performance linked television revenues suffered a blow.
Sensing that they were walking alone, Hicks and Gillet sought to sell the club. After a whirlwind of claims of various parties interested in restoring the glory days of Liverpool circulated in the press, it emerged that New England Sports Ventures that is partly owned by New York Times Co and owns the Major League Baseball side Boston Red Sox had offered 300 Million pounds for Liverpool.
Boston Red Sox, an iconic sporting brand in America, much like Liverpool in English soccer, had been in a situation much akin to that facing Liverpool not long ago. New England Sporting Ventures rescued the Major Baseball league side from demise and were planning to replicate their success with Boston Red Sox in English soccer.
The Liverpool board, English premier league and by extension the British government -courtesy of their ownership of The Royal Bank Of Scotland that occurred in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, approved the impending deal that would see the debt settled and set plans of a new Liverpool stadium and football revival on the way. Current Liverpool co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillet Jr, moved to court to bar the board from selling citing the apparent undervaluation of the club and questioning the authority of the board to initiate the sale talks.
High court Judge Christopher Floyd in his ruling lifted the one stumbling block that looked set to bring some reprieve to the Anfeild faithful. With their street protests and you tube video campaigns, it appears that Liverpool fans will have to settle for half a loaf rather than the more desirable situation where they would have loved to control the club.
Once the deal is confirmed as expected, the singing shall move from the streets back to the terraces of Anfeild to create that famous suffocating atmosphere for opposition teams. The Kops have done their bit in resolving board room battles. Now its time to cheer on the reds as they battle their way up the premiership table. Hopefully, with the impending New England Sports ventures deal, it will not be a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire nor one of the known devil being better than the unknown angel.
If football clubs were generals, Liverpool Football club would be the most decorated amongst the ilk competing in England. With 18 league titles and triumph in 5 European cup finals, Liverpool FC ought to be the embodiment of success.
However, as the English saying warns: ' Do not Judge the book by the cover '; on the books, Liverpool football club is in debt to a tune of some 200 million pounds owed to the Royal Bank Of Scotland. In the pitch, following its worst league start in over half a century, Liverpool lies among the top three clubs that stand to be relegated from the English top flight- in the Harry potter world scenario that the 2010-2011 season of Premier League were to somehow prematurely end now.
This is the situation as the two men from the land of soccer-not football- leave following an English courts ruling to back the decision of the Board of Liverpool Football club to sell the club to new owners, in an effort aimed at averting a case similar to the Leeds United debacle or the more recent Portsmouth FC fall into financial administration+/- relegation to the lower echelons of English Soccer.
Hicks and Gillet are the villains in this football epic. The two American billionaires took over Liverpool football club in 2007 betting on leveraged financing to help realize the Merseyside dream of a new home, more world class players to add on to the enigmatic captain Steven Gerard and a loaded trophy cabinet.
 |
| Withered Dreams: The Proposed Liverpool Stadium. Image courtesy of architecturelist.com |
Sensing that they were walking alone, Hicks and Gillet sought to sell the club. After a whirlwind of claims of various parties interested in restoring the glory days of Liverpool circulated in the press, it emerged that New England Sports Ventures that is partly owned by New York Times Co and owns the Major League Baseball side Boston Red Sox had offered 300 Million pounds for Liverpool.
Boston Red Sox, an iconic sporting brand in America, much like Liverpool in English soccer, had been in a situation much akin to that facing Liverpool not long ago. New England Sporting Ventures rescued the Major Baseball league side from demise and were planning to replicate their success with Boston Red Sox in English soccer.
The Liverpool board, English premier league and by extension the British government -courtesy of their ownership of The Royal Bank Of Scotland that occurred in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, approved the impending deal that would see the debt settled and set plans of a new Liverpool stadium and football revival on the way. Current Liverpool co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillet Jr, moved to court to bar the board from selling citing the apparent undervaluation of the club and questioning the authority of the board to initiate the sale talks.
High court Judge Christopher Floyd in his ruling lifted the one stumbling block that looked set to bring some reprieve to the Anfeild faithful. With their street protests and you tube video campaigns, it appears that Liverpool fans will have to settle for half a loaf rather than the more desirable situation where they would have loved to control the club.
Once the deal is confirmed as expected, the singing shall move from the streets back to the terraces of Anfeild to create that famous suffocating atmosphere for opposition teams. The Kops have done their bit in resolving board room battles. Now its time to cheer on the reds as they battle their way up the premiership table. Hopefully, with the impending New England Sports ventures deal, it will not be a case of jumping from the frying pan into the fire nor one of the known devil being better than the unknown angel.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Chelsea Vs Arsenal Preview
Ask Arsene Wenger and he will tell you that its has been the financial muscle of the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, Manchester United that has kept the trophy cabinet at Emirates Stadium, Ashburton Groove, squeaky clean. You can say Arsenal picked a wrong time to be in transition.
Roman Abromovich stepped in from the cold of Russia and with the tactical nous of Jose Mourinho, soon later enabled Arsenal's London rivals their first premiership trophy in 55yrs. Chelsea was hot again, not only in having a sexy name but also
This solid background has seen Chelsea claim their first double ever in 2009/2010 season with their triumph in both the league and FA cup. By then Mourinho was long gone, Avram Grant and Luois felippe Scolari had stopped by, but the seeds he had sown in the shape of Didier Drogba, John Terry, Frank lampard and six time Fa Cup winner Ashley Cole were still bearing fruit.
Former AC Milan boss was in charge for the double. You can't accuse him of feeding off the fruits of the Jose Mourinho tree, as he has managed to do something that none of the host of mangers in charge of the Roman army has done: He has manged to produce a brand of soccer that someone can travel to go and watch.
If you were to ask Arsene wenger again of the state of his West London Rivals- Chelsea, he will tell you that Roman Abramovich's experiment had paid off at least in the short term. Looking at Chelsea's trophy cabinet, it is creaking under the weight of three English premier league titles, two FA cups and Two Carling cups.
Looking at the state of their accounts however, the picture is inverted in Arsenal's favour. Profits breaking sport financial records has been the norm at North London. In West London, the news has been about cutting losses. Maybe North London needed that- something to brag about- as the cups have deserted Arsenal since that FA cup win on penalties in over Manchester United in the 2004/2005 season. But things are changing
A look at Chelsea's bench today as they host Arsenal for the game of the season so far at Stanford Bridge will reveal a few names to you. Probably you might know of exciting Frenchman Gael Kakuta courtesy of the protracted transfer that saw the European Governing body UEFA fine Chelsea and even suspend them from taking part in transfer activity for a short spell a couple of years back.
The only new face in Arsenal's lineup maybe the 18yr old Jack Wilshere. The rest as Arsene Wenger points out are experienced internationals. Yes, they may be young at age, but the footballing hours under their belts make them some of the most experienced footballers anywhere on the globe.
How things have changed. Or really?
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