Should Premier League clubs gamble while they still can?
When Sir Alex Ferguson referred to Manchester City’s spending last week, he used the term ‘kamikaze’. As much as I don’t want to soundbite the man, I believe it’s worth noting that the spending taking place at Eastlands is not ‘kamikaze’ because they can afford to do it. If the club wasn’t bankrolled by billionaires, then spending hundreds of millions of pounds would be a problem. A club should only spend what it can afford, and City can afford to continue in the fashion that they have done for the past two years.
City need Champions League football if they want to convert this smash and grab spending into long-term investment – Europe’s elite competition has to be a part of that plan. Very few clubs in City’s position would go about their behaviour in any other way to what we have witnessed them doing, in the same way that they have followed the Abramovich template after seeing what he did at Chelsea. The other reason, and it may be a more astute one, is that the UEFA regulations that will be phased in regarding the expenditure of football clubs, will take place in April of next year.
As with anything involving footballing bureaucracy, the regulation could do with some superficial, but very shiny, Monday Night Football gadgets, simply to get your head around it. Various computer screens, and the homo-erotic affections of the Andy Gray/Richard Keys combo, would convey to you in high definition graphics, that clubs cannot go on making huge losses. After the turn of the financial year, any expenditure will be taken into account for the regulations, although the full set of rules doesn’t come to fruition for another four years. Put simply, any money spent now, or in January, doesn’t count towards the new rules.
This is not me willing all clubs to go out on sprees while they still can, because most clubs simply can’t afford that. However, City can, and should try and get as much use out of the obvious advantage that they currently have over other clubs over the next year. Any club that doesn’t suffer from economic fragility, and has a little nest-egg to play with, should really be thinking about any major purchases that they plan on making, and be doing them now or in January. After then, it will all go down in UEFA’s little black book. A team like Chelsea for example, who have the financial resources and may need one or two additions, should make their move sooner rather than later. It’s the same for Manchester United: they may have debts, but a couple more singings is not going to bankrupt such an enormous brand.
How much of City’s spree is because of the incoming regulations is debateable, the promised land of the Champions League is a far more pressing matter, but it will definitely be in the thoughts of the Eastlands boardroom and their executives. While many Premier League clubs get linked with billionaire takeovers with every turn of a newspaper page, takeovers of Man City’s scale may not be so feasible anymore, which was probably the law’s intention in the first place.
City know that once the rules are in place, it will be even more difficult for clubs to break the top-dog hierarchy that exists in the Premier League. Manchester United and Chelsea will have the biggest budgets and be able to maintain their strangle-hold on domestic matters. The best opportunity City have of trying to dent that monopoly is by investing as heavily as possible while they still can. Although with smaller budgets, clubs with the same aspirations, the Evertons and Spurs of this league, may have to consider gambling now, so they don’t get left behind when Platini’s Police put a stop to potential deals later on.
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Well done that man, a balanced and informed article on Man City’s spending strategy, you put the other lazy bloggers and hacks to shame.
Mind you, it wasn’t hard to do was it?!!
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This is like a lottery winner trying to by true love . It could happen but the chances are rare. What Fergie should have said his its a moral issue the world is bankrupt and ailing and in this country Oil in the name of one of its products is staggeringly high and causing hardship and inflation to rise and job losses . This will eventually make City a hate figure when people start to realise where the young unelected Royal gets his pocket money from to spend on a Football 200,0000 and odd pounds a week wages. Using a Country’s wealth for a youn spoilt man who has never felt hardship is wrong and like our prince buying and spending millons on a polo team with our oil from the North sea. His wealth his not earned but from his countrys explored oil from And pocketed by all his 19 brothers and sisters and his fathers many many Wife’s unelected Royals who belong in the past. The people of Abu Dhabi have no say who spends there country’s wealth we do every now 5 years.
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I am convinced this circus at city will all go wrong sooner or later,it is obscene and if the Arab pulls out,dies,loses interest decides to get into baseball or whatever City will vanish and football will continue without any loss of sleep.
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The phrase ‘Kamikaze’ could be pertaining to ‘suicidal’ – which would be inaccurate – because it won’t kill City financially. But I believe that Mr Ferguson was referring to the apparent “all or nothing” approach, and “get him at all costs” – which then ‘Kamikaze’ is appropriate. Given that the rules do not come into play for 4 years, then spend man, spend!! Just keep an eye on your books as the new rule approaches.
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Roy Hodgson not a manager for the Top Teams…He only can manage middle class team…And he also always try to sign middle class players…So…Pls kick out the old man from my lovely team REDS before he spoil the team…His idea also like STUPID Bustard…!!! SON OF THE BITCH!!! And always said he want to sign this player….that player…this player …that player only with his mouth… Until now he didnt do anything…He just want to show that he is good…Stupid blady old man..!!!
Spoiling the team!! The worst manager in liverpool history since 1892…
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