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YankeeCanary

Back To The Future

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Dateline August 1st/2030

 

The new Premiership season is just about to get underway in England. The transfer market is hopping as the top players ( all British ) push their agents to market their talents to the only club that has emerged unscathed from the debacle that has been the past quarter of a century.

 

To reflect, as this century got underway, increasingly top English clubs were acquired one by one by foreign investors primarily from the Middle East, United States, Russia and Japan. As amazing as it seems even in retrospect, the power brokers from these diverse parts of the world eventually formed an unspoken cartel. Over time they gained so much power that they squeezed the FA to make concession after concession as to the manner in which clubs from the original home of football would be forced to operate. English fans, while often heard loudly bellowing inside football grounds, are by nature docile creatures as soon as they depart from the same. However, these timid creatures had finally had enough and were ready for war.

 

The FA, having evolved during this period into the saddest group of “yes men”, yea far sadder than the taunts most vocal critics would have hurled at them in days gone by, finally had to capitulate under the increasingly violent pressure of the English fans to make a stand and say “No sir! No More!!!” to these foreign invaders. Fans by the thousands were marching in communities around the country with placards denouncing those names from foreign shores. “We don’t want any more Abdul’s, Faizel’s, Vladislav’s or Takihashi’s. We particularly don’t want Roman or Randy for that matter!” the signs cried out.

 

It was at this point that the illegal and unspoken cartel applied their power and a giant sucking sound was heard across the land. Overnight, all of their wealth was withdrawn from the English game and the czars and the money hungry foreign players departed on the giant jolly jumbo 1447’s out of Heathrow.

The English players stood as if in the middle of a post-nuclear environment as their respective clubs did not even bother to tear up their contracts. The paper was sent to local fry-ups to be used for cod and chips.

 

Above all of this absolute disaster one club, and one club alone, stood tall. Norwich City was now the elite club in the land. It’s owner, Delia Smith, a portly matriarch now close to 90 years old, had resisted any attempts at foreign ownership and had continued to manage the club for decades on what was considered the day before as a shoe-string budget, but was now looked at throughout the country as the powerhouse with money to burn. Top players lined up in their hundreds hoping to be granted the privilege of wearing the yellow and green. “Let them eat cake” Delia was heard muttering repeatedly, as it was the only thing she could remember at this point. Nigel Worth-a-ton made the applicants draw straws for the right to sign. The PinkUn message board was filled with nothing but boring threads as to which player we should favor, with Fifth Wizard and Dicky Three being the most prolific posters. 

   

“Whoops….was that the alarm clock? Time for my golf game.”

 

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The new Premiership season is just about to get underway in England. The transfer market is hopping as the top players ( all British ) push their agents to market their talents to the only club that has emerged unscathed from the debacle that has been the past quarter of a century.

 

To reflect, as this century got underway, increasingly top English clubs were acquired one by one by foreign investors primarily from the Middle East, United States, Russia and Japan. As amazing as it seems even in retrospect, the power brokers from these diverse parts of the world eventually formed an unspoken cartel. Over time they gained so much power that they squeezed the FA to make concession after concession as to the manner in which clubs from the original home of football would be forced to operate. English fans, while often heard loudly bellowing inside football grounds, are by nature docile creatures as soon as they depart from the same. However, these timid creatures had finally had enough and were ready for war.

 

The FA, having evolved during this period into the saddest group of “yes men”, yea far sadder than the taunts most vocal critics would have hurled at them in days gone by, finally had to capitulate under the increasingly violent pressure of the English fans to make a stand and say “No sir! No More!!!” to these foreign invaders. Fans by the thousands were marching in communities around the country with placards denouncing those names from foreign shores. “We don’t want any more Abdul’s, Faizel’s, Vladislav’s or Takihashi’s. We particularly don’t want Roman or Randy for that matter!” the signs cried out.

 

It was at this point that the illegal and unspoken cartel applied their power and a giant sucking sound was heard across the land. Overnight, all of their wealth was withdrawn from the English game and the czars and the money hungry foreign players departed on the giant jolly jumbo 1447’s out of Heathrow.

The English players stood as if in the middle of a post-nuclear environment as their respective clubs did not even bother to tear up their contracts. The paper was sent to local fry-ups to be used for cod and chips.

 

Above all of this absolute disaster one club, and one club alone, stood tall. Norwich City was now the elite club in the land. It’s owner, Delia Smith, a portly matriarch now close to 90 years old, had resisted any attempts at foreign ownership and had continued to manage the club for decades on what was considered the day before as a shoe-string budget, but was now looked at throughout the country as the powerhouse with money to burn. Top players lined up in their hundreds hoping to be granted the privilege of wearing the yellow and green. “Let them eat cake” Delia was heard muttering repeatedly, as it was the only thing she could remember at this point. Nigel Worth-a-ton made the applicants draw straws for the right to sign. The PinkUn message board was filled with nothing but boring threads as to which player we should favor, with Fifth Wizard and Dicky Three being the most prolific posters. 

   

“Whoops….was that the alarm clock? Time for my golf game.”

 

 

YC,Hi!! your third paragraph in my opinion is the most disturbing.  It''s final sentence actually speaks volumes about the way politically and morally we have been in a state of decline for the last 50 years.  I look at our own indigenous youth with constant dismay, and I see those young people from the far East and Central Asia and other developing countries that have settled here and also those who have come from similar stock.  Most of them are more industrious than those who would claim to be of historic British stock.  Their parents set the targets for their young ones aspirations, generally they are middle class and upper middle class in their choices. Aspiring to be doctors lawyers politicians ,you name it. Having been involved in adult education after retiring.  I have witnessed first hand the disease of apathy inherent in the emerging so called  boozy lazy British stock, which leads to precisely he sort of situation that you describe as having permeated our football industry, and not least our manufacturing industries. YC we have been in decline for at least those 50 years mentioned. The disease inherent in flower power of the 60''s, You I''m sure, and just a few others on these boards will remember when the rot set in.  It was at about the same time parents came out with the old chestnut " My kids are not going to have to struggle like I had to. I''ll make sure their breads buttered on both sides if I have any say in their future".  Every thing that we held precious and were proud to call British has been slowly removed from our control and you know what we''ve deserved it.  There are very few young white British in our society are taking what I would say are the core educational subjects necessary to bring about a revival and redevelopment of industry and commerce to reinvent what was once our national heritage when we used to say "if it''s British it must be good, followed by rather romantically, " An Englishman''s'' word is his bond".    I''m afraid the Mediterranean holiday in the sun now takes precedence over academic achievement for many of our pretenders to fame and the ability to sink the most pints take first place over and above our industrial survival.

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Beelsie,

A tip for you, if you click the quote button the person''s post who you are replying to will appear in a box, which will seperate it from your post.

CA

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[quote user="cityangel"]

Beelsie,

A tip for you, if you click the quote button the person''s post who you are replying to will appear in a box, which will seperate it from your post.

CA

[/quote]

Thank''s for that CA, A little help is worth a deal of pity, and when you get to my age,saving time is also important. Best wishes. Beelsie

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[quote user="cityangel"]

Beelsie,

A tip for you, if you click the quote button the person''s post who you are replying to will appear in a box, which will seperate it from your post.

CA

[/quote]

PS are you also THE Cherub!!

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[quote user="beelsie"][quote user="cityangel"]

Beelsie,

A tip for you, if you click the quote button the person''s post who you are replying to will appear in a box, which will seperate it from your post.

CA

[/quote]

PS are you also THE Cherub!!

[/quote]

 

No I''m not, haven''t ever posted under any different names and don''t intend to start now [:D]

Glad I was able to help you Beelsie

xx

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Yankee, quite an interesting concept and one that I wish I had read before posting about foreign monies in football etc.  I have a question for you, hopefully having more understanding on the matter than I do.  What do you make of the likes of Glazer and Lerner buying EPL clubs?  Have they done anything for the benefit of the NFL or just the teams they own?

Beelsie please don''t take this wrong, I enjoy your posts greatly but I find your constant berating of "youth" and generalisations a little unfair.  I am 26 but even when I was younger I would have considered myself to be very courteous to everyone.  I work hard, I paid my own way through University while working 25 hours a week in between lectures and study.  I have never been without a job and I know many people my age who are the same. 

I now have a two year old daughter and I find taking her into the City Centre very difficult when she is in the buggy.  Don''t get me wrong I don''t expect people to hold every door open for me or for crowds to part like the red sea when I approach BUT I also don''t expect to have doors shut into my daughters face which has happened a few times now.  I have found on these occasions that it has not been youths in hoodies (they tend to be very polite) or any other media "problem group of youths" that do it.  In fact it''s people of the older "golden generation" who like to state that "kids today have no manners!" that shut door in my face.

 

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Your point is very valid Saint.

Whatever happened to older people setting an example. I see many of them acting in, to use a modern vernacular, an ''anti-social'' manner and they can be unduly hostile towards teenagers in particular.

I read an interesting column recently which explained just how polarised we are towards children these days. We are either ridiculously protective and pampering or regard them as trouble with too little in between.

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Saint, I''m not sure I have any more understanding than you do but I will give you my opinion.

It''s difficult to understand what the motives would have been, for example, of a Malcolm Glazier, a self-made man with diverse business interests. He certainly significantly increased his net worth multifold by the way he managed the Tampa Bay Buccaneer franchise. Many investors have a desire to channel money into different parts of the globe just for the sake of risk management. Having been very successful with Tampa Bay he may have just decided sports franchises elsewhere were worth pursuing. The situation in Florida was very different however. When the franchise was first established ( I went to see them play a few times ) the organisation was very poor and not of the standard of the top NFL clubs. Equally significant growth and investment was flowing into Florida because of demographics. I think Glazier saw a good opportunity and made the most of it, just as a Warren Buffet has done in investing over the years. However, I''m wary of a situation when a self-made man who has pursued varied, underpriced and diverse businesses ( a good thing ) appears to over extend himself ( relative to his net worth ) as was the case with Manchester United. In other words, it did not fit the pattern. The club was already a global franchise commanding a high cost. Whatever business one acquires in whatever field the pressure is there, having made the acquisition, to grow profits at a high rate to justify the expensive pursuit. The jury is still out I believe.

Randy Lerner is a different situation at least in terms of the obvious motivations. His wealth is inherited. My view ( perhaps unfair ) is that people who inherit wealth tend to be more emotional as to why they pursue something than a self-made man would likely be. In Lerner''s case of course he spent a fair amount of time in England as a younger man and became a big football fan, particularly of Aston Villa. With respect to global diversity he may have some similar thoughts that drive Glazier but I suspect his motivating factors are quite different.

To your question of do they provide benefit to the NFL as opposed to just their own clubs, you should understand that sports franchises within the United States are subject to much more league control than would be the case in the UK. I''m sure they are both good corporate citizens but, like all rich men, will welcome the opportunity to wield a little more clout in the interest of their own  club within the UK football scene.

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Thanks for that Yankee.

I can''t say I knew much about Lerner but I did know a wee bit about Glazer.  Like you I found his motive hard to work out due to the massive amount of money it took to buy Man U.  It''s highly unlikely he can improve much upon the worldwide image of the Man U brand.  I can''t help but think the only thing he could do is somehow raise the profile of soccer and the EPL in the states.  It is a massive contrast to someone like Abramovic, who bought Chelsea comparatively cheaply, invested heavily in players and has increased the value of the club using Man U as the yard stick of where they want to be on a marketing scale.  I am assuming Lerner will follow the "Roman conquest" route from what you are saying.

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Re: Back To The Future

Yankee, quite an interesting concept and one that I wish I had read before posting about foreign monies in football etc. I have a question for you, hopefully having more understanding on the matter than I do. What do you make of the likes of Glazer and Lerner buying EPL clubs? Have they done anything for the benefit of the NFL or just the teams they own?

Beelsie please don''t take this wrong, I enjoy your posts greatly but I find your constant berating of "youth" and generalisations a little unfair. I am 26 but even when I was younger I would have considered myself to be very courteous to everyone. I work hard, I paid my own way through University while working 25 hours a week in between lectures and study. I have never been without a job and I know many people my age who are the same.

I now have a two year old daughter and I find taking her into the City Centre very difficult when she is in the buggy. Don''t get me wrong I don''t expect people to hold every door open for me or for crowds to part like the red sea when I approach BUT I also don''t expect to have doors shut into my daughters face which has happened a few times now. I have found on these occasions that it has not been youths in hoodies (they tend to be very polite) or any other media "problem group of youths" that do it. In fact it''s people of the older "golden generation" who like to state that "kids today have no manners!" that shut door in my face.

I’m sorry that you see it this way, perhaps I have not put my points clearly enough. I was responding to YC’s reference to the future, where he, as I understand his point’s, is in a way, talking about how, we, as country have slipped, or capitulated in guarding our Britishness, for the lure of a quick buck. Also how thing’s that were once part of our heritage had been allowed to slip away against the background of apathy. Thence for a this small Norwich club who tried to do things the right way was as it were, a beacon to be praised. What I tried to do, not very successfully, was to explain why and for how long this apathy that resulted in that decline had been in existence. I felt that was, as I put it in the early sixties when Flower power ruled and standards dropped to where drug taking and loose behaviour became among other things much more widespread and exceptable. If you think about it your dad could have been born around that time. I much earlier in 1923. To say that in explaining my opinion of our youth, I have generalised too much, or too broadly. May I say that in my experience, after retiring from business and for a time working in adult education both in King’s Lynn and Norwich In the age groups 16 to 28 those were my findings over those two years. Also during my life in business I sadly watched people in their thirties, whom I did business with, who should have been more mature but were very short on good manners. What we also see in the media and on record regarding the morals of the young does not disprove my findings, Young women have taken on a more masculine role and binge drinking and sexual values are moving in a downward direction. There are people in their 60’s 70’s 80’ who are bad mannered. I will give you that point. As for yourself and your industrious way of life can only be commended with others of your persuasion if only there were many more!!!

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[quote user="cityangel"][quote user="beelsie"][quote user="cityangel"]

Beelsie,

A tip for you, if you click the quote button the person''s post who you are replying to will appear in a box, which will seperate it from your post.

CA

[/quote]

PS are you also THE Cherub!!

[/quote]

 

No I''m not, haven''t ever posted under any different names and don''t intend to start now [:D]

Glad I was able to help you Beelsie

xx

[/quote]

I''m the cherub and I have never posted under a different name either! The Cherub was meant to be a wind up and now it seems i am stuck with it!

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Thanks Yankee very interesting,

I suppose this begs a question that. links in nicely with your original post/vision of the future and Norwich being the only club not owned by corporations. 

Would City fans welcome a takeover from a money man prepared to sink millions into the club on players etc?  I am assuming most would say no.

I would say that Norwich would be a fairly good investment for foreign money right now though.  The club could be bought very cheaply due to not being in the Premiership and as we said earlier, it would be much cheaper to buy a club like City take it into the Prem and keep it there rather than buy say Arsenal.  You could see how doing that would raise the value of City very quickly and where money could be made.  There also seems great potential for increased crowds, even after last season all season tickets have now been sold and if we were a mid table Prem side pushing for Europe I would guess that we could get 30k+ attendances.  We are, after all the only league club in Norfolk. 

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I agree with your view Saint that Norwich should be seen as a good opportunity for investment capital. This is why many of the threads I''ve started over the past 3 years or so speak to the possibilities that exist for our club to command an ongoing presence on the Premiership stage. I have also expressed the view that, while we currently have stable and reasonably good ownership, the frustration of some fans on occasion seems to be a reflection that the ambition level many hold for the club may be on a different pace than that of the current owners. I realise that this kind of comment can bring out the wrath of some who assess such views as criticism of the club and immediately want to render those that have such views as non supporters. Personally, however, I believe this message board is an excellent vehicle for the exchange of such dialogue. More of that might heighten our club''s awareness that, as Norwich fans, we require a little more intelligent input as to the greater possibilities that exist for ongoing Premiership participation.  

I also find the thread by Norfolk Dan of interest "NCFC, The New Barcelona."

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[quote]I have also expressed the view that, while we currently have stable and reasonably good ownership, the frustration of some fans on occasion seems to be a reflection that the ambition level many hold for the club may be on a different pace than that of the current owners. [/quote]

If getting promotion to the Premiership was as simple as spending more money than everyone else, we would have gone back up last season.  Sadly it''s not that easy, as 15 other clubs who have been in the Premiership in the last 10 years and are now in the championship will testify.  With the current board and managemenet team we stand a good chance though, and I feel that the current board acheive more than any "fans'' board" could, simply because they''re willing to put in the hours, and have the experience of actually doing it for a number of years now.

It''s one thing to say "I could do that" when you''re not in possession of the facts (or indeed figures).  It''s a far different thing to acheive when you are faced with the need to do so.

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