a different look at an investing into a club, from a man in the know

[Syteanric 1]

the latest 4-4-2 magazine has a Q and A with Milan Mandaric.

 His views may actually come as a suprise to those who are advocating a local investor, and might change peoples minds about foreign investment.

 im Impartial either way as to who owns the club.. but Mandaric says the following, (im typing it word for word)

 "there is no such thing as a quick buck in football. At Pompey I had to invest a fortune before i got a reward, a sensible businessman DOES NOT invest in football. the way to become a millionaire through the game is to start off a billionaire!"

He says how he invested 9 million into Portsmouth and never saw a return in that money. He was at pompey for 10 years and took them from the bottom of the championship to an established Premiership side. he says how he got his money back over that time and never made a penny of profit, he says the only reason he left Pompey was because he thought he had taken them as far as he could.

Out to make money? or doing something he loves? opens a different question about investment doesnt it?

jas :)

[Boogle 0]

very good post jas

obviously the man loves the game and i would have loved to have had a man with his passion here.

[Dutch 0]

very good post jas my friend

milan mandaric is a brilliant example of love for the game.

where are all the supposed forigen investers who are running clubs into the ground for profit?

please someone name me one?

[sheded 0]

I think there`s something odd  about Mandarics supposed " love of football "    ,   take , for instance , his deal  with a certain Sacha Gaydamik   at Portsmouth ,  and we trace back to a Russian connection !     shades ( or shady ? )  of Abramovitch  .....   Russian mafia ?   exactly  WHERE  has all these roubles come from ?   I tell you , lets stick with Delia  and the Turners !  

[Old Boy 0]

[quote user="Millo"]

obviously the man loves the game and i would have loved to have had a man with his passion here.

[/quote]You''ve already got someone like that, and someone who is also committed to this Club, not just the game of football. There''s another example here of the hypocrisy of those who say they want a lifelong Canary as an investor but in reality just want the chance to spend anyone''s millions. No way did Mandaric grow up in the backstreets of Belgrade dreaming of being (...fill in the name of a famous Portsmouth player of the 50''s here...), and he doesn''t claim to have. Mandaric says it''s impossible to make a profit from football (though I''ve got a feeling Ken Bates may do that, but look at the trail of destruction), but yet the same people who think Mandaric is a saint accuse Delia of siphoning money out of NCFC.Nothing''s more addictive than OPM (Other People''s Money), and no addiction is more pointless.

[Boogle 0]

OLD BOY, are you telling me delia has done the same for norwich as milan mandaric?

and when did i say delia is siphoning money from the club?

when did i say i wanted a life long canary fan invester?

getn your facts right mate!

[Broken_hearted_canary 0]

the ability to make profit in the championship and the premiership are 2 different things tho, espec considering the bumper sky money now.

[lucky green trainers 0]

with so many billionaires and multilillions now in the prem - its clear that not all can make a profit and be successful.  many will surely lose big time - but maybe have fun trying. 

[chicken 0]

"OLD BOY, are you telling me delia has done the same for norwich as milan mandaric?"

Actually considering that Delia does not have the cash mountain that Mandaric has I would say that proportionately she has done as much for this club.

I would point you to the money that she has given - not loaned - to the club and more importantly to fans to the transfer fund. Anselin may have not turned out to be the greatest player ever but he was bought for around £400k I believe and I seem to remember that was funded by Delia. Then you have the Huckerby transfer fee of which Delia paid quite a lump sum for.

Like her or hate her to deny her any credit for any of the success of the last ten years would be as bad as claiming that she single-handedly saved this club. In all honesty that is just a myth that has been created by few to sour those that admire her for what she has done.

I am yet to see a comment that has said that Delia strode in and saved the club all by herself - that really is the biggest lie being spread at the moment.

[Putney Canary 0]

I''m sorry but anyone who thinks the likes of Glazer, Magnusson or Lerner are in it for the love of the game are sadly deluded. It might not be a quick buck they are after, but it is transforming the whole face of the game. The upside keeps getting higher and higher, and investment stakes are still low compared with US sports. Especially when you consider that Glazer has effectively put his purchase price and turned it into Man U''s debt. So what happens to them when he buggers off with his profit?

Personally its not about foreign investment vs investment from the UK, its about investment from somebody who has the long term future of our club foremost in their minds - the "passion and ambition" that Delia stated. Jas if this is your point I agree 100%. There are lots of UK investors looking to rip money out of clubs. For an example of this you only have to look at the mess Cambridge Utd are in. The lower leagues are FULL of examples of clubs where either absolute idiots have run a club into the ground (though perhaps with the best of intentions) or clubs have been asset stripped by unscrupulous directors/chairmen.

[mbncfc 1]

I genuinely think Milan Mandaric is unique.

He has a love for ''the game'' if not for any one team. He is also prepared to put his money on the line, which is easier when you have a lot of it.

That said, MM is yet to be successful without Harry Redknapp. As I''ve said on another thread, I will be watching Leicester with interest because I think he may well struggle to recreate what he did at Fratton Park.