Would you buy your club?

[Large 141]

Let's all take a moment to pretend we're all seriously minted. Would you buy your club?

Don't think I would. I would like to get into a local lower league side though. Try and get it up the National League System, hopefully into the English Football League and then who knows.

[SirBalon 2,607]

I wouldn't buy Arsenal because I like to play the game and I'd want to win by earning from it as much as possible.  I would buy another club though and be a Kroenke type figure by withdrawing as much as possible while associating my name with a decent brandname.

[Hugh Jass 59]

As much as I love Preston, absolutely not. It would just be a complete waste of time and money. I certainly wouldn't be prepared to spend the money that it would take to turn them into an established Premier League club, paying crazy salaries, and probably still being disliked by a large number of fans. What would be the point. 

I would buy a box at Deepdale but that's it. 

I would be more likely to buy nearby Bamber Bridge FC who currently play in the 8th tier of the football pyramid. Even then I'm not sure whether I'd want to get involved in football ownership in the first place. 

[RandoEFC 4,338]

Nope, absolutely thankless task.

[SirBalon 69 858]

I would buy Vitesse Arnhem and turn it back to its former glory and bring its identity back, i will sack anyone who had anything to do with the take over by Roman Abramovich, i will restore their own youth system as well as bringing a brand back to the club.  I would do a Johan structure of club like at Ajax.  

[Batard 1,955]

No. I'd lose the love for the club. 

[Dan 1,325]

I don't think we need it. I think we've gotten dead lucky with these owners. That said if they ever moved on I would go for it. I'd get good advisers to help me really settle, then get another tier put on the Kop and East Stand, convert the lower half of the Kop to standing, bin the clappers, put some real focus on the academy and watch the trophies roll in.

[Happy Blue 1,017]

Only on a video game    ..if i bought any sports team it would be the Swinton Lions, get them back in the area and knock the houses down that was built on there stadium and re build it for them

[Toinho 1,311]

I'd strongly consider buying Perth Glory. Maybe not 100% ownership, but if I was seriously minted I would want to financially back them in some way or another. Would probably remain a little hands-off due to strong emotional attachment that would probably interfere with business and player decisions. Would like some say in matters though (marketing, and hiring decisions).

[Berserker 1,299]

Definitely, i would and firstly i would give the promising youngsters life contracts and then i would only sell the average players, no more selling wonderkinds, not for peanuts not for 100 fucking million.

[Steve Bruce Almighty 2,769]

No because it's a waste of money. The rich should only be focused on 3 things with their money, helping those in need, helping to create wealth for those in need and putting their money to good use for their own wealth. This doesn't do the first, doesn't do the second efficiently and wouldn't do the third at all. For all of the economic plus sides such as increased transactions on local travel, at local pubs etc the downside has become way too big and is acting like a vacuum sucking up potential wealth creation in the local community and driving private debt levels. 

[Toinho 1,311]

10 minutes ago, HoneyNUFC said:

No because it's a waste of money. The rich should only be focused on 3 things with their money, helping those in need, helping to create wealth for those in need and putting their money to good use for their own wealth. This doesn't do the first, doesn't do the second efficiently and wouldn't do the third at all. For all of the economic plus sides such as increased transactions on local travel, at local pubs etc the downside has become way too big and is acting like a vacuum sucking up potential wealth creation in the local community and driving private debt levels. 

What if you were a billionaire? I'm assuming we would be really rich and I'd be donating to charities and investing my money as well as putting something into my local side. However, a premier league club would definitely be a waste. To contribute to an A-league club is probably only a hundredth of an EPL club investment. 

[Hugh Jass 59]

 

24 minutes ago, HoneyNUFC said:

No because it's a waste of money. The rich should only be focused on 3 things with their money, helping those in need, helping to create wealth for those in need and putting their money to good use for their own wealth. This doesn't do the first, doesn't do the second efficiently and wouldn't do the third at all. For all of the economic plus sides such as increased transactions on local travel, at local pubs etc the downside has become way too big and is acting like a vacuum sucking up potential wealth creation in the local community and driving private debt levels. 

Agreed that's a very good summary. 

If I had that money available to me I would be far more focused on all sorts of charity work in Lancashire, Mexico and India (I'm British-Indian) especially which would involve a lot more time and effort than just writing cheques, helping out my family in anyway possible, managing a property portfolio, and having fun travelling, attending major sporting events etc. 

Running a football club would be very low down my list of priorities. 

 

[True Blue 850]

To be honest it would be a dream come true being a fan. I would not go all FM Manager on the club, i would always look to have a financially stable club, i would also look for a long term future. Promote the youth and look after the fans who spend their well earned money to help the club grow.

[SirBalon 2,607]

3 minutes ago, True Blue said:

look after the fans who spend their well earned money to help the club grow.

How would you help the fans mate?

[Toinho 1,311]

8 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

How would you help the fans mate?

I'm presuming free hand jobs.

[True Blue 850]

9 minutes ago, SirBalon said:

How would you help the fans mate?

Reduce the ticket prices to a reasonable amount for starters, make it affordable to the working class not just tourists. The fans would be able to voice their opinion and it would be taken seriously. Basically a club should be close to the fans, without them clubs would have no purpose.

[True Blue 850]

1 minute ago, Anton said:

I'm presuming free hand jobs.

Bonus levels mate

[SirBalon 2,607]

1 minute ago, Anton said:

I'm presuming free hand jobs.

hahahaha

In all seriousness, I asked that question because how do you help people you need to use to make your club grow?

[SirBalon 2,607]

1 minute ago, True Blue said:

The fans would be able to voice their opinion and it would be taken seriously.

You're talking about a different type of club, one that you constantly criticise mate.  Unless you buy the club and take it off the stock exchange by returning it to the fans which would mean purchasing the entity and then bringing back the democratic ownership of the season ticket holders which own the club.  You could see yourself out of the presidency as you no longer own it.

[True Blue 850]

1 minute ago, SirBalon said:

You're talking about a different type of club, one that you constantly criticise mate.  Unless you buy the club and take it off the stock exchange by returning it to the fans which would mean purchasing the entity and then bringing back the democratic ownership of the season ticket holders which own the club.  You could see yourself out of the presidency as you no longer own it.

What club Barcelona? 

[Toony 95]

I think I would, as long as I was rich enough to do other things with my money.

It'd be quite good fun I think.

[SirBalon 2,607]

3 minutes ago, True Blue said:

What club Barcelona? 

For example mate, or Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid, Osasuna, Bayern Munich...  there are a few!

Seriously though mate...  You would buy a PLC and then hand it over to the people (the fans)?

I'd seriously rate you for that and this is no joke.

[True Blue 850]

Just now, SirBalon said:

For example mate, or Athletic Bilbao, Real Madrid, Osasuna, Bayern Munich...  there are a few!

Seriously though mate...  You would buy a PLC and then hand it over to the people (the fans)?

I'd seriously rate you for that and this is no joke.

Wouldn't hand it to the fans, i would make the tickets affordable and create a fan board for big issues in the club. Obviously the owner has makes the final decision but would be keen to involve the fan s as much as possible. 

[Large 141]

I think I'd also buy Millwall then sell it to Becchetti.

[Toony 95]

5 minutes ago, Large said:

I think I'd also buy Millwall then sell it to Becchetti.

That sounds like a good idea.

[Smiley Culture 1,292]

I think it depends really, would you try and buy a controlling stake in your club if you were happy with your current owners? Probably not. Would you try and gain a controlling stake in your club if your chairman was Francesco Becchetti, Massimo Cellino, The Oystons, The Venky's, SISU or Roland Duchelet? You probably would but you'd know that the reason you were doing it were because of the emotional attachment you had to your club, rather than thinking it would be a profitable business.

If I had the money and wanted to get involved in Football, I think I'd probably buy a very small non-league club and run it as a labour of love but run it sensibly and sustainably, rather than seeing it as a bit of fun. The first things I'd do would be bringing in an artificial pitch and upgrading the club's bar and catering facilities with the idea in mind that this would, hopefully, make the club operable 365 days of the year and would generate streams of income throughout the year, not just on matchdays. 

Edited May 27, 2017 by Smiley Culture

[ScoRoss 458]

I'd rather invest money in youth sports (not just football) across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Giving kids access to free facilities, coaching and enjoyable exercise. I'd rather trying to help as many people's lives rather than a select few. Obviously this may indirectly help Aberdeen Football Club, but that wouldn't be the aim.

[Dan 1,325]

On 5/26/2017 at 6:22 AM, Berserker said:

Definitely, i would and firstly i would give the promising youngsters life contracts and then i would only sell the average players, no more selling wonderkinds, not for peanuts not for 100 fucking million.

That could knacker their long-term motivation though.

[Dan 1,325]

On 5/27/2017 at 11:15 AM, Smiley Culture said:

I think it depends really, would you try and buy a controlling stake in your club if you were happy with your current owners? Probably not. Would you try and gain a controlling stake in your club if your chairman was Francesco Becchetti, Massimo Cellino, The Oystons, The Venky's, SISU or Roland Duchelet? You probably would but you'd know that the reason you were doing it were because of the emotional attachment you had to your club, rather than thinking it would be a profitable business.

If I had the money and wanted to get involved in Football, I think I'd probably buy a very small non-league club and run it as a labour of love but run it sensibly and sustainably, rather than seeing it as a bit of fun. The first things I'd do would be bringing in an artificial pitch and upgrading the club's bar and catering facilities with the idea in mind that this would, hopefully, make the club operable 365 days of the year and would generate streams of income throughout the year, not just on matchdays. 

I like your thinking. That's probably what I'd do with a local club as well. Been thinking lately about non-league in Leicestershire and it's actually appalling. Baffles me how bad Loughborough are.