🤫 “If Utd get [Qataris] in, all the vitriol against #MCFC & #NUFC has to be dropped!”
🤦♂️ “Fans say ‘We want our club back’… no you don’t! You want someone who will give you precisely what you want!”
Simon Jordan reacts to Qatari investors being interested in buying #MUFC! 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/TTQ0bE80zK
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 8, 2023
Morning all.
I’m not a fan of Simon Jordan or Talk Sport but every now and again, something catches my eye and the view of Jordan in the above comment on Twitter is spot on in my opinion. Wanting ‘your’ club to be successful is what I suspect every sporting fan hopes for but at what point does the cost become to dear?
We’ve not long come out of a World Cup which attracted enormous attention because of being held in Qatar. I won’t go into the politics but needless to say, the newspapers, pundits, fans – so many ordinary people like you and I, were against it. Now it seems Man Utd could soon be owned by a Qatari group. Personally, I think if the powers that be allow any such deal to go through, Football really will have sold its soul.
I think Jordan is right about Utd fans and what they probably want and in my opinion, that’s what Man City, Chelsea and Newcastle Utd have. A bottomless financial pot to spend on all the best players.
If one day a mega rich group of people from Qatar, Saudi Arabia etc Arsenal one day I’m confident that football and I would part ways. (Not that I think they would).
Going on from Simon Jordan, Gary Neville has said:
If football was about true sustainability, Manchester United would probably always win the league. Their revenue is so high, that they would have so much money to spend on players, that it would become very unfair on the rest.
How much debt are Utd in? If football was about true sustainability, surely the game would be more equal, more competitive and more exciting. The Leicester City season would not be as unique as it was and I think we wouldn’t see the same old 2/3 clubs battling it out for trophies each year. Look where City, Chelsea and Newcastle Utd were before they were bought out by questionable foreign ownership.
Again, it’s just my opinion but I think the investigation it Man City is crucial to how football moves forward. If City prove they’ve been squeaky clean then fine, but if they don’t, then current and future football club owners need to know that fairness is real and if the rules are broken, they’ll be a price to pay.
On a lighter note, Utd dropped two points against Leeds at Old Trafford last night. Ha!
Catch up in the comments..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64578730
Morning Rico and all.
The way things are going, the only way the premier league will be able to keep things fair for all sides, will be to put a maximum cap on how much all clubs can spend in one season on new players for example 150 million and they can spend it all in one window or split it over the 2 windows
Hi Geoff. Can’t see that happening purely because of the way the PL rewards clubs depending on where they finish in the league.
Evening Rico. From what I can see, the PL doesn’t need the Super League at all. It’s just another scam by the other Euro leagues, particularly La Liga to raise money as they’re just about broke.
Evening Adam, not sure PL clubs will dare venture anywhere near it..
Once bitten but I would not be surprised to see Chelsea go for it .Boehly will see it as a money making exercise.
Yep, others too but I’m not sure Arsenal will..
Great interview with Odegaard
https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/martin-odegaard-arsenal-soccer-norway-premier-league
An insight into how clubs treat their young hopefuls and how they have to accept set backs on the way.Arsenal did well to get hold of him but he is not the finished article yet as he needs some strength around him to really flourish.
not a bad story from Odegaard, but a bit surprised when he mentioned Nasri.
That’s the problem when young players join the so called big clubs, or the very rich clubs with strong and deep squads. Unless that young player is exceptional from the off, opportunities to play are rare and when they do come, they are scrutinised and unless they shine, they soon find themselves back on the bench at best.
I too think Arsenal did well to get Odegaard and for a sensible price too. Agree re needing a bit of strength around him, it’s one of the things lacking in the squad imo.
Nasri was a great player I think Geoff, just didn’t stick around for long enough.
Talking about Nasri got me thinking.
Question? looking at our current players and coaching staff, in the last 10 years what ex player would like to have back now, based on their performance when at the club not now.
I pick Alexis Sanchez, with the way the team train and want to win and the way Arteta coaches and what he expects from the players, Alexis would fit right in.
Nasri of course was one of the players seduced by City and their bottomless pit of oil money , I saw a comment once when asked about City , Wenger said well they bought all of my players , I don’t think he was joking either.
I would not be surprised should Qatar get their hands on United I am only mildly surprised that an Indian billionaire has not got involved but probably they are too caught up with cricket..
In the great scheme of things United have never been shy of shelling out big money for players so it should not make a great difference. They have always been there or thereabouts and will remain to be so .
However if Liverpool go the same way I am afraid that the game is up , and we may as well pull up the shutters on the Premier league as it will become even more a league with a top four and the rest making up the numbers.
Just like La Liga , Serie A and Ligue un and we all know how they have ended up.
Geoff, hard to choose but, if for the here and now, I’d be between Vieira, Petit or Wrighty. Or Giroud..
Well said Potter.
If the PL/FA say yes to Qatar, I’m out.
Good morning all.
I don’t expect any changes to the regular starting line-up with one caveat, who will play at right back. Ben White was substituted quite early against Everton and no explanation was given, so maybe Tomiyasu will be given the nod this afternoon.
It’s vital that we get back on track with all three points in order to maintain the momentum, but Brentford will be no pushover.
New post up now