How to Buy a Football Club...

[Fredo]

so i take it they should investigate KD, bruce and the others mentioned aswell?

I was talking about Ferguson and Robson. There is absolutely nothing against Kenny, it was just Robson saying he had connections so as to get players on loan. Allegations against Ferguson and Robson (the latter being the one truly in the quagmire as he was dealing with those guys) are very serious to warrant at least an inquiry. Everything could all be bollocks as I've said in another thread, I don't know of the legitimacy of the guy doing the investigation.

[Kenneth]

I think Bryan Robson should really explain that before anyone else.

[CJ]

i dont doubt that there is lots of corruption in football in many forms. This program didnt really shock me.

i suppose that is a worry in itself.

[Fredo]

i dont doubt that there is lots of corruption in football in many forms. This program didnt really shock me.

i suppose that is a worry in itself.

Oh, we know it's corrupted but to see a bunch of Man. Utd legends being involved in this was really shocking. What's more, all of this business being conducted in a franchised Man. Utd bar.

[CJ]

I was talking about Ferguson and Robson. There is absolutely nothing against Kenny, it was just Robson saying he had connections so as to get players on loan. Allegations against Ferguson and Robson (the latter being the one truly in the quagmire as he was dealing with those guys) are very serious to warrant at least an inquiry. Everything could all be bollocks as I've said in another thread, I don't know of the legitimacy of the guy doing the investigation.

but in terms of substance i cant see anything different in the fact that the **** will loan players to the newly purchased club or that KD would. infact its easy to defend as they know the donkey robson and trust that his judgement means the loanees will be schooled in the right way.

some of the comments in this thread are becasue we hate the **** and think he is corrupt. This program sheds no light on anything with regards to him in my opinion.

I think Bryan Robson should really explain that before anyone else.

[CJ]

Oh, we know it's corrupted but to see a bunch of Man. Utd legends being involved in this was really shocking. What's more, all of this business being conducted in a franchised Man. Utd bar.

it was one scum legend. the **** didnt say or do anything that incriminated him. and the dodgiest person happened to own the franchise. but that can happen in a franchise.

[little dave hedgehog]

not surprising. both clubs have lots of young players that need loans. somebody's always going to take some of them on.

[Exiled_red]

I didn't see the program so I'm only going off what other people have said.

Loaning players back to the club you bought they from is fairly common practice. Usually it happens with young players. The buying club see the players potential and want to buy him (usually from a smaller club) before any of their rivals get in first and before his value increases too much, but realise he needs first team football to develop which he probably wouldn't get straight away. The selling club are reluctant to sell maybe want to hang on for a year, so it seems sensible to loan him back as everyone benefits. Buying club gets he at a good price, selling club get money to strengthen, and keep the player for another year, and the player gets first team football with players he knows at a club he knows.

As for doing favours regarding loans there's not much in that either. Obviously it makes things easier if the two managers get on well, you know how they work and you can perhaps get a more honest assessment of a player from someone you trust, than someone you don't really know.

I'd like to see Ferguson brought down but these types of allegations are nothing as far as I can see.

[Neil Young]

Similarly I didn't see the programme.

I think it's clear Ferguson has a web of power which he uses to benefit his club. I'm sure others would too in the same position.

I suspect it's not against the rules but it reaches a level where it's unhealthy (just as it's OK for prime ministers to cultivate good relations with media owners but it's unhealthy when it reaches the point that a single organisation or individual influences policy). It's a result of his longevity, his success and his club's financial power.

The question is whether that point has been reached. With the way he manages the media (bans for journalists doing their job properly, his childish BBC embargo), his influence on other managers (through the LMA for instance) and his use of his club's resources to further his son's career (and his acolytes elsewhere) then I think it's well past the point of being unhealthy.

But so what. I've got no more influence than IRWT.

[Kenneth]

Indeed. And this kind of behaviour isn't specific to the football business.

[Neil Young]

It's not exclusive to Britain either. But it's become clear this country is as rotten as pretty much anywhere else in so many areas of life.

It's all about power.

[Kenneth]

And using it to make lots of money.

[Neil Young]

They're pretty much interchangeable I suppose. One begets the other. Which is more important varies from one person to another.

You can use either to analyse a situation - who benefits from how things are and why. Ultimately though I think power is the more revealing term in the equation.

[dom9]

There's nothing about this on the BBC site, so much hot air about Bugger all me thinks.

[Kenneth]

Indeed.