A post that deserves to be a thread starter

[Silent Blade]

From Sheffsteel

Grizzley,

I thought about making a separate thread about a discussion about ownership and Chairman on Talksport last week. They were basically saying "be careful what you wish" and said foreign owners are the current trend buts its fraught with dangers and don't care about the club or its fans. They said they'll put prices up, change the colours of shirts and even try to change the name.

They said that Steve Gibson is an example of what a good chairman should be. A local lad and supporter of the club he owns. Cares about the community and offers steady financing.

I felt like ringing in and saying "so your photo fit of a bad chairman is Chansiri at SW and your idea of a good chairman is McCabe at SU".

It would be interesting if we got a new Chairman and he promised big signings but said fans must help him pay for it. So it put prices up to £30 on the Kop and £35 in the South stand. Wonder what percentage of our fans would agree with that?

They came Alam of Hull City a load of stick and said he was a joke of an owner. Hull fans hate him and want him out, hence why their 15,000 gates were so poor last season.

Howeve if you look at the PL table Hul City are joint top.
They have no manager, not bought any players over the Summer and only have 14 players in the squad.
Alam refuses to communicate with the fans and there's a bad vibe surrounding their club.
Maybe that the secret of success?

 

[Blade82]

Things could get very messy at the sty. The £40 ticket prices and change of kit suddenly arn't as easy to take when in a relegation scrap.

It is possible to have a good foreign owner who treat fans fairly and invest in a successful way. Southampton and Leicester have done it well, the tricky part is finding one.

The likes of the venky's at Blackburn do give foreign owners a bad name but we have our home grown version in charge currently. A poor owner is a poor owner regardless of their nationality.

 

[Tyler Durden]

I'm not a believer in success at any cost, and I never will be.

If hypothetically a foreign owner took charge of the club, attempted to alter our identity in any way and screwed the fans over then I could not in good conscience have anything to do with Sheffield United under such a regime, not matter what progress was made in terms of league position.

This is the reason for my ambivalence with regard to McCabe. I'm critical of his stewardship but at the same time I'm more concerned about what comes after him.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Tbf, Assem Allem isn't the archetypal foreign owner. In fact he isn't a foreign owner at all, he actually fits the template of the local owner investing in his local club. He was a refugee who fled Egypt & settled in East Yorkshire many years ago.

In saying that, have to agree with the O/P's point about foreign billionaire owners tending to care little or nothing for the traditions of football clubs, & that they have other fish to fry. Steve Gibson, to me, looks very much like an ideal sort of owner, with a love of his club & with the club's own interests (including maintenance of its traditions) at heart.

Just that there are exceptions to the rule (a lot of exceptions) about local owners being good/foreign owners being bad.

 

[s10blade]

Name a club owned by 'bad' foreign owners who are currently below us in the league pyramid?

McCabe is a disaster.

 

[Tyler Durden]

And obviously, home grown owners like Ashley and Oyston are every bit as bad as foreign ones.
But in Uniteds case, our next owners will very likely be foreign. Whether by full control from the Saudi royal family or by Chinese investors. There's no reason to believe that either of those give a shit about Sheffield United and its traditions.

 

[Revolution]

As I said in responding to that post, I would swap Alam for McCabe today, and I would not regret it.

Look at the league table.

And Steve Gibson is the anti McCabe. With him, the team is paramount.

Your defence of McCabe is no longer tenable, Silent.

 

[Silent Blade]

Name a club owned by 'bad' foreign owners who are currently below us in the league pyramid?

McCabe is a disaster.

The influx of foreign owners started only a few years ago. McCabe became our chairman in 1999 (I think) and 12 years later the club finished in their lowest position so I will wait a few more years time before a foreign owner has lasted at least 12 years (his first season below the Premier League) before answering your question

 

[raul]

If we must indulge the Stockholm Syndrome Sufferers, the Hull situation has really only accelerated due to the ill health of Alam snr and it's his Son who appears desperate to wreak havoc.

Kev isn't getting any younger......;.

 

[Silent Blade]

As I said in responding to that post, I would swap Alam for McCabe today, and I would not regret it.

Look at the league table.

And Steve Gibson is the anti McCabe. With him, the team is paramount.

Your defence of McCabe is no longer tenable, Silent.

I have said it many time "Find a Blade fan that will be able to buy out McCabe"

His biggest mistake was Robson. I am not saying he doesnt make mistakes, just that his heart rules his head and listens to the fans too much. I think he should be like Alam by refusing to communicate with the fans (you wont like that!)

 

[Revolution]

The influx of foreign owners started only a few years ago. McCabe became our chairman in 1999 (I think) and 12 years later the club finished in their lowest position so I will wait a few more years time before a foreign owner has lasted at least 12 years (his first season below the Premier League) before answering your question

Roman Abramovich and the Glazers say they've lasted that long.

 

[Revolution]

I have said it many time "Find a Blade fan that will be able to buy out McCabe"

His biggest mistake was Robson. I am not saying he doesnt make mistakes, just that his heart rules his head and listens to the fans too much. I think he should be like Alam by refusing to communicate with the fans (you wont like that!)

We don't need a blades fan. We need someone who understands a football club needs to be run in a professional manner and who understands the modern game.

Like most long term leaders or managers, McCabe has gone stale. The football world has passed him by.

 

[BushBlade]

From Sheffsteel

Grizzley,

I thought about making a separate thread about a discussion about ownership and Chairman on Talksport last week. They were basically saying "be careful what you wish" and said foreign owners are the current trend buts its fraught with dangers and don't care about the club or its fans. They said they'll put prices up, change the colours of shirts and even try to change the name.

They said that Steve Gibson is an example of what a good chairman should be. A local lad and supporter of the club he owns. Cares about the community and offers steady financing.

I felt like ringing in and saying "so your photo fit of a bad chairman is Chansiri at SW and your idea of a good chairman is McCabe at SU".

It would be interesting if we got a new Chairman and he promised big signings but said fans must help him pay for it. So it put prices up to £30 on the Kop and £35 in the South stand. Wonder what percentage of our fans would agree with that?

They came Alam of Hull City a load of stick and said he was a joke of an owner. Hull fans hate him and want him out, hence why their 15,000 gates were so poor last season.

Howeve if you look at the PL table Hul City are joint top.
They have no manager, not bought any players over the Summer and only have 14 players in the squad.
Alam refuses to communicate with the fans and there's a bad vibe surrounding their club.
Maybe that the secret of success?

I don't get the point you're trying to make.

 

[Silent Blade]

Roman Abramovich and the Glazers say they've lasted that long.

Read this again carefully

a foreign owner has lasted at least 12 years (his first season below the Premier League)

 

[raul]

I don't get the point you're trying to make.

I think it's along the lines of "Don't just take my word for how lucky we are, heed the words of the minds at talkSport...."

 

[Revolution]

Read this again carefully

a foreign owner has lasted at least 12 years (his first season below the Premier League)

What a bizarre qualification. Still, I appreciate it's becoming increasingly difficult to defend McCabe.

 

[Blade56]

Name a club owned by 'bad' foreign owners who are currently below us in the league pyramid?

McCabe is a disaster.

You make a compelling arguement... Let's up the anti, name a club that's below us in the league th......... Ow, wait a minute


As a footnote I think all this foreign Asian ownership is very positive as it keeps thousands of poor children in work.

 

[Revolution]

I have said it many time "Find a Blade fan that will be able to buy out McCabe"

His biggest mistake was Robson. I am not saying he doesnt make mistakes, just that his heart rules his head and listens to the fans too much. I think he should be like Alam by refusing to communicate with the fans (you wont like that!)

McCabe certainly does not listen to the fans every August when our better players are sold off.

 

[Silent Blade]

We don't need a blades fan. We need someone who understands a football club needs to be run in a professional manner and who understands the modern game.

Like most long term leaders or managers, McCabe has gone stale. The football world has passed him by.

Anyone who isnt a Blade fan that will buy out McCabe is either a) a fool or b) will want to sell all our assets so that he will get a profit

 

[Blade56]

McCabe certainly does not listen to the fans every August when our better players are sold off.

Well that's a piss poor arguement Rev, we ain't got any better players left

 

[Revolution]

Anyone who isnt a Blade fan that will buy out McCabe is either a) a fool or b) will want to sell all our assets so that he will get a profit

Utter nonsense. That's certainly not what's happened at Hillsborough.

 

[Revolution]

Well that's a piss poor arguement Rev, we ain't got any better players left

Billy Sharp

 

[JJBlade]

The question is :
Would you rather pay £25 for shit
Or £35 for quality

£2.50 for a crap pint
£3.50 for a good pint

£30 for a decent meal
£4.50 for a crap one

You have the choice of the level of quality every time you buy anything

If I was a billionaire I would take over, I would bring in quality that we have never seen before

But the fans would make their contribution as well, they would help to pay for the quality

We'd find out whether they actually want it or not then

 

[Silent Blade]

McCabe certainly does not listen to the fans every August when our better players are sold off.

We are losing money every season and last season how many clubs apart from Wigan (still receiving parachute payments) in our division had at least 12 players earning £5K or more a week??

 

[Sheffsteel]

I suppose the point is it's too simplistic to say
if he team has success then the Chairman is doing a good job and the fanbase is happier.

Here are 2 examples.
Hull City are joint top of the PL but some of their fans feel they've lost their club.
Last season during their promotion season they only averaged 17K.
The Hull City Supporters club is still at war with Allam who refuses to communicate and acknowledge the existence of the fans. Regards the name change to Hull Tigers, he said something to the effect "it's my club and I'm not bothered what the fans think".

Where as Portsmouth are a mid table in league 2 club.
But their 16K gates are great and their fans think they now have their club back and are generally happier.

Charlton Athletic are another club that has had recent foreign ownership and many of their fans think the club is in turmoil and a complete joke off the field regardless of what they do on the field.
Some Charlton fans have said even if they win league 1 there will still be organised fan protests against the board.

 

[Revolution]

We are losing money every season and last season how many clubs apart from Wigan (still receiving parachute payments) in our division had at least 12 players earning £5K or more a week??

Not many, but then again, our gates are triple most other teams'

 

[Blade56]

The question is :
Would you rather pay £25 for shit
Or £35 for quality

£2.50 for a crap pint
£3.50 for a good pint

£30 for a decent meal
£4.50 for a crap one

You have the choice of the level of quality every time you buy anything

If I was a billionaire I would take over, I would bring in quality that we have never seen before

But the fans would make their contribution as well, they would help to pay for the quality

We'd find out whether they actually want it or not then

JJBlade aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhtttttttt

 

[JJBlade]

aaaarrrrrgggghhhh what ?

Quality costs money that's all I'm saying

You can't have cheap as chips and then moan about the quality

 

[Silent Blade]

What a bizarre qualification. Still, I appreciate it's becoming increasingly difficult to defend McCabe.

I do wish he wouldnt allow the sacking of Danny Wilson. I never knew the real reason for that but someone said Wilson had a big row with one of our directors after the Crawley match (is this correct?) and the director forced McCabe to sack him. I have said before that he makes mistakes but he isnt going to sell the club at a very low price

 

[Sheffsteel]

The question is :
Would you rather pay £25 for shit
Or £35 for quality

£2.50 for a crap pint
£3.50 for a good pint

£30 for a decent meal
£4.50 for a crap one

You have the choice of the level of quality every time you buy anything

If I was a billionaire I would take over, I would bring in quality that we have never seen before

But the fans would make their contribution as well, they would help to pay for the quality

We'd find out whether they actually want it or not then

This is the arguement being sold to Wednesday fans and many are buying into it.
However in answer to your question I WOULDNT pay £35 to watch a high quality team.

I have a finite amount of money I'm willing to spend on United each year.
So if they charge £20 a match I'll go to almost 100% of matches.
Charge £30 I'd go to half the games.
Charge £40 a match and I'd still go to watch United in league 1 but it'd be the odd game, first match, Boxing Day and last match etc.