Prince Abdullah Interview (2 Parts)

[I should coco]

I still think there appears to be a bit of a divide at board level, the Prince distances himself from McCabe in answering questions quite a bit there, it’s something I’ve notice McCabe also do in interviews.

They are exactly equal owners so it would be unfair for either to speak on behalf of the other without clearing it first. I saw absolutely nothing wrong with that and more that it shows some respect for the other's position.

McCabe's heart is in the right place but his pockets aren't deep enough to sustain continued losses. The Prince has more cash (not necessarily assets though) than McCabe but is not a Sheik Mansour, hence his comments about being careful and not wishing to lose money. That makes a reasonable pair and very much preferable to some shady Azerbajani who is proven to have nothing or some Thai who has to involve leeches like Doyen Sports.

 

[SUFC Guy]

PA: David Brooks, "every time I watch him, I get excited"

I'm sure that's Roberto and not HRH

 

[ChipButtyBlade]

God forbid,premier league,£'s,Brooks.............in a nutshell.

 

[Bert]

The feeling after the Sheffield Wednesday game was priceless.

How right he was.

 

[mattbianco1]

Give me the 'Bog Roll Prince' over the 'Tuna Man' any day. You would get the Chancer saying this:

"The changes the McCabe’s made, you have you ask them of course. For me, when I had to resign (from the club), I wanted to come back and be more involved, Jim (Phipps) is a very dear friend but doesn’t work for me any more, he is a consultant. Yousef (Giansiracusa) is my personal lawyer but he is a dear friend. Although I am a football guy, from my experience with Al-Hilal, you have to bring professionals. You may enjoy football, you may like football, you discuss things with the coach and technical people but, at the end of the day, you can’t be the football guy. Technical decisions have to be left to the technical people."

 

[Dkc]

Read like written answers to pre-written questions, not a face-to-face interview.

Yes, that's how newspaper interviews work. The journo normally edits out the "er...well"s and tidies up the prose - with the approval of the subject of course

 

[The Crab]

I just don't know as to whether or not I should take the obsession with the premier league as a healthy thing

Take your point. But if you are looking for a healthy return on any investment (and you'll be lucky to get one) then the Premier League is where it's at.

 

[itsinyerblood]

What does make me smile is the memory of those wendy fans who slagged the Prince off, on the basis of his £1 agreement with KH. The £1 was a token figure, what mattered was what contained within the agreement, the commitment to invest in the team, and we mustn't forget that the management turnover, where Clough, then Adkins, involved significant amounts, not necessarily wasted, but certainly not what any of us had expected.

Slowly but surely the penny began to drop, and the Prince's dedication to the Blades is becoming obvious. It's worth remembering, when we achieve Premiership status, the Prince did mention in his original statements that h would look to sell on his interest in the Blades, so a case of be careful what you wish for. I think we'd all hope that should this come to pass then we'll find ourselves with a new owner who will want to continue the progress begun under the Prince.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Hang on, if anyone was guilty, it was the Board (Sean can tell us who said it) with their "Think Liverpool" quotes. There's always going to be a certain amount of excitement with a new chairman/investor and the Board clearly played a part in fanning the flames of the excitement. Is every fan then expected to forensically examine the accounts after glancing the back page of a Stir headline?

I'm not a guy who looks into the accounts, and I never thought it was going to be Man City type investment. A quick google of the Prince highlighted very quickly that he wasn't in that league, and it was highlighted many times on here.
Even the "think Liverpool" quotes which have falsely being used to attack McCabe, if you look at their investment what has it really been over the past few years, what is it £30 Million a season?
Comparing PL revenues to L1, the £6 Million/season is not exactly way outside what they've invested if you sensibly compare apples with apples.

 

[Harrisblade]

This bit looks promising and hopefully explains some earlier grumbles from a few of us!

"Since I became involved, I did not know that I would be away for three years with the Government. I wanted to be closer to the club."

 

[stringer]

Yes, that's how newspaper interviews work. The journo normally edits out the "er...well"s and tidies up the prose - with the approval of the subject of course

Very, very rarely, if ever!

 

[Rodley]

If ever anything was taken wildly out of context, it was this 'think Liverpool' nonsense. As has been said elsewhere on this thread, when HRH came in there was lots of talk and comparison to Man City, understandable given the situation at both clubs. As this persisted, the question was asked, 'Can we expect a quick upfront investment at Sheffield United similar to Man City' (remember, £32m on Robinho the day they took over) the answer was 'don't think Man City, think Liverpool' It was always meant to signify a steady investment rather than a massive splurge like Man City. Why the hell anyone thought we were going to be matching Liverpool in the transfer market, chuff knows.

“BUT HE SED THINK LIVERPOOL THA KNOWS”

 

[CarlMcBlade]

Lots of highly paid foreign players would ruin the team dynamic that makes CW teams so unique.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

Bit wary about the "we've got a dilemma coming up" bit there.

Burnley and Bournemouth have shown you don't need to drown the club in foreign players to cope and do well even at the highest level. Would really hate us to become a Watford (with their token Troy Deeney).

Let's do it our way. Especially given that there are precedents there.

 

[bigbirdblade]

Honestly I think McCabe will do it right and advise the prince on anything he needs to know. It's good to have a fan running the club.

 

[JimPhipps]

Read like written answers to pre-written questions, not a face-to-face interview.

Done face-to-face in Sheffield.

 

[JimPhipps]

If ever anything was taken wildly out of context, it was this 'think Liverpool' nonsense. As has been said elsewhere on this thread, when HRH came in there was lots of talk and comparison to Man City, understandable given the situation at both clubs. As this persisted, the question was asked, 'Can we expect a quick upfront investment at Sheffield United similar to Man City' (remember, £32m on Robinho the day they took over) the answer was 'don't think Man City, think Liverpool' It was always meant to signify a steady investment rather than a massive splurge like Man City. Why the hell anyone thought we were going to be matching Liverpool in the transfer market, chuff knows.

I said it (and regret having said it), but you got this exactly right as to the context and the sense of it, SouthEssexBlade.

 

[GrayBlade]

When it comes down to disecting it, I think that his English overall is excellent but we need to make some allowance for his interpetatiion of some of the more colloquial terminology.

I really respect the fact that he’s a self made millionaire and as such he’s not going to throw his money away, but I also hope that he’s as good as his word and when we need the extra investment brings a few big hitters onboard.

It’s good to feel (at last) that there’s an overall medium to long term plan that will be adhered to, although just how much it’s down to the incompatible Wilder and his team as opposed to the board and owners remains to be seen. As always, I live in hope and will back anything positive from the board and owners 100%, whilst listening to the King singing ‘Suspicious Minds’ once a week just to stop me getting too carried away.

 

[SouthEssexBlade]

I said it (and regret having said it), but you got this exactly right as to the context and the sense of it, SouthEssexBlade.

I know Jim, I was listening at the time. I knew exactly what you meant, I think a few just have selective hearing

 

[Blade58]

Hi Jim

Regards HRH's statement:

"I have a plan and my people will present it to the board. We want Sheffield United to be a world class club. But we also never want to fans to lose sight of the fact this is Sheffield United, their club. We never want them to feel it isn’t."

I appreciate this is boardroom level stuff, but any idea in what context we are talking?

Investment? Scouting system?

 

[JimPhipps]

Hi Jim

Regards HRH's statement:

"I have a plan and my people will present it to the board. We want Sheffield United to be a world class club. But we also never want to fans to lose sight of the fact this is Sheffield United, their club. We never want them to feel it isn’t."

I appreciate this is boardroom level stuff, but any idea in what context we are talking?

Investment? Scouting system?

My take is that if you look at the things Prince Abdullah said he thinks we need to do to be ready for the Premier League, you probably get an idea what the plan aims to do. I say this not because I know the plan, but because I know the prince. He is very logical. And the bit about making sure all that is done is done in a manner that keeps faith with the supporters is for real. It has been the intent from before day one.

 

[Harrisblade]

I know Jim, I was listening at the time. I knew exactly what you meant, I think a few just have selective hearing

Simon and Garfunkel - The Boxer

"I am just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocketful of mumbles
Such are promises
All lies and jest
Still, a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest"

 

[JimPhipps]

Simon and Garfunkel - The Boxer

"I am just a poor boy
Though my story's seldom told
I have squandered my resistance
For a pocketful of mumbles
Such are promises
All lies and jest
Still, a man hears what he wants to hear
And disregards the rest"

Yep.

 

[GrayBlade]

When it comes down to disecting it, I think that his English overall is excellent but we need to make some allowance for his interpetatiion of some of the more colloquial terminology.

I really respect the fact that he’s a self made millionaire and as such he’s not going to throw his money away, but I also hope that he’s as good as his word and when we need the extra investment brings a few big hitters onboard.

It’s good to feel (at last) that there’s an overall medium to long term plan that will be adhered to, although just how much it’s down to the incompatible Wilder and his team as opposed to the board and owners remains to be seen. As always, I live in hope and will back anything positive from the board and owners 100%, whilst listening to the King singing ‘Suspicious Minds’ once a week just to stop me getting too carried away.

Haha, I’ve just noticed that I’ve called Chris incompatible. Of course I meant to say incomprehensible.

 

[Steve Mackan]

Yes, that's how newspaper interviews work. The journo normally edits out the "er...well"s and tidies up the prose - with the approval of the subject of course

I know what an interview reads like, I just read like emails responses to me. Hey ho, I was wrong.

 

[oldblade]

Interesting. Not least the stated priorities, re spending. Scouting, other behind the scenes stuff, and players all identified as the main financial focal points. No mention at all of upgrading the ground.

I think ownership of the ground was transferred some years ago to one of McCabe's company's. The Prince's half share of the football club doesn't include the ground, so it's probably McCabe who has the say on any upgrades.

 

[ShockingBadBuy]

I think ownership of the ground was transferred some years ago to one of McCabe's company's. The Prince's half share of the football club doesn't include the ground, so it's probably McCabe who has the say on any upgrades.

Aha !

 

[Kev Gee]

Some interesting points in that interview.
I imagine we will be building a scouting network overseas. Just in Europe or further afield?

Its nice to see some straight up no bs from HRH. Refreshing!!!

 

[oldblade]

I think ownership of the ground was transferred some years ago to one of McCabe's company's. The Prince's half share of the football club doesn't include the ground, so it's probably McCabe who has the say on any upgrades.

And before the spelling/apostrophe police shoot me, I know I've had a brainstorm and it should be companies, not company's!