Robert Johnson Did It First But Football Sells Its Soul To The Devil Says Sir Alex

No sooner has Alex Ferguson Alex Ferguson started talking to the BBC again he is making the headlines for them too.

He has finally buried the hatchet with the Beeb, after you might recall they made a series of allegations about one of his sons, and yesterday he gave his first major interview to the corporation for seven years.

The wide ranging chat, which took place on BBC’s Look North show and was given to Gordon Burns. Once you got past the “blimey, isn’t that the fella that used to present Krypton Factor when I was a kid?” moment (it is by the way) Fergie certainly didn’t disappoint and had plenty to say.

Most of his ire was reserved for TV and he returned to his hobby horse of Football dictating the days and times of the fixtures.

And rather like the old tale that Blues Guitar music started when Robert Johnson went to the crossroads and sold his sold his soul to Beelzebub, Fergie suspects football changed after a satanic pact.

"When you shake hands with the devil you have to pay the price," he said. "Television is God at the moment. It is king.

"When you see the fixture lists come out now, they [the television companies] can pick and choose whenever they want the top teams on television.

"

You get some ridiculous situations when you're playing on Wednesday night in Europe and then at lunchtime the following Saturday. You ask any manager if they would pick that themselves... there'd be no chance."

And he’s probably got a point.

However the crux of the issue wasn’t, you suspect, that Sir Alex wants to spend his Sunday’s with the grandchildren rather in the dugout. The real meat of what he had to say was tucked in the next part of the interview.

Sir Alex was upset that that the Premier Leagues overseas TV contract (currently valued at £1.4bn is split equally between the 20 clubs. He is angry that United appear on the TV more abroad than say,
Wigan, and he added: “When you think of that, I don't think we get enough money."

And there you have it. As the BBC Sports Editor David Bond puts it on his blog: “No matter how many times Manchester United appear on TV in Singapore or America and no matter where they finish in the table, each of the 20 Premier League teams splits the overseas television cash equally.”

And that, lets be honest, is the real reason for the outrage. Not out of any concern for his players, or indeed the fans. Just plain old filthy lucre.

There’s not much that is fair about the Premier League, but the way the overseas TV deal is structured remains so. It has long been suspected that the top Premier League clubs want to be able to do separate TV deals – similar to those in other countries (see Spain for example) but as of now the 20 clubs bargain collectively.

And hopefully that will remain the case. It would be nice, of course, if some of this wealth filtered down the pyramid, but unfortunately such is the rampant greed at the top level that’s about as likely as Sir Alex Ferguson saying something to the press that he hasn’t thought about long and hard.

And so it is here, as always with Sir Alex, it might be worth looking not so much at what he says but the reason why he says it. He is, after all, the master of mind games.

 Especially when it comes to the Football Business

Lazy, Cliched and Stupid

It sometimes still is, as James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome observed back in 1966, A Mans, Mans, Mans World. But as they pointed out in the last line of that chorus “it wouldn’t be nothing without a woman.”

Maybe I am being naïve but you would think, possibly that the world had moved in the intervening 45 years, but the evidence to the contrary was certainly out there last week in the unlikely environs of Field Mill, Mansfield.

The Stags, in case you weren’t aware, have appointed the youngest Chief Exec in British Football. 29 year old Carolyn Still.

Still was variously described in the press as a “politics graduate from Durham University,” “working for Bulgari and Gucci” (I’d never heard of Bulgari either, but it’s an Italian jeweler apparently …) where she was “a high-flier.”

She said all the right things too, telling the BBC: "It's a great privilege. I intend to add vibrancy and fresh ideas to our approach off the field.” Before adding elsewhere: “'I intend to add vibrancy and fresh ideas to our approach off the field.

'Having attended numerous fundraising events, organised by the club's supporters groups, I am well aware of the passion and enthusiasm that the fans have to see the Stags succeed.
"I want to wake sleeping fans with a lot of different initiatives by liaising with them and finding what they want.
'Much work has been done to develop relationships with key businesses in and around the area, and we must continue to work hard to ensure that our off-the-field commercial activity increases in an attempt to make the club self-sustainable.”

All very laudable, and she seems ably qualified to run the Blue Square Premier Club.
But then there were the headlines. For every reserved BBC and Telegraph “Mansfield Town appoint youngest chief executive in English football” and “Mansfield go for youth policy in new chief executive Carolyn Still” respectively, there was The Daily Mail’s approach: The beautiful game: Meet the glamorous football boss causing a stir.”
Quite apart from the dreadful cliché (any Sub Editor who describes women’s football as “The Beautiful Game” in a headline should be sacked, surely?) what does it matter whether she’s a woman or beautiful or whatever.

Perhaps the worst example of this approach, certainly on the Google Search I did was this opening paragraph from a blog on the Coventry Telegraph written by a chap (I assume it’s a bloke anyway?) called Smithers. “Despite being a self-confessed football addict” he trumpets. “Mansfield Town have never really caught my attention to often. However that's changed today with the arrival of the club's new chief exec Carolyn Still.”

He then goes on to call her “blonde and beautiful.” (And spells politics wrong….).
It was a theme picked up elsewhere in blogosphere, with a sting of derogatory comments about Ms Still’s appearance on message boards and stories that she was romantically involved with Mansfield Chairman John Radford and being forced to defend herself, saying her appointment “was genuine.”

Would a man have to do that? Haven’t we moved past that? Can’t we just judge people on how they do their job?
A lot of our Franchisees are women, at Football Business we pride ourselves on being open to everyone and that goes for our leagues too. Women, men, mixed teams, they all should be able to enjoy playing football with us.

And that is why we have no real comment to make on Carolyn Still – other than to wish her well.
And hope fervently she doesn’t choose to write a dreadful column in The Sun, like another woman in football we could name.

But, We Were On A Break, Part 2

Last week I wrote a blog on this very website, where I called for the International Break to end in football.

I also promised you that we at www.football-business.co.uk  would come up with some solutions to improve this situation and I will do just that, but before I do I need to correct an error in last weeks – and indeed an error which makes the situation even worse.

Last week I wrote: [and then in October football] “resumes again for good.”

I was perusing the fixtures the other day and I found that there is another week with no football in November. That will be the third since the season started.

This nonsense has to end.

So, in a bid to help the authorities I am going to come up with some suggestions that cold stop this happening in future seasons.

So starting with the most radical:

1) Scrap friendlies and allow all qualifiers to be played at the end of the season.

Controversial, but surely the players would like this? There can’t be many players who actually want to these meaningless games and it would be a good warm up for the big international tournaments as players would get practice at playing a number of important and big games in an intensive period.

The downside to this of course is, to take England as an example, that Wembley would lose out on money, and the boss of the national team is basically working part time (which would save The FA some money!) but is  that a really bad thing?

If that one is too much for you then try this:

2) Go back to playing them in midweek’s. Again, taking England as an example, yes that will mean people from other parts of the country having to have day’s off before they go to the match, but I’d make two points here: firstly England played Bulgaria on a Friday so what’s the difference? And second they always used to be in on Wednesday’s (I remember watching them on Sportsnight as a boy).

And there might be some bleating about players being overworked or whatever, but to that I say: tough. If a highly paid athlete can’t play two games a week then really, what is the world coming to?

And if the second idea (which I do like actually) isn’t something you favour then how about….

3) Just make teams play without their international players. Ok, I can hear managers all round the country throwing their hands up in horror, but again, I say: “bad luck.” It would force bosses to think about the players they sign (I get similarly annoyed by managers that sign African players then bleat about the African Nations Cup…..its not like they don’t know that its coming!!) and it give younger players a chance.

And crucially it happens in other sports. Right now the rugby world cup is going on. Has the Premier League in the oval ball stopped? Not a bit of it.

The other week, England played Ireland in a rather pointless One Day International match. The England team themselves clearly thought it was pointless because Team Director, Andy Flower didn’t go to the match, and neither did a number of the senior players. In their place a number of up and coming youngsters were selected.

Laudable, you would think, except that game fell slap bang in the middle of a vital round of County Championship matches. But did the Counties concerned bleat, moan and get upset? Well, yes actually, but they all got in with the job.

And it’s a lesson that football could learn – but probably won’t.

But for now, please join us as Football Business as we start our campaign to give these friendlies the sack.

If I was a tabloid headline writer I might say this: Lets Get Friendlies Fired…..

But, We Were On A Break Part 1

So, despite only starting up again barely a month ago after the summer recess, football in the top two divisions in England resumes, yet again, tomorrow.

This time, with the odious transfer window slammed firmly shut for a few months (another blog for another day!) there is a real sense of “right ok, the season can really start now.”

Except after four more league games it stops.

Again.

Before resuming in October for good.

And the reason for this? Our old friend, the international break.

Now, at the risk of giving my age away here (www.football-business.co.uk UK staff are older than we look!) it doesn’t seem all that long ago – but in reality was probably 20 years ago, the same as most things that seem recent turn out to be! – that internationals were played on a Wednesday and players played for their clubs in the Saturday before and the weekend after.

Then somewhere along the line, this all changed and instead we have a series of breaks to allow managers and players to “prepare.”

Except the players themselves don’t seem overly impressed with this. Wayne Rooney, for example, tweeted the other day: “longest day ever….” And I know as a supporter that isn’t a great weekend when there’s no football.

There was a piece on Radio5live on Tuesday when I was driving home from the football Business offices regarding the lack of interest in the England Internationals. The landlord from the South Bank Sports Bar in Nottingham (a pub I have been in a few times to fair) was on saying that for the Bulgaria game the clientele was “your normal Friday night crowd, no one seemed all that interested in the game.” While the reporter said that it was “dead” in Nottingham’s pubs before the Wales match.” Granted it was half 5 or so, but still.

So it begs the question: Is anybody (and by this I mean fans AND players) really interested in those games?  Or are they merely a distraction from the real (in the case of the fans) and money spinning (in the case of the players) business of club football?

Managers too, have been lining up to crticise the breaks, for example Tony Pulis called international friendlies “a waste of space,” with Neil Warnock being even more vocal (which makes a change….) and calling them “meaningless” and “pathetic” yesterday before adding: "[Can you imagine] if you'd had a player playing for Holland and he pulled a hamstring or did an injury and was out for six months in a game that they won 11-0 against San Marino?”

And if you think that can’t happen – just ask poor Dean Ashton….

It would be remiss of us at football business to criticise something and not come up with any solutions for how to make things better - so we will.

Next week – keep ‘em peeled! Ideas, you bet! Some of them might even be sensible…..
So this weekend enjoy the football! Whether it be the proper stuff (that’s 5 or 6 a side, especially if its in one of our franchised leagues….) or the 11 a side imposters that charge a fortune.
Have a good one!

Got The Time, Tick Tick Tickin’ In My Head

Last week I wrote about the global appeal of football in comparison to any other sport.

Well, if you wanted any further explanation do yourself a favour and turn on Sky Sports News at some point in the next 30 hours or so.

Yes, that’s right. Its transfer window time again. The clock is ticking. And seemingly every Premier League Club – and plenty in the football league are eager to spend money.

Of course it’s not so important for the 72 Football league clubs, as they can loan players in a few days time – although some are looking to, or having to, buy and sell. But that won’t stop their fans panicking too. I know. I was a fan of a Championship club (and lower) a few years back.

And whatever your personal views on the merits of the window (and for what its worth here’s mine: who on earth thought it was a good idea to end it a month into the season?) you can’t deny a couple of things. 1) As football fans it mostly consumes our lives for a week or so. And 2) It makes for some great telly.

Here at Football Business we are lucky (or unlucky….depending on if you are sweating on the yellow Breaking News strip to mention your team, when it just doesn’t…) to be allowed to have Sky on in the office. Generally it’s set to Sky Sports News (sometimes the test match if I get the control or tennis if its Wimbledon Fortnight) and this week it comes into its own.

There’s people in the studio slaving over Flatscreen, Touchscreen TV’s. There’s breaking news every few seconds, as I type this its just come up that Anton Ferdinand is talking to QPR, a few minutes ago it was confirmed that Owen Hargreaves was having a medical at Man City (I hope the people at the Etihad have remembered that there is only 32 hours to go…..) and there is people texting and tweeting at an alarming rate.

Which goes to prove my point.

As much as I love other sports, cricket and boxing to name but two, there is quite simply nothing that competes in either my, or the public’s attention.

Yes England can be the best cricket team in the world, yes David Haye can fight Klitchsko and those things get plenty of coverage, but let me tell you what they aren’t: They aren’t football.

Which is exactly why if you are as passionate about football as we are, we can help you make it your career.

People love football and they love to play it. They love it so much they’ll even pay you if you organise it for them.

Now….have we signed anybody yet….?

*today’s blog title is an Anthrax song.