Bolton (sold to Football Ventures)

[better dead than red]

And what happens when City (or whoever) is drawn against another team they own in the FA Cup? Or the feeder team become successful on the back of the support from City and made it into the Premier League.

Would you support City if we were just a feeder club for a bigger team (think back not so long ago when we were in the 3rd tier and skint...)?

Premier League teams donating a percentage of money to smaller teams wont help clubs who have owners like Bury / Coventry / Bolton etc - you think the extra money will go towards financially supporting the clubs rather than straight into the owners pockets?

Not arguing for or against "smaller" clubs being farm teams for "big" clubs but as you live in the States you might be aware that minor league baseball and hockey clubs can and often do have a good following in the town's in which they are located. Not all the teams are in small population areas either. Charlotte, NC, Buffalo, NY, Las Vegas, Memphis and Nashville TN have baseball teams. Charlotte, Cleveland OH, Providence, RI, Toronto and Milwaukee WI have hockey teams.

It gives locals a team to support and a chance to see up and coming talent that one day may be superstars. That being said, I haven't a clue if that would work in English football. I know some minor league baseball teams marketing departments work their arses off doing ballpark promotions in an effort to make sure fans come to games.

 

[pace89]

I know it isn’t perfect but the alternative to not supporting them financially is to see them go out of business. I’m not sure what other solutions there are but clearly once you get below the Championship professional football is a very precarious business.

The Premier League does make 'solidarity' payments to the football league.

If the 92 clubs were still in proper league and revenues were distributed fairly to support all clubs and promote competition we would be in a much better place. Sadly that ship sailed in 1992. Whatever arrangements to redistribute money through the divisions in place, however, would not prevent crooks from destroying the clubs they exploit.

 

[dadnlad]

some part of the issue is these clubs are on prime land and owners know if club goes the land is then theirs to sell at high premium

 

[Rammyblues]

EFL is an absolutely worthless organization.

Became worthless the day the prem league was formed.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Does this latest fiasco mean that Bolton, as their late chairman claimed in the 90s, are not bigger than City any more. My heart bleeds for them.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Does this latest fiasco mean that Bolton, as their late chairman claimed in the 90s, are not bigger than City any more. My heart bleeds for them.

Exactly I can cope with fans taking the piss a bit but owners....& I know he's long gone but that sort of comment sticks forever along with the Didi shit.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Exactly I can cope with fans taking the piss a bit but owners....& I know he's long gone but that sort of comment sticks forever along with the Didi shit.

A lot of fans from our local rivals enjoyed mocking us when we were down and so did some of the owners (not all of them). No one gave a shit about City when we tumbled down the leagues and now suddenly we are supposed to help other teams out. Perhaps I am just a bitter Blue but what goes around comes around.

 

[manclad]

A lot of fans from our local rivals enjoyed mocking us when we were down and so did some of the owners (not all of them). No one gave a shit about City when we tumbled down the leagues and now suddenly we are supposed to help other teams out. Perhaps I am just a bitter Blue but what goes around comes around.

+1

 

[BrianW]

Sad, but some owners are crooks or asset strippers. The rest (in the lower leagues) almost all have to pull large sums of money out of their pockets on a regular basis to subsidise their club. There are only so many guys out there willing and able to do this. Lower league wages are much, much lower than the PL, but are still often unrealistic on crowds of 2000-4000 when there are no significant TV rights and minimal sponsorship.

I honestly think we are seeing the tip of an iceberg here. I have thought for a long time that the third and fourth tiers are not generally sustainable on a full-time basis. Young kids tend not to be interested - they prefer to watch the "big" clubs on TV. Small towns are rammed with supporters of well - you know who. I suppose the parallel is with small town high streets, where whatever is not boarded up is either a charity shop or a cafe/takeaway. However much we may regret the way times change, it's no use trying to prop up stagecoaches - their day is done.

 

[bluesteel]

I know this doesn’t solve the financial woes of all the struggling clubs but it would help if owners such as CFG were allowed to own more than one Club. Clubs like ours could buy smaller clubs like Bury or Bolton, maintain them financially and use them as farm teams, much like major league teams do here in North America, to produce home grown talent.

Alternatively, why don’t Premier League teams donate a percentage of the vast TV revenues to the lower leagues ? As little as 5% of premier league revenue would probably be enough to keep Divisions 1 and 2 solvent.

Here lies the problem, if I put my business hat on a second.

I own Tesco. Nisa (Bolton) and Londis (Bury) are struggling, I am most certainly not going to gift, borrow or in any other way assist them as their customers and future customers will potentially come to me. In fact, I would love for ASDA (United) to go bust too and I’m working directly against them.

Football is now a business, we should most definitely not help them. If the government bail out banks and these football clubs are central to community (they are) then they should bail the clubs out to, either them or the FA. Probably in the form of an affordable loan interest free with shares and the aim of selling shares back to fans.

Certainly not City who should be doing it.