Buzzin Football Blog

Premiership owners are a real mixed bag aren’t they?  Russians, Americans, Icelandic, Arab and even Englishmen!

Whilst Everton and Newcastle appear to be the clubs pushing to be next in line for a foreign takeover, their fans, I am sure, will be waiting with all the suspense of a Blind date contestant. Now, not wanting to sound like Cilla Black, what will they get; The Good, The Bad or The Ugly.

The Premiership has been transformed by foreign ownership and the amount of cash being splashed around the continent has certainly helped make Match Of The Day much more interesting.

With La Liga’s finest absconding to the Premier League, we now have the strongest and most entertaining league in Europe. Surely some of the credit goes to the ‘money men’, right? Are they really that bad?

Premier League Club Owners - The Good
Randy Lerner. The set up at Aston Villa seems to be in perfect working order. Lerner has brought in a manager with a fantastic reputation and energy and drive in abundance. Rather than marginalising Martin O’Neill and introducing a director of football, he has seemingly been given the freedom of the football club. Martin O’Neill has been given stability at boardroom level, generous funds and the freedom to do it his way. In turn, Randy Lerner has been rewarded with a young, British orientated and most importantly talented team who look certain to improve.

Steve Gibson. Gibson has invested heavily in Middlesbrough and in particular the academy and the managers he has appointed. With the days of Juninho, Emerson and Fabrizio Ravanelli behind them, Middlesbrough is reaping the rewards of a first class academy. Gareth Southgate has been afforded the funds, the time and the support needed to achieve his goals in a reasonable time limit – the trigger happy chairmen could learn a thing or two from Steve Gibson.

The set up and freedom which Gareth Southgate and Martin O’Neill are privy to is also found at the Emirates. Arsene Wenger suffers no interference, no pressure and nobody else making decision except for Wenger. The sentiment of the banner Arsenal fans hold aloft at The Emirates extends all the way to the boardroom – the message; ‘In Arsene we trust’

Last but not least is Bill Kenwright. Kenwright has accepted that for the good of Everton he has to sell the club. He seems to be genuinely trying to find the right investor for the good of the club. Kenwright has shown he has the ability and passion to run a football club correctly and has provided David Moyes the control and trust usually reserved for Alex Ferguson. The backing he has received and the trust Kenwright has shown in Moyes’ long term ambition may not have been present at other top flight clubs.

Premier League Club Owners - The Bad
Man United supporters have been treated to the delight that is the Glazers since their unpopular takeover in May 2005.  Not happy with just saddling the club with debt, they then introduced the automatic cup scheme whilst concurrently sending ticket prices sky high.

Over the last 18 months Liverpool has seemingly been a club intent on civil war. The accusations being made and received by Tom Hicks, George Gillett, Rafael Benitez, Rick Parry and Liverpool fans has left the traditionally well respected and well run club splashed across the back pages of the tabloids. Meetings with Jurgen Klinsmann and apparent friction surrounding the Gareth Barry transfer, not to mention delays to the new stadium have left Liverpool fans cursing their American owners.

All the cash pumped into making Chelsea the well oiled football machine it is today hasn’t come without controversy. Jose Mourinho, Chelsea’s most successful manager of all time was peculiarly replaced with European football’s comparison to Frank Spencer – Avram Grant. The signing of Andrei Shevchenko also doesn’t bode particularly well for the future. Whilst the good times are in full flow then Chelsea fans will embrace their Russian dictator, however, if Roman Abramovich was to take a shine to another player like Shevchenko, will Luis Felipe Scolari accept it and will the Chelsea fans be as embracing then?

But is the problem of interfering chairman simply down to foreign ownership?  Not if Newcastle and Mike Ashley have anything to do with it.

Newcastle United is the ultimate crisis club. With Dennis Wise lurking around the club and signing some of La Liga’s worst players, Mike Ashley disappearing to Africa to try and sell the club; and the fans singing ‘sack the board’ as often as they celebrate a win.

Premier League Club Owners - The Ugly
With the way Daniel Levy (with help from Damien Comolli) has set about selling top class players year on year makes him an excellent candidate. If not him, then my shout goes for Mike Ashley – an explanation really isn’t necessary.