Manchester United is a special football club and what they have achieved in world sport is truly remarkable – but what I’m referring to here isn’t so much to do with the record of Sir Alex Ferguson – but rather the global reach and commercial income they receive. Premier League teams like Chelsea and Manchester City may like to throw the money around – but they are no match to the Manchester United brand.

A report published by Forbes in 2010 found Manchester United to be the second most valuable sports brand in the world, behind only the New York Yankees; valuing the brand at $285m and the club is currently ranked third in Deloitte’s Football Money League behind only Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Manchester United started to put their commercial strategy into place by following Tottenham’s lead and floating the club on the London Stock Exchange in 1991; raising significant capital. Another key part of the enhancing the global brand was through David Beckham. At times Beckham was considered to be the most marketable player in world football. Beckham quickly developed his own global brand and is especially adored in Asia. Beckham has been crucial for Manchester United in opening up commercial income in that part of the world.

Of course success on the pitch plays an important part on a global brand – after all fans enjoy following a successful team. Successful teams tend to gain following from all corners of the globe and people like to follow sports teams simply because they are successful – these people are often known as “glory supporters.”

However, in addition to the financial benefits of having more supporters there are also financial benefits through TV revenue. This is due to the fact that teams that finish the highest in the league gained the most TV money and then of course there is the money received from being involved in the Champions League; the numbers from 2010, showed once again that Manchester United earned the most money in England from TV deals at £104m. (David Conn, Guardian)

Manchester United commercial income in 2010 was a whopping £81m. (David Conn, Guardian)

Relationships with other global brands play a key part in Manchester United’s success; one of the most prominent is a deal with Nike.  Nike manages Manchester United’s merchandising operation as part of a £303m 13 year partnership established in 2002. There are a number of other key ventures worth a mention these are Manchester United Finance and the club’s membership scheme called One United; which allows supporters to purchase various branded goods and services. Also Manchester United branded media service – which most notably comprises of MUTV; which allows the club to reach people who don’t live locally.

Sponsorship also plays an important part and many leading companies have had deals with Manchester United for kit supplier and shirt sponsor. In the past Umbro, Admiral, Adidas have all been previous kit suppliers and Sharp, Vodafone and AIG have been previous shirt sponsors. Nike are the clubs current kit supplier and Aon are shirt sponsor, but there also sponsorship arrangements with Audi and Budweiser.

Manchester United are no doubt global giant in the sports world but it’s important that remember their reputation in England as well and a big part of that is Old Trafford. The stadium currently holds 75,957 people. It is currently the biggest club stadium in English football has been the home of Manchester United since 1910 and now hosts prominent sporting fixtures as well as being the home to Manchester United. At the end of last season it was the venue for the League One and League Two play-off final.

There are plans to increase the capacity of the stadium further; these plans could see the capacity increased to 95,000 – making it the biggest football stadium in England eclipsing the 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium. However, such a development is likely to cost £100m due to the close proximity of the railway line and the need to purchase 50 houses close to the line.

The financial future of the Manchester United brand looks extremely strong and despite the debt that the Glazer’s takeover has put into the club – the strength of the brand, world-wide reputation and significant commercial income makes Manchester United a very stable ship. It also helps that Manchester United continue to be very successful on the pitch and have recently confirmed themselves as England’s most successful club by winning their 19th league title. The money within the Premier League seems to be rising every year and significant interest from outside the UK has seen a newly negotiated significant overseas Premier League TV package. Manchester United’s global appeal is also helped by their continued involvement in the Champions League.

Manchester United supporters also receive a relatively fair deal from watching Premier League football; with an adult season ticket available for as little as £532. (Manutd.com)

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The financial fair play rules may have some impact on spending – but the amount of money they make – should ensure they can continue to buy big when they need to. The new rules may in fact benefit them – because of the significant amount more money they generate than their rivals; which may give them more money to play with.

So the future for Manchester United looks good especially with Sir Alex Ferguson at the helm and the Manchester United brand is really incredible and something for other football clubs to aspire to if they can.

If you enjoyed reading this article – then please join me on Twitter.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’right’]

Newcastle United have completed the signing of Senegal international Demba Ba from West Ham on a three-year deal.Ba, 26, only joined West Ham from Hoffenheim in January this year, netting seven goals in 13 appearances for the club.

West Ham’s relegation to the Championship triggered a release clause in the striker’s contract, allowing him to speak to other clubs, with Newcastle winning the race to his signature.

“Demba made a great impression with West Ham last season and is a great signing for this club,” Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said.

“He has pace, excellent technical ability, is good in the air and – it goes without saying – has the ability to consistently find the back of the net. Moreover, he has a great passion to play for Newcastle United.”

The signing of Ba comes just a day after the England Premier League club’s captain Kevin Nolan moved in the opposite direction, joining West Ham on a five-year deal.

After briefly spending time with Watford as a youth player, Ba made his first professional appearance for Rouen in France, before joining Mouscron and then Hoffenheim.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

He made his Senegal debut in 2007 and has scored three goals in 10 international appearances.

Austrian side Sturm Graz progressed to the third round of Champions League qualifying despite a 3-2 loss to Videoton.All five goals came in an eventful first half at the Sostoi Stadion in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, but the victory for the hosts was not enough to see them through to the next round following Sturm’s 2-0 first-leg win at home.

The visitors twice came from behind on Wednesday with Akos Elek and Gyorgy Sandor putting Videoton ahead only for Andreas Holzl and Ferdinand Feldhofer to equalise for Sturm.

Zoltan Liptak’s goal in the second minute of first-half injury time restored Videoton’s lead, but Sturm’s advantage from the first leg was enough to ensure they progressed 4-3 on aggregate.

Maccabi Haifa also progressed to the next round despite losing on Wednesday, with FK Borac Banja Luka’s 3-2 victory in Bosnia Herzegovina not enough to overturn the Israeli side’s 5-1 first-leg lead.

Continuing the trend of losing teams progressing, Rosenborg were beaten 2-0 by Icelandic side Breidablik but still moved into the third round 5-2 on aggregate.

The Norwegian side all but sealed their progress into the third qualifying round with a 5-0 home win last week, and goals from Dylan McAllister and Kristinn Steindorsson in the return leg were not enough to turn things around for Breidablik.

Georgian outfit Zestafoni held on for a 3-2 aggregate win over Dacia Chisinau following their 2-0 loss in Moldova.

Zestafoni led 3-0 from last week’s first leg, but went behind early thanks to a Dmitri Popovici strike and were forced to play most of the second half with 10 men after Teimuraz Gongadze received his second yellow card in the 64th minute.

Ghenadie Orbu scored a late spot kick for the hosts to ensure a nervy finish for Zestafoni, but they held on to book their spot in the next round.

Cypriot champions APOEL smashed four goals past Albanian outfit Skenderbeu to secure their progression 6-0 on aggregate.

Roberto Di Matteo revealed he is ‘happy’ with life after being sacked by West Brom last season.The Italian was dumped as manager at the Hawthorns in February after West Brom slumped to the edge of the English Premier League relegation zone, despite having led the club back into the top flight the previous season.

After a break away from the game, he was sought out by new Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas to be a part of his coaching staff, and Di Matteo said he was enjoying life at Stamford Bridge.

“About seven months ago, I was sitting eighth in the table, we had had a very good Christmas and people were asking me, ‘where do you see yourself in two years? In a big job?’. But by February I was on a beach somewhere and out of a job,” Di Matteo said.

“I’m quite happy that I left because I would not have otherwise had the chance to come here (to Chelsea), so life somehow always turns out well.”

“I did very well at West Brom considering what our target was at the time. The footballing industry recognised that and I guess that is one of the reasons I am sitting here today.”

“I’ve experienced being a manager and I would love one day to do it again. But I wasn’t expecting to be here today so God knows what’s around the corner.”

At 33, Villas-Boas is the youngest manager in the English Premier League, with many pundits questioning his ability to lead one of the top sides.

But Di Matteo, who made 119 appearance for Chelsea as a player, backed the Portuguese to be a success despite his lack of experience.

“Andre’s only managed for a couple of years, but he has been around clubs for 15 years,” he said.

“He’s been in dressing rooms and around players, so he knows very well how to manage them. He speaks five languages like that, it’s amazing how he switches, and he knows what he is doing. I don’t see any problems.”

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“We understood each other straightaway, and it’s been a very natural relationship. Our football ideologies were the same and it is something that we have not had to work on. It feels like we have known each other for 30 years.”

“We work very well together and there is a good spirit within the whole of the backroom staff. We have very defined roles and we support each other. He’s very determined, he’s very driven and I don’t think he sees me as a threat for one second.”

Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid all won friendlies on Wednesday, while AC Milan lost on penalties.New Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas saw his side defeat Hong Kong champions Kitchee 4-0 in their Asia Trophy clash.

Chelsea were expected to win well but were kept at bay for 37 minutes, until Frank Lampard opened the scoring from the penalty spot.

A Luzardo own-goal followed before Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge found the back of the net as Chelsea qualified for Saturday’s final in Hong Kong.

They will meet Aston Villa in that match, after Alex McLeish’s side snuck past Blackburn 1-0.

Paul Robinson made several saves to deny Villa, but Darren Bent’s close-range finish was enough to secure the victory.

Barcelona continued preparations for a fourth-straight La Liga title by defeating Bayern Munich to claim the Audi Cup.

Thiago Alcantara was the hero for the Catalan giants, the Spanish 20-year-old netting a brace to seal the victory.

Karim Benzema also struck a brace in Real Madrid’s 3-1 win over Hertha Berlin, although the 2010/11 La Liga runners-up were forced to come from behind in the German capital.

Patrick Ebert scored an 18th-minute opener for the newly promoted side, but a stunning free-kick from Ronaldo was followed by a pair of strikes from French forward Benzema.

After a 2-2 draw in normal time, Brazilian side Internacional snuck past AC Milan on penalties at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

Milan twice took the lead through Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexandre Pato, but goals from Leandro Damaio and Andres D’Alessandro sent the match to spot-kicks.

Unbelievably, Milan missed all of their opportunities from the penalty spot, with Mattia Valoti, Antonio Cassano, Massimo Oddo and Pato all failing to convert as

Internacional won 2-0 in the shootout.

Other friendly results saw Newcastle United defeat MLS outfit Columbus Crew 3-0, Juventus prevail against Mexican side America 1-0 and Malaga thump FC Utrecht 3-0.

Welcome to my first ever Wolves Football FanCast Show Blogcast. As FanCast ‘guru’ David Evans has made the schoolboy error of booking a holiday during the football season he has left the job of bringing your weekly Wolves FanCast update in my hands! In this week’s show I will be bringing you the latest Wolves news, paying tribute to Wolves legend Frank Munro, reviewing the League game against Fulham and the Carling Cup tie against Northampton and, finally, previewing Saturday’s ‘Top of the Table’ clash with local rivals Aston Villa.

We start with the latest Wolves news. As the end of the transfer window draws closer it has been very quiet on the transfer front with both Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle once again linked with moves away from Molineux. In terms of departures from Molineux reports suggest that Stefan Maierhofer is on the verge of sealing a £1mil move back to Austria with Red Bull Salzburg. With Andy Keogh having already joined Leeds United on loan, Wolves actively looking to sell Sam Vokes and Leigh Griffiths linked with a loan move to Scotland this will leave only Kevin Doyle, Steven Fletcher and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake as Wolves’ senior strikers. Mick McCarthy has indicated that Wolves will not be looking to add to the squad before the transfer window slams shut, but if all these rumoured deals do go through I can see a back up striker arriving at Molineux. Let’s just hope that if someone does come in they will be an improvement on the Marcus Bent ‘experiment’ of last season!

On Thursday Wolves announced that Wolves legend Frank Munro passed away at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack. Munro joined Wolves in 1968 and made 371 appearances and scored 19 times in the Old Gold and Black. During his time at Molineux Munro was part of the 1972 UEFA Cup Finalists, the 1974 League Cup Winners and the 1977 Second Division Winners. Having never seen Frank Munro play I can only reflect on what others have said about him as a player. In Peter Lansley’s excellent book ‘Running with Wolves’ Munro’s performance in the 1974 League Cup Final is described as “a ball-playing centre-half in his prime.” The fact that Frank Munro continued to attend Molineux after he retired, he was present at the Blackburn game last season, shows that we have lost a true Wolves legend.

On Sunday 21st August 2011 Wolverhampton Wanderers, albeit briefly, sat atop the Barclays Premier League. We may only be two games into the 2011/2012 season but I am confident in saying that all Wolves fans would have basked in the glory that the excellent 2-0 win over Fulham gave us! An unchanged Wolves line-up brushed aside a Fulham side who had kept 10 clean sheets in their last 13 games with first half goals from Kevin Doyle and Matt Jarvis. The thing that impressed me most about this result was the professional nature with which Wolves closed out the game in the 2nd half in order to secure the three points. Apart from a goal saving tackle from Stephen Ward after a good save from Hennessey Fulham caused the Wolves defence minimal problems. This was mainly down to the way in which Roger Johnson marshalled the defence and dealt with the threats posed by Dempsey, Andy Johnson and Dembele. The signing of Johnson looks like it has reinvigorated Christophe Berra who I thought looked a lot more assured than last season. Karl Henry, a constant target for my criticism, looked a much more effective player now he is no longer burdened by the captaincy with him regularly breaking up play to begin Wolves attacks. In the wide areas both Hunt and Jarvis worked hard to support their full backs whilst also causing plenty of problems in offensive areas, with Jarvis grabbing the 2nd goal. It was up front that the most impressive performances came in the shape of Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher. Fletcher deserved a goal for the way in which he held the ball up and won numerous headers against both Hangeland and Senderos, but it was Doyle who grabbed his first goal of the season after a typically hard-working performance. Here is what you thought of the game;

Twitter

Richjp21; wolves lead the premier tell me its not a dream

cdmPSU17; O’Hara was absolute class, set the tone for everyone else. Top of the league, and we sure looked the part. Up the Wolves!

JPhilipShaw; Wolves top of Premier League. Not there today due to more important engagement but must enjoy this while it lasts.

Shaunkynaston; Great performance- as a regular critizer of Henry I must say I was impressed with him today.

Shaunkynaston; The confidence they are playing with will only add goals and see them secure a mid table position this season.

Facebook

John Bradley; Silky skills, from the Wolves?! Not getting carried away at all but that was like watching Brazil at times! Happy days.

Martin Crawford; Played great today, great possession game in 2nd half. This team has great potential. Let’s hope they stay healthy.

A couple of seasons ago Mick McCarthy said “Just because we’re a Premiership club, doesn’t make us a Premiership side”. The performance on Sunday Wolves are finally beginning to demonstrate that they ‘belong’ in the Premier League.

On Tuesday night Wolves travelled to Sixfields for a potential banana skin of a Carling Cup tie against Northampton Town, a team that knocked Liverpool out of the same competition last year. Mick McCarthy rang the changes as the starting line up was completely different to the one that started the game against Fulham, including a Wolves debut for rookie left back Jamie Reckford. This was an opportunity for the ‘back-up’ players to show what they can do, and boy did they do that as Wolves cruised to a 4-0 win. A brace from Ebanks-Blake, a screamer from Milijas and a goal for Sam Vokes saw Wolves brush aside their League Two opposition. If you cast your mind back only a year to the same round of the same competition a Wolves second string, featuring players such as Milijas, Stearman, Zubar, Dave Edwards and Elokobi, struggled to an extra-time win over Southend. Contrast that with the professional performance of last night and it shows how far Wolves have come in the past year. Any one of the senior players on show last night demonstrated that Wolves now have quality strength in depth. Milijas, Kightly, Ebanks-Blake, De Vries, Hammill and others are ready should injuries, suspensions and loss of from affect any of the current starting XI. Once again it is the professional nature of the Wolves performance that impresses me the most. Here is what you thought of the game;

Lexi17wwfc_xXx; couldn’t have asked for a better start to the ssn very professional confident approach to games, our prem quality really starting to shine through now…Yes its Early days but think we have every right to b optimistic about the ssn ahead!

Jmeek_20; WHAT A STRIKE FROM NENAD #milijasisgod

Facebook

Wayne Brown; reserves look fresh and ready

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Martin Crawford; Love that it was all from the bench…this club is moving up!

Matthew Hobbs; It keeps the confidence sky high!

The final part of this weeks blogcast is to look ahead to Wolves’ first local derby of the season, the ‘Top of the table clash’ with Aston Villa. Last season Wolves went to Villa Park and secured an excellent 1-0 victory thanks to a first-half Matt Jarvis strike. Aston Villa, under former Blues manager Alex McLeish, and Wolves have both played Blackburn and Fulham this season with Villa drawing away at Fulham and beating Rovers 3-1 at home which has put them in 4th place at this early stage of the season. Villa are currently in a period of transition having sold key players over the summer in the form of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. However, Wolves will have to be wary of the prolific Darren Bent, the exciting Marc Albrighton and the excellent Shay Given. I envisage that Wolves will be unchanged from the team that started against Fulham but, as the Northampton game has shown, we have a number of options from the bench should the game not be going our way. Travelling to Villa Park and continuing our 100% record will be a difficult ask and if I was given a point now I would take it. My prediction for this game is 1-1 with Steven Fletcher grabbing the goal for Wolves.

I hope you have enjoyed my first Wolves Football FanCast Show Blogcast, hopefully you will join us next week as Dave returns and normal service resumes with a podcast reviewing the Aston Villa game. Please also remember that there are plenty of sites to continue your Wolves debate on; MolineuxMix.co.uk, Wolves-Mad.co.uk, Wolveswebfansclub.co.uk and for everything else football related FootballFancast.co.uk.

Don’t forget that you can follow us on Twitter @WWFCFancast and on Facebook, just search for Wolves Football FanCast Show and click Like!

That is all for this week, thanks for reading!

Sir Alex Ferguson is unhappy with his Manchester United team after they were pegged back to draw 3-3 against Basel at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, and has called his side’s collapse a wake up call.

The Premier League champions took a 2-0 lead into the half-time break, but found themselves 3-2 down in the dying minutes, only for Ashley Young to rescue his side with a last minute equaliser.

The Scottish coach was clearly unhappy with not picking up the three points, especially after being in such a dominant position.

“I think we were careless,” he told Sky Sports.

“They made three or four openings in the first half and the lack of concentration cost us. We threw the game away. [I told the players] to finish the game off because of the opportunities they created in the first-half.

“It’s a wake-up call, in many ways. But, to lose three goals at home, the defence and midfield need to be better than that in terms of concentration. If you lapse, the quality in the Champions League can make you suffer,” he stated.

Antonio Valencia was penalised for a foul on Marco Streller, gifting the Swiss side a penalty in the second half, but Ferguson has questioned this decision.

“I don’t think it was a penalty,” he said. “You can see quite clearly that Valencia won the ball. It’s a poor decision as far as I’m concerned.

“But there’s a great character at this club and it showed again tonight,” he concluded.

United now host Norwich at Old Trafford on Saturday, but will be concerned that their form in Europe does not match their excellent domestic start.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

FREE football app that pays you for viewing ads

[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]

Anthony Pilkington but his Old Trafford nightmare firmly behind him to score the Premier League’s quickest goal of the season as Norwich ran out deserved winners beating Swansea 3-1 to record a third win in four games.

It took the former Huddersfield midfielder just 49 seconds to break the deadlock at Carrow Road with Russell Martin scoring his first Premier League goal before Danny Graham pulled one back in a frantic first quarter of an hour. Pilkington added a third mid-way through the second half to guarantee victory and make it a fourth winless game on the road for the Swans and keep the Canaries in the top half. Brendan Rodgers promised fans that his side would be more competitive away from home but their plans were foiled as Pilkington struck within the first minute of the game. The impressive Steve Morison, who was a thorn in Swansea’s side all afternoon, headed Elliott Bennett’s cross into the path of Pilkington who lashed the ball past Michael Vorm from close range.

Paul Lamberts side couldn’t have asked for a better start and they doubled their lead nine minutes later with Martin finding space in the penalty area before glancing home David Fox’s quality free kick delivery. That seemed to spark Swansea into life and record signing Graham halved the deficit on 12 minutes with his second goal in consecutive games. Scott Sinclair strolled into the Canaries penalty area and despite being brought down by Bennett still managed to poke the ball across for Graham to convert. That was as good as it got for the visitors as Norwich continued to dominate with Pilkington going close to increasing their advantage before Morison was denied superbly by Vorm.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The half time whistle killed the Canaries momentum and Sinclair almost took advantage whistling a low 25-yard drive wide of John Ruddy’s goal. Norwich responded by restoring their two goal lead with Pilkington grabbing his second turning in Bradley Johnson’s cross from close range. Despite their best efforts the Swan’s just couldn’t get out of first gear with Sinclair trying his luck from range again before substitute Stephen Dobbie saw his shot blocked by Marc Tierney with his headed follow up finding the arms of Ruddy. Despite Lamberts side were never under threat as they continued their impressive form in the top flight.

In an era of modern stadia, 3D television and soaring petrol prices, attendances in English football are stuttering as fans are becoming more suited to walking up to the pub than using public transport or driving to their preferred ground. Away fans are also finding that it is getting tougher and tougher to continuously follow their side around the country due to the FA, clubs and television rights.

It seems that smaller Premier League clubs are far too hasty about moving into large, modern stadiums without thinking it through in the long run. Wigan Athletic may share their ground with a well supported Rugby League team but there aren’t 25,000 people that want to go and watch a Wigan Athletic home game. In their five home games this season the Latics are averaging 17,000 which is just 68% of the capacity, and there are usually 4,000 away fans from better supported clubs filling one end.

Another relatively new stadium, the Reebok Stadium in Bolton is another victim of the ‘eyes too big for your belly’ syndrome. Fairing slightly better than their North West rivals Wigan with their percentage, just 81% of their ground is filled on average for a home game, still depressing as empty seats are becoming far too common in the majority of Premier League grounds.

The English attendances are still far superior to Italy and Spain with the lowly clubs in Italy averaging anywhere between 25% and 40% and in Spain between 40% – 60%, a tough reality check for foreign supporters but television rights and cost are equally high abroad. The attendance drop all around Europe is a worry for clubs and supporters alike.

Television rights are a constant area of discussion in football and more and more games are being shown live, rearranging kick off times making it harder and harder for fans to make it to the games. With a game at 12.45pm on a Saturday followed by a 5.30pm game the same day both on television, with two games on Sunday and another on Monday night, travel and cost are becoming a major issue for supporters getting to their ground around work and family commitments.

The League currently sells only 138 of its 380 live games per season to Sky and ESPN because it tries to restrict disruption to the traditional 3pm Saturday kick-offs. However, the fear is more televised games shown at 3pm would impact on attendances at clubs across the Premier and Football Leagues.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

But all 380 of the League’s live games are already sold to overseas broadcasters and if all matches, including those at 3pm on a Saturday, are allowed to be shown in the UK, then a tradition already under threat is likely to be damaged further.

The prices of tickets are also soaring and as a follower of my club home and away I have felt the pinch of ticket prices; but now West Ham are a Championship side the prices have fallen for me. That may be the only positive aspect of Championship football but it does make it bearable. I purchased a ticket for Reading away yesterday for £18 and a train ticket of £11 which means I have spent under £30 on an away game in the Championship compared to a visit to Chelsea and Tottenham that cost around £50 just for the ticket or a journey up to the north that has a train ticket of over £40 on its own.

Following West Ham has given me a clear indication of how finances are negatively affecting attendances and atmosphere’s around the country; as there were 5,000 away supporters at Hull last Saturday as part of a moderately small crowd and there will be 7,400 Hammers travelling to Coventry next weekend, a staggering support but showing the lack of interest from the home end by giving away such a large portion of the ground. This could be due to the lack of Coventry support but the fact that the club knows it is a chance to make some money off the back of West Ham to pay off a stadium that is far to big and expensive for it’s tenants.

That with the price of petrol now-days and the cost of following your side around the country is extortionate. So, if your side are on Sky or ESPN you can’t say that you are not tempted to wander down to the pub to save the travel, cost and in my case disappointment.

The more games on Sky, the more empty seats that will feature in the Premier League and the FA and television companies must think about that before the average football supporter is priced out of following their club. The 3D football has not really taken off in England and that could be a good thing for football clubs but pubs are still packed out while the big games are on the television with empty seats in the ground.

There are of course some exceptions to the rule but the majority of attendances have fallen with prices rising and the amount of games of Sky and ESPN have made it possible to watch the majority of games without leaving your front room. Perhaps there should be less games on television but that would then harm the fans who genuinely cant get to the ground and so there must be a happy medium that we; the supporters; and the big wigs can find.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

 FREE football app that pays you CASH

[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]

The Premier League has long been dogged by claims that it’s an elitist league almost impossible to stay in for promoted clubs – the disparity between quality out on the pitch and reddies in the coffers apparently too large to breach. However, season by season now, promoted clubs have more than often fared well in their maiden voyage into the top flight. With the Premier League now beginning to shape up in three distinct groups. Now, more than ever before, the gap appears to be shortening.

For instance, in 2008/9, perennial yo-yo club West Brom were promoted alongside Hull City and Stoke City. They went onto finish 20th, 17th and 12th respectively in a season that appeared to mark a watershed for promoted clubs, with two of them beating the drop.

In 2009/10, Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley all came up, with only the Clarets dropping down again. Last season Newcastle, West Brom and Blackpool all came up, with only the Seasiders missing out due to some final day heartache.

This term, QPR, Norwich and Swansea have all adjusted to the demands and step up in quality with apparent ease, with all three sides claiming scalps along so far. They occupy 12th, 8th and 10th positions so far respectively.

To put it into context, when you tally up the final league positions of the past 12 promoted teams, prior to this season’s exciting triumvirate, then you are left with an overall final league position of 16th. Of the same 12 promoted sides, only 5 have been relegated in their first season.

Of course, you are dealt with such anomalies such as yo-yo clubs like West Brom and the fact that Birmingham have been the unfortunate recipients of two relegations inside three seasons, but by and large, promoted side are certainly more competitive than in season’s past. The likelihood of encountering another unprepared Derby side, which finished the 2007/8 season with just one victory to their name for the entire campaign and a pitiful tally of just 11 points, a whole 24 points adrift of 19th place, has diminished.

The Championship is famed for being one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Getting out of that league is often seen as more difficult and more of an achievement than staying in the top flight. Of the three relegated sides from the  2009/10 season (Portsmouth, Burnley and Hull), it’s worth noting that none of them bounced back immediately and the highest league finish among them was Burnley in 8th, just outside the playoffs.

Spending your way out of the Championship is no guarantee of success either. Middlesborough went into the 2009/10 league campaign as the hot favourites for promotion, after Gordon Strachan saw his mini Old Firm revolution backed to the tune of £6m – they went onto finish a lowly 11th, with Strachan departing the season after with the club stranded in 20th place.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

This term, Sven Goran Eriksson has already received his P45 at Leicester after an expensive overhaul of the squad in the summer which saw the club spend upwards of £20m in the last year or so and have seen little change back from that hefty outlay. With mixed results on the pitch, entirely understandable it has to be said considering the number of fresh faces, Leicester currently sit in 8th just two points outside the playoffs.

The Premier League can be neatly split up into three sections – we have the top two of Manchester United and Manchester City. Then you have those chasing the other European spots and league positions between 3rd and 8th which includes Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool and at a push both Everton and Stoke and then from 8th downwards you have everyone else.

Last season, just 16 points separated 8th from bottom – the season before it was 42 points. The final league table was extremely congested which suggests a decrease in quality – a levelling of the playing field as it were; a situation that all promoted sides will be familiar with from the Championship. From Fulham in 8th to Wigan down in 16th, there was a separation of just seven points.

To put it quite simply, the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is shortening because the gap in quality within the top flight itself is widening. If you swapped West Ham, Southampton and Middlesbrough for the current bottom three, would anyone really notice the difference?

On one hand, the increasingly competitive nature of promoted sides is a positive thing, with Stoke providing the model by which others should look to follow in the future. But on the other hand, the lack of competition in the higher reaches of the Premier League is concerning.

Alongside Stoke’s unexpected European soirée, that is what makes Newcastle’s surprisingly excellent start to the season so exciting with the Magpies currently sat pretty in 3rd, making a mockery of those that considered them one of the favourites for the drop and consigned them to relegation before the season had even begun.

The strength of showing that the recent promoted outfits have provided only helps serve to highlight the relative lack of depth to the top flight. Thus far, the likes of Swansea, QPR and Norwich have been rewarded for failing to compromise their footballing principles. The days of having to adjust a team’s style of play to deal with the step up in class are over.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Promoted clubs are still often among the favourites for the drop before a season begins, and this doesn’t look like changing any time soon, but by taking a closer look at the evidence, more and more sides are acclimatising to the step up with ease. As a result, this season’s relegation candidates look likely to come from a small group of established Premier League sides as the gap continues to close.

You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

[divider]

 FREE football app that pays you CASH

[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]