Silk from financial sow’s ear

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World Soccer Magazine published a fascinating table at the bottom of an article on the respective financial might of Chelsea and Manchester City yesterday, detailing player spend and sales for current English Premier League clubs over the last 10 seasons.

Liverpool have an average net spend of £18.1m as they chase former glories while Manchester United, who stole Liverpool’s place at the top of the English pile, had only a marginally higher net spend of £18.6m.

Fifth on the list is Aston Villa, largely on the back of an attempt to take over the world during Martin O’Neill’s reign, spending a net average of £11.1m.

Most fascinating of all is that 11 of the 20 have a net average spend of less than £4m per season.  They spend big, but apart from the odd team spending some foreign country’s mineral wealth, they also sell big.

Bottom of the table of net biggest spenders in Everton, who sold £7.8m of talent more than they bought during the period.  Newcastle United are also in a surplus, thanks in part to their recently departed director of football, Joe Kinnear, who completed his service without spending a penny.

Crystal Palace clearly have an eye for a bargain.  They successfully negotiated a return to the Premier League, and then bought Joe Ledley as his Celtic contract ran down, with an average net spend of £722k.

The Silk from a Sow’s Ear prize has to go to Arsenal.  The last decade has not been generous to Arsenal, however, their average net spend is only £1.5m per season having sold £277m worth of talent.  Their business model is not right, i.e. they have not been able to compete with those who don’t seem to care if they break even, but they, more than any other club in Europe*, are primed for the Financial Fair Play era.

*apart from Celtic, of course.
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  1. Celticrollercoaster supports the Dambhoys on

    Celticbobbyrussell

     

     

    Always had faith in you

     

     

    As for your brothers, now that’s another story :-)

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  2. A Ceiler Gonof Rust Supporting Neil Lennon against brainless thugs and zombies on

    CRC, have you sampled that wee boatil yet? What do you think of it?

     

     

    All feedback is most welcome.

     

     

    HH bruv.

  3. Margaret McGill on

    “What we have been treated to since last summer is the rather unedifying sight of Sevco being sexed up for public consumption. However, it would be unfair to be too harsh on the management at Pacific Quay as the fudge was originally manufactured on the 6th floor of Hampden last June.

     

    Even when asked by the Beeb’s man Chris McLaughlin last July, Stewart Regan would not clear up the status of Sevco Scotland Limited apropos Rangers (1872).

     

    To pacify the supporter base of a club that was liquidated, the football authorities allowed a phoenix operation to take its place without due diligence being carried out into this new company and their business plan.”

     

     

     

    So now that we are quite likely to be presented by King Billys Third on Groundhun day what will our illustrious SFA president do?

  4. madrarua

     

     

    23:29 on 4 February, 2014,

     

     

    Excellent, well done to your mate. I’ll still buy the original and hopefully it’ll make a big dent in the charts.

  5. BMCUWP…..the green can caught my attention….is this really the best way to raise funds for Cheltenham?

     

     

    An elaborate motorway fraud in which good samaritans have been conned out of hundreds of pounds is being investigated by police.

     

     

    Drivers who stopped to help a man posing as a stranded motorist have been targeted in the scam on the M4 in Wiltshire.

     

     

    The conman carries a green fuel can and is believed to stand on various slip roads between Junction 19 of the M4 where it meets the M32, and Junction 15 at the A419 Swindon turn-off.

     

     

    Claiming his vehicle has broken down elsewhere after running out of fuel, he asks for a lift to the nearest service station, mainly Leigh Delamere or Membury.

     

     

    While on route he pretends to take a call from the Highways Agency or police who need his car to be moved at a cost of around £800.

     

     

     

    The fraudster is believed to stand on slip roads between junction 19 and 15

     

    Those giving him a lift have then offered to help out towards the cost.

     

     

    Once dropped at the services they never hear from him again.

     

     

    To date it is believed the offender has been able to scam hundreds of pounds from victims.

     

     

    Officers are keen to hear from anyone who may have been targeted in similar circumstances, or who has any information about the fraud.

     

     

    People with information are asked to contact Detective Sergeant Chris Feerick in Melksham on 101 or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

  6. Margaret McGill

     

    00:06 on

     

    5 February, 2014

     

    http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl-lower-divisions/rangers-value-drops-by-16-million-in-4-months-1-3263785

     

    I like a couple of things about that article. It comes under the heading ` SPFL Lower divisions` and right below the article is `Celtic in Worlds 40 top earners list`

     

    Only thing is though, I thought the share price was about the 4 for a pound mark? Article saying they`re over 30p

  7. I can see myself giving the guy a lift ok, the second he asked for money though, he’d get a firm but polite – go fcuk yourself !!

  8. Margaret McGill on

    CelticBobbyRussell who was born before the hunBobbyrussell though you`d find that hard to believe. Plus i`m also Neil Lennon

     

     

    00:12 on 5 February, 2014

     

    Article is about 3 weeks old…..whats today’s asking price?

  9. Snake P

     

     

    “If England’s electorate were having a referendum on leaving the UK

     

     

    a. How do you think they would vote?

     

    b. Do you think these people in those cities and places you mention would be sitting there saying I have more in common with people in Glasgow than people living in the South East so we’ll hang on to them?”

     

     

    a. Honestly, I believe there would be a strong majority against.

     

    b. Yes, there are many people who still hold those views in those cities. England has its equivalent to the McGlashans, I think they are called the Farages, but most are not antagonistic to the Scots and most are puzzled as to why any Scots are angry with them.

     

     

    We have never been stopped from having Independence. No revolt has been put down and no ballot result overturned. There has been an SNP for 80 years now and have been electing MPs for 47 years now. At any time that people chose to vote for them in a majority, or even a large minority, a referendum would have been triggered to give us a shot at freedom/independence/disunion/McGlashanism.

     

     

    There are many more people on TV and the press bothering my head to argue for the Yes vote than there are from the No camp, despite the argument that we have a biased press and media and an establishment ranged against it. Most of the arguments have been, to my mind, counterproductive.

     

     

    However, should there be a settled will to Independence I will most likely stay here and try to make it work. I do not expect it to be any kind of left wing paradise for the reasons TBB outlined earlier.

     

     

    Scots are not better people than the English; we are all pretty much alike. That is my settled view, no matter where the borders are drawn.

  10. Margaret McGill

     

    00:16 on

     

    5 February, 2014

     

    CelticBobbyRussell who was born before the hunBobbyrussell though you`d find that hard to believe. Plus i`m also Neil Lennon

     

     

    00:12 on 5 February, 2014

     

    Article is about 3 weeks old…..whats today’s asking price?

     

    ================================================

     

    25p roughly

  11. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    Emdae notice Keevins is calling folks at Celtic by their first names lately?

     

     

    Sneeky wee bitch!!!

  12. Margaret McGill on

    setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox

     

     

    00:18 on 5 February, 2014

     

    Scots dont vote Tory. That’s the point you’re missing.

     

    England does.

     

    Even when they sometimes dont like voting for LIB Dems they’re voting Tory.

     

    In my opinion the last general Election was a breaking point for many Scots.

     

    I will be voting Yes for independence.

  13. eddieinkirkmichael on

    I really laughed out loud at this reference to the GB in a story about the Pope.

     

     

    Francis knows that his church consists of many currents and factions. If he acts alone, he could quickly fail, which is why he has created a crown council of sorts, consisting of eight cardinals from around the world. The group, sometimes referred to as the “G8,” is seen as a counterweight to the Curia. The pope’s personal advisers are from countries like India, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Honduras, but the group also includes the Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Reinhard Marx. The choice of cardinals from around the world is intended to ensure that more attention is paid to the concerns of Catholics worldwide at the Rome-centric Vatican.

     

     

    http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/catholic-survey-shows-deep-frustration-within-the-church-a-946069-3.html

  14. Maggie McGill

     

     

    “Scots dont vote Tory. That’s the point you’re missing.

     

    England does.”

     

     

    The most recent poll (by ICM in the Scotsman) suggest 14% of Scots intend to vote Tory and a further 7% for UKIP. 6% will vote LDEM and, within the 43% intending to vote SNP, there will be a lot of Tories too; just look at the constituencies they have won, including Alex Salmond’s own.

     

     

    The UK figure (Populus) latest seem to be 33% Tory and 8% UKIP and 40% Labour with LDEMS at 11%.

     

     

    I see no great difference.

  15. Margaret McGill on

    setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox

     

     

    00:56 on 5 February, 2014

     

     

    Gideon Osbourne?

     

    Anyway I dont listen to Polls and neither should you.

     

    The last general election proves my point

     

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Commons_of_the_United_Kingdom

     

     

    Check out the Lib Dems

     

     

    As for Scotland

     

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_Kingdom_general_election_results_in_Scotland

     

     

    compare it to your poll results. Lots of huns abandoning the Tories for the UKIP

     

     

    Labour unchanged. The rest of the hetergenous meaningless rabble including the SNP.

     

     

    For Independence there is only one question Yes or No. Many Labour voters in Scotland will be voting Yes.

  16. Maggie

     

     

    That Poll was fresh from this month. Plenty of Scots indicating a UKIP vote and plenty of Scots expressing concern about immigration. If we limit ourselves to checking in with the Tims intending to vote SNP or Yes then we might get a distorted view of how left wing or right-on our fellow countrymen are.

     

     

    The right wing voting intentions in England, especially the SE, are higher than in Scotland but there is more commonality than difference in voting intentions.

     

     

    Anyway, I was complaining earlier that there are 9 months more of this to go. It irks me to see politics dominate the blog so I will try to set an example and not react tomorrow whenever the Yes Voters introduce it as a topic, yet again.

  17. JimmyQuinnsBits on

    SFTB,

     

     

    I respect your views, because they are, or were, mine in many aspects.

     

     

    I was a “soft” no, but I’m quickly shifting over. This political status quo is broken and, in my view, is only going to get worse. The London aspect hugely skews the economic motives of all of the mainstream parties. The tories are now blatantly battling for an increasing UKIP vote, and Labour are rightly seen as a pale imitation. The Milliband party are like kids trying to dress like their parents, prancing about in shoes too big for their feet because, essentially, they don’t believe a word they’re saying. Labour is beyond pathetic, there is no real opposition.

     

     

    As England lurches, thud by thud, to the right with Labour whining after them squealing “I can be worse, honest I can!”, what do you do with your small vote, except make it louder by shrinking the room.

  18. Feckin hell….

     

     

    Is this Politics Quick News for Moonhowlers tonight?

     

     

    Wish I had a right to vote in the independence referendum.

     

     

    So I could tell them to stick all their for and against non arguments up their big fat self serving erses,then keep as far away from a polling station as I’ve managed since the age of 18.

     

     

    The old cliche remains true……the best way of telling that a politician is lying is seeing their lips move.

     

     

    AlittlelessconversationalittlemoreactionCSC

  19. call me Gerry

     

     

    20:05 on 4 February, 2014

     

    I cannot bring myself to condone a lifestyle that could, in THEORY, be seen to say it’s ok for civilisation to end.

     

     

    ===========================================

     

     

    Dear god, you gotta laugh. Did you write that with your back to the wall?

  20. JimmyQuinnsBits on

    SFTB,

     

     

    one last point… I don’t suggest, in any way, that the English are different from us. My consistent argument has been that, given the same circumstances, all people will largely behave in the same way. Therefore, there are cultural differences

     

     

    I have no time for any views on an English, Irish, or Scottish race… it’s pish.

  21. Margaret McGill on

    setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox

     

     

    01:17 on 5 February, 2014

     

     

    ok I wont bring it up again if you dont. I see it this way. I loathe Tories and they still govern Scotland. Time for a new paradigm. Thats all.

  22. Margaret McGill on

    JimmyQuinnsBits

     

     

    01:40 on 5 February, 2014

     

     

    Thank you Jimmy. I agree. Racially we are not distinct. Culturally yes for sure.