Gabriel Knowles's Contributions

It's definitely adds an extra element to Manchester derby these days which from a neutral perspective is great. I wrote about this subject a little over a year ago for Inside Sport and I've followed it pretty closely ever since. It's pretty fair to say there's a bit more to it than English football being burdened by a mountain of debt. For starters it's unlikely that EPL television rights are going to be undersold any time in the near future, in fact they're still commanding even bigger sums as more and more countries around the world (particularly in Asia) jump aboard the bandwagon. Add to that the insatiable desire from multi-nationals to sponsor teams and the problem isn't for lack of money coming in - the problem is with how that money is managed. The problems faced by Portsmouth, Man United, Liverpool, West Ham and Leeds of years gone by are due to financial mismanagement at board level rather than outside forces such as the recession. Arsenal are not so much in a predicament that doesn't allow them to sign big names as opposed to having made a clear decision some years back to build a new stadium that would ensure their long term viability. A decision vindicated by the fact that their match day revenue is the highest going, sure they've had a few trophy-less seasons but they aren't saddled with leveraged debt and are widely considered to be looking good to become real force again, if they aren't already. Everton are another case in point for solid financial planning. Rather than breaking the bank on expensive signings a la Spurs they've put together a decent and competitive squad while they prepare to build a new stadium. Obviously it's a long bow to draw but which club would you rather was yours in a few years time? In short there may well be some casualties but the EPL isn't slowing down just yet, it's just too popular. La Liga will keep going strong but they need to address the fact that clubs negotiate their own media deals as the difference between what Real and Barca command compared to the rest is disgusting (We're talking nearly 100 million Euro difference here). If anything the German model is the one to follow, Bundesliga teams can be docked points for not meeting financial requirements and the club itself must keep a majority stake so as to stop it being completely sold and keeping the playing field relatively level. That's where the A-League should be looking towards for pointers.

English football is awash with stars – and debt

19 Jan 2010

I can't see Bellamy taking Wallace off at half time unless things are going terribly, mind you he has made some obstinate decisions in the past. ie. leaving Stewart on the bench until well into the second half. If the selectors are making contingency plans for a poorly performing half back that they picked then they need to be replaced asap. I think they should have picked the experienced Kimmorley to guide the younger, more dynamic Blues around the park, look how well he's doing it for the Bulldogs this year. Mushi. you've hit the nail on the head - Origin is about go forward far more than club football. I think they'll regret not picking another prop.

Strange Blues selections raise plenty of questions

24 Jun 2009

Right you are Brett, wasn't far off. But then the side does pretty much jump out at you when you look into it, so no surprises. Spiro, I think having the underdog status for big games was justifiably perceived as advantage by coaches in the past. What better way to get a team playing freely than by taking some of the burden of expectation away from them? But these days when most sides have some sort of in-house sports psychologist on hand it probably doesn't matter as much anyway. Should be a great series.

Queensland pack to give it to inexperienced Blues

26 May 2009