One thing all fans want is to have some influence in the direction in which their football club moves. Everyone wants to feel as though their football club is more than just a hobby and that to their football club they are more than just a punter. Isn’t that what the western world is all about anyway? The power of the people, of collective decisions in which all have their say? Well it would be if the average person was informed and intelligent enough to know what was best for them. Instead we have representative democracy where we vote for a local man or woman to make those kinds of decisions for us. So the same rules apply within football. We might all have opinions, but not all opinions are equal, and not all are valid. After all, what do 99% of a club’s supporters know about the expansion of a business on a global scale, or the inner financial and logistical problems faced in the daily running of a football club? As much as I love the club I support, and there are certain issues in which I would like a say, I don not feel as though I, or any other fan, should necessarily be the one to decide the fate of my club. This begs the question: how much power is too much for supporters? And how much of a role do they really have in England?
In a league where half of the teams are under the ownership of foreigners it is understandable that fans should want to step in, make their presence known, and ensure that the new owners’ intentions are aligned with those of the fan base. After all, we have seen what can happen to clubs under the wrong ownership, clubs who are managed by ignorant and arrogant owners, clubs whose owners are frivolous with their new club’s finances and suffer as a result. There is also the worry for many fans that the new owners, whether they are foreign or English, care little for the history of the club. Two such clubs are Chelsea and Newcastle who both recently voiced their objections to goings on at their respective clubs, both with different results.
Take Newcastle for example. Understandably they raised objections to the renaming of St James’ Park as the Sports Direct Arena. What could they do about it? Nothing. Did they have the right to attempt to block the move? Well that too is debatable. Would fans want success at the cost of tradition? Because that is what Mike Ashley is trying to achieve. He recognises the need for financial aid to take Newcastle to where he wants them to be and he is doing something about it. Personally I believe that all football clubs, just like all businesses, must move with the times or risk falling behind their competitors. It is all well and good having tradition in the first place, but what’s the point if you cannot have enough success in today’s game that would create more history for your club. Take Woolwich Arsenal for example. I’m sure there were a few people unhappy about moving the team to north London, seemed to work out alright though. I’m not saying that the renaming of Newcastle’s ground is going to be the catalyst for greater success, but the progressive thinking behind the idea could be.
Continue Reading on Page 2 ...
WATCH LIVERPOOL V BLACKBURN OR LIVERPOOL V NEWCASTLE! 188BET are offering the opportunity of winning Match Tickets. Please CLICK BELOW to be in with a BIG chance of winning the massive prize!
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–[ad_pod id=”unruly-video” align=”center”]
May be all opinions are not equal and not all are valid above all are FREE