chicago_shearer

Please be real

Personally, I want to believe it's about Ashley raising the price at the last minute or just pocketing 17m so he can sell to a higher bid who have let him keep his SportsDirect banners. You can focus your anger squarely on him. But if it turns out the deal was actually shut down/stalled by the PL at the request of other clubs - as that interview makes it sound - then what's the larger fucking point of anything? Ashley stays or Ashley sells to some "fit & proper" American owners, who promise to keep the club in its box between 7th and 17th, stay out of the actual transfer market and sell any real talent to the clubs that matter. Just a permanent undercard.

Just read it on the app. She basically puts it all on the feet of the PL, no argument with Ashley and sounds like they agreed to his additional demands. Gets on well with him. PL had unreasonable demands to make the state itself a director and was swayed by "jealousy" from other clubs, who "briefed against" them etc. Says there are no other serious bids, "it's rubbish". Had plans for 250m of investment in the club over several years and additional plans for investment in the city. Had a statement already written for the day it went through about CL intent etc. Basically, it's a hugely frustrating interview that makes it sound like the club have been absolutely fucked over by the PL and the Big 6. Worst fears confirmed. Wish I hadn't read it because I was happily ignoring this for most of the day.

Mauriss was invented by the people that opposed the takeover. He'll never be heard from again.

It's hard to stay optimistic given the circus of Twitter (pretend) journalism, but ultimately I just have difficulty imagining the Premier League deciding to waste the one moment of real leverage they are likely to have on this BeOutQ issue by refusing the takeover. It's entirely wrong, but no other field of Western business has refused PIF investment on the basis of MBS as Chairman and the human rights record of the Saudi regime. I don't think the PL will be any different. I think this delay is purely about extracting meaningful concessions and guarantees about how the PIF will work to influence their government on media rights, and it should ultimately happen.

It's really hard to stay optimistic about this as it drags on, but I still find it difficult to imagine circumstances where the Premier League flatly refuse to do business with the PIF. If the BeIn piracy concern is their real issue, there will never be a moment where the PL have more leverage with Saudi authorities to fix it (assuming they are able to conclude that the PIF are themselves in a position to shut down Beoutq). This is their time to extract concessions and find a way to broadcast legitimately, long-term in KSA. Second, if the PL are genuinely considering refusing a Saudi investment in the league due to moral concerns about the regime's human rights record, are they prepared for what that could do to future global investment and sponsorship opportunities for the league and its clubs? PIF are in a position to influence decisions at Disney (ie ESPN), Facebook, BoA, Citigroup, Boeing, LiveNation, BP etc. And that investment spree isn't over. Some people might interpret rejecting the deal as taking a principled stand against Saudi money in a way no other global industry or Western government has ever done. More cynically, it might be interpreted as protecting the interests of its big clubs and Qatari allies. But either way you view it, it will definitely have long term political consequences for how the PL is able to market itself globally.

That's a big investment. A third of the global concert market are Live Nation and 30% of sports/entertainment tickets are sold through subsidiary Ticketmaster. Quite a lot of the big annual venues, global tours for pop groups and big festivals are also with Live Nation. After the pandemic, the third largest shareholder in the organizer of all those events will be the Saudi state.

Exactly. It's hard to imagine that the PL create more leverage when it comes to convincing the Saudis to crack down on beoutQ by telling the state PIF that they aren't fit to invest in a PL club. That would be ridiculous.

So much effort. Makes it all worthwhile.

Scoreline doesn’t look good, but are they getting forward and ‘giving it a go’? Can Gary Neville and the British media pundits take some comfort in that at least?

1-2, with the first Premier League goal ever ruled out by VAR being a late equaliser.

A striker who, according to Wiki, scored twice in the Conference last season? Mystery signing going from 20 goals for Porto on page one to 2 goals for Leyton Orient by page two and possibly not actually a signing at all is very summer 2019.

Fast forward to December and he's dropped from the match day squad for a relegation 6-pointer. Local media stories euphemistically referencing the player's lifestyle and attitude. Bruce talking somberly about needing 'the right kind of lads' and 'fighting for each other'. Pundits nodding in agreement.

I didn't realize him they are flying him out there. ~27 hours of flying for a 48 hour stay in order to coach a 3rd place pre-season game. :lol:

The French story seems like one of those nonsense articles that appear when an agent doesn’t think his client is being offered enough money by the club he’s actually in negotiations with. Bruno will be off to some club in the Gulf or China for slightly better money and it will still be Bruce by Friday.