What would you prefer?

[RFUS]

A) A rich sugar daddy with money burning a hole through his pocket buying the club outright and basically transforming us into a Chelsea/Man City.

or

B) The club adopting a model similar to Athletico Bilbao: A club owned and run by the supporters. A club that has a strict policy of only signing local lads,a club that runs one of the best academies in Europe.

This kind of falls apart when you compare the two pools of local lads.

They've got Llorente, we'd have Nugent.

 

[Mogwai]

defo c)

 

[bluenose125]

Not much arguing, footballs about winning, at at the moment it seems that more money = more wins.

 

[njligernj]

I would rather we win the Europa League with a team that comprises of local lads tbh. I wouldn't get the same warm, fuzzy feeling if some overpaid mercinaries who don't give a flying hoot about the club went on to win the Champions League while wearing an Everton jersey. I'm sorry, but such a ''victory'' just would leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

I know we don't win anything now but we have lots of non-locals now. Mostly non-locals actually. Would you feel bad if we won now? What's the difference between the players we have now from all over the world who make between 30-60k a week and your theoretical new set of players from all over the world who make 100-150k per week? Everyone tends to compare up (to Man City for instance) but relative to almost every other club in the FA we have an extremely high percentage of "non-local overpaid mercenaries" playing for our club right now. Not sure I see the distinction. You can certainly make a case for a special friendly relationship among our players and a great affection for our club that grows in out of towners (like Cahill and LD) but there is no reason that same relationship can't develop with players who are slightly pricier as well. They're not all like Tevez. I choose A.

 

[ComradeSergei]

Uh yeah, good luck winning the Europa league with kids from the North West. I think you're totally underestimating the effect that the coach had on that Bilbao team as well.

And why is it that just because they're not local people they are suddenly 'mercenaries' ? I hate it when people use that word to describe footballers who are just doing what everybody else does, their job.

It pains me to sau this but a kid from the North west single handedly led his team to Champions League vicyory in 2005. Another kid from those neck of the woods is Man United's talisman and arguably, the most talented british footballer of his generation. There are a hell of lot of talented kids out there who would flourish in the right enviroment - by that i mean well run academies that are on par with the likes of Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam- so it's not actually beyond the realms of possibility to win a top tier tounerment with home grown lads.

 

[Jimmywhack]

Would love b but lets face it only a will win you things

 

[Brennan]

It pains me to sau this but a kid from the North west single handedly led his team to Champions League vicyory in 2005. Another kid from those neck of the woods is Man United's talisman and arguably, the most talented british footballer of his generation. There are a hell of lot of talented kids out there who would flourish in the right enviroment - by that i mean well run academies that are on par with the likes of Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam- so it's not actually beyond the realms of possibility to win a top tier tounerment with home grown lads.

And this is where your plan falls apart.

Bilbao players see it as an honour to play for that team, there are strong cultural ties between the region and the club. Rooney went to United after one full season at his boyhood club and Gerrard would have gone to Chelsea had he been given the choice.

Mercenaries ?

 

[ComradeSergei]

This is how world class academies(i.e Barca) are run: A group of youngsters join the club when they're 8 -10 years of age and when they finally hit their late teens, they already have a supplement of soul, of love for the club, because they have been educated together,they know what the club is about and have an even stronger affinity to it because they are from the area,

 

[cainan]

A gotta be. option B is for league 2 sides, time we win things so a rich arab who throws money at us would be great

 

[Brennan]

This is how world class academies(i.e Barca) are run: A group of youngsters join the club when they're 8 -10 years of age and when they finally hit their late teens, they already have a supplement of soul, of love for the club, because they have been educated together,they know what the club is about and have an even stronger affinity to it because they are from the area,

But many of the players in the Barcelona academy aren't local....

 

[flo]

C of course.

 

[toffeechris]

neither happy with way things are now bar having a few pound to spend not man city rich just a few bob

 

[Moomin]

I want a Bond villain as owner, someone like Goldfinger with his henchman Oddjob as CEO.

Transfer negotiations with the likes of Fenerbace would be resolved in a fraction of time.

 

[ComradeSergei]

If i had a dime for each time i heard a fan utter these words ''local derbies have lost their spark because foreign players don't know what they mean to us fans'' or ''the likes of Chelsea are ruining the game, buying titles with their owners' ill gotten gains'' - then i'd be a very wealthy man by one. Pretty surprised that most of you went for ''A'' tbh.

 

[nikom court]

why has it got to be one extreme or the other?
why cant we have a owner with a good businness plan and be competitive in the transfer market?