http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/q-a-with-eric-cantona/ Q.& A. With Eric Cantona By THE NEW YORK TIMES February 21, 2011, 2:50 pm MOD NOTE: Posting entire articles/blogs/etc is a copyright violation. Thus, it violates the terms of service. If you are linking an article, please paste only the 1 or 2 paragraphs you deem most important. We cannot paste entire articles. It violates copyright.
AN amusing read...... but as far as facts about the reality of the cosmos left alot to be desired............ PATHETIC at best is what I rank the armature journalist, want to talk about his past and his career thats cool lets make it a long interview and dedicate the same number of questions about erics past to the situation and reality at hand in what has become the laughable circus in soho..... a great opportunity to shed some light once again passed over..................... but you can always tune into the soho clown parade cosmos facebook and see old pictures of pele and an old typed up pele stats sheet and stupid fan give aways and read the mindless dribble of the blind many who wont call these jokers out on their own page..... but maybe the few that do get their opinions deleted as I do....... keep plugging away kids these clowns cant silence us forever......................
Is this Jack Bell's response to our criticism? I'm glad someone admitted that the Wilpons are officially out, but there still isn't much to offer that's new in this article...probably because there isn't much to offer that's new. That's why supposedly Cantona and Pele are hiking around Singapore. Going to Asian financial capitals to get something done. http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/cantona-looks-to-revive-the-storied-cosmos-name/?src=twrhp
Absolutely stupid interview. Past, past and only past, this is the reason so that I didn't the Cosmos again.
Called this in the update thread. It's a money hunt, and the less people know the better for the NYC people. Yet, people wonder why we could be nothing but dubious about this group from day one. Since Cantona wants to bring down the world's banks is he going to look under people's pillows? He wouldn't want to be involved with a bank somewhere!? Bell has been nothing but a shameless Giorgio shill for the last 25 years, even when he knows most of what he is printing is total bullshit. I've called him on it and he just giggled. Zero respect for him when it comes to anything soccer related...especially the Cosmos. Paid off shill. It's over before it ever started. I doubt someone is going to blindly fork over money. If they get interest there will be exploration/due diligence, and I feel most aren't gonna like what they hear, and most may not have been told the truth in the first place. Is there anyone out there who believes the Cosmos for one second anymore when they say they have the money? Can't wait until they go away and Gottschee gets their name back. That name carries more actual soccer respect in NY than Cosmos anymore if you ask me.
I don't know. I think you're partially correct, it seems like they're hunting for an investor. That's a two-sided coin. On the one hand, MLS is a the kind of club that people want to get into, a growing league and probably a great investment. Imagine if someone asked you in 1970 to invest in a NBA team. That team's appreciation would be phenomenal at this point. On the other, the group of people as currently constituted range from nutcase to sleezeball. There's nobody who has any financial acumen. There's nobody who has any soccer acumen. They bring nothing of any value to the table except that they own a valuable name. Well, Pinton had that for 25 years and he couldn't do anything with it either. Maybe when Beckham comes on board they can find a star********er like Trump, but until then what exactly are they selling?
My problem is that most foreign investors probably won't like the way MLS does business. They never do. It is a completely foreign concept in world soccer. Rights fee, salary cap, a stadium in NY will take how long and costs what? I have to pay all of this and I have a freaking salary cap?! Are yopu nuts? That's how I see it going over. IF some big investor with tons of disposable cash just wants to forge ahead as is I say hallelujah! Not sure I see it happening, especially when you can take that cash and buy a decent team in a Big 4 league, and run it how you want. Not sure those investors are out there for MLS, and even the nostalgic Cosmos with "I'll do anything for a buck Pele & Eric the unbalanced philosopher.) This is just like playing the state lottery right now. Chances of this hitting are astronomical IMO. What are they selling? Dreams? Hell, the WC in Qatar has a better shot of coming off. They've got vast sums of money to waste.
On the other hand is the Lamar Hunt thinking that this could be huge down the road. I see a number of reasons that wealthy foreign people might want to get into the Cosmos. First they don't need to build a brand from the start, they have the big market, NYC and that name to attract players. They can splurge on DPs if they want -- but ultimatly they don't have to spend half a billion dollars buying in, clearing debts and then $50m a year covering losses and transfers just to compete. Not everybody has Sheik/Oligarch money to throw around -- owning a team and not losing your ass doing it might actually be a lure. Hell they won't even have to front the money to the cap, MLS pays that. They just need to be able to swing a stadium plan that is real and enough dough to play a bit with the DPs ...
There is truth to this. There is something a tad askew when you're asking an investor to spend $400M on a stadium, $50M on a franchise fee, and in the case with the Cosmos, a flashy, global brand name plus pele and cantona, and when you make an offer for Ashley Cole the league tells you no, it has to be seth stammler because you only have $40K left under the salary cap.
Let's say you're a billionaire. You could walk into Don Garber's office today, without an appointment, and plop down your checkbook and walk out with a team. It would be like buying a loaf of bread. The one thing you can't do is name the team the New York Cosmos. Or... You could walk into some slimeball's office in SoHo. No doubt he would want to shake your hand and you can bet your hat that it's gonna be repulsively sweaty. Then you have to listen to a bunch of bullshit about how they have expertise (they don't) and history (they don't) and a stadium (they don't). Then the slimeball introduces you to the rest of the staff. They're even slimier and their hands are even sweatier. You meet Sideshow Bob, Wild Eyed Former French Beach Soccer Star, Former Male Masseuse and Part-Time Shoe Tie-er To The Stars, And Criminally Insane Italian Fugitive. Not one person seems to have any qualification as an executive in soccer or business. Dealing with these folks will force you to take a shower after every meeting but you can call your team the New York Cosmos. Either way it's gonna cost you $40 million and a stadium in NYC. Which would you choose?
