What could this possibly mean for YAs?

Kids kids kids? Such anger... surely there are better areas to apply this anger. Jri, you keep doing what you are doing. To the other people, if you don't like what someone writes, or how frequently they write, simply ignore it. It really isn't that hard.

 

I'm struggling ... the New York Yankees marketing hitch-up?

 

Keep your day job.

 

There are much cheaper ways (relative to the cost of buying a big team) of establishing such contacts. For example, if Kraft wants to, he can pay 10 EPL assistant coaches $100K each. I bet this will lead to many of our players getting training spells with a lot of teams.

 

Do you speak from experience?

 

That's nonsense. For one, Liverpool are one of the most "local" clubs in Britain. Your Zak Whitbread? A Woolton lad. Seriously.

For another, the criteria for signing a player is and will always remain whether or not they bring something to the party that a currently local alternative cannot. So until you've got 10- year olds running around with a "I'm Steven Gerrar MK II" aura, we're going to continue shopping in Ormskirk before we try Oregon.

On top of all of that, an investment from America is not going to have the slightest impact on the current playing side of the club. It may not even be something the club pursue at all. It is far more likely to be a case of "thanks for the cheque, get back in touch when you have that marketing deal set up". The only likely impact on young American soccer players of any deal such as this is that more of them will soon be running around in Liverpool shirts.

And finally, there this from Thursday's AGM.

 

I heard that SAF recently saw an American movie at the cinema. This could be big for us.




IOW, come on folks.

 

Arf ... yeah. We've underachieved because of the likes of Owen, Gerrard, Fowler, Carragher and McManaman.

Things do change. You're right. Things are always changing, aren't they? Things, I mean? Some would say that is a rather trite observation with no bearing on the topic at hand, but I prefer to simply agree with you that yes, things do indeed change. All the time.

Now, about this idea that investment from some Yank means there will suddenly be millions of Americans (or "Americans" if Zak Whitbread is the prototype) running around Kirkby ...

 

OK. "High single figures". Better?

Point stands.

 

Mmm, exactly.

ManU having 4 Yanks + Liverpool underachieving + American businessman owning L'Pool without any control of the club = Huge influx of Americans at L'Pool.

Was your post even talking about the topic or what?

 

Why do all these type of threads end up as a Yank-English/Euro pissing contest? Oh, yeah that's right, because of jri. Now jri don't take that seriously, just having some fun, but if there's one poster that defines a YA homer it's you. Not saying that's a bad thing, you just sometimes go "a little overboard". Now back to the topic of the thread:

If Kraft does invest in Liverpool, what does this mean for YA? Not a whole lot, at best Kraft will provide better inroads to the best MLS talent that qualify for work permits. So maybe 'pool will get first shot at players like GAM, Gaven, or Dempsey when they qualify for WP status, but really your talking about getting the first look at one player every other year. At best you can look forward to seeing maybe 2-3 yanks at 'pool at "best".

Now the real reason for Kraft's interest in Liverpool can be sumed up in one word, Stadium. Kraft wants to own the brand new 'pool stadium, he wants all that revenue from consessions, season tickets, luxury boxes, etc. If he gets that and some small % of the team, I think he's a happy camper.

 

Except that's not accurate either. Even if he bought Liverpool outirght (which he can't) he would still not own the stadium. Nor would he be entitled to all the revenue from concessions and season tickets and whatnot.

If you want to invest in a football club to make a fast one out of the club itself, then Liverpool is arguably the worst choice on the planet for that plan.

No - his interest is rooted in the brand name. Most specifically, what he could do with that brand name in the US. Emerging market and all that. Entering an emerging market with an established, highly visible and highly recognisable brand is called "good business".

Whoever invests in the club (and it looks increasingly as though it will not be the 'L4' consortium), their primary payout will be in global merchandising, not access to the club's core revenue streams.

 

excuse me for being ignorant but what 'U.S emerging market'?

everyone in this thread talks like if the USA is the great new land of opportunity for European Clubs. Do you need to be reminded that probably 90% of the U.S population never heard of liverpool FC? do you need to be reminded that soccer coverage from the media is extremely low, and that they have a hateful agenda against the beautiful game? You all speak like if we were living in Japan (a real emerging market) where people flock to buy beckham shirts. Last thing I heard Beckham was in L.A and walked the streets unnoticed! (except for the mexicans that asked for autographs).

seeing all the empty seats in the last champions world tour makes me think that it will be gone in 2 years, and the so called emergin market will fade again. Not to rain on anyones parade but im just trying to insert some common sense. The only foreign clubs that have any power in the USA are the Mexican teams. We need to worry about mls growing and not a billionare buying a euro club. That will not grow soccer in this country.

 

Now this would be relevant if you were using this argument 5 years or so ago... but now???

Do you really believe now that the major clubs in Europe don't have significant scouting resources in the US? Especially the EPL?

If this is not the case then how do you explain the influx of US youth into European youth academies? Did these all come about from multiple million-dollar investments from US corporations? Or did they come from the recognition that the US is starting to develop some talent that is worth looking at more thoroughly?

Do you seriously believe that the approx £100M investment that was rumoured would be better spent in Liverpool so maybe, maybe, 5 additional players would be pulled into the 'pool youth academy? Or would it be better if that sort of money was invested in US soccer at grass roots level etc.

Which of these two options would ultimately yield the greater increase in overall talent and progression of the USMNT?

Fine - go ahead and compare total posts and will see who comes out looking like they have some vague clue as to what they are on about. Lets ensure we include variables such as "who can derive the most ludicrous conclusion" and "who applies the greatest hypocrisy in deriding other teams" etc. So go for your life....

And just because I disagree with your generally insanely blinkered warblings does not make me a twister of truth. For example, look how many people have agreed with you here for starters....

You should get that nervous twitch looked at - it makes you look as ridiculous as your statements on here imply

 

Again? It's wearing thin ...

The one that is bigger this year than it was last year and that will be bigger next year than it was last year. You know ... an emerging market.

Right, so you're not a marketeer. That, my troubled little mate, is what's called "a golden opportunity". Besides which, you're being disingenious (or ignorant, to quote you yourself ...) insomuch as we're hardly talking about tapping the dollars that exist in, say, the "Sunday NFL action after lunch with a couple of bottles of pissy Yank lager" market.

The expat/immigrant market alone is enough to make most European brand managers wet themselves.

Moving from the European market, which is as close to being saturated by football as it is possible to get, to a market where there are significant minorities of soccer enthusiasts who are, to varying degrees, deprived of the sport they love is a massive opportunity. You only have to look at the regularity with which people on these boards moan about coverage and access to soccer to realise that there is a market there.

That's an entirely separate issue that my comments were not related to.

 

There's actually a considerable amount of soccer/football available on a digital tier TV (above 100 Ch. capacity), where Fox Sports World EPL coverage competes against the ESPN Deportes and Gol TV, in addition to the terrestrial coverage of the Mexican League by the Univision/ Galavision/ Telefutura.

The next expansion of the broadcasting will probably come with the next round of the technological upgrade when the cable & satellite universe expands to 500-700 channels. That will begin to take shape this following year.

 

I would say it is a much higher percentage. 10% of the US population is close to 30 million people.