Part one of this blog explored the ownership styles of three Premier League clubs (Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City). All slightly different, and now part two looks at three more, how they came to be under such rule, and perhaps a peek into the future.
Liverpool - John W. Henry
Anfield was in turmoil. Owned by the two characters from the Muppets who booed everything from the director box, slipping down the league, and seemingly further back than they were when Hicks and Gillett took over. Henry (and his Fenway Sports Group) bought the club in late 2010, and quickly identified the one thing that would get him onside with the club's fans - put Kenny Dalglish in charge. Woy Hodgson did well with Fulham, but signings like Joe Cole, Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen just weren't good enough.
Since then, Henry has overseen a rise in morale at the club, with Dalglish still in a year long honeymoon period. Throwing money at players like Downing, Henderson and Carroll hints at a strategy more like the cast of Byker Grove, but a new kit deal (around £25m a year) and talk of a new ground being back on the agenda, perhaps long term they are in comfortable hands.
Liverpool's former owners appeal for handball
Manchester United - Malcolm Glazer
Before Liverpool, before Arsenal, Manchester United were owned by an American sports mogul. Malcolm Glazer owned the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) and completed his takeover of Manchester United in 2005. Using an unpopular method of purchasing the club using it's own shares as collateral, amazingly the club has continued to win trophies. The sale of Cristiano Ronaldo for £80m has effectively funded the transfer dealings since, and it's highly likely that under any other manager, the club would have struggled. Up-and-coming youngsters Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes continue to lead the way.
In spite of the on-field success, the club's fans have continued to protest at the owners, with scarves, not renewing season tickets, and even setting up a rival club (not Man City, but FC United of Manchester). Rumours of an Arab/Far East sale rumble on, and surely Glazer knows that without him, the overall value of the club will plummet. Alas Glazer didn't announce his impeding takeover like Michael Knighton did in 1989, playing keepy-uppy in front of the fans in full kit. Berk.
Norwich fans rebel against Delia
Newcastle United - Mike Ashley
Ashley owns Sports Direct, the sportswear shops that make JD Sports look like Harrods. Amazingly he made so much money, he treated himself to Newcastle United, apparently without even looking at the accounts. Initially seen as just a fan with money, he was seen in the away end at Arsenal drinking a pint of lager, although he wasn't topless so perhaps not your typical Toon fan. By the end of the 2008/09 season, the club were relegated and seemingly in turmoil, after giving Alan Shearer eight games to keep them up. Shearer hadn't managed a game before, or since…
After replacing promotion winning Chris Hughton with Alan 'David Brent' Pardew, Ashley and his so-called Cockney Mafia of Dennis Wise and Derek Llambias have taken a back seat, and shrewd investment in players (mostly from France), and of course banking £35m for Andy Carroll, the club appear to be in a better position than they have been since the Bobby Robson days. Of course, the recent decision to rename St James' Park as the Sports Direct Arena has deservedly brought much criticism, so perhaps not all is rosy after all for the man who incidentally owns that house on Totteridge Lane with the most garish Xmas tree lights (his neighbours include Arsene Wenger and David Dein incidentally).
Even Ashley struggled to afford a balti pie at the Emirates
Perhaps these are not all the best examples of a sound investment with your lottery winnings. There have been worse run clubs in recent memory, Portsmouth, Leeds and Darlington being the most topical, but targetting the top clubs never hurts. Although Leeds' alleged contract talks with Seth Johnson deserves a blog in itself.
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