trousers

Don't know if this came out at the time but have just spotted that Hoddle's Academy last week secured significant middle-east funding shortly after his academy team (supposedly) played a 'behind closed doors' game with Saints. Any conspiracy mileage in this one? http://www.arabianbusiness.com/537360-uae-bank-launches-football-investment-fund UAE bank launches football investment fund by Andy Sambidge on Thursday, 06 November 2008 Banking giant Emirates NBD on Thursday became the latest Middle East institution to target the global football industry with the launch a new investment fund. The Hero Global Football Fund, which has former football stars Alan Hanson and Glenn Hoddle on board, will recruit mainly young players from around the world but especially from Africa, South America and the Far East. It will then seek to make a profit by selling players’ registrations and other economic benefits, such as image rights, to professional clubs. The Fund, which is planning to raise $100 million, has been set up by Emirates Investment Services Ltd, a subsidiary company of Emirates NBD, and will have a life of five years. Rick Pudner, CEO of Emirates NBD, said: “Middle East investors are seeing the value of the sports industry, in general and the football sector in particular, and we’re excited to build on that. "Now, through the Hero Global Football Fund, Emirates NBD can show its clients that you don’t have to be a billionaire to invest in this booming industry and, at low minimums, you too can participate in the transfer market which has shown itself to be a huge growth area of the game.” The minimum individual investment into the fund will be $100,000. The fund targets a minimum internal rate of return (IRR) of 10 percent, and, although returns are likely to fluctuate, Jamal Bin Ghalaita, general manager for Consumer and Wealth Management at ENBD, stressed that the success of the Fund is not linked to finding a star player. “The business model is realistic, assuming that two thirds of players will not become professionals. Of those that do make it, many will join second-tier clubs," he said. "The financial success of the fund does not depend on finding the next David Beckham: rather, on producing a steady flow of competent, professional footballers,” he added. The fund aims to attract and recruit players from across the world and will also deal with clubs worldwide, although a prime focus is likely to be European clubs which are keen to recruit promising young players from Africa, South America and the Far East. Deon Vernooy, Head of Asset Management at EIS, says: “We believe we can generate above average returns from a fast-growing sector with little or no correlation to the wider economic climate.” The fund has also made a private investment into the Glenn Hoddle Academy, a specialist academy set up by the former England player and manager for young players who have been released by their clubs. Hoddle and his team of full-time coaches will nurture and develop their talents before releasing the players to clubs around the globe. Also on board with the initiative is David Davies, OBE, the former executive director of the FA, and David Elleray, the former top-flight referee. In addition, as part of its commitment to invest in the development of football in the UAE, the fund has reached an agreement with the Al Ahli Club to identify promising players for further training and development through the Fund and its associates. Alan Hansen, who is a member of the advisory board to the fund added: “In the current financial climate, it (the fund) will provide a vital source of funding for clubs worldwide to keep and develop their talent. "As well as this, the Fund’s partnership with the Glenn Hoddle Academy will make a huge contribution to nurturing young players and give them a second chance to pursue their football careers.”

You join us at a key moment in 'hypothetical corner'....over to Trousers who is at the scene.... If Matt Le Tissier did a Niall Quinn and became our chairman would people still have qualms about the chairman 'being interested in' (aka 'interfering with') team selection? i.e. is this a matter of principle or does it depend on the type of person who is chairman?

Are you suggesting that Rupert might come down my chimney? (if I ask nicely)

I've got a little German in me....

I would disagree that it's "nothing like" buying shares. Agree that it's not an 'investment' in the sense that shares are (or rather, are supposed to be) but there are certain philosophical synergies - i.e. Both involve buying into something at a certain price in advance. I wasn't trying to advocate that they are the same in the holistic sense.

The OS match day article than mentions squad injuries etc is written in near real-time as the match takes place, so the timing of this doesn't work as an explanation....

People that choose to buy a season ticket are effectively buying shares in the club at a given moment in time. The intrinsic value of those "shares" can go up or down depending on the quality of the product or service being sold. Perhaps I should ask Lloyds TSB for the difference in the share price I paid a year ago compared to the price people are paying for shares today?

Won't season ticket holders take a more pragmatic 'bigger picture' view than that?

I'd rather he came back to help save the club in some sort of hands-on role rather than waste precious time writing a book.

Nice one

I've always felt he's a good manager and still do. I was hoping he got the England job ahead of Capello (for positive reasons rather than anti-Pompey reasons.) But, of course, such rational thought won't go down too well on here....

But transcripts don't lie do they? It would appear on the surface that there were things in the original post on here - http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=4739 that weren't actually said....? Dunno

15. He shot down Colin, my pet owl

indeed

Yes

...and the cunning plan almost worked....if it wasn't for those pesky kids....

Damn the Echo then....they've just given the game away to Wolves ahead of Saturday. You wait, we'll bloomin' well go and lose to them now they know he's back and can plan accordingly....tsk

Ok....I know there's one or two other threads that mention this but felt it warranted highlighting because it doesn't add up.... The OS said this on Saturday before the game against Bristol City: http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/news/?page_id=10878 i.e. no mention of Schneiderlin's injury and, unusually, no squad list.... And today the Echo prints this: http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/sai...o_face_Wolves/ Why (oh why) would the club not report that one of our most influential players has been injured for two days, and not least in the pre-match report? Surely this isn't simply a case of sloppy journalism? Or am I missing something somewhere (like a large bag of marbles)?

No doubt it's tucked away on the "Schneiderlin Injury Update" page....

I'll go first if I may..... Was it....Terry Hurlock?

Not quite....his image did appear on here once upon a time upon a rumour that he was signing for us (summer of 2007 rings a bell). I think he ended up being loaned to Millwall instead?

RedWillie said yesterday that he knew it was 11,800 "on good authority".... So....now we know that each home attendance figure is artificially inflated by c.20% (in terms of actual fan's bums on seats)

His private jet landed and took off from Heathrow a few days after the "Allen interested in Saints" news broke at the end of April 07.....living in the land of coincidences as we do....

cheers I still don't understand why it didn't warrant a mention on the OS on the day though.....? One of our best player out injured....I know, we'll keep that quiet....doesn't add up....

Indeed. It would seem that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain from such an arrangement. "Nothing ventured...."