Preseason tour of China and Gao's plans

It may be Gao's club as he owns 80% of the shares and he can do whatever he wants with it - but as supporters we don't have to like it or be happy about it.

Launching the new kit in China is ridiculous as really the only people who are going to buy it our the supporters back here - talk about disenfranchising your support. A pre-season tour to China isn't exactly going to kick-start our Championship promotion campaign either - or help with the rebuilding of the squad over the summer.

About the only positive is the supposed belief that we can be a Top 10 Premier League club - and his supposedly big plans in China - which suggests he might actually spend money - or allow the club to spend money - to rebuild the squad over the summer for a serious promotion challenge next season.

It's about time the FA or the Government did something about the ownership of English football clubs and have a rule like they do in Germany where there has to be a percentage of the club that is fan owned. I'd like to see them ban foreign ownership completely if I am honest but that will probably never happen.

It's a marketing move and designed to encourage Chinese/Far East investment. That investment may be useful to bring in some quality players or reinvest in the academy. Think of the positives rather than the negatives.

I don't think we are going to make top 10. We'd need more than 6 points from each of the games we have left. #hilarious

So is Neil Chen the Chinese Cortese ?

He was appointed as the representative of the owner to manage the club operation and the CEO of Southampton FC China to promote the China market post acquisition.

https://www.soccerex.com/events/soccerex-china-2018/the-studio/chinese-investment-in-global-sport

Worrying times ahead, as if we weren't already aware of that.

So is Neil Chen, the Chinese Cortese ?

 

https://www.soccerex.com/events/soccerex-china-2018/the-studio/chinese-investment-in-global-sport

 

Worrying times ahead, as if we weren't already aware of that.

So someone new for us to stalk and find out if he's on twitter (probably not as he's Chinese, so Weibo or something similar I suppose?)

Also has the guy on the right in the photo shat himself or something?

I assume we will be getting the five pledges any day now.

Oh that kit is going to so red red red red red red red and red.

 

The dream is coming true.

Red and Gold

Was the opening gambit written by Ralph, or did he just borrow from it earlier in the year:

Southampton, a small English club in southern England.

... and Bell. When did he play for us? Is that meant to be Gareth Bale (who did), or Colin Bell (who didn't)?

Extensive reading: Before the Southampton walks toward the sports town's prosperous thoroughfare, be careful about the "fate of nine life black cats" overturning the gutter

It may be Gao's club as he owns 80% of the shares and he can do whatever he wants with it - but as supporters we don't have to like it or be happy about it.

 

Launching the new kit in China is ridiculous as really the only people who are going to buy it our the supporters back here - talk about disenfranchising your support. A pre-season tour to China isn't exactly going to kick-start our Championship promotion campaign either - or help with the rebuilding of the squad over the summer.

 

About the only positive is the supposed belief that we can be a Top 10 Premier League club - and his supposedly big plans in China - which suggests he might actually spend money - or allow the club to spend money - to rebuild the squad over the summer for a serious promotion challenge next season.

 

It's about time the FA or the Government did something about the ownership of English football clubs and have a rule like they do in Germany where there has to be a percentage of the club that is fan owned. I'd like to see them ban foreign ownership completely if I am honest but that will probably never happen.

Why does it matter where a new kit is launched. I bet more fuss is made over there than here

Was the opening gambit written by Ralph, or did he just borrow from it earlier in the year:

 

 

 

... and Bell. When did he play for us? Is that meant to be Gareth Bale (who did), or Colin Bell (who didn't)?

Remember it's Google translation of Chinese - so a lot can be mistranslated (it's bad enough in some European languages!). Bell = Bale.

Gist of it for me was that there is more value in buying a small to medium club in England than inflated English top teams or other European Leagues (where other than the top teams who would be too expensive, rest are poor and hence not good value). Brexit makes UK easier to deal with, and UK more welcoming. Want to expand Saints brand and the "Southampton Way" to China (excellent record of bringing through/developing young players - good luck with that one!). Don't expect any Chinese players to play for Southampton any time soon as it's too difficult to get work permit (unless China national team suddenly become world beaters, or UK relax rules after Brexit).

Looking to generate commercial/sponsorship deals with Chinese companies (good if some/all is re-invested in Saints). They realise PL is much more competitive now and gap is closing between "best of rest", as exampled by all three promoted teams staying up, and well established (WBA, Stoke and maybe us) going down - boy did Ralph/Kat/Reed do a job on these guys???

Seems to be a committed long term project - even if they will not invest massively in new players, but think they will invest some and want to get us back up (all IMHO). What really scares the pants off me is that they somehow believe our management team have done a good job!! Bottom line is they have invested in us to promote Chinese football development and gain expertise quickly from more established markets (bit like the Americans a few years ago) - this is not necessarily a bad thing as we need to be successful for that model to work best. Just hope they appreciate they need a top (well at least very good) board at Saints to achieve that!

Reading between the lines it appears he knows the square root of **** all about football, and believes all the bullshit from Beaker and Bunsen. Hope I'm wrong.

Sounds to me a bit like the crowd who took over Coventry and look what happened there. Dark days ahead I feel even if Saints stay up this year.

So someone new for us to stalk and find out if he's on twitter (probably not as he's Chinese, so Weibo or something similar I suppose?)

 

Also has the guy on the right in the photo shat himself or something?

Would be happy with Nikki Wang as the new CEO.

Remember it's Google translation of Chinese - so a lot can be mistranslated (it's bad enough in some European languages!). Bell = Bale.

 

Gist of it for me was that there is more value in buying a small to medium club in England than inflated English top teams or other European Leagues (where other than the top teams who would be too expensive, rest are poor and hence not good value). Brexit makes UK easier to deal with, and UK more welcoming. Want to expand Saints brand and the "Southampton Way" to China (excellent record of bringing through/developing young players - good luck with that one!). Don't expect any Chinese players to play for Southampton any time soon as it's too difficult to get work permit (unless China national team suddenly become world beaters, or UK relax rules after Brexit).

 

Looking to generate commercial/sponsorship deals with Chinese companies (good if some/all is re-invested in Saints). They realise PL is much more competitive now and gap is closing between "best of rest", as exampled by all three promoted teams staying up, and well established (WBA, Stoke and maybe us) going down - boy did Ralph/Kat/Reed do a job on these guys???

 

Seems to be a committed long term project - even if they will not invest massively in new players, but think they will invest some and want to get us back up (all IMHO). What really scares the pants off me is that they somehow believe our management team have done a good job!! Bottom line is they have invested in us to promote Chinese football development and gain expertise quickly from more established markets (bit like the Americans a few years ago) - this is not necessarily a bad thing as we need to be successful for that model to work best. Just hope they appreciate they need a top (well at least very good) board at Saints to achieve that!

Considering they are soon to be the proud owners of a club in the 2nd tier of English football it would have been better value just to buy one last year. It would have cost them closer to £25m than £250m (for 80%).

Can’t wait to have a shiitty Chinese sponsor on the front of our shirts, like West Brom.

I won't be buying a Season Ticket with this lot in charge unless some proper explanation is given as to strategy and source of funds.

Why are people having to dig this info out of obscure Chinese sports sites and Twitter profiles? Talk to the real fans FFS, not the selfie-stick and scarf dinlows over there (not that there will be any next season....).

I won't be buying a Season Ticket with this lot in charge unless some proper explanation is given as to strategy and source of funds.

 

Why are people having to dig this info out of obscure Chinese sports sites and Twitter profiles? Talk to the real fans FFS, not the selfie-stick and scarf dinlows over there (not that there will be any next season....).

From the fragments that can be pieced together, it doesn't seem that they're primarily bothered about nurturing a fanbase in China (as if ever it would ever work). They appear to be investing heavily in developing sports and entertainment hubs/towns (much like WBA's owner). Possibly they're hoping to leverage their involvement with Saints and the academy to demonstrate their expertise and win juicy construction contracts from government.

From the fragments that can be pieced together, it doesn't seem that they're primarily bothered about nurturing a fanbase in China (as if ever it would ever work). They appear to be investing heavily in developing sports and entertainment hubs/towns (much like WBA's owner). Possibly they're hoping to leverage their involvement with Saints and the academy to demonstrate their expertise and win juicy construction contracts from government.

And perhaps they're placing sporting academies in China associated to a club with a brand for doing it to curry favour with a Chinese government who has a stated aim of improving their football, with an eye on getting their assets which are currently locked into China released to invest overseas.

From the fragments that can be pieced together, it doesn't seem that they're primarily bothered about nurturing a fanbase in China (as if ever it would ever work). They appear to be investing heavily in developing sports and entertainment hubs/towns (much like WBA's owner). Possibly they're hoping to leverage their involvement with Saints and the academy to demonstrate their expertise and win juicy construction contracts from government.

God I wish we were just some rich oil Arabs weekend hobby. Sounds like the current lot bought us for a lot of reasons none of which involve funding us to the champions league sadly....thanks Kat

Can I have some of what Neil Chen has been smoking?

And perhaps they're placing sporting academies in China associated to a club with a brand for doing it to curry favour with a Chinese government who has a stated aim of improving their football, with an eye on getting their assets which are currently locked into China released to invest overseas.

Could well be, though its worth noting that central government policy on outward and inward investment tends to yo-yo pretty sharply between closure and liberalisation - its almost never smooth and predictable, so I wouldn't be surprised if central government lifted restrictions at short notice in due course.

Likewise Lander's probably currying favour with local rather than central government. Of course, by our standards, local governments oversee areas the size of entire countries and have a high degree of autonomy from central government. As the Chinese saying goes heaven is high and the emperor is far away (天高皇帝远).

But as you say branding around the academy is a huge asset: given there is a national strategy to build 100 towns dedicated as centres of sporting excellence and increase the land area dedicated to sports and exercise by 50% in the next ten years, you can understand why developers and local governments are trying to get ahead of this opportunity.

Sounds to me a bit like the crowd who took over Coventry and look what happened there. Dark days ahead I feel even if Saints stay up this year.

It is nothing like that. It might not turn out well, but bears zero resemblance to SISU whatsoever.