Tottenham whizzkid Giovani Dos Santos has failed to make an impact at White Hart Lane and a possible transfer away looks on the cards.
Birmingham City is the latest team to be looking at the Mexican international who lit up the World cup with several fantastic displays. He was nominated for the young plaer of the tournament award too.
Dos Santos has been tracked by the likes of Napoli, Fiorentina and Real Zaragoza of Spain recently but Birmingham are said to be the frontrunners. Alex McCleish see’s him as the ideal player to add that extra flair to keep hold of his teams’ premier league status for at least another season. With the transfer window just hours away from opening, a bid could well be made for the young starlet.
When he signed from Barcelona in 2008 many people believed he could go on to become a club legend. His reputation as a 19-year old playing regularly for Barcelona proves that he was and still is a terrific player. The 21-year old has struggled with life in the premier league some might say but he’s not been given the chance to express himself but fans have already said: “He’s not good enough.”
In my opinion, ‘Gio’ is a great player and I believe he should have a future at Spurs but he needs a bit of luck and a run of games to prove he has what it takes to tackle the best league in the world.
Whether Birmingham can finalise a deal, I don’t know but maybe a loan spell will benefit both him and Spurs? Will he opt for a move back to Spain or even Italy? And can Giovani Dos Santos re-capture his form and become one of the hottest prospects in world football?
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Stoke manager Tony Pulis believes speculation-hounded Liverpool could not be in better hands.
Pulis’ side travel to Anfield on Wednesday, but all eyes in the build up to the game have been on the possible exit of Liverpool’s record signing Fernando Torres.
Reds manager Kenny Dalglish has been forced to answer mounting speculation about the Spanish player’s future, with the the furore surrounding Torres and the possible arrival of Ajax striker Luis Suarez taking the attention away from Wednesday’s English Premier League game.
But Pulis believes the Merseyside club have the ideal man in charge.
“Kenny has obviously been a great player and has managed a great club and I think the big thing with the Liverpool situation is that it didn’t work out for Roy Hodgson and they needed someone, they needed a talisman and they can’t find anyone better than Kenny Dalglish,” Pulis said.
John Carew made his first start for Stoke in the 1-0 FA Cup win over Wolves on Sunday after joining on loan from Aston Villa and is set to keep his place in the side to face Liverpool.
Tuncay is set to leave the Britannia Stadium, with a possible move to Wolfsburg being discussed, and is unlikely to feature on Wednesday.
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Ricardo Fuller is a Sunderland target and the two clubs are believed to be in discussions about a possible transfer.
Thomas Sorenson was the hero against Wolves with his penalty save in injury time, but he is set to lose his place to first-choice keeper Asmir Begovic for the trip to Anfield.
Manchester United full-back Rafael da Silva has avoided a longer suspension following his sending off against Tottenham.
Da Silva, 20, will miss United’s clash with Birmingham on Saturday after he received two yellow cards in his side’s 0-0 draw with Spurs at White Hart Lane last week.
But it was the Brazilian’s vehement protests towards referee Mike Dean that drew the ire of the FA and resulted in a misconduct charge against the defender.
Da Silva immediately accepted the charge, but found out on Friday that he would not miss any further Premier League matches.
Instead, he was hit with an 8,000 pound fine and a warning over his future conduct.
In an FA disciplinary hearing, Da Silva and his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, gave evidence which led to the Brazilian being cleared of any further wrongdoing.
“Dermot Gallagher said it was the worst decision of the week,” Ferguson said by video link.
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“Everyone knows it was a bad decision. It happens. Unfortunately, in a game of that magnitude it could have had a big impact.”
Rafael’s next Manchester United appearance is likely to come against Blackpool on Tuesday.
Alessandro’s late goal gave Corinthians a 1-0 win away to Paulista leaders Palmeiras on Sunday, while Botafogo beat Sao Paulo.
Palmeiras, led by Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, remain top of the Paulista championship, but are now just one point clear of second-placed Santos.
Corinthians are eighth on the table and seven points behind Palmeiras, but have two games in hand over the leaders.
Botafogo gained a much-needed 2-1 victory over fifth-placed Sao Paulo.
Goals from Anselmo and Andre Neles put Botafogo on course for victory and Marcelinho Paraiba’s 92nd-minute strike came too late for the visitors to find a way back into the match.
Botafogo are 16th, one point clear of Santo Andre in the last relegation place.
Mirassol climbed to fourth with a 2-1 win away to Bragantino.
Esley put the visitors 1-0 ahead in the 39th minute but Luciano Sorriso levelled for Mirassol a minute before half-time.
The match appeared to heading for a draw before midfielder Xuxa snatched all three points with a 90th-minute winner.
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An eight-minute brace from Vandinho helped Sao Caetano beat Paulista 2-1, while two late goals gave Ituano a 2-0 win over visitors Sao Bernardo.
Daniel broke the deadlock for Ituano on 80 minutes, before an Anderson Salles penalty five minutes into stoppage time completed the scoring.
Amsterdam, 16 February 2011 – Heineken today launched its fifth consecutive UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour, giving football fans in Asia the memorable opportunity to experience the unique UEFA Champions League Trophy first hand. The Trophy Tour, launched by double UEFA Champions League winner Marcel Desailly at UEFA Headquarters in Switzerland, marks the start of an exciting lineup of Heineken events for fans ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final in May.
Heineken will give its Asian consumers a second chance to see the famous UEFA Champions League Trophy this year by taking it back to Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong four years after its first tour of the continent in 2007, when more than 50,000 fans turned up to see the prestigious trophy up close. Fans in South Korea will also get their first glimpse of the prize on this year’s Tour.
The Trophy Tour was launched with an official handover of the cup by UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour Ambassador, and former England international, Graeme Le Saux to Heineken Ambassador Marcel Desailly. From Switzerland, the trophy will travel to Kuala Lumpur in February, then pass through the cities of Penang, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kon Kaen and Seoul in March, before ending in Hong Kong in mid-April.
During the tour, UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour Ambassadors including internationally renowned legends such as Christian Karembeu, Steve McManaman, Gianfranco Zola, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Jay-Jay Okocha will be present at events and meet with the media and fans.
Accompanying the Trophy as it tours Asia will be three lucky Heineken consumers, who have won the opportunity to travel with the cup through a global digital competition. To win their exclusive place on the tour, they used an innovative mobile phone application to find a number of virtual trophies scattered in a number of physical global locations.
Football fans in each country will have the opportunity to take photos with the famous trophy, see UEFA Champions League historical memorabilia and win tickets to the UEFA Champions League Final 2011 in London.
Hans Erik Tuijt, Heineken’s Brand Activation Manager commented: “This is the sixth consecutive year that Heineken, the world’s most international beer brand, has sponsored the prestigious UEFA Champions League. For Heineken to be able to bring the excitement and inspiration of the UEFA Champions League Trophy directly to the fingertips of fans in Asia is extremely rewarding. Heineken provides football fans with extraordinary experiences, which will continue to entertain and amaze as we get closer to the UEFA Champions League Final in London.”
Commenting on the rationale behind the Trophy Tour, David Taylor, UEFA Events S.A. CEO, said: “The UEFA Champions League has a long and distinguished heritage and is the pinnacle of European club football. The UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken really demonstrates the true global reach and appeal of the UEFA Champions League. We are delighted that together with Heineken we can reward the passion and dedication of football fans in Asia by taking the trophy to them once again.”
The Trophy Tour
The schedule of the 2011 UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken is:
February 22 – 27: Kuala Lumpur
March 5 – 6: Penang
March 11 – 12: Kuala Lumpur
March 16 – 17: Bangkok
March 19 – 20: Chiang Mai
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March 25 – 27: Kon Kaen
April 6 – 9: Seoul
April 15 – 17: Hong Kong
The Trophy Tour presented by Heineken visited North America in 2010, Africa in 2009, South America in 2008 and Asia in 2007.
There will me more to follow about the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour presented by Heineken…
No, this is not an anti-Arsenal blog or one jumping on the band wagon of another Arsenal disappointment, but rather a topic in football that every fan has an opinion on which differs from the Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger. The mix-up between goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and defender Laurent Koscielny in the dying minutes of the Carling Cup final cost the Gunners their first piece of silverware for nearly six years. So is it time that Arsene Wenger focused on strengthening his back four instead of his attacking midfielders and strikers?
Firstly, the two players in question are not bad players – their performances against Barcelona at home in the Champions League were both impressive, for a young ‘keeper, Szczesny looks competent in goal for a 20 year old and his half season at Brentford last season looks to have paid off in terms of confidence in his own ability, a trait that the other two Arsenal ‘keepers have been lacking. Despite a slow start at the Emriates, Laurent Koscielny is looking like a competent centre-half, his interceptions during the Barcelona game were vital in keeping the former European Champions at bay whilst also making up for his defensive partner, Johan Djourou’s nervous display.
However, since the days of Jens Lehmann, Kolo Toure and Sol Campbell, who were all important for the Gunners’ unbeaten Premier League season in 2003/04, there have been rumours and debates over Arsene Wenger signing established players to boost his defence, rather than relying on youngsters (like Szczesny and Fabianski) or lesser known players (like Squillaci and Koscielny). If you believe reports, Arsenal were very close to signing the Fulham goalie, Mark Schwarzer, at the start of this season and recently in January reports suggested an approach for West Ham United defender Matthew Upson was made.
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Whether it’s listening to debates on the radio, reading forums or speaking to mates down the pub, there is a general disbelief as to why Arsene Wenger does not seem to invest in his back five like he does with attacking players. Of course, Arsenal’s philosophy focuses on the attacking side of the game but a number of mistakes in defence have been one of the reasons why they have remained trophyless in recent years.
If Wenger signed the likes of Schwarzer and Upson (or in my opinion Shay Given and Gary Cahill) would the mistake like the one in the final have been made? Of course there is not a guarantee, some of the best players make mistakes but I do think that more established and experienced players would have dealt with that situation better.
However, it would be silly of me to not mention the likes of Thomas Vermaelen who cost £10 million in 2009, proof that Wenger does put emphasis in his defence and the Belgium player has been hugely impressive since his arrival in North London. Perhaps if he was fit for the final, he would’ve been able to deal with the threat of Nikola Zigic better than the likes of Djourou and Koscielny did?
The 5-0 defeat of Leyton Orient last night will do wonders for the dressing room in getting their mentality back into the right focus. I was impressed by the performance of Ignasi Miquel in the centre of defence, the reserve team captain looked competent and tidy in his defending against the League One opposition.
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If Arsenal do finish this season without a trophy, would there start to be some pressure on Wenger to strengthen his defence? Quite possibly, pundits and fans alike can’t see why Wenger does not sign an established and quality goalkeeper and central defender. The Frenchman will never get the solid back five that he inherited when joining the club but he could try and make an attempt? Arsenal have two more chances of playing a final at Wembley this season, and are still in the race for the Premier League title, so maybe I will be proved wrong….. but it’s doubtful.
Want some more football opinions and provoking comments? Then follow me on Twitter – @verbal_football
Continuing our new series – this week’s “Masterplan” considers the midfield – without doubt the key area for all Fantasy Managers in a season which has seen the 3-5-2 established as the dominant formation.
The Problem
We’ve an embarrassment of riches in midfield areas. With Nani remaining almost essential and with double gameweek’s looming for the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea, how do we best configure our midfield selection to maximise returns?
Plan A
The safe option, packed with confirmed big-hitters boasting set-piece dominance.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal have to be a priority given that they face double fixtures in gameweek 33. Both have decent attacking form and offer options with the potential to “explode” with double figure returns. Frank Lampard looks by far the best option in Carlo Ancelotti’s midfield which reduces funds for the other four slots. Samir Nasri perhaps presents the best pick in the Arsenal engine room right now, although he could be vulnerable to rotation with Arsene Wenger also presented with plethora of options. Cesc Fabregas, given the selection of Lampard looks an expensive choice; as for Andrey Arshavin – can we really trust him to hold his form? Debatable and a risk as a result.
Nani is a given – it’s just too much of a gamble to overlook him. That leaves two spots with Rafael Van der Vaart, Ashley Young, Charlie Adam and Tim Cahill all offer strong appeal in the mid-price. Budget options meanwhile include the in-form Jamie O’Hara, Villa’s Marc Albrighton and the double gameweek appeal of Birmingham’s Craig Gardner.
For me, Van der Vaart is just too influential to overlook – there’s a risk that he’ll be rested but setbacks for Gareth Bale and Aaaron Lennon looks to have secured his starts for decent short-term fixtures, even with the Champions League tie with Real Madrid beckoning.
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That leaves one spot – and, budget permitting, Ashley Young and his set-pieces just about edges over Tim Cahill, with Charlie Adam lined up for a transfer in for gameweek 33 to catch three consecutive home matches.
Plan B
A lighter option, still reliant on a couple of heavyweights but with two cut price selections and just a hint of a differential.
Go for Nani, Lampard and Nasri to capture the gameweek 33 doubles and then opt for Jamie O’Hara with either Adam or Albrighton taking up the fifth spot. Albrighton might well fair better over his next two gameweeks (eve NEW), with Adam facing a gameweek 34 clash with Arsenal. That’s his first of four home matches however, a factor that will surely see him get the nod for many Fantasy Managers from gameweek 33.
Plan C
Differentials are the objective here with a mini-league gap to close, although the foundations remain sound with two reliable expensive options.
Keep Nani and opt for Lampard to protect against big scores but go for the less popular Arshavin to cover the Arsenal double fixture. Gamble on Tim Cahill’s fitness for his three favourable fixtures (AVL wol BLA) and look to Villa’s Marc Albrighton to cover their kind run. Use the final slot to really hunt that differential – take a risk on the in-form Luka Modric who is pulling in Bonus points and could find goals and assists given Tottenham’s run of forthcoming opponents (wig STK ARS WBA). It’s still important to keep Adam on the watchlist for his run of home games.
Read more of Mark’s articles at the Excellent Fantasy Football Scout
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Betting on football seems to be the new national sport, judging by TV adverts anyway. It is big business, around the world, though in some parts, for example the odd country or two in Asia, it is still illegal to bet. In Turkey I was only allowed to bet using the state bookmakers (though the owner of the local internet café knew a way round this). In this country we take betting on just about anything for granted.
Many footballers too love a bet, as we all know. Many a footballer has frittered away fortunes gambling, be it on football, horses, or in a casino. Under current regulations, a footballer can gamble on any competition which is team is not involved in, though the FA were apparently considering tightening these regulations a few months ago. There was a meeting planned, so it seems they’re pretty serious about it too.
The fact is that as much as I love football, and will watch just about anything (including an Albania v Wales U18 match once to annoy a housemate who wanted to watch Buffy), without a distinct preference for one team in a football match, it simply isn’t that interesting, and a bet is a good way to solve that.
I used to do the odd accumulator to make games you had no interest in more interesting. Naturally two hours later you’d be cursing how Celtic managed only a draw at home to Caledonian Thistle, or how Everton lost 2-0 at home to Wolves. But now there’s a new addiction, it costs me only a couple of pounds every Saturday, namely the “goals, goals, goals” coupon, whereby you pick as many games as you want, and both teams have to score in each game at any point for the bet to come in.
And the array of things you can bet on are astonishing. The first thing to happen in the match (a booking is no longer an option since Vinnie Jones retired), the number of corners, time of first goal, first goal scorer, last goal scorer, number of fouls, number of substitutions, the number of players wearing gloves, even the number of times Drogba falls to the ground (to the nearest 10). But boredom makes you bet on the most obscure of games, and the most obscure combinations like the ones listed for the England game below. Chesterfield to win both halves was a successful one for me. Less so was Doncaster to be drawing at half-time but winning at full-time. More than 8 corners in the first half of Crewe v Accrington was tempting, but I resisted. It’s not just football of course – William Hill offered 16/1 on Kenneth Clarke falling asleep during this week’s budget statement. They paid out too!
On Saturday afternoon, Wales will take on England. Now you could just have a bet on the score. Perhaps a flutter on the first goal scorer. Or the two combined (the hard-to-win scorecast). But if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, how about a bet on whether there will be a penalty, which half has the most goals, how many substitutions are made, or a bet on England to win from behind, or to win to nil or win one half only, or to win by over two goals or there to be under 2.5 goals in the match or…….
Every single action on the football pitch has been covered by bookmakers. And everything off it too. A popular bet has been the “next manager to be dismissed” market. There’s nothing quite like betting on someone else’s misery. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking. Or more likely, you heard a rumour on twitter that William Hill had stopped taking bets on <insert name of under-pressure manager> to be the next Premiership manager to be dismissed. Or a mate knows someone who knows someone high up at Anfield who has heard that <insert name of out-of-work manager> will be appointed soon, they just need to iron out a few small details. It was such folly that made me bet £5 on Kenny Dalglish to replace Rafa Benitez, after someone on a football message board said he had heard from a “very reliable source” that he’d be appointed the next morning. Ah well, only 6 months out.
As a child I was allowed one bet a year – £2 was given to me to speculate on the Grand National, and I would spend days perusing the form, and the odds, before finally deciding on which losing horses to back. And when I reached my teens I would accompany my dad to the bookies, and all the other once-a-year gamblers were there cramming the place full, annoying the regular gamblers and sending them and their smoke out into the street. Nowadays bookies are much more sanitary places, but I have barely stepped foot in one in years. There’s no need when I can do it online, and even from my phone. There’s an app for that. It does take away one of life’s simple pleasures though – it’s hard to rip up a virtual betting slip.
There are swathes of offers from bookmakers as they compete for business, and they advertise heavily in newspapers, online and on TV. No live game is complete without Ray Winstone on your screen at half-time, doing his best “ooooh Betty” Frank Spencer impression as live odds appear over his left shoulder. Don’t talk to me about the lads’ Betfair couch though – I get the urge to commit violent acts just thinking about it.
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But the internet has offered another option to the sporting gambler. Rather than betting on games, why not offer the bets instead? Yes, instead of backing a certain bet, you can lay it, meaning you are now the bookmaker. From experience this is a far more nerve-wracking option, as the stakes are higher, but if in your mind you see no way that Manchester United can lose to Bolton, then laying a Bolton victory becomes in your mind a license to print money. What could possibly go wrong?
Gambling should of course always be done for fun, with stakes that you can afford to lose, a principle that serves me well and avoids sleepless nights. But it’s not just about money – there’s a certain buzz to be had when a bet comes in, large or small. And smug satisfaction – you have taken money off a bookmaker, and it’ll be a good two days before they get it back again. Not smiling now are you Fred Done?
Owen Coyle will confirm his reputation as the best young manager in Britain if Bolton Wanderers reach the FA Cup final at Stoke’s expense.Coyle, 44, made his name in Scotland with St Johnstone, where he reached the semi-finals of the League Cup and Scottish Cup.
He took over at Burnley in November 2007, guiding the team to English Premier League promotion via the Championship playoffs in his first full season in charge.
Coyle moved to Bolton in January 2010 and secured the club’s top-flight status by finishing 14th.
Their transformation under Coyle this season has been impressive.
Stalwart Kevin Davies has formed an effective partnership with Sweden international Johan Elmander in attack, supplemented by the signing of Daniel Sturridge on loan from Chelsea.
South Korean Lee Chung-Yong and USA international Stuart Holden have impressed in midfield, although the latter has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
Gary Cahill’s performances in defence have earned him full international honours with England and made him one of the standout centre-backs in the Premier League this season.
Bolton are eighth in the table, just behind traditional heavyweights Everton and Liverpool.
After beginning their Cup campaign with a third-round victory over lowly York City, Bolton have beaten the likes of Wigan, Fulham and League Cup winners Birmingham to reach the last four of the FA Cup.
They must overcome more Premier League opposition in the shape of Stoke City if they are to reach the final, where one of Manchester United or Manchester City will await.
While not yet mathematically safe from relegation, Stoke are 12th in the table and appear set for a fourth consecutive campaign in the Premier League next season.
They have beaten Championship and League One high-flyers in the form of Cardiff and Brighton respectively, as well as Premier League opponents Wolves and West Ham to reach the semi-finals.
The two teams have one victory apiece from their league meetings this season, with Bolton winning 2-1 at home in October and Stoke coming out on top 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium in January.
As well as Holden, Bolton will be missing fullback Samuel Ricketts from the regular line-up for Sunday’s match at Wembley Stadium.
Stoke are without defenders Danny Higginbotham and Abdoulaye Faye, together with season-long absentee Mamady Sidibe.
On-loan striker John Carew is in doubt with a back problem.
Bolton won their last match 3-0 at home to West Ham United, while Stoke went down 3-2 at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
It is the fourth time Stoke have reached the semi-final stage of the FA Cup, but they are yet to reach a final.
Bolton meanwhile have lifted the trophy four times in their history, but the last triumph was back in 1958.
If Coyle can take Bolton all the way and emulate that feat, it will not be long before one of the country’s biggest clubs come calling.
It seems that in the modern game, money is everything. This fact is noticeable as the firing of managers has become more and more commonplace. Bosses, hungry to see their money turned into success, do not have the patience to wait for a side to develop. We saw this earlier in the season as Sam Allardyce was fired by the new management at Blackburn just days after their take over.
At the other end of the spectrum, we see players with increasing power over their clubs and managers. This season there have been controversial transfer requests by both Carlos Tevez and Wayne Rooney. Both sagas were resolved with an increased contract being agreed and it seems that players these days kick up a fuss and say they will leave a club unless they get paid extraordinary amounts of money that they feel they deserve.
Thirdly, we have seen the face of the Premiership change in the last ten years thanks to ‘Sugar Daddy’ Chairmen, who come to England with the ambition of turning a club into the ‘biggest’ in Europe. All the while spending millions of pounds and being seemingly unperturbed by the debts they create.
I might draw a bleak picture, but on the positive, football is at the dawn of a new era. In 2013, FIFA will implement the financial fair play rules. This will result in clubs only being able to spend what they make from football. It will also put considerable pressure on clubs who continually run at a loss to become self-sufficient. And prevent Chairmen spending their own money on wages and transfer fees.
There has been an on-going debate in the history of football about what makes a club ‘bigger’ than another. Some feel it is trophies, other feel it is supporters. But we now live in a world where money, it could be argued, dictates the size of a club. It is assumed that the financial fair play rules will allow the clubs who make the most money through football to become more successful and penalise those who rely on a financier for investment. Therefore, football may once again begin to see the rise of the ‘biggest’ clubs, who create the most revenue and not just the richest who spend the most.
After 2012, when clubs can only spend what they earn, each revenue stream will become even more important to a club. There are currently three main revenue streams through football; match-day income, commercial deals and broadcasting deals.
My investigation into the finances of modern football will see the analysis of the three aspects of each club’s revenue. I will be going through statistics published over the last 8 years in ‘The Deloitte European Football Money League’ and see what changes have occurred and why. It is thanks to the work of Deloitte that I have been able to do this and all facts and figures concerning revenue come from their reports. I am going to begin by looking at the match-day revenues of the top clubs in Europe.
Continue to the NEXT PAGE…
Match-Day Revenue of Premier League clubs
Match-day revenue makes up a third of most team’s total revenue. One would assume that the most important factor of match-day revenue is the size of an average attendance. If a club sells more tickets, it makes more money. But things in European football are not as straightforward as that.
Interestingly enough, the most supported League in Europe for the last 10 years has been the German Bundesliga.
Competition
Average Attendance (2008-09)
Bundesliga (GER)
42,565
Premier League (ENG)
35,600
La Liga (SPN)
29,124
Serie A (ITA)
25,304
Championship (ENG)
17,891
[divider]
It is apparent that in German domestic football average attendances are very high. Firstly, there are a lot of huge grounds; 11 German clubs have an average attendance of over 40,000. The Premier League, on the other hand, has only 6, (Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea). One reason for this is that the 2006 World Cup, hosted by Germany, meant that many German clubs benefited from stadium redevelopments while England have not hosted a major European tournament since Euro 1996.
Yet, despite having the highest average attendances, German clubs did not make the most money through match-day revenue in 2010.
2010
Match-day
£m/home game
Average
£/attendee
(pos.)
revenue (£m)
attendance
1
R. Madrid
128.1
–
74,894
–
2
Man United
122.4
3.6
74,304
48
3
Arsenal
114.7
3.5
59,765
59
4
Barcelona
97.8
–
77,913
–
5
Chelsea
82.1
2.4
41,422
58
6
Bayern Mun.
66.7
2.7
68,853
25
7
Liverpool
52.4
1.6
42,863
37
8
Hamburger
49.3
1.9
55,240
29
9
Tottenham
44.9
1.5
36,240
41
[divider]
The German clubs’ lack of dominance is interesting. This is because the average money spent by a person per game (£/attendee) in Germany is dramatically lower than in England. Cheaper tickets allow German clubs to achieve larger crowds, but reduce their match-day revenue.
We, in England, are paying a lot more to watch a game of top flight football than our equivalent in Germany. In 2010, Manchester United earned 25% more each home game than Bayern Munich despite having a similar average attendance. It costs a person, on average, £23 more to go to Old Trafford than the Allianz Arena in Munich. This is why Manchester United achieved a total match-day revenue of £55.7m more than Bayern Munich in 2010 despite averaging only 5,451 more people each home game.
It is also important to notice that the teams whose revenues are highest have new grounds. English clubs make more money than those in Germany not just because of ticket prices but also because of corporate spending. But those with the largest corporate facilities make the most (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Arsenal).
Obviously the amount made through corporate hospitality has increased the £/attendee figure. Therefore this number is not directly reflective of ticket prices. But ticket prices in the last 5 years have clearly risen, and will continue to do so as clubs strive to earn more money from home games.
However, due to the £/attendee of supporters in England, clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham still make more on match-days than German sides Borussia Dortmund, Schalke 04 and Hamburg. These teams all have stadiums capable of holding more people and average attendances of 73,097, 61,361 and 54,744 respectively. But still do not make as much as the top English clubs.
Importantly, Liverpool and Tottenham may feature in the top 10, but make less than half the money of the highest ranking teams. These two clubs are able to earn more than German clubs who have big crowds but not able to compete with the biggest clubs from Spain and England because they cannot house as much corporate hospitality. This is because their grounds were built before such emphasis was given to this stream of income.
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The statistics show that Anfield and White Hart Lane have reduced Liverpool’s and Tottenham’s capability for financial growth in the last 6/7 years. But neither has seen its growth stunted as much as Chelsea.
2003/4
Match-day
£m/home game
Average
£/attendee
(pos.)
revenue (£m)
attendance
1
Man United
92.4
2.43
67,500
36
2
Chelsea
80.9
1.91
39,700
48
3
R. Madrid
62
1.49
67,600
22
4
Barca
57.8
1.30
62,000
21
…7
Arsenal
51
1.17
36,600
32
8
Liverpool
39.9
1.00
41,800
24
…11
Tottenham
29.9
0.78
34,100
23
[divider]
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In the 2003/4 season, Chelsea made the second most amount of money out of any side in Europe on match-days. However, they now rank 5th and make less than 1% more than they did 6 years ago. While Real Madrid has seen its match-day revenue increase by almost £65m (95%), and Manchester United £30m, Chelsea’s has grown by just £2m. So Chelsea used to earn £18m more than Real Madrid a year in match-day revenue, now they earn £46m less.
This is partly because Stamford Bridge can only hold 41,841 people. Furthermore, Chelsea had already maxed out their earning potential 5 years ago and have been unable to grow since. This has caused them to dramatically fall behind other major European teams, in terms of revenue made on match-days.
In 2003/4 their £/attendee was significantly higher than any other side in Europe. This is because Chelsea led the way in improving its corporate facilities at Stamford Bridge. Corporate hospitality saw attendees paying more to watch a game. This, in turn, led to a higher average £/attendee and a higher revenue. However, by 2010 other sides have caught up, and overtaken Chelsea. Since Chelsea had already maximised its earning potential in this region, it has not improved it since 2002, and is now lagging behind.
On the other hand, reasons for such extensive growth of other clubs are due to development of the corporate and entertaining facilities, as well as increases in capacity and average attendance. For example, from 2001-2005, the Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid underwent massive development. While the capacity may have only been increased by 5,000 seats, behind the scenes there was a huge overhaul. New VIP and corporate facilities were installed as well as modern panoramic escalators, restaurants and bars. The effect of such implementations is that average match-day spending has more than doubled.
In England, Liverpool and Tottenham have been able to increase their revenue slightly by increasing the amount people spend on match-days. But this has been achieved through inflation of ticket prices and every other team has done the same. Both clubs have older grounds and have not been able to significantly increase their non-ticket profits on match-days. That is why they have fallen behind in recent years years.
In the last 6/7 years, Liverpool’s growth of match-day revenue is only is only c.25%. On the other hand, Arsenal have moved stadium allowing a huge increase in average attendance and the amount of corporate hospitality the stadium can host. They now make more than 100% more each match-day than they did 5 years ago. With the top clubs playing as many as 30 home matches a season this is a hugely significant amount of money.
These figures show that the bigger clubs in Europe cannot increase their match-day earnings unless they increase their stadium sizes and dedicate more space to corporate facilities. The older stadiums just don’t have this space either for seats or corporate hospitality. Since most successful clubs already sell out their stadiums every game, more than ever, a modern stadium is vital to a club looking to maximise earning potential. It is clear that the only way Tottenham, Chelsea or Liverpool are going to reduce the gap in match-day revenue between themselves and Manchester United and Arsenal is by moving to a larger, more modern stadium. On the other hand, it is a positive thing for English football that the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United can compete with any side in Europe in terms of match-day revenue.