Roger Titford gives a unique insight into the proposals for league reform
On December 11th, the Football League Working Party On Structure published its report on the five options for the future structure of the League. By giving each name option the name of a planet, and adding in some extraneous guff about giving points for half-time leads, they attracted a huge amount of (largely) negative publicity and very little critical analysis.
Doncaster Rovers are going through a terrible time in their history, Ray Gilbert explains why
Doncaster’s residents found 1997 more than a match for Her Majesty’s notorious annus horribilis. The District Auditor blew his whistle on the gifts accepted by the nucleus of Labour members who have controlled local politics for years, and are now suspended. The new Doncaster Prison, Doncatraz to the locals, remained the privatisation flagship of the Wackenhut Corrections Corporation of Florida and has the worst record for inmates attacking fellow inmates of any prison in the UK. Doncaster College sailed on as the UK flagship of all that is wrong with Further Education colleges with a Principal widely accused of featherbedding himself. On top of all that we have Doncaster Rovers FC. The League’s worst team is dying as the Anton Johnson-led consortium riding to its rescue is kept waiting for the signatures of major shareholders Ken Richardson and the Dinard Trading Company of the Isle of Man.
Fulham may have a rich owner with big plans, but Scott Longley claims the club still isn't going in the right direction
Initially it was like winning the lottery. For one glorious moment Fulham fans felt like we were the cats who not only got the cream but got the whole dairy and an army of milkmen to feed us on demand. Thanks to Mohammed al-Fayed we were rich beyond our wildest dreams.
Football is changing due to a new breed of chairmen. David Conn, author of The Football Business, outlines how the game is being affected by those who own the clubs
Beneath the high-pitched hype, English football presents some stark realities. Sir John Hall, former tireless warrior of the ‘Geordie nation’, made £100m for himself and his family out of Newcastle United when it floated on the Stock Market in April. He is now living mostly in Spain. Martin Edwards, chief executive of Manchester United plc, bought into United for £600,000 in 1978. He has recently made £33m cash from selling some of his shares, and retains a 15 per cent stake in United, worth around £60m.
Clubs are slowly starting to launch their own independent television channels. Patrick Harverson wonders what this could mean for fans
Here we go again. Premier League clubs are falling over themselves in their hurry to sign deals with broadcasters to establish their own television channels, just as they flattened everything in sight in their stampede to the stock market during the past year.