Baushaus is alive and well
We’re paying homage this morning to the great ü75 who puts together our nightly backpasses (that we’re unable to do without him it seems) as well as his GB&WTF missives. On this windy Friday morning we want to pay homage to the business of football in spectacular fashion. Who is doing good (hint – the love is strong here at UF), who is doing badly, and then the WTF of the weekyear.
The Good: It’s our own youth-obsessed Arsenal. They reported pre-tax profits of £35.2m and have paid down some debt. They also announced they have been able to reduce their debt to £129.2m (new debt is £203.6m). They also sold some more apartments in their Highbury complex. Right now, the Krishnamurti of Soccer is sitting up on his dais describing how his way is the path one must walk. While they are profitable, they will not win any hardware this year, and it makes one wonder if its worth mortgaging the farm for the hardware. Fans will say yes. Owners are tempted to say yes. The proverbial sword of Damocles.
The Bad: AFC Bournemouth, a League two squad has been given up winding up order for outstanding debt. Their debt is a “modest” (in EPL terms) £314,000. Currently they are sitting second in League Two, having been sent down in 2008 after entering administration and losing 10 points. They’ve survived so far, but this may drop them another 10 points but if they can come out of this, they will still be in League two.
The Ugly: Of course, it’s Portsmouth, the poster child of relegation and AIG-quality mismanagement. They are unable to find a buyer by Thursday night and will be placed into administration. This will dock them the nine points and all but assure the team will be rolling around in the Championship League next year. Also, depending on what the financial bean counters decide, they can dock them another 20 points next season (thanks Ned). Avram Grant and his players are meeting today to discuss taking pay cuts to see if there is enough shed to help stave them off. Here’s hoping they can turn lemonade from these lemons.
Arsenal = Pittsburgh Pirates
And as a Pirates fan, that hurt.
Oh please, any Pirates fan would love finishing fourth every year-in the division-much less overall.
Great new stadium, keep turning profits without winning anything but refuse to spend the money on players, good at developing young players, end up losing them at some point because they won’t pay them, I just need to find a Matt Morris’s ten million dollar contract equivalent.
Oh and they share the city with teams who actually win things too.
As a Pirates fan, I can see the resemblance. Except for the part where Arsenal won 7 trophies in the last ten years. And I bet there’s an EPL club that’s gone a lot longer than 17 years without winning anything.
Pssh you seem to be forgetting Nate McLouth’s Gold Glove trophy.
(which he had absolutely no business winning in the first place)
But come on, this works. One has just been infuriating their fanbase for a lot longer. Arsenal may have won those trophies, I don’t know if you’re counting the Emirates Cup, but the fanbase is getting restless from what I can see because they haven’t won anything meaningful in several years and are reluctant, at best, to spend on making the team better. Granted it would take a little more for the Pirates to be in contention than it would for Arsenal (two really good signings), but then the Pirates play in the worst division in baseball.
I was counting 2 Community Shields, which I have a feeling don’t really count, even though it’s a nice looking piece of hardware. Barring those, it’s 3 FA Cups and 2 League titles. Oh, and they went undefeated in 03-04. What would really be funny is if, unbeknownst to anyone, the 04-05 season turns out to have been the beginning of a Pirates-like losing run for Arsenal. Only time will tell.
At least Arsenal is fun to watch, usually.
Who is Arsenal’s Sid Bream then?
And yes I know Arsenal have had success the past decade, I wasn’t saying they hadn’t won anything in seventeen years, just the past few years being the issue.
I’d prefer to think of us as the Oakland A’s, Georger. At least we are competitive. Liverpool are who? LAA? We all know Citeh are the Mets.
Calling Liverpool the Angels is an insult to the Angels! At least the Angels win the division every year, and nobody can claim that Scioscia is a mess of a manager like Rafa is.
I’d say Liverpool are more like the freakin New York Knicks. Although maybe that’s Citeh.
stop s**tting on the Mets and the Knicks, dammit! At least I’ll always have the memories of victories long gone by
My dislike for Arsenal isn’t high enough to compare them to the A’s and Billy Beane.
What has Arsenal ever done to you?
/Michael Thomas’d
@NYK: We s**t on the easiest pot to find. And when Jason Bay hits .230 with 16 homers, you will again be sad.
That said, I’m glad to hear Arsenal are doing OK financially but it’s time to turn it into something on the pitch.
What Arsenal has Done to All of Us