5 Things Football Owners Should Do To Avoid Alienating Their Supporter Fan Base
Across Britain, many football fans are upset with the owners of their club. The names Karl Oyston, Venky’s, Mike Ashley and others are synonymous with trouble. We discuss five things owners should do to avoid upsetting their fans.
Be Professional.
Owners are in the media spotlight. If you act inappropriately, it will look bad on the club and anger your supporters. It could later come back to bite you as people won’t want to do business with you.
Read the above tweet. If Blackpool offered you a job, would you take it knowing the owner has looked for a replacement, while the incumbent is still employed?
Invest, wisely.
To win titles, money must be spent. The evidence is overwhelming, which is partly why Leicester’s title win was such a shock. The Arsenal board are criticised as they are reluctant to spend money unless necessary. Summer 2015 saw just goalkeeper Petr Cech arrive and not the striker the club needed, with existing striker Olivier Giroud registering a relatively low 16 goals.
Conversely after years of under-spending, Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley spent £81,600,000 in 2015–16 but it was too late, these players were not good enough or didn’t care enough to stop the club’s relegation. Spend money and spend on players you need.
Don’t Play Football Manager.
Managing should be left to the manager. Signing players without the permission of the manager, undermines him and the player in question, who would want to work at a place where your boss didn’t want you? In August 2006, West Ham United owner Terence Brown signed Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano without informing manager, Alan Pardew. West Ham were fined £5.5 million for breaking rules over third party ownership, the Argentinians struggled to get into the team and were blamed for disrupting squad harmony. It just wastes money. Conversely, in summer 2008, Brown’s successor Eggert Magnusson sold Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney without then manager Alan Curbishley’s permission. Curbishley resigned and sued the club for £2.2 million for constructive dismissal.
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.
Nobody likes a liar. Don’t publicly state you will do something and let the fans down by not doing it. Worse still don’t anger the players, you might lose a player you can’t replace. In November 2010, Indian company Venky’s purchased Blackburn Rovers. They publicly stated interest in former World Player of the Year, Ronaldinho and insisted they had huge plans. In January 2012, captain Christopher Samba gave an interview accusing them of “broken promises” as he’d signed a new contract on the back of those claims. Four days later he signed for Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala. That May the club were relegated and are still yet to return. Protests however have continued.
Don’t Fail to Understand The Essence of Your Club.
Every club has an essence and a set of traditions. For sides like Barcelona, it’s the style of football, for others it is representing the local area and bringing through talent from the academy. For some it might be as simple as the ground or kit colour. Vincent Tan was very unpopular after he changed Cardiff City’s colours from blue to red and had to change them back two and a half seasons later. Respect these traditions and never dither. One thing all clubs have in common: the fans. Never disrespect them as they pay for the club and will be around long after you’ve gone.
The video below was created using content that I filmed, photographed or screenshotted myself via mobile, and edited online. Spot how many of the above five the owners have failed to do.