How English is English Club Football

I think it would generally be accepted that the top four clubs in English Football are Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Listed below are major shareholders in these clubs

Arsenal - Alisher Usmanov (Russian Oligarch)
Chelsea - Roman Abramovich (Russian Oligarch)
Liverpool - George Gillett and Tom Hicks (American Businessmen)
Man Utd - Malcolm Glazer (American Businessman)

As I understand it all but Alisher Usmanov effectively "own" the clubs, he is the 2nd largest shareholder (again as I understand it) with around 23% of the shares, which he purchased for £120,000,000.

In addition to this Manchester City are owned by Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Thai Prime Minister. Lakshmi Mittal (Indian Businessman) has recently bought a substantial holding in QPR and there's no sign of this trend letting up. It seems to be the fashion to buy an English football club.

So the clubs aren't owned by Englishmen any more, so who's managing them. Not really any need to go into that, the top clubs aren't managed by Englishmen and haven't been for some time.

So, how English is English club football. Not very it would seem.

Yup there's no stopping it. There's a lot of money to be made in English football and everyone around the world have realised that. I think even Newcastle Utd. was about to be taken over wasnt it. There were rumours going 'round last season I believe or was it just Man City and I'm mixing them up.
You also forgot that West Ham is owned by some Icelandic group.

The next one's in the race of buying clubs will be the Arabs, lets see who they buyout. Eventually all the top flight clubs will be owned by foreigners with the way things are going.

I didn't actually forget about West Ham, just didn't see the point in discussing everyone. Enough to make the point seemed to be the order of the day.

Fulham is another obvious one, with Al Fayad. Randy Lerner bought Aston Villa. Madejski at Reading. Didn't Niall Quinn head an Irish consortium which bought Sunderland.

Point is over the last couple of years it's the really big clubs which have been bought. Previously there were a few wealthy businessmen buying some of the lesser clubs, as much for a hobby as anything else it seemed. Now it's the giants.

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Originally Posted by Mr JP Fugley

So, how English is English club football. Not very it would seem.

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j'agree.

At least Newcastle are still english, like.

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Originally Posted by Proper Bo

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Originally Posted by Mr JP Fugley

So, how English is English club football. Not very it would seem.

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j'agree.

At least Newcastle are still english, like.

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Correct me if I'm wrong but there has been some foreign interest in New Castle. However didn't some English billionaire recently invest in the club.

Paul Ashley who's fotunes are now dwindling.
The clubs are still mostly English or have an English feel to them at least.
Bar Arsenal and Liverpool who's structure is predominantly foreign.
Even Chelski don't seem too Johnny Foreigner to me.

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Originally Posted by nicole's dad

The clubs are still mostly English or have an English feel to them at least.

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In what way, they are owned by foreigners and managed by foreigners, with predominantly foreign players.

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Originally Posted by Mr JP Fugley

In what way, they are owned by foreigners and managed by foreigners, with predominantly foreign players.

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That's true for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool.
The others haven't sold out so badly yet. Most likely just a matter of time though. :cry:

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Originally Posted by benchez

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Originally Posted by Mr JP Fugley

In what way, they are owned by foreigners and managed by foreigners, with predominantly foreign players.

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That's true for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool.
The others haven't sold out so badly yet. Most likely just a matter of time though. :cry:

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What about Manutd.

Owned by an American, managed by a Scot. I'm watching the Villa game and I hear quite a lot of foreign names. P'raps not as many as the other big clubs but still plenty.

Ronaldo, Saha, Tevez, Fletcher, Van der Saha, Vidic, Park, Giggs.

I don't count the Scots as foreign. Fake Ronaldo just scored. :w00t:

Ferdinand, Brown, Carrick, Hargreaves, Rooney....

Injured...Scholes, Neville, Foster.