So, about a week ago Mike Ashley in his infinite wisdom decided he was going to rename St James' Park as the Sports Direct Arena. I had a bit of a rant about it on my Facebook, and a fellow supporter responded with something basically along the lines of 'they need the money from the naming rights and it doesn't change the club'.
Now, I fully understand and in fact absolutely agree with the new UEFA financial fair play rules which are coming into effect which effectively stop an owner swamping a club with debt (or private money by way of loan) to buy up the most expensive players for short-term game-asset-stripping and glory, only to bail out when the going is good and then bankrupt the club to recover the loan.
The naming of the stadium, however, does not address this. Sports Direct is within Ashley's own stable of companies so has not paid anything. The club itself admits the reasoning behind it is to show willingness to rename it in the lead up to seeking a new shirt (now shirt-and stadium) sponsor. But the club has been naive and do not realise with a historical ground like Newcastle, the sponsorship rights are very much a poisonned chalice and that rather than benefit the sponsor will merely incur the wrath of fans. Fine if it is a new stadium without any association, but not one who's name has been there for a hundred or so years.
It also ignores the fact that sponsors will be very very wary of renaming the stadium within a few months of its name having changed. It doesn't give any value to the name if it is flippantly changed as easily as that. He has done more damage than potential benefit.
But what it did get me thinking was what exactly makes a club?
Clearly it isn't the players. They transfer in and out on a whim, always seeking the next step. There are some who stay with a club for years, but usually only once they have 'made it big' and they stay on to work out their twilight years. Generally you will do well to find a player who has stayed at a club for a decade.
Nor is it the manager. Sir Alex Ferguson has recently celebrated 25 years at the helm of Manchester United but that is by far and away an anomoly and his closest contemporary has only around half that. Indeed the average lifespan of a Premiership manager in a job is 4.09 seasons.
It isn't the strip either. This changes every other year and whilst usually a similar scheme is followed there have been some radical departures.
And it isn't even the home ground as new stadia are built and clubs such as Arsenal move into nice shiny new grounds like the Emerates Stadium.
And it isn't even the limited companies that run the clubs. Many of these go into administration or liquidation and the assets are bought by a new limited company to operate the club.
A somewhat extreme example of all of this is (or was) Wimbledon FC. They moved stadia in 2003 just sixty or so miles up the road. Now they are called the MK Dons, Dons reflecting the old WimbleDon name, and MK to reflect the true location in (and presumably curry new local support from) Milton Keynes. And adopted a new strip. It also went into administration in 2003 and was bought out by a new limited company. So, is it still the same club?
But regardless of the name of the ground, I'll still be black and white through and through.
Well, until they change the strip, obviously.
Now, I fully understand and in fact absolutely agree with the new UEFA financial fair play rules which are coming into effect which effectively stop an owner swamping a club with debt (or private money by way of loan) to buy up the most expensive players for short-term game-asset-stripping and glory, only to bail out when the going is good and then bankrupt the club to recover the loan.
The naming of the stadium, however, does not address this. Sports Direct is within Ashley's own stable of companies so has not paid anything. The club itself admits the reasoning behind it is to show willingness to rename it in the lead up to seeking a new shirt (now shirt-and stadium) sponsor. But the club has been naive and do not realise with a historical ground like Newcastle, the sponsorship rights are very much a poisonned chalice and that rather than benefit the sponsor will merely incur the wrath of fans. Fine if it is a new stadium without any association, but not one who's name has been there for a hundred or so years.
It also ignores the fact that sponsors will be very very wary of renaming the stadium within a few months of its name having changed. It doesn't give any value to the name if it is flippantly changed as easily as that. He has done more damage than potential benefit.
But what it did get me thinking was what exactly makes a club?
Clearly it isn't the players. They transfer in and out on a whim, always seeking the next step. There are some who stay with a club for years, but usually only once they have 'made it big' and they stay on to work out their twilight years. Generally you will do well to find a player who has stayed at a club for a decade.
Nor is it the manager. Sir Alex Ferguson has recently celebrated 25 years at the helm of Manchester United but that is by far and away an anomoly and his closest contemporary has only around half that. Indeed the average lifespan of a Premiership manager in a job is 4.09 seasons.
It isn't the strip either. This changes every other year and whilst usually a similar scheme is followed there have been some radical departures.
And it isn't even the home ground as new stadia are built and clubs such as Arsenal move into nice shiny new grounds like the Emerates Stadium.
And it isn't even the limited companies that run the clubs. Many of these go into administration or liquidation and the assets are bought by a new limited company to operate the club.
A somewhat extreme example of all of this is (or was) Wimbledon FC. They moved stadia in 2003 just sixty or so miles up the road. Now they are called the MK Dons, Dons reflecting the old WimbleDon name, and MK to reflect the true location in (and presumably curry new local support from) Milton Keynes. And adopted a new strip. It also went into administration in 2003 and was bought out by a new limited company. So, is it still the same club?
But regardless of the name of the ground, I'll still be black and white through and through.
Well, until they change the strip, obviously.
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