The Fish 10429 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Football clubs must 'think long term' By Ben Shore Business reporter, BBC News Aston Villa are top of the Premiership, Manchester United 13th and West Ham languishing in last place. It doesn't quite ring true does it, even this early in the season? But the league table in question is based not on footballing performance on the playing field but the performance of the owners and boards of the 20 Premier League clubs. So how were these rankings arrived at and what exactly are they telling us about the Premier League? 'Next generation' Mark Goyder, of the business think tank Tomorrow's Company is the man who decided Stoke City, for example, should come above Liverpool. He claims it's about something called "stewardship". "Stewardship means handing something on to the next generation in better shape than you inherited it, and not just the next quarter's results," says the Arsenal fan. THE 'STEWARDSHIP' LEAGUE 1. Aston Villa 2. Arsenal 3. Wigan Athletic 4. Everton 5. Blackburn Rovers 6. Stoke City 7. Birmingham City 8. Hull City 9. Burnley 10. Bolton Wanderers 10. Sunderland 10. Wolverhampton Wanderers 13. Manchester United 14. Manchester City 15. Chelsea 16. Fulham 17. Portsmouth 18. Tottenham Hotspur 19. Liverpool 20. West Ham United Source: Tomorrow's Company This, of course, strikes at a huge worry for many football fans; that their clubs are simply viewed as assets by owners without regard to their long term viability. Tomorrow's Company describes itself as a not-for-profit research organisation which seeks a future for business "which makes equal sense to staff, shareholders, and society". Using this template Mr Goyder says we should not be looking only at league position and which players are bought and sold. Equally important, he says, is looking at whether boards "focus on management continuity, youth development, improved facilities, and the club giving something back to the community." In compiling the rankings, five criteria were used to judge club boards. These include whether the board is putting the club first - is it using the club to make money or does it act to ensure the club continues to prosper in the future? 'Clarity of purpose' Also important is the issue of "long termism" - for example, is there a strong youth policy, has the stadium been improved, and is the debt level manageable? Another measure is about issues of clarity of purpose - who makes the decisions, can the board be trusted not to meddle in team affairs? And, something which often taxes the patience of supporters, does the club listen to and respect its fans and local community? The final criteria is about passion and whether the board is obsessive about doing the right thing for the club and football more generally. These rankings may well provoke some rather heated debate and doubtless some of the clubs towards the bottom of the league will protest they have been unfairly treated but the point is not simply about football, it's about UK plc. Not just tactics Following the collapse of the banking system there has been a lot of thinking and debate about why boards of companies allowed risks to be taken that ultimately threatened the survival of such big names as RBS and HBOS. In February of this year the Treasury asked Sir David Walker, a former financial regulator, to look at corporate governance in the financial services sector, his final report is due out in the Autumn but in his preliminary report released in July Sir David uses the phrase "stewardship" often. And this is because it's a phrase which describes not the tactical decisions made on the trading floor but the long term strategic decisions that the board must take in order to safeguard the future of the company. Mark Goyder hopes one day all companies will be given a stewardship ranking alongside their share price, but such an index seems a long way off and so, like all football fans, he'll just have to carry on dreaming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fop 1 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 That list seems a little short term and perhaps biased really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 That list seems a little short term and perhaps biased really. I think a list of about 20 is probably right for the Premier League. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasepud 59 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 That list seems a little short term and perhaps biased really. I think a list of about 20 is probably right for the Premier League. I wonder where we would come if it was the entire football league? 92nd is my betting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Spurs should be higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 It's a load of shite though, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10429 Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 I think the research end of it is bollocks, but the sentiment is bob-on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7058 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Rather paper his office with pie flavoured sheets of acid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Rather paper his office with pie flavoured sheets of acid. Ingenious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I think the research end of it is bollocks, but the sentiment is bob-on. Sort of makes a mockery of his argument though, don't you think? Because he's saying absolutely nothing profound is he? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Rather paper his office with pie flavoured sheets of acid. Nice, I'm thinking 'Dead Man's Shoes'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Need to paper his walls with semtex tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trophyshy 7058 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Shit in his kettle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Park Life 71 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Chilli mayonnaise allround. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10429 Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 Chilli mayonnaise allround. don't even joke! alex, it renders his research void, but I like that someone is taking the long term exiostence of all clubs into the spotlight. All too much is being made of the change that a billionaire will bring to certain clubs, but honestly, it's got to be a sustainable progress. I don't mind if he's quoting Hannah Montana and the Swedish Chef off the muppets, as long as it's being raised in the public forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeys Fist 41318 Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Need to paper his walls with semtex tbh. Do an H-Block on the bugger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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