OT: Kraft eyes English Premier League investment

[Seymour93]

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7373536

Kraft eyes Premier League investment

American billionaire Robert Kraft is still interested in investing in a Premier League club.

Kraft, who financed Major League Soccer side New England Revolution, admits he had held an interest in Liverpool in 2005 before his compatriots George Gillett and Tom Hicks recently bought the club.

The businessman told Sky Sports News: "We looked seriously at Liverpool.

"We still do have an interest in playing in the Premier League. It's a wonderful and global game. I love the passion of the football fans here in the United Kingdom.

"People in the United Kingdom and London especially are really avid sports fans.

"We'd like to close our deal and then talk about it. It's still something we have an avid interest in."

London especially??? That explains why the two clubs with the biggest followings both come from the North West. :bricks:

 

[Stop Being A Jerk]

He should have bought Bolton when Allardyce was there. That guy was Belichick East, I'm telling you. Now he's at Newcastle and for some reason I can't see him wanting that.

 

[Nordy]

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7373536



London especially??? That explains why the two clubs with the biggest followings both come from the North West. :bricks:

Yeah what is he thinking talking up London sports fans while talking about buying a team there? What an idiot!

 

[Scouse Patriot]

I remember when he was looking at us. Our CEO was over there at a few games to meet with him. Not sure why nothing happened though. It natural he'd look at London teams because London has hardly been touched, Chelsea being the exception. Theres money to be made at Arsenal and potential at Tottenham.

 

[Seymour93]

I remember when he was looking at us. Our CEO was over there at a few games to meet with him. Not sure why nothing happened though. It natural he'd look at London teams because London has hardly been touched, Chelsea being the exception. Theres money to be made at Arsenal and potential at Tottenham.

The Arsenal board is pretty resolute in its opposition to a foreign takeover. Chelsea, Fulham, and West Ham are already owned by foreign owners (is Al-Fayed a British citizen?). That leaves Tottenham, who I believe just made a public statement inviting investment.

 

[Wildo7]

If he can bring Liverpool back to the glory days I'm all for it. I just hope he doesn't get Arsenal or Man U. People think that Man U. are the Yankees of the Premier League but if you look at history Liverpool is actually the most dominant club. You'll never walk alone.

 

[Wildo7]

The Arsenal board is pretty resolute in its opposition to a foreign takeover. Chelsea, Fulham, and West Ham are already owned by foreign owners (is Al-Fayed a British citizen?). That leaves Tottenham, who I believe just made a public statement inviting investment.

He could buy 51% of the shares and take it private like the owner of the Bucs did with Man U. That didn't go over well but I think it's because they didn'tlike what he did in Tampa Bay the year after they won it all. Kraft would make any big Premier league a good club. It would be interesting to see how he'd divide his time. He'd probably have a bigger payroll to deal with over there. I think it would be sort of a conflict of interest to own the Revs and Liverpool at the same time.

 

[Seymour93]

If he can bring Liverpool back to the glory days I'm all for it. I just hope he doesn't get Arsenal or Man U. People think that Man U. are the Yankees of the Premier League but if you look at history Liverpool is actually the most dominant club. You'll never walk alone.

It's a misconception because when the Premier League started gaining popularity over here United were winning the league every year. They also had this life long Red ( ) as the chief executive, Peter Kenyon, who was particualry responsable for pushing United into this corporate, merchandise selling, money making machine. During this period United and the Yankees actually signed a commerical agreement and a few of the United players (Roy Keane, Gary Neville, and Ryan Giggs IIRC) threw out the first pitch at Yankee stadium back in the early 2000's. Well Kenyon left as soon as Chelsea offered him more money. Now Chelsea tour the U.S. every summer. Since the Glazer takeover, United are no longer as rich as they once were.

Another reason why Americans make the comparison is because United have the most fans. Even in the days when Liverpool dominated the league and won four European Cups (1970's and 1980's), United had higher attendences at their stadium, Old Trafford. I would argue that the Yankees no longer have the most fans however, the Red Sox now have more IMO.

United are about to overtake Liverpool, though, in terms of domestic trophies won. United only have to win two more league titles and they're tied. United already have more FA Cups.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

The Arsenal board is pretty resolute in its opposition to a foreign takeover. Chelsea, Fulham, and West Ham are already owned by foreign owners (is Al-Fayed a British citizen?). That leaves Tottenham, who I believe just made a public statement inviting investment.

Totaly forgot about West Ham and their Icelandic nutter of an owner. If Kraft looked at investment in Fulham who knows. Our previous owner sold up because he couldn't take the club further and Fulham aren't excactly on the brink of greatness and they never will be.

As for United catching us, they closed on us, but we'll win the league again before they catch our records and with more money, stabilty and quality players arriving we should stay in and around the title hunt for seasons to come. Theres no guarantees they'll win it either with more quality now at the top clubs. They still have some way to go with regards to the big continental trophy too. It'll interesting between us from here on out and the league should be.

Always a nice subject round our parts seen as though we absolutely f*uckin hate each other.

 

[Wildo7]

Are there a lot of Liverpool fans here? My whole family is from Liverpool on my Dad's side while my Moms' family is from Leicester. My great grandfather actually played for Everton a long time ago. I've always wondered why liking American football and liking soccer are supposed to be mutually exclusive, I've always loved both.

 

[Seymour93]

Always a nice subject round our parts seen as though we absolutely f*uckin hate each other.

Yep. I've been to Old Trafford, so I'm aware of the "relationship" between the two sets of supporters. Here's to a United-Liverpool final in Moscow then (with United winning of course ).

 

[Tyler.Durden]

Tottenham has some talent, but it has all gone wrong for them, they have bought some french u21''s who are very good and have a lot of other very good players, but they are playing so bad that they just fired their manager today.

They are primed for a takeover. Then get a good manager like jose, but i think his severence packages means he cannot manage in the epl for a while.

 

[Tyler.Durden]

Yep. I've been to Old Trafford, so I'm aware of the "relationship" between the two sets of supporters. Here's to a United-Liverpool final in Moscow then (with United winning of course ).

Liverpool still have to make it out of the group stages...

 

[Seymour93]

Liverpool still have to make it out of the group stages...

They will beat Besiktas and Marseille, but Porto could nick a point at Anfield IMO, which would basically knock Liverpool out. Then again, I thought Liverpool would take six points from their two previous clashes with Marseille and Besiktas.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

Yep. I've been to Old Trafford, so I'm aware of the "relationship" between the two sets of supporters. Here's to a United-Liverpool final in Moscow then (with United winning of course ).

I wanted it to happen instead of getting Milan last time, I was that confident we'd win it again. Think I was the only one though as in truth both sets of fans couldn't bare a loss in that game to one another. It would never, ever be lived down and the losing set of fans would have to go into hiding for a year or two.

 

[Seymour93]

I wanted it to happen instead of getting Milan last time, I was that confident we'd win it again. Think I was the only one though as in truth both sets of fans couldn't bare a loss in that game to one another. It would never, ever be lived down and the losing set of fans would have to go into hiding for a year or two.

It's probably a good thing United went out in the semi's, because United were in poor form and struggling with injuries there at the end of the season and most likely would've lost in Athens. There's already been an all-Italian and all-Spanish European final, so I hope United and Liverpool can meet there one day.

 

[Tyler.Durden]

yea our defence was in shambles with injuries end of last season.

 

[primetime]

Hotspur fan here. Would love to see Kraft invest in the club, especially because this season has been utterly dismal, and a team with a shot at a Champion's Cup bid is unbelievably staring relegation in the eyes.

 

[jaytyme]

i had no idea there were such knowledgable premier league fans here.

thanks.... that was a great read.

 

[Scouse Patriot]

What sort of rep does Tom Hicks have in Texas, Seymour in terms of ownership? Do fans of his teams like him?