The Takeover Thread - Recon Group - NOW WITH NEW POLL

[paul_e]

To date the Chinese have gone about football the wrong way - trying to buy expensive foreign players with no real focus on youth development, so no real foundations for the game.

They have publicly stated this will change, and I reckon they will make a decent fist of It in terms of investment and coaching, but they have to first overcome the fact that it is not yet a major sport in China ( where in team sports basketball rules) and, as yet, the Chinese do not excel at team sports ( look at China's success in the medals table of the Olympics and then compare with Chinese team success in any sport you can think of). The  one child policy has not helped produce kids who work well together, and relaxation of that policy should help produce more rounded, less selfish kids and, logically improve team sports too.

All of this will take time, in my opinion more than a decade before we see any tangible change, by which I mean more kids playing organised football and attending matches. Qualifying for tournaments will come next - China has only qualified for one World Cup, in 2002.

Shanghai Shenhua, in a city of 24 million people, play in front of crowds of around 20,000. But  one of the great truisms of sport there is that the size of the population is such that even a small percentage of kids excelling at a sport gives China a bigger talent pool than any other nation.

I agree, ignoring the social and political aspects and just focusing on the coaching side you're looking at 20-25 years before they start seeing the outcome of the changes they're implementing now.  If they stick with it then maybe they'll be a force for the world cup in 2042 but I doubt it will be much before that.  In a country where a team sport is well established pushing a new coaching system takes 10-12 years to start regularly producing players (England rugby changed their coaching just before the 2003 world cup to better fit the professional era and it's only in the last 3-4 years that we've started seeing the players they wanted to produce coming through consistently).  For a country with such a low starting point I think doubling that is reasonable, or maybe even overly generous, as it will be when the ones training now start going into coaching and management that the big progress will happen because before that you're going to have foreign coaches and for all the many benefits that brings establishing a sport needs good quality local coaches at all levels.

What buying into european leagues does do though is build fan interest which will help push things along.

[Steve67]

I know people are sworn to secrecy over such things but it's so very quiet in terms of the takeover, no positive snippets of info coming out about the successful bidders. Makes me worried!! How much longer?

[Taylor]

I know. When takeovers happen to other clubs, it seems to take a couple of days. With Villa it takes years. In fact even when Lerner bought us I don't remember it dragging on. I'm convinced nothing is happening anytime soon.

[Mister E]

To date the Chinese have gone about football the wrong way - trying to buy expensive foreign players with no real focus on youth development, so no real foundations for the game.

They have publicly stated this will change, and I reckon they will make a decent fist of It in terms of investment and coaching, but they have to first overcome the fact that it is not yet a major sport in China ( where in team sports basketball rules) and, as yet, the Chinese do not excel at team sports ( look at China's success in the medals table of the Olympics and then compare with Chinese team success in any sport you can think of). The  one child policy has not helped produce kids who work well together, and relaxation of that policy should help produce more rounded, less selfish kids and, logically improve team sports too.

All of this will take time, in my opinion more than a decade before we see any tangible change, by which I mean more kids playing organised football and attending matches. Qualifying for tournaments will come next - China has only qualified for one World Cup, in 2002.

Shanghai Shenhua, in a city of 24 million people, play in front of crowds of around 20,000. But  one of the great truisms of sport there is that the size of the population is such that even a small percentage of kids excelling at a sport gives China a bigger talent pool than any other nation.

Interesting insight.
When I was working in Shanghai, in 2007, there was a real passion for playing football - although the guys I played with were far more enthusiastic than capable.

[sickbeggar]

Think the takeover is all smoke and mirrors and while they may have interested parties its in no way that far down the line. It's interesting it's only mentioned when they are trying to repair a massive PR gaffe like Bernstein and King walking in a "Why get angry at Lerner for his latest balls-up as he'll be gone soon?" sort of way. I fully expect him still to be here this time next year just as Mike Ashley will still be at Newcastle

[VillaAlways]

Think the takeover is all smoke and mirrors and while they may have interested parties its in no way that far down the line. It's interesting it's only mentioned when they are trying to repair a massive PR gaffe like Bernstein and King walking in a "Why get angry at Lerner for his latest balls-up as he'll be gone soon?" sort of way. I fully expect him still to be here this time next year just as Mike Ashley will still be at Newcastle

I don't I think we're about to be sold. It's too quiet and it's being widely reported in the press that it's practically a done deal, I hope things will start moving after today.

[mr underhill]

I said a few days ago that I won't believe it even when I see it. This current speculation feels just like more TBAR B.S.

[peter w]

Well hopefully that we're now at the final day of one of the most wretched of seasons the real season starts.

[VillaAlways]

I said a few days ago that I won't believe it even when I see it. This current speculation feels just like more TBAR B.S.

But the current manager has said he thinks it will happen in the next couple of weeks. People involved with the club are saying it. It's not just speculation

[Malandro]

Funny how people see things differently, I'm convinced we are sold.

[VillaAlways]

Funny how people see things differently, I'm convinced we are sold.

Me too Id be gob smacked if we weren't

[oswald funkletrumpet]

I said a few days ago that I won't believe it even when I see it. This current speculation feels just like more TBAR B.S.

i agree

when you see the source of takeovers as being the people, mirror, star and meaning evil you may as well wipe your arse on them

the last statement from hollis whilst positive said that talks could lead to us being sold which tells you nothing

we are in a catch 22 as no manager worth his salt is going to come here until all this is sorted one way or another and that needs to be by the end of may

[Steve67]

Funny how people see things differently, I'm convinced we are sold.

You think it's already done and not even in advanced negotiation stage? Fair play to you, I wish I had your faith. Desperately hope you're right though. I'm intrigued by the European comment from Mr Hollis.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

Funny how people see things differently, I'm convinced we are sold.

You think it's already done and not even in advanced negotiation stage? Fair play to you, I wish I had your faith. Desperately hope you're right though. I'm intrigued by the European comment from Mr Hollis.

what was the european comment?

i just hope we actually have a managerial shortlist and tentative approaches have been made to those on it

[Clark W Griswold]

I think things are close but things can and do fall through at the last minute. In terms of the Lerner takeover from Ellis, there were quiet rumours around May time which build into strong rumours a couple of weeks before it happened (similar to the rumours now). I felt that something was going on well before the strong rumours started because literally no one had come in or out of the club all close season, which was most odd. Then, all of a sudden it was done.