02/09/2009

To see it as a complete failiure when you're broke and it dawns on you that you couldn't afford a Ferrari is a bit daft.


Footballs fans are truly a naïve lot, myself included.
We support a team that is owned by creditors of an Icelandic bank-loser. The current owner doesn’t want to own us to begin with – they want the cash – and have publicly said that they will not inject any funds into the Club. Our CEO, Scott Duxbury has repeatedly said that there will be no extra money to invest in players and that all transfers needs to be funded by sales of players. Still we hope for high profile signings! We actually hope for the signing of a proven striker even though we all, as informed and engaged fans of football, know that proven strikers are few and far between and thus, according to basic economic laws, are extremely expensive.
Ah well, can’t blame us for hoping can you?
But to see it as a complete failiure when you are broke and it dawns on you that you could not afford a Ferrari is a bit daft.

But there is certainly a communication problem at the Club. We were (willingly I admit) led to believe that there was a possibility that if we sold a player the money would be reinvested in another player (and some of it most likely is used for the Diamanti deal now that the Chamakh deal bombed).
When the dooms-day reports about Straumur forcing us to sell were swamping every news site Duckers said in a statement on the OS that we were not forced to sell, and that we were actively looking for new players. This may have been true in the sense that Straumur did not force us to sell. But, as I said above, a sale may still have been a necessity as in our situation we need to fund our business in a self sufficient manor,.
The kind of waiting game we have chosen to play to be able to buy players above our economic league is a game of risk and it may have backfired this time. Collins were sold but the deal that the Collins-money would facilitate broke down, at least that is the benign interpretation of the situation. It could be that the Collins money was needed to build an economic buffer in a unpredictable situation and the Chamakh deal was never close, we’ll never know. But does that really matter?

Duxbury is playing a zero-sum-game with us, and has no choice but to do so. He knows that there will be no extra money so what we can bring into the club will need to suffice for all of our expenses. He may be incompetent, which I doubt, but I’m sure that he does what he think is the best for this Club. My issue with him is his slightly rubbery relationship with the truth. He tend to say things that are not actually lies, he just says things that are “designed” to give one impression while not actually saying it. In a way you can describe some of his statements as “fill in the blanks” statements were he lets us fill in the blanks with what we are hoping and yearning for. He may think this is a business necessity but it makes me dislike him. But Duxbury is not the only one to blame when I found out I didn’t get the Ferrari.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

What ever.

We now are in a weak siuation; if Carlton misses any game for what ever reason we do not have any real cover and its mindless to think otherwise.

We are currently 11th in the table and I can not see us much higher at the end of the season with this squad.

If a suger daddy takes over this might change us but there are not many around at the moment so don't hold your breath.

Need a good win to chear me up. COYI!

Joppe - said...

Allan, That is also true.

RapidHammer said...

I'm usually a "glass half full"-type, but this time I feel let down by the board. They weren't able to sign a third decent striker and that leaves us without any options up-front except of the youngsters which should get time to gel in. I think it was grossly negligent to fail in signing Chamakh and not having a "plan B". Maybe an out of contract-striker will work as "plan B", but if so: please hurry up, Messrs Nani and Duxbury!!!

Prince H said...

I am still hopeful that we'll have a decent season on the pitch. But not so in things outside the green field. I think Dux did what he could, it's actually our f***g owners that donät know how to run a football club. So Dux is trying with no cash at all to make things look ok. I do not envy him. And I think he has done better than alright under the circumstances (I think) he is in.

By the way: Good read Joppe.

Hakan said...

This season will depend a lot on to what extent Carlton can stay away from injuries.
Off topic: I'm impressed by the way you move towards short and snappy headlines.

Joppe - said...

Thanks Håkan! I wanted to stop the lazy readers from the start. :)

Even more off topic: I was just about to say that if we are a bit dissapointed, the ManUre fans must be fuming. Ronaldo out for 70 and Owen in on a free!