Standard Chartered wants Liverpool to buy Asian stars

[Bill_Oddie]

Only just seen this Mr Oddie. The fuck off attitude was encapsulated in this part of the article...



What he's basically saying there is 'well it's fine that Liverpool are having a bit of a nightmare because they aren't that good anyway and we're raking in cash from the supporters in Asia'.

I'm not saying for one second that the Asian football market isn't an important one but I do think it's fair enough to question a club basing its football strategy around the movements of people in a different continent.

Football should be about winning and not simply about money and comments like these from Laws are a bit of a kick in the teeth to that ideal.

My point was that yes money is a part of the game now and of course people have to think about the impact of the huge (and growing) support in Asia for the game.

But you don't have to openly show contempt for the club ("They are a mid-table team") and belittle the importance of footballing success ("without the turmoil at the club there wouldn't have been [the publicity]") whilst taking those things into consideration.

Fair dos.

The last part I couldn't agree with more. His comments were indeed bizarre and generally offensive.

Although his general attitude was really that the club - and, of course, his company - would be better off by appealing more to Asia. Which they would.

I take your question about basing a club on the activities of those in another continent but reject it on basic income. I would be fascinated to know how much money comes in from the various parts of the world, but Asia quite possibly represents more than the UK. Whether this is the case or not, the potential is far greater so on a marketing basis and desire to grow the club, you have to keep those fuckers signing up for membership and buying the shirts. It all goes on players wages and transfer fees, after all.


Having said that, you're of course quite right in your concerns and I should point out that even out here in Asia people have complained about Mr Stan Chart's comments.

Why do so many Asians support United and Liverpool?
Is it to do with them both wearing red rather than their football ability?

I understand both have been rather successful in recent generations. Who knew?

I've asked lots of locals this and all of them seem to reel off stories of old television and radio coverage of matches. In the 70s and 80s of course, there would be one or two games broadcast, maximum. They would go for the sides most popular, which meant United or Liverpool as they were the biggest clubs and the most successful. That bred a massive culture of these clubs fans.

Shows the power that the media can offer clubs and the game in general.

 

[taidgh]

'pool have just announced a far east asian tour this summer. china, malaysia and korea all on the list.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/liverpool-set-for-far-east-tour-2613718.html

 

[Bill_Oddie]

We've known about the tour for a few weeks. Both Liverpool and Chelsea coming here this summer.

United did last year and are rumoured to want to return next.

 

[RickyVilla]

How come we aren't storming SE Asia then after our heroic efforts in that much sort after piece of silver in Korea? We won it as well. Now what was it called again?? ;-)

 

[Bill_Oddie]

Not sure, but with how far we've come it would barely be a worthy pot to Peace in.

 

[talkshowhost86]

How come we aren't storming SE Asia then after our heroic efforts in that much sort after piece of silver in Korea? We won it as well. Now what was it called again?? ;-)

We were sponsored by Standard Chartered when we won the Moonies Cup weren't we?

 

[Chinaspur]

You've lost me.

Putting to one side the idea that Asia represents money as nothing else (the majority of the continent live in poverty, so obviously Asia must be the world's financial saviour...:shrug, logic shows the above remark - and the general British outrage to the Standard Chartered spokesman's comments - to be extraordinarily naive and ill-informed.

In Asia there are - at a very, very conservative estimate* - 160,000,000 Liverpool fans. The City of Liverpool has a population of 435,500. Discounting Everton fans and those other clubs, there are maybe a quarter of a million Liverpudlians who follow the club.

If my Mathematics GCSE taught me nothing else (and it probably didn't): 160,000,000 > 250,000.

So, what is this fuck off attitude? Why does catering to the passions and interests of the vast majority of your audience/followers/supporters/target market/whatever suggest "fuck off"?

Or are you implying that Asians are not proper fans and incapable of support or emotional attachment? Surely not.


* There are nigh on 4 billion people in Asia. Unscientifically it seems that everyone follows Premier League football: babies, the elderly, tribespeople in the jungle have scarves and replica shirts for goodness sake. Still, for the sake of argument, let's say that just 10% of these people follow the Premier League. That's four hundred million. Many studies have shown that 80% of football fans in Asia follow Liverpool or Manchester United, with a fairly even split between the two. Hence, you're looking at about 160 million Liverpool fans in Asia.

Of course, the idea that one game a season should be played in front of this audience - in addition to (not instead of) the other 38 in front of maybe a couple of dozen million fans in England - is verboten in terms of discussion, but that's another thread. The parochial nature of British sports fans is as evident in both arguments, though.

This is the sort of maths that led my mate to go down to Bexhill-on-the-sea on the pull after he read that the ratio of single women was higher than anywhere else. Eek

It's also the sort of maths that has inspired thousands of dubious business plans in China, 'quick, work out what 1% of 1.4billion is....HOW MUCH???!!!!...we're going to be rich!!' :beer:

From a Chinese perspective I know loads of football fans, all of whom have never spent a single yuan which has gone to the club which they support.

China is getting more wealthy and more fans, including my mates, have the income to afford a shirt but in many places it's impossible to buy a real replica shirt, and why would you when quality fakes are available everywhere at very cheap prices. There is very little culture of 'buying fakes is wrong' or 'I want to support my club by spending ten times the money on a real shirt'.

Microsoft windows is probably on more computers in China than in the rest of the world combined, but their income from China is pitiful.

I know some of this will change - Arse have a store in Beijing and I guess Shanghai too...so revenue can be generated here. I just don't like the Asian numbers maths...it really isn't that simple.