Blog: Hvem skal dog se United i Nigeria?

[Casper]

Læs denne blog... (http://www.oldtrafford.dk/rss/linkrss.php?id=126)

[Glory Man United]

Læs denne blog... (http://www.oldtrafford.dk/rss/linkrss.php?id=126)

Vel egentligt lidt svært at forholde sig til, hvilket afrikansk land, som er mest velegnet. Problemet er jo, som du også nævner, billetprisen. Hvordan hulen skal en nigerianer kunne få råd til kampen. Det er da kvalmt at sætte prisen til 100 kr, hvis en gennemsnits dagsløn er under en rund femmer. Så må man sgu hellere spille mere eller mindre gratis.
Og hvorfor har man ikke satset på USA igen, netop efter Becks tog derover. Amerikanerne gider kun sporten, når de bedste er der. I 70erne med bla. Best og Beckenbauer. I 94 med VM. En kamp mod LA Galaxy havde vel ikke været helt idiotisk?

[JeppeHH]

God blog vil jeg lige sige først.

Ang. billetprisen på venskabskampen i Nigeria, så tror jeg faktisk ikke det gør den store forskel. Jeg tror det er de lidt mere velhavende nigerianere som kommer til kampen - om den så havde været gratis eller koster 100 kr.
I øvrigt kan jeg - uden at have noget grundlag for dette - forestille mig, at billetindtægterne går til noget velgørenhedsarbejde i Nigeria. Alt andet finder jeg urealistisk og jeg tror ikke at hverken United, Portsmouth eller nogle af spillerne tjener noget på denne kamp (udover markedsføring).

Pga. ovenstående synes jeg det er rigtig godt at United tager til et så fattigt land.

Enig i Ronaldo-notitsen til sidst. Det ville bestemt ikke skade ham at opleve dette.

[KennyN]

Glimrende bolg, som jeg generelt er meget enig i.

Selvføgelig tager United og de andre storklubber afsted, for primært at tjene penge og promovere sig selv. Men jeg tror bestemt også de pågældende steder man besøger får noget ud af besøget. Så besøget i Afrika kan forhåbentlig være med til, at sætte fokus på de problemer der er dernede.

John O'Shea har på manutd.com skrevet en blog fra Sydafrika. Den passer lidt ind i denne debat. Han fortæller blandt andet om de ting spillerne laver udenfor banen med de lokale og børn/unge på pre-season turen.
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7B83A644F4%2D1A7E%2D48B9%2DAF 95%2D4605613A9A18%7D&newsid=6614429

[Kofoed]

Glimrende blog.. Har ikke så meget at sige ud over at jeg også finder det særdeles ulækkert at man sætter priserne til 100 kr, hvis dagslønnen er omkring en 5'er.. Det er da langt ude, og alt for dårligt.. Penge har aldrig været et problem i den størrelsesorden, så gratis billetter havde virkelig klædt dem..

[ChristianR]

Vel egentligt lidt svært at forholde sig til, hvilket afrikansk land, som er mest velegnet. Problemet er jo, som du også nævner, billetprisen. Hvordan hulen skal en nigerianer kunne få råd til kampen. Det er da kvalmt at sætte prisen til 100 kr, hvis en gennemsnits dagsløn er under en rund femmer. Så må man sgu hellere spille mere eller mindre gratis.
Og hvorfor har man ikke satset på USA igen, netop efter Becks tog derover. Amerikanerne gider kun sporten, når de bedste er der. I 70erne med bla. Best og Beckenbauer. I 94 med VM. En kamp mod LA Galaxy havde vel ikke været helt idiotisk?

Jeg tror bare, at hvis amerikanerne vil interessere sig for fodbold, så bliver det i MLS. USA er for stort til, at de vil følge en sportsgren på den anden side af atlanten. Det siger i hvert fald al tidligere erfarring. Så det tror jeg også er tilfældet med dette, selvom interessen helt sikkert er vokset siden Beckhams ankomst.
Rent økonomisk har amerikanerne jo ellers nok mere at byde på end afrikanerne.

[Casper]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/26/manchesterunited.portsmouth?gusrc=rss&feed=football

interessant artikel hvor fergie netop foræller hvorfor de tager til nigeria

[Boock]

Her er der en lidt anden vinkel...

Man United: The money angle
David McKay
25/07/2008 - News24.com SA

Johannesburg - As with De Beers, Manchester United gets as much media coverage today as when it was a publicly listed business, such
is the pulling power of the brand, be it diamonds or football.

Nonetheless, there are certain benefits to being unlisted, according to the soccer club's CEO, David Gill, currently in SA as the
team participates in a pre-season tournament.

For instance, managing the brouhaha over the future of star player, Christiano Ronaldo, would have been "difficult to manage" if
listed, said Gill.

Given the sheer volume of coverage over the apparent wantaway of Ronaldo to Real Madrid, a rival Spanish football team, Gill and his
board would have spent hours managing the flow of information to worried shareholders as required of listed firms.

But perhaps the greater benefit of having turned a private business is that important decisions get made more quickly. Said Gill:
"Previously there were committees and lots of debate. Now I can pick up the phone to Joel [Glazer] and get a yes or a no."

Glazer is one of three sons in a family headed by Malcolm Glazer, that bought Manchester United in 2005 for about £790m. The Glazers
then, somewhat controversially, transferred the cost of the transaction to Manchester United. The debt was recently restructured,
but critics say it has put 130-year old club in a potentially parlous state.

Gill was part of the team that successfully repelled the Glazers when they first sought ownership of Manchester United. But he now
thinks delisting was an inevitability.

The money angle

It had, for instance, become increasingly obvious the listing of Manchester United was unnecessary. Liquidity was low owing to the
presence of several large shareholders and the City had "fallen out of love with football stocks," he said.

And apart from quicker decision-making, there's also the money angle.

Gill attributes the four-year £56.5m sponsorship deal with AIG, the North American insurance company, to Glazer. Apart from being
the UK's largest sponsorship, it's also one of the reasons Manchester United are in SA. "The tour gives us opportunity to further
AIG's goals in this market," says Gill.

SA and Africa in general offers a club like Manchester United other riches.

According to research, there are more supporters in SA than in Britain. Regionally, there's significant potential to build on the 56
million strong support base in Africa which is, incidentally, three million more souls than in Europe.

And while Asia has a 190 million strong support base, Africa has certain countries with a track-record of producing what Gill
described, in dramatic understatement, as "good players".

Fertile debate

Not that Manchester United would appear to need much bulking in its playing staff. The team scooped England's and Europe's top club
trophies last season, which ended in May, and thinks it can continue the success.

The cost of success, however, is proving a fertile debate. About 50% of total turnover, £295m last financial year, was paid in
player salaries. Gill acknowledges that escalating wages "are a challenge" for football, but he believes his business can manage
them.

Firstly, players want to play for teams that win trophies, so Manchester United has cache it can use to leverage players in
negotiations; secondly, players' wages are the only significant cost, he said.

"We're lucky," said Gill. "We just have to get the balance right on player wages because the rest of the business is high margin."
Nearly 30%, in fact, because EBITDA (earnings before interest and tax) was £80m last year.

Television revenues also help set the pace on wages. From 2001 to 2004, TV rights to broadcast the English Premier League had
flattened. Last season, however, represented the first year in a new £625m TV rights deal which handed Manchester United £50m for
topping the league. On this basis, player wages can improve.

Yet concerns exist. While the club's most important single cost has potential to escalate, its single most important revenue
stream - matchday receipts - looks cramped. There's a limit to growing the stadium, known as Old Trafford, beyond its current 76 000
capacity while consumers get sniffy when ticket prices increase.

"I don't think this revenue line is ex-growth," Gill responded. Consumers are "resiliant" nothwithstanding the High Street downturn
in the UK and there's the prospect of taking Old Trafford to 80 000 seats, though it's not yet planned, he said. Fitting seats
behind suites and boxes is also being contemplated, however.

For a chartered accountant, Gill is charming but he doesn't like being asked about plans to buy new players. The question is
ultimately about capital expenditure, however: "We need to spend less this year," he said.

[Frederik]

så gratis billetter havde virkelig klædt dem..

Bestemt, det ville have været flot, men har du overvejet hvor meget kaos det ville skabe.

IMO er det ikke Uniteds ansvar, at komme med moraler osv. på disse ture, målet skal være at tjene penge, det gør de andre klubber, og derfor må vi følge trop. (Det ville dog være dejligt, hvis man lavede en stor tour til Afrika udenlukkende pga. velgørenhed). Som sagt skal vi tjene penge på disse ture, ikke nødvendigvis på selve turen, men vi skal sikre vores brand, i de lande som vel og mærke, har råd til at købe vores merchandise, og derved give os profit. Og det er det der er hagen, har virkelig svært ved at se, hvor meget afrikanerne ville kunne biddrage til vores økonomi, i forhold til Asien hvor de jo lige så stille begynder at have massere af penge.

But that's just my five cents.