Here we go
Congratulations to West Bromwich Albion for gaining promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Their fans will still be celebrating, but once they stop they will need no reminding that getting up is child’s play compared with staying up.
Albion’s chairman Jeremy Peace has already said that he is not willing to bankrupt the club in an attempt to stay up. Fans will be concerned that, if money isn’t spent, relegation at the end of next season will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It’s a sign of the times that we spend as much time talking about the financial side of football these days as we do about what happens on the pitch. Portsmouth becoming the first premiership club to go into administration and be docked points has sent shock waves around supporters of all clubs.
If Wolves manage to avoid relegation – and they seem to have a very good chance of doing so – there will be five Midlands clubs in the top league next year with a very real possibility of Nottingham Forest or Leicester City joining that group via the play-offs.
But financially, they won’t be starting on a level playing field.
Aston Villa have traditionally seen themselves as the top dogs in the Midlands in terms of on-the-field success and level of support. But, despite two trips to Wembley this term and some excellent football, Villa appear to have plateaued around sixth or seventh position in the league. American owner Randy Lerner appears to be unwilling or unable to invest the sort of money into players that could allow Villa to compete with the big four.
It should be remembered that Villa’s record signing cost £12m, peanuts compared with the sort of money spent by the traditional big four, Manchester City and Tottenham. Martin O’Neill is a good manager but he isn’t a miracle worker.
But what makes this scenario even more interesting at the local level is what is happening at Birmingham City. Blues have had a great first season in the Premier League, and their fans will be eagerly anticipating this summer when manager Alex McLeish gets to spend the millions of new owner Carson Yeung. If the money is forthcoming and spent wisely, the prospect of Blues overtaking Villa over the next few seasons is a very real one. And those are words I find very difficult to write.
All of this goes beyond pub football punditry of course. The business of sport is a huge concern these days, something that is very apparent every time Insider puts on an event linked to this subject. New stadiums have a regenerative effect on cities, and those stadiums are also useful in business tourism terms in attracting conferences and other events.
This isn’t the time to get public-sector backing for new stadium projects, but Carson Yeung will be very aware that there is a limit to how much revenue Birmingham City will be able to earn while they remain at inner city St Andrews.
As a magazine, we have also noticed an increased willingness among football clubs – and other sporting clubs – to get involved with the wider business community. They are very aware that it is the business community that spends money on corporate entertainment and hospitality.
And the better the club is doing, the more attractive that offer becomes. I visited Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium on a match day recently and was amazed at the scale and quality of its hospitality offering.
It might be something for Jeremy Peace to bear in mind. The Premiership isn’t the Holy Grail, although it does allow you to charge Holy Grail prices. But only if you stay in it.
Andy Coyne, editor, Midlands Business Insider
