Daily Telegraph: Football for Sale?

Our illustrious Ice-Hockey Genius-Coach-cum-Chairman had this to say about the state of English football, when asked earlier:

Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger, in an exclusive interview, said that he is shocked by revelations of corruption in English football.
Krueger, also the head coach of Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey, revealed his dismay at the Daily Telegraph's investigations which led to Sam Allardyce's exit from the national team job and also claimed that eight managers who have worked in the Premier League had accepted bungs.

"I have to tell you, really, absolutely shocked and shattered. Our whole board is shocked and upset by it. Multiple messages through the day yesterday and this morning. We've been a club that's been driving, wanting to get control of the evolving agent world around us and we believe we're going to have ears now.
"Southampton is built on a completely honest and open culture, and on values. The reason I took the job was the unbelievable value structure and foundation of our owner, Katharina Liebherr... That's why I embraced this, was to be able to lead and be the de facto owner of an organization where it was driven by culture. So we're extremely upset by this."

Ralph insisted that Southampton would lead the way to ensure that the Premier League would tighten regulations in an effort to curb such things in the future.

"We see it as a shocking evolution that -- I wouldn't say we're so naive to believe that this didn't exist, but we did think it wasn't part of our English football culture."
"We're going to use this, for sure, as a club, to fight for change and to fight for more regulation. We are all for regulation, and we are one of the most disciplined clubs in English football in terms of the way we deal with agents and youth academy players.
"Staying within the rules is something we really -- everything we do is based on that. We will react for sure. It's going to become a major thing for me when I get back. Absolutely top of the agenda."

Well that settled any tiny doubts I had that my club might be slightly less than cleaner than clean. Well done Ralph.

 

I know! I was totally shocked when I read that - surely not!

 

Thread title changed at Beefy's request. This is no longer just about Big Sam!

 

RIP Jimmy's career

Hasselbaink article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...oyd-hasselbaink-asked-for-55k-to-act-for-spo/

 

Celino article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-ways-of-getting-round-player-purchase-rules/

 

Wright article:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...nt-manager-tommy-wright-took-5k-bung-to-help/

 

What does he mean. "We've been a club that's been driving, wanting to get control of the evolving agent world around us and we believe we're going to have ears now."?

 

He means that people haven't been listening before but they are going to listen now.

 

Ah, of course! Thanks, TSS.

 

Tony Fernandes is a weird chap. Has this pure as snow style but hired Warnock, Hughes, Redknapp and now Hasselbaink.

 

It's is designed and built here.

As are a lot of Nissan.

 

Cellino's comments ring alarm bells. He may well be unscrupulous himself, I don't know, but I bet he's right on the money with English football being some of the worst behind the scenes. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if English football has been hiding for decades behind its high moral stance.

 

There you go, when he keeps it short, instead of verbose, there's a chance people can end up confused.

 

It hasn't been hiding well then, heh.

 

Well, in a sense, if it has been hiding for decades, it has managed to do it without too much trouble. Which suggests that people have looked the other way up until now.

 

QPR being QPR

 

I cannot see Ron Dennis selling, but they may well invest.

 

There is an old saying along the lines that it's OK for one to do wrong things, but one must not be seen to do wrong things. Hasselbaink seems to have got that one a little skewed. He's been seen to contemplate the act of doing the wrong thing, even if he hasn't been seen to actually do it.

It's a question of ethics. Is there a right way to do a wrong thing and get away with it.? For most people that's sailing too close to the wind, but when £50K is involved, it's amazing how close they'll get. A yachtie would end up in irons, by sailing too close, as another saying goes. Perhaps football people might do the same.

 

And Seb Coe!! He too occupies the moral high ground.