OT: Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat are part of a group investing in a English soccer club

[mianjo]

Club Statement | Plymouth Argyle - PAFC

www.pafc.co.uk

Victor Hedman, a four-time NHL All Star and two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, said: "I have been a football fan my entire life and I am very excited to join Argyle as an investor and as a supporter.

“What Simon and the team are building at Argyle is remarkable and reminds me of what we have built in Tampa with the Lightning. It is a dream come true to be part of two organisations that are focused on achieving success at the highest level and sustaining that success for years to come.”

Click to read more...

 

[Felonious Python]

It's coming home.

In FM21, they've got below average youth facilities and average youth recruitment. They probably need to get on that. Hit ctrl+w and then look at all the youth intake, too.

What's interesting about Euro soccer is that it's incredibly capitalistic. You spend to get out of everything. We're used to salary caps, drafts, and other guard rails. They don't do any of that.

 

[mianjo]

 

[LightningStrikes]

It's coming home.

In FM21, they've got below average youth facilities and average youth recruitment. They probably need to get on that. Hit ctrl+w and then look at all the youth intake, too.

What's interesting about Euro soccer is that it's incredibly capitalistic. You spend to get out of everything. We're used to salary caps, drafts, and other guard rails. They don't do any of that.

It’s also the reason why there’s no parity. Bayern Munich (10 wins in the past 10 years) will stay atop the German Bundesliga until the end of time unless some big shot billionaire or investors try and push another club - which rarely happens. Or someone strikes gold in in-house developing and/or signing some up and coming rookie talents and goes on a Cinderella run for a year or two before one of the big clubs scoops up their players.

The Bundesliga might be the most extreme example but it’s not much different in England (ManCity is 4 in 5), Italy (Juve is 9 in 11), France (PSG is 8 in 10) or even Spain (Barca is 8 in 14).

Lower teams will party as if they won the championship at the end of the season when they avoid getting relegated to the 2nd tier league. Two matches against a local rival are the highlight of the year. Middle tier teams fight for participation in national Cup tournaments, Europa Leauge or Champions League and are happy to make one round. And of course 2nd tier (and lower tier) teams want the make the 1st tier league for a year (or more) and that’s like the biggest success possible.

The only really interesting events in soccer imo are international tournaments like the World Cup or the Euros and of course the Champions League. In international tournaments money doesn’t make the difference - outside of national development systems.

In the Champions League there are enough big fish in it who see eye to eye (as in they spend the same ridiculous amount to buy players and coaches) to make things interesting. And even there you have Real winning 5 of the past 9.

 

[Felonious Python]

The thing about Plymouth Argyle is, they always try to walk it in.

 

[Felonious Python]

Why are there 35 unregistered concurrent guests looking at this thread?

 

[Fabiobest]

It's coming home.

In FM21, they've got below average youth facilities and average youth recruitment. They probably need to get on that. Hit ctrl+w and then look at all the youth intake, too.

What's interesting about Euro soccer is that it's incredibly capitalistic. You spend to get out of everything. We're used to salary caps, drafts, and other guard rails. They don't do any of that.

Exactly.
The richer your owner is, the better the team is, no matter what.
That's the reason why European soccer is a dogshit sport.

 

[Fabiobest]

It’s also the reason why there’s no parity. Bayern Munich (10 wins in the past 10 years) will stay atop the German Bundesliga until the end of time unless some big shot billionaire or investors try and push another club - which rarely happens. Or someone strikes gold in in-house developing and/or signing some up and coming rookie talents and goes on a Cinderella run for a year or two before one of the big clubs scoops up their players.

The Bundesliga might be the most extreme example but it’s not much different in England (ManCity is 4 in 5), Italy (Juve is 9 in 11), France (PSG is 8 in 10) or even Spain (Barca is 8 in 14).

Lower teams will party as if they won the championship at the end of the season when they avoid getting relegated to the 2nd tier league. Two matches against a local rival are the highlight of the year. Middle tier teams fight for participation in national Cup tournaments, Europa Leauge or Champions League and are happy to make one round. And of course 2nd tier (and lower tier) teams want the make the 1st tier league for a year (or more) and that’s like the biggest success possible.

The only really interesting events in soccer imo are international tournaments like the World Cup or the Euros and of course the Champions League. In international tournaments money doesn’t make the difference - outside of national development systems.

In the Champions League there are enough big fish in it who see eye to eye (as in they spend the same ridiculous amount to buy players and coaches) to make things interesting. And even there you have Real winning 5 of the past 9.

But also in the Champions League, you won't see, I don't know, the Sevilla, the Olympique Marseille, the Schalke 04, winning the trophy.
It happens once in 20 years that an underdog team raises the cup (Porto in 2004 won...). After that, the richest clubs ALWAYS win. Real Madrid...if not Real, it's FC Barcelona...or Liverpool, or Bayern, or City.
In Italy, Juventus lost last 2 Serie A ONLY because his GM was worse than Dubas.

 

[Hoek]

Hope they aren't in it to make money lol. Plymouth are a side that have never made the top flight.

 

[Felonious Python]

Hope they aren't in it to make money lol. Plymouth are a side that have never made the top flight.

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought into Wrexham, and that's two levels lower.

 

[Stammertime91]

Why are there 35 unregistered concurrent guests looking at this thread?

Those are the other investors seeing what HF Lightning has to think.

 

[Felonious Python]

Those are the other investors seeing what HF Lightning has to think.

I imagine that they're feverishly jotting down "always tries to walk it in"

 

[Stammertime91]

I imagine that they're feverishly jotting down "always tries to walk it in"

Probably checking FM21 strategies

 

[Felonious Python]

I looked into this as a hypothetical when Kaprizov was having visa issues, but it'd make more sense with football to find players from the developing world with limited passports (Cameroon, Egypt, Pakistan, etc.) and get them citizenship by investment from Dominica or St. Kitts. Either will give them visa-free access to the UK and the Schengen area.

A British passport is less appealing post-Brexit.

 

[JPBolts]

This is an interesting topic. I have seen quite a few professional athletes (for leagues in the US/Canada) investing in English/European football broadly, in the recent past years.

Have a soft spot for Plymouth as well, so excited that it's them.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought into Wrexham, and that's two levels lower.

There's only one reason I know anything about Wrexham, and that's from a historic FA Cup upset over Arsenal a little while before I was born.

It's coming home.

In FM21, they've got below average youth facilities and average youth recruitment. They probably need to get on that. Hit ctrl+w and then look at all the youth intake, too.

What's interesting about Euro soccer is that it's incredibly capitalistic. You spend to get out of everything. We're used to salary caps, drafts, and other guard rails. They don't do any of that.

I've always found there to be an amusing dichotomy between how Europe is often seen as so much more socialist than the US (I'm speaking in comparative terms only), and the soccer leagues there vs. top sports leagues here could not be any more different than those stereotypes. Professional sports in North America are bathed in socialist concepts whereas it's, as you say, a free-for-all over there.

 

[Stammertime91]

There's only one reason I know anything about Wrexham, and that's from a historic FA Cup upset over Arsenal a little while before I was born.



I've always found there to be an amusing dichotomy between how Europe is often seen as so much more socialist than the US (I'm speaking in comparative terms only), and the soccer leagues there vs. top sports leagues here could not be any more different than those stereotypes. Professional sports in North America are bathed in socialist concepts whereas it's, as you say, a free-for-all over there.

Yeah. The two things that initially come to mind is parity and development though. US leagues and not just MLS, NFL, NHL (NA), MLB have salary caps with structures in place to field competitive teams for NA markets. Then there's development and how transfers affect that. The fact that you can sell a player you've developed from an academy or bought cheap is a totally different dynamic. Imagine Tampa being the Dortmund of the NHL and we just harvested money and picks (of some sort) and sold high on drafted gems/undrafted signings. I get your point but there's a reason why the MLS (as much as it tries) is nowhere near the quality and draw of the Serie A, Bundesliga, EPL, etc.

Imagine selling players in the NHL for financial gain, then buying Bedard or yearly prospects only to sell high when they peak. Or someone like Johnson, having signed him then unloaded in 2015/2016 for straight up cash. If this was in our leagues, I think a lot of people would be put off

Also, the transfer market is international so Asia has a say as well. China paying massive amounts for players recently makes it even more of a head scratcher.

 

[Felonious Python]

There's only one reason I know anything about Wrexham, and that's from a historic FA Cup upset over Arsenal a little while before I was born.



I've always found there to be an amusing dichotomy between how Europe is often seen as so much more socialist than the US (I'm speaking in comparative terms only), and the soccer leagues there vs. top sports leagues here could not be any more different than those stereotypes. Professional sports in North America are bathed in socialist concepts whereas it's, as you say, a free-for-all over there.

When the European super league came up, it seemed like a decent, although radical idea. I like that the fans won, though.

 

[Felonious Python]

Yeah. The two things that initially come to mind is parity and development though. US leagues and not just MLS, NFL, NHL (NA), MLB have salary caps with structures in place to field competitive teams for NA markets. Then there's development and how transfers affect that. The fact that you can sell a player you've developed from an academy or bought cheap is a totally different dynamic. Imagine Tampa being the Dortmund of the NHL and we just harvested money and picks (of some sort) and sold high on drafted gems/undrafted signings. I get your point but there's a reason why the MLS (as much as it tries) is nowhere near the quality and draw of the Serie A, Bundesliga, EPL, etc.

Imagine selling players in the NHL for financial gain, then buying Bedard or yearly prospects only to sell high when they peak. Or someone like Johnson, having signed him then unloaded in 2015/2016 for straight up cash. If this was in our leagues, I think a lot of people would be put off

Also, the transfer market is international so Asia has a say as well. China paying massive amounts for players recently makes it even more of a head scratcher.

NHL teams used to sponsor junior teams/leagues to be feeder programs.