Source: Daily_Mail
Martin Samuel: Bolton as a feeder club for Chelsea? Now that's offensive
Just when you thought the vat of terrible ideas had been drained, upcomes another one, hot from the summer meeting of Premier Leaguechairmen: feeder clubs.[LNB]And not feeder clubs in the lower leagues, either. The suggestion,which arose as part of a discussion about youth policy, is that theline of supply could be established between two teams in the PremierLeague. 'There was a chat about feeder clubs inside the Premier League,so one day links between Chelsea and Bolton Wanderersmay be official,' confirmed Karren Brady, chief executive of Birmingham City.[LNB]It is hard to know where to start on what is wrong with this one. It would be ruinous toinstitutionalise links between teams separated by several divisions,let alone establish one in which those operating in the samecompetition were in commercial partnership, and financially dependent.[LNB]The first of many? If Premier League chairman have their way, Nicolas Anelka may not be the only player to join Chelsea from Bolton...[LNB]The loan system, which the Premier League has tried in vain tooutlaw for several years, is already having a negative effect; actuallyto permit a smaller Premier League team to be beholden to a wealthierneighbour, to have an agreement in place that makes it nothing morethan a conveyor belt, would render the contest worthless.[LNB]The potential for corruption is obvious. As it is, the loan systemproduces unhealthy complications, instances in which a player iscompromised by serving two masters. To cement that arrangement, so thatit would not necessarily be in the best interest of one team to beatanother, would be outrageous. It says something about the new breed ofPremier League owners that it was even discussed, whether officially orat three in the morning over a brandy or six.[LNB]Money talks in football; we accept that. Manchester City have triedto prise Joleon Lescott from Everton because they have greaterresources, just as Everton took him from Wolverhampton Wanderers in2006. David Moyes, the manager of Everton, will contend that his clubconducted the transfer decently, without complaint from Wolves, but theoutcome was the same: the bigger club got their wish. [LNB] More from Martin Samuel... Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1: Stitched up by Harry! Rafa gets needle as Spurs win16/08/09 It's got to be the Champions League for us: Martin Samuel goes inside Man City14/08/09 Why I said no to Madrid: It would have been a betrayal to leave Arsenal, says Arsene Wenger13/08/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: Yes, I do see things and say I didn't... The world of Arsene 13/08/09 ARSENE WENGER INTERVIEW: The full transcript of Martin Samuel's fascinating meeting with the Arsenal manager - part II13/08/09 MARTIN SAMUEL: Jacko as you've never seen him before (and he wouldn't want you to)13/08/09 ARSENE WENGER INTERVIEW: The full transcript of Martin Samuel's fascinating meeting with the Arsenal manager - part I13/08/09 Martin Samuel: Time to just put a sock in it and play...12/08/09 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Moyes will be cursing City's interference after Saturday'scalamitous opening against Arsenal, but credit to Everton for theirresistance until now.[LNB]How can they hope to stay ahead of Manchester City while meeklysolving their problems? This is what the Premier League should beabout. It must aspire to competition, even if financial imbalances makethat tough. [LNB]One might argue some of the smaller fish act as feeder clubsalready, their best players poached by an elite four, but there is adifference between bending to market forces and being a puppet on astring. [LNB]The moment a team surrenders its independence, it is not just theidentity of a club, and therefore a town, that is diminished: thespirit of the game is also lost.[LNB]The first week of the season is a time when, in theory, anything ispossible. Remove those fantasies and we remove the point of it all. [LNB]Try telling Bolton's supporters that there is no longer the ambitionto overtake Chelsea; it is better to serve them instead. The greatestworry is that there are men who own football clubs who cannot see whatis so offensive about that.[LNB] England's badminton team have been getting a rough a ride after pulling out of the world championships in Hyderabad, India. Nobody has denied that threats were made by Muslim extremist group Lashkare-Taiba, nor is there any suggestion that the players were displeased with the decision.[LNB]Olympic medallist Nathan Robertson said the team did not feel safe, amid concern that there was no armed security to accompany transportation.[LNB]England's withdrawal was criticised and as far as terrorist attacks at the tournament are concerned, so far, so good. It is not the job of athletes, however, to test the quality of security procedures by acting as moving targets. After what happened to the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore, it must be accepted that athletes are again a target for extremists.[LNB]In the circumstances, the governing body of all sports have responsibility not to locate events in potentially hostile environments and the hosts must make their guests feel secure. If they cannot, it is time to go.[LNB] Portsmouth owed £44million. After the sale of Glen Johnson and Peter Crouch, plus the deliverance of the first instalment of television money this season, that has been reduced to less than £20m.[LNB]The idea that the credit crunch would bankrupt Premier League football was always overplayed. The biggest drain on any business is staff costs and at football clubs these can be alleviated by allowing contracts to expire (without redundancy payments), and generating revenue with staff as saleable assets. Other industries would love to have these avenues of escape from recession.[LNB]As was indicated in defeat by Fulham on Saturday, the true impact at Portsmouth will be felt on the field. The balance between professional ambition and financial common sense must always be maintained and, if it is not, failure results.[LNB]This was true before the Premier League existed, too. The lower divisions are full of clubs who made the same mistake. Events at Fratton Park are not so much a portent of a gloomy future for all, as a straightforward example of one club getting it wrong.[LNB] There is no doubt Crystal Palace got a raw deal at Bristol City on Saturday, when Freddie Sears scored a legitimate goal which the referee did not see had hit the stanchion and rebounded out.[LNB]The claim by Neil Warnock, the Crystal Palace manager, and Simon Jordan, his chairman, that Bristol City, and in particular manager Gary Johnson, had cheated by not backing up Palace's protests and volunteering the truth to the officials is an interesting one, though.[LNB]In 2004, when Johnson's Yeovil Town side inadvertently scored against Plymouth Argyle while attempting to return the ball to the goalkeeper following an interruption though injury, Johnson ordered them to stand aside and let Plymouth walk the ball into the net from kick-off. This time he remained mute. He may have been confused into thinking Palace's goal was disallowed for other reasons, or was it just something in the disposition of his opponents that led him to remain silent?[LNB] You need glasses: Neil Warnock confronts the referee's assistant afterhis Crystal Palace team were denieda legitimate goal against Bristol City[LNB]No time to cut and runThere is an episode of Blackadder Goes Forth in which mad General Melchett suspects there is a German spy at the field hospital. He sends Edmund to flush him out, but paranoia is now so unbounded that even the spy-catcher is suspected.[LNB]Captain Darling: I think it would be best if I went to the hospital myself, to keep an eye on him.[LNB]Melchett: What, spy on our spy as he searches for their spy? Yes, why not? Sounds rather fun. You'll have to go undercover.[LNB]Darling: Oh, definitely, sir.[LNB]Melchett: You'll need some sort of wound, a convincing wound.[LNB]Darling: Naturally, sir. [LNB]Melchett: Yes. (Shoots Darling in the foot. He screams and falls to the floor, his hand weakly poking up from behind the desk.) Yes, that looks quite convincing.[LNB] Judging by the reaction to the Harlequins fake blood scandal, one can only assume many rugby union followers did not comprehend this comic vignette on the abuse of power at all.[LNB]The fresh allegation, due to be aired today, that Harlequins cut their own player, Tom Williams, with a scalpel to make his simulated blood injury look realistic has drawn protests and claims of a witch-hunt.[LNB]It has happened before is the argument. Some even say this new information does not add to the gravity of the original offence. Are they kidding? If correct, here is a club who deliberately injured one of their players to cover up their nefarious activities.[LNB]What happened to the duty of care? Would you trust this lot with your son? If rugby union cannot see the seriousness of the issue, it truly does have a problem.[LNB]AND WHILE WE'RE AT ITAhead in the pecking order: Defoe[LNB]Defoe holds all the acesJermain Defoe's goals for England underlined an important fact surrounding Michael Owen's return to the international team: it is not just about how he plays this season.[LNB]Even if Owen is at his best for Manchester United, he needs a dip in form from those already in possession of a place in Fabio Capello's squad. How can Capello drop the guy who scored twice against Holland? There is no point in friendly internationals if individual performances cease to matter.[LNB] It is a good job that Delia Smith, celebrity chef and Norwich City director, has neverrun her own restaurant. Considering the fate of her manager Bryan Gunn after one league game, you wouldn't want to be the chef following a slow Saturday night. Still, at least the event may serve as inspiration for more recipes. [LNB]Knee Jerk Chicken, anyone?[LNB] Of the nine people arrested as part of Operation Apprentice, the high-profile investigation into financial wrongdoing in football, six have now been released from bail. [LNB]Milan Mandaric, chairman of Leicester City, Harry Redknapp, manager of Tottenham Hotspur, and Peter Storrie, chief executive of Portsmouth, remain under scrutiny and a decision will be made by the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office next month.[LNB]If nothing then results from more than two years of detective work, it will not be the standing of football that suffers.[LNB] Whatever David Beckham is to Fabio Capello's England team, he can no longer be considered the understudy to Theo Walcott. They are too dissimilar, the dynamic of the team changes. The performance in Amsterdam proved it.[LNB]England looked ponderous and predictable with Beckham in the first half and livelier after half-time, when pace was introduced. [LNB]Beckham may still have a role as late substitute, closing a game down, but his powers to open one up against the best are waning.[LNB] A decision to allow women's boxing into the 2012 Olympics has caused much controversy. [LNB]Opinion seems to be divided between those who defend a woman's right to be rendered senseless from a feminist perspective, and reactionaries who believe women should stay home and cook.[LNB]Is there not a third way? They can box, but only in Jell-O, therefore appeasing both parties. (Haven't Las Vegas beaten us to this one? Ed.)[LNB] Tribute: Ferdinand[LNB]How delighted Steve Bruce, the Sunderland manager, must have been to read that his defender Anton Ferdinand is preparing a special goal celebration in tribute to Michael Jackson and is considering hiding a white glove in his socks to better perfect the act.[LNB]In a week when brother Rio showed a worrying lack of focus during England's match with Holland, it is good to know that at least one member of the family has his priorities right. [LNB](Although as Anton last scored on January 12, 2008, don't hold your breath for his moonwalk.)[LNB] French need Lyon tamersFor the first time in eight years, Lyon did not win Ligue 1 in France last season. Don't worry, it won't happen again.[LNB]Thanks to the economic regulations governing French football, Lyon splashed close to £60million on players this summer, money that cannot be matched by rivals because spending is limited by size and turnover.[LNB]This is the arrangement many advocate for England; and if your idea of fun is watching Manchester United win the league for a hundred years, you may wish to get behind it, too.[LNB] After what happened last time, one question: why would Birmingham City even entertain another takeover proposal from Carson Yeung?[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People:Nicolas Anelka, Harry Redknapp, Karren Brady, Steve Bruce, Joleon Lescott, Neil Warnock, Michael Owen, Theo Walcott, Gary Johnson, Delia Smith, Simon Jordan, Freddie Sears, Peter Storrie, David Moyes, Fabio Capello, Michael Jackson, David Beckham, Bryan GunnPlaces:Amsterdam, Lyon, Las Vegas, India, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, France, Sri Lanka, Fratton Park
