Archive for June, 2009

Man City to develop brand with Big Brother firm

• Club kicks off by relaunching its website
• City will target Asia and Middle East

Manchester City will unveil a wide-ranging partnership with the TV production company behind Big Brother tomorrow in an attempt to accelerate their ability to compete on a global basis with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Endemol Sport, a division of the company launched last year when the Dutch media giant poached two senior executives from the sports marketing agency IMG, has signed a “multi-year” deal with City to relaunch its website and develop TV ideas and its brand throughout the world.

An obvious initial focus, given City’s ownership, will be on the Middle East. The website, which is relaunched today, will be available in English and Arabic.

Gregg Oldfield, joint managing director at Endemol Sport, said it would be built around social media elements and focused at targeting under-25s who were fans of Premier League football but were yet to decide whom to support.

For all the column inches devoted to building global fan bases and the strides made by Manchester United and Real Madrid in recent years, revenues from overseas fans still account for a small percentage of the turnover of even the most popular clubs.

“The Middle East is very important for obvious reasons and we’ll also target Asia and Latin America,” said Oldfield.

The club is following a path marked out by Chelsea, which has sought to expand its global footprint in recent years. But Oldfield said that rather than launching a subscription channel and trying to make money from its content too soon, Manchester City would focus on building its brand.

He said that the company would use its presence in more than 25 countries around the world to help develop new television and new media formats for each market.

But David Pullen, brand and marketing director at Manchester City, admitted that its ambitious plans to position the club as a “leading media brand” would count for nothing without success on the pitch.

“At the top of the list is providing a positive experience to existing fans. The second priority is to create a point of entry into Manchester City and what it stands for. We want to target certain markets, first in Arabic and English and by the end of the year in three or four other languages.

Support for Pearce after England U-21s’ failure

• Questions over coach’s temperament after final defeat
• ‘We ask him to do the job his way,’ says FA chief

For one horrible moment, it appeared that Stuart Pearce really had lost it. His England Under-21 team were 2–0 down to Germany in the European Championship final and the manager had just seen the opposition left-back, Sebastian Boenisch, scythe through James Milner in the 65th minute only yards from him on the touchline.

Pearce finally gave vent to his fury, and stepped on to the pitch looking set to collar Boenisch. Although he reined himself in, Pearce spent the next 15 minutes in an almighty lather. His appeals for a nonexistent penalty were made with wide eyes and bulging veins into the face of the over-worked fourth official, and hysteria was in his voice when he wailed about a free-kick against England. “Tell him he got the ball, tell him he got the ball,” he cried.

In the stands sat Michel Platini, the Uefa president and arch critic of English football. It was safe to say he enjoyed presenting the trophy to the victorious Germany captain, Sami Khedira. England’s 4-0 humiliation equalled their worst result at under-21 level‚ a qualifying tie in Finland in 1980.

Pearce’s excesses were not well received by Platini’s fellow Uefa blazers, and there was an inordinate number of them at the stadium in Malmo. There were also fears they might have been detrimental to England’s image and the nation’s chances of winning the race to host the 2018 World Cup. The more immediate talking point, however, was the effect they had on England’s slim hopes of overturning the deficit. It had been plain that, even before the stand-in goalkeeper, Scott Loach, erred in conceding the second in the 48th minute, England had hit a brick wall. Germany’s tactical control was complete.

Pearce had changed Nedum Onuoha for out-of-form Michael Mancienne at half-time, one centre-half for another, because he felt that Mancienne’s “pace and ability to bring the ball out of defence could cause the Germans problems when they were banked up and sat behind the ball”. But with the emotions coursing through his body, Pearce’s input until the 78th minute, when he made his major tactical switch – throwing on Jack Rodwell (literally) in central defence and asking Micah Richards to play as an emergency striker – was confined to passionate touchline exhortations.

Pearce has repeatedly said he is a young manager who wants to learn, and it will be interesting to see whether he considers composure an area for improvement. Fabio Capello, the England manager and Pearce’s mentor, might have a fiery temper but he has learned to rise above the tumult and be calculating. Was rational analysis possible for Pearce in the second half on Monday?

Pearce kept his counsel yesterday but he heard support from all sides. “Stuart does not lose clarity when he’s angry,” Steve Wigley, his long-standing assistant, said. “It’s not like the lunatics running the asylum. He has a switch that is incredible. He seems to be able to go slightly to the opposite side and then be calm.

“I don’t know if he wants to change. The package is the package, isn’t it? The one thing you have to understand is that I’ve hardly heard him raise his voice in the dressing room. He is the calmest person I have seen in a dressing room.”

Mark Noble, the team captain, said after the semi-final penalty shoot-out victory over Sweden that he had joked to Pearce, “I can’t believe you haven’t had a heart attack yet.” But as Pearce’s attentions turned towards the Denmark 2011 campaign, the ­consensus seemed to be that he should be left to rage. “When you appoint people,” said the Football Association’s chief executive, Ian Watmore, “you know what they are like and we ask him to do the job his way and back him. I would never interfere. His job is to convey passion to his players.”

Wigley assessed the final with honesty, saying he felt like a “complete failure” and that “embarrassment” was prominent among the emotions. But the bigger picture was that England had made progress and that a clutch of players had pushed themselves as contenders for Capello’s World Cup squad next summer. Richards reasserted his credentials while Kieran Gibbs, Rodwell and Fabrice Muamba showed tremendous promise. Milner remains a dependable professional.

Nevertheless, more is required. “One of the areas is decision-making,” Sir Trevor Brooking, the Football Association’s director of development, said. “You have to be able to play right out from the back, you have to have 10 really technical outfield players. You have to be much quicker possession-wise from the back. Fabio would tell you we play too slow. We have to push up and press more.” Pearce has to take stock.

Newcastle players return to uncertainty

• Three consortiums interested but club remains unsold
• Alan Shearer is forced to await developments

Newcastle United’s first team squad return for pre-season training tomorrow morning with the identity of the relegated club’s next manager and prospective new owner still unknown.

The Guardian understands that Newcastle will not now be sold until next week at the earliest but that three consortiums are “seriously interested”. Seymour Pierce, the investment bank brokering the deal, remains optimistic that there will shortly be at least one formal offer for Mike Ashley, the current owner, to consider.

While two consortiums are believed to comprise largely UK-based businessmen, the other – at this stage regarded as the most likely to end up buying Ashley out – is from overseas. Two of the three, including that fronted by Freddy Shepherd, Newcastle’s former chairman, would install Alan Shearer as manager but one consortium remains unsure about the former England captain’s suitability.

The appearance of Shepherd and a mini-entourage at Newcastle’s training ground on Monday in two cars emblazoned with the name of his family company sparked reports of imminent regime change but sources say nothing significant is now likely to happen until next week. Moreover Shepherd, despite his high profile, is not thought to be the key figure in the consortium he represents and, although real contenders, they are not the favourites to buy the club.

While a frustrated Shearer awaits developments Chris Hughton has, once again, been appointed Newcastle’s caretaker manager and yesterday conceded this role could endure through much of July. “It may be a week, two weeks, three weeks, I’m not sure how long I’ll be in charge,” he admitted.

Even though Seymour Pierce hopes to force an auction much may depend on how far below his desired £100m asking price Ashley, who was yesterday forced to dole out around £10m in end-of-season player bonuses, is prepared to settle for.

Hull City keen to clinch Fortuné deal this week

• Club frustrated in attempts to sign Fortuné from Nancy
• They hope to sign Campbell and retain an interest in Owen

Hull City are growing frustrated at the protracted nature of their pursuit of the former West Bromwich Albion forward Marc-Antoine Fortuné, prompting the manager, Phil Brown, to cast his net further in his attempt to lure striking reinforcements to the KC Stadium.

Fortune, who impressed on loan at the Hawthorns last season, had been expected to join from Nancy but has yet to make a decision on where his future lies. While Hull remain hopeful that they can secure the England Under-21 forward Fraizer Campbell for a club record £6m and retain an interest in Michael Owen, the delay in Fortuné agreeing terms has prompted Brown to explore the possibility of bringing the Fulham forward Bobby Zamora to Humberside as he searches for more muscle in his front line.

“The Fortuné issue hasn’t moved in the last 48 hours,” said Brown. “We are confident we are still in pole position, but these things are always a concern when they are not done and dusted. If there is not a decision in the next 24 or 48 hours, we are going to have to move on to other players.”

“We will strengthen this club this summer, we will bring in strikers,” said Hull’s chairman, Paul Duffen. “It will mean we can compete with an ambition to finish mid-table rather than scrapping at the bottom, but we are only going to do it on the basis that it doesn’t threaten the financial security of the football club.”

Di Matteo appointed West Brom manager

• 39-year-old signs 12-month rolling contract at the Hawthorns
• Di Matteo took MK Dons to play-offs in first season in charge

West Bromwich Albion have appointed Roberto Di Matteo as their new head coach, the 39-year-old signing a 12-month rolling contract with the aim of taking the club back into the Premier League. The Italian arrives with just one year’s coaching experience under his belt after being appointed MK Dons manager last summer.

He replaces Tony Mowbray, who oversaw the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship before leaving for Celtic a fortnight ago. Di Matteo, a former Lazio and Chelsea midfielder, succeeded Paul Ince in Milton Keynes before the start of last season and impressed Pete Winkleman, the Dons’ chairman, enough to be offered – and to sign – an extended contract, until June 2011, before Christmas.

Di Matteo ended his first season in management having taken the Dons to third place in League One, missing out on automatic promotion by two points. Scunthorpe United knocked the Dons out of the play-offs via a penalty shoot-out.

Albion’s board reportedly approached the 39-year-old yesterday, before he was interviewed by the club’s chairman, Jeremy Peace. According to the Express and Star, a six-figure compensation sum has been agreed between West Bromwich and the Dons. Eddie Newton, Di Matteo’s assistant in Milton Keynes, is set to join him at the Hawthorns.