09 Mar 2015 13:15:10
Hi eds, just a quick question about european football. Can either of you see the Italian teams (Such as the two milans) recovering from their current slump and once again challenging in Europe?

{Ed002's Note - Juventus are probably best placed. As for the Milan clubs, it is not dissimilar to the situation at Liverpool. I don't see any of them winning the CL any time soon.}

1.) 09 Mar 2015
09 Mar 2015 15:39:03
Especially, AC Milan. They are in dire straits and can mostly afford free transfers, ATM. IMO, they are worse than us.

2.) 09 Mar 2015
09 Mar 2015 16:00:57
What actually happened to the Milan clubs? They were both feared teams in Europe not that long ago.

3.) 09 Mar 2015
09 Mar 2015 16:15:50
I wish some oil rich Russian would buy us and take us from being a small club to a European giant.But what happens when he gets sick of his toy.liverpool would still be big enough not so sure about other new money teams though.

{Ed002's Note - Being "big enough" is not much protection against extant debts and the day-to-day running costs for a major club. If a line were drawn across tomorrow and income from owners stopped, Liverpool would be in a far worse position than the likes of Chelsea. Balancing the books and having a plan to erase debts is crucial. Come 2017 the value of many English clubs will be a step change higher and you will see a number of owners moving on - if buyers can be found. Part of the problem will be the lack of individual or group buyers for the higher priced teams; and that potentially leads to the worst case scenario of institutional buyers. If I were pushed in to the corner of making a rash prediction, I would say by the time a pan-European league is up and running (202x sometime), then a couple of major clubs will be owned by sponsors/corporations heavily involved in the football business - in particular I am thinking Adidas and Nike.}

4.) 09 Mar 2015
09 Mar 2015 16:56:54
Thanks Ed002. what's going wrong in Italy. Is it just finances or are politics etc having an effect too?

{Ed002's Note - Economic downturn, corruption and other scandals, lack of investment, hobby based ownership, substantial losses, crumbling infrastructure.}

5.) 10 Mar 2015
10 Mar 2015 06:40:27
Ed002 can I just ask, You know litteraly every transfer news of every club and even the financial side of clubs, aswell as how the game is going to change i.e this new league setup being planned, Do you work in football at the top like sep blatter kind of level, or just know way too many people. As your knowledge is the biggest asset to this site by far.

Thanks

{Ed002's Note - You are very sweet. I am a rodeo cowboy and gentleman adventurer by trade and, for reasons I don't understand, often have time on my hands to deal with these soccer based matters.}

6.) 10 Mar 2015
10 Mar 2015 11:38:42
Who are the eds is one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Once their IP address was traced and we someone to get a picture of both. All that came back was a broken camera.