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Just what do Venky's get out of owning Rovers?

Blackburn Rovers fans have many concerns about the club’s future, as Venky’s continue to limit investment in the squad. The supporters’ frustrations at the owners’ frugal approach was shared by the last two managers, as they both left for greener pastures, complaining of a lack of money. The departure of John Eustace in February 2025 was described by the Rovers Trust as “heartbreaking”, when the manager opted to leave Rovers while they were in the top six in order to move to Derby County, who were in the relegation zone at the time. The Trust said that this was “a damning indictment of everything that is wrong about our club.” This situation was horribly familiar, as a disillusioned Jan Dahl Tomasson had also left Ewood Park 12 months earlier, after he was given a reduced transfer budget, which meant that the club had to pull out of a couple of important deals just as the players were about to put pen to paper. This was the third time in four years that Rovers had a decent chance...

American takes over NLN club

27-year old Puerto Rico based American businessman William Rush has taken over Alfreton Town.   The new owner has ancestral links in the area.   They will not be going full time next season. As more EFL clubs are snapped up by foreign investors, non-league clubs become more attractive.

Bean counters give United shares double figure boost

Manchester United’s New York-listed shares jumped 11 per cent in early trading on Friday, in a rare sign of support for the English football club’s owners after it reported a sharp fall in costs and raised its earnings guidance.  The club, co-owned by the American Glazer family and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, reported a net loss of £2.7mn in the three months to March 31, after a loss of £71.5mn a year earlier. It said it expected to make adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in its full financial year to the end of June of between £180mn and £190mn, up from previous guidance of £145mn to £160mn. Investors have been wary of Manchester United under Ratcliffe, who took a minority stake in the club in February 2024 and assumed control of sporting operations. Despite Friday’s bounce, the shares are down almost a third from their peak in the month of his arrival. Fans have criticised Ratcliffe for raising ticket prices, while staff morale ha...

Accies in danger

There has been a lot of focus today on the result of the Hamilon by-election, but local football fans are more concerned with the fate of Hamilton Academicals. It is proposed to relocate the club to the Broadwood Stadium at Cumbernauld, a considerable distance away.   The Broadwood Stadium did for a time house Clyde who are now seeking to rebuild their historic links in the Glasgow area. It's a convoluted story, but you can read more here:  https://scottishfsa.org/saving-accies-one-day-at-a-time/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email The board's view is set out here:  https://hamiltonacciesfc.co.uk/hamilton-academical-fc-board-statement-on-stadium/

Cash injection for Sky Blues

Coventry City have received a £15m cash injection but it's unclear whether its from ownerDoug King or a new investor:  https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/football/football-news/coventry-city-doug-king-shares-31793657 The Sky Blues were disappointed in the play offs, but Sky Blue fans I have talked to admit that the club was not ready for promotion.

'Big boys' earn most from Uefa competitions

The authoritative Swiss Ramble reviews earnings from the various Uefa competitions. As you would expect, the two Champions League finalists earned the most: PSG received a hefty €145m, which is a new record for UEFA club competitions, while Inter’s pain from their paddling would have been slightly eased by €134m. Five other clubs trousered more than €100m, namely Barcelona €118m, Arsenal €118m, Bayern Munich €106m, Real Madrid €105m and Borussia Dortmund €101m, while Liverpool were just shy of three figures with €98m. Similarly, the two Europa League finalists earned the most in that competition, as Tottenham received €41m, as Big Ange continued his habit of winning a trophy in his second season at a club, while Manchester United got €36m as runners-up.   Income was even lower in the Conference League. Chelsea might have completed a clean sweep of European trophies, but their feat was only worth €22m this season, while Real Betis got €17m for reaching the final. Tottenham’s...

League One losses near 1 billion

Only a couple of clubs broke even in League One in 23/24 reveals football finance guru Kieran Maguire . Legacy losses from previous years take total to almost £1 billion Average revenue was £8.4m down £2.2m.   Average wages £8.3m down £400k.   Wages 97% of revenue up 14%.   Average weekly wage £3,700.   Average losses were £8.9m up £4.6m. Total accumulated losses of all 24 clubs £998m up £26m.   Total player purchases £12.8m down £2.5m. Total cost of squads, £25.1m up £9m.   Total borrowings £343m up £9m.