Barack Obama – United States – Michael Bennet – Colorado – President

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Barack Obama – President of the United States – President – United States – History

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What would you say if the future owner of Liverpool FC was the Chinese Government? Sounds too unbelievable to be true, but the British press is reporting that The Reds could be bought by one of the original reds, the Chinese Government, within the next month.

The Chinese Government’s overseas investing arm is China Investment Corporation (CIC), which is funding the bid fronted by Chinese sports tycoon Kenny Huang. The CIC is one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world and has assets of $332 billion as of the end of 2009. A sovereign wealth fund is a state-owned investment fund that invests globally.

The prospect of the Chinese Government becoming the owner of one of the top clubs in the Premier League raises many questions. The first is how the Premier League’s fit and proper person test will consider a Communist government owning an English club. Should a country who has a long list of human rights offenses be considered a “fit and proper person”?

The second is to consider what the Chinese Government’s goals are with Liverpool FC. At the top of their list will be the revenue opportunity. Despite the awful financial mess the club is in, Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world with a massive fanbase in Asia. And the Chinese Government has an opportunity to pay off the club’s debt, to build the new Liverpool stadium at Stanley Park and to invest in the transfer market. But beyond that, what are the Chinese Government’s goals? Are they purely investment, or do they have other ideas in mind such as PR opportunities?

There are two other major bidders other than the Chinese Government who are trying to acquire Liverpool FC, so there is hope for those soccer fans who may not be too comfortable with the Chinese Government’s involvement. The other bidders are believed to be a wealthy Kuwaiti family and an American private-equity group.

It’s believed that the CIC is in pole position to acquire Liverpool FC. But as we’ve seen in the last few years, the acquisition of a football club is often a long and complicated exercise with plenty of twists and turns. Still, you have to wonder what the public’s reaction will be regarding the prospect of the Chinese Government owning one of the crown jewels of English football.

What do you think? Should the Chinese Government be allowed to acquire Liverpool through their sovereign wealth fund? If you’re a Liverpool supporter, would CIC acquiring Liverpool affect the way you support your club or not? Share your opinion in the comments section below.

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Everton will play a historic match this evening at Goodison Road when they compete in a friendly match against a very familiar, and in many ways, unfamiliar opponent. They will be playing against a club called Everton. Everton de Viña del Mar, to be exact, from Chile.

There are a few soccer clubs in South America who have been named after English clubs, but this is the first time any of them have faced each other. According to David France, a person who is synonymous with the history of Everton Football Club, the CD Everton story is fascinating. “The Chilean club adopted our name after our successful tour of South America in 1909. It was the first visit to that continent by a Football League side. I became aware of the initiative through the extremely rare items I picked up while collecting. As you may know, CD Everton are based in the city of Vina del Mar in Chile and was formed in 1909, reputedly by visiting English sailors from Liverpool. Fittingly, they were Chilean champions in 2009.”

According to the Everton FC website, “It was in 1909 that Everton and Tottenham Hotspur were invited to South America to play a series of exhibition games against each other and against the strongest teams Argentina and Uruguay could muster. The trip for the two English clubs involved a three-week voyage each way, with stops on the way that included Lisbon, Madeira and Rio de Janeiro. Obviously, it was a marvellous experience for the players who included England’s centre forward, Bert Freeman of Everton. He was the star of the tournament, helping the Blues’ score 14 goals in five games that included wins over the Argentinean League XI, the Uruguyan League XI and Spurs. A few weeks later, after news of the games had spread, a group of Anglo-Chilean teenagers met in the port of Valparaiso and formed a football club which they named Everton.”

“Over the years,” France continued, “The fans of both clubs have forged a very special friendship. A refreshing part of the modern game. The imminent fixture came about after a half dozen members of the Everton Shareholders’ Association visited Chile to extend the hand of friendship. Through their diligent efforts and no little lobbying our club agreed to the pre-season fixture. It is a unique celebration of international football. It should be a fascinating encounter. And I’m sure that your audience would like to learn more about this special relationship and the game.”

France added that Everton de Viña del Mar may bring as many as 500 supporters with them from Chile for this historic match. Tonight’s game is the only home pre-season match scheduled for the Toffees before their season kicks off in 10 days.

In today’s age of focusing on trying to make as much money as possible for football clubs, it’s heartening to see a club such as Everton deciding a play a match of such historic importance instead of competing in a glamor tie against a club that would sell more seats. It’s a perfect example to show that there a soul still remains in English football no matter if it’s hard to find sometimes.

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We all have different stories to tell regarding where we were born and grew up, and how we fell in love with either the Premier League or one Premier League club in particular. But I believe that despite the banter, there are many readers to this site who respect both the British and American cultures. After all, we have a lot in common.

So I thought it’d be interesting to have each of you share what you love about the United States and the United Kingdom. The answers don’t all have to pertain to soccer, but should focus on the British and American cultures.

Here’s my list of the things I love about the UK and USA. Feel free to share your list in the comments section below.

Things I love about the US:

People have more of a positive outlook on life,
BBQ food,
Lower prices on almost everything,
Open highways with less traffic congestion,
24/7 soccer TV networks such as Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Soccer Plus and GolTV,
Level of attentive service in most restaurants,
The greater percentage of the population who have a college education,
HBO on Sunday night,
Ability to start a new business is easier,
American patriotism.

Things I love about the UK:

Football grounds with stadiums stuck in the past such as Goodison Park and Craven Cottage,
Fish ‘n chips,
Swansea City Football Club,
Nature walks to and from castles,
National Trust,
Public transportation,
Healthcare system,
Home-made Sunday roast dinner,
Quality programming on BBC television,
The number of vacation days.

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Sometimes you just luck out in life. Sometimes everything just goes right. Things you usually have to struggle to achieve just fall in your lap without you even trying. Sometimes you’re just on roll, the universe has briefly aligned itself in your favour and for a short period of time you are King of the World.

It doesn’t last of course, more is the pity and such lucky streaks are all too few and far between.

It looks as though Roy Hodgson is in the middle of just one such streak. Things could hardly have gone better for him since being installed as Liverpool manager; a good win away in the Europa League qualifier with a make-shift side, a marquee signing in Cole. He may also soon have over twenty million pounds from the sale of Mascherano to play with. He has retained Gerrard and Torres and then, just when it couldn’t get any better, the club is on the verge of being sold to new investors who could fund him handsomely and build a new 60,000 seat stadium, the income from which will allow Liverpool to compete even more effectively. That is one lucky rabbits foot you’ve got there Roy.

The cloud of gloom that has hung over Anfield since the arrival of Hicks and Gillette may at last be evaporating and the bright light of a new dawn beginning to shine through.

The worry must be, and as a man of great experience he will be all too aware of this, that he is peaking too soon. That this streak of positivity cannot continue and that some are already over-rating their chances in the league this year. He must manage expectations very carefully. If they beat Arsenal in their opening game, it’s easy to see a tidal wave of over-optimistic fans and journalists hailing them as potential champions.

And yet at this point in a season, without a ball being kicked in anger, it’s hard not to see Liverpool on the verge of a proper renaissance. Yet, we have no real idea if the new owners will in reality be any better than the Gruesome Twosome who infected the club for the last three years. They too had come in full of big words and grand promises but failed to deliver and instead created a toxic atmosphere at the club. It’s hard to think the new lot will be any worse but we really don’t know.

We also have no idea just how well the new squad will knit together. Signing Joe Cole was a great move for Roy, but he is a mercurial player so it’s also one that could look misplaced if Cole fails to turn on the magic in the first few weeks. If Torres keeps being injured for half a season it won’t help his cause either.

So there are still many hurdles to overcome before Liverpool are restored to what many see as their rightful position towards the apex of British and indeed world football and Hodgson will need a few more good streaks of luck along the way.

But as it stands, you could do a lot worse than ask Roy for his lottery numbers this weekend. With his luck, they’ll all come up.

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As the Community Shield approaches this weekend to officially kick off another ten months of Premier League football, here are a few non big four yet solid and exciting players to watch this season. For those more interested in big four teams, watch this space for more preview posts to come before the opening weekend.

Thomas Hitzlsperger – West Ham United: No stranger to the Premier League, the German international acquired from Lazio on a free, Thomas ‘the hammer’ Hitzlesperger returns to England with his famously powerful left footed shot for Hammers supporters to admire. The midfielder who’s most comfortable shooting from outside the box left Aston Villa in 2005 as a fan favorite and will likely gain the same admiration from the Upton Park faithful early on in the season if he can find his goal scoring form in East London.

As West Ham narrowly avoided relegation last season, Hitzlsperger’s experience in the center of the pitch and goal scoring abilities will be greatly valued by West Ham fans. Owner’s Gold & Sullivan made a great move for the club by picking up ‘the Hammer’ on a free and also by appointing experienced Premier League manager Avram Grant to the helm. With new addition Grant, West Ham supporters will want to put the results of last season’s campaign to rest as soon as possible. In Hitzlsperger, West Ham fans can expect a player with the ability to score crackers from midfield and with players such as Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Frédéric Piquionne to compliment Grant’s leadership, West Ham look to be on the right path.

Jermaine Beckford – Everton: After the ‘will he, or won’t he’ saga finally ended in the favor of ‘he did’, the former Leeds United striker now has his shot in the Premier League with Everton as the recently promoted Championship side Leeds United ended up with naught for Beckford as Everton secured his services on a free transfer. Most Premier League fans will remember Beckford for his famous goal v Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup last season, and while his qualities were on display last winter in that match, it shouldn’t be over looked that he’s a complete striker who possesses a good first touch, classy footwork and strong finishing abilities.

Beckford scored goals for fun in League One, but Premier League defenders aren’t League One defenders, so Beckford will have to prove he can create space and score goals v the best in a new and challenging league. Everton are a good side that will look to avoid the slow start they experienced last campaign when the squad was riddled with injury. The Toffees have options up front such as Louis Saha and Yakubu, but Beckford will get his chance to shine. Will he grasp it?

Ben Foster – Birmingham City: Having left Manchester United with his tail between his legs, Foster now has his chance to be the #1 for City, an ambitious goal while at United, but an unlikely occurrence for the former England keeper who fell out of favor with Sir Alex Ferguson. Riddled with injury after his brilliant on loan spell at Watford, Foster languished mostly on the bench over the course of the last few years at Old Trafford behind Edwin van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak.

As Birmingham City ready for the upcoming season, they’re still coming down from cloud nine and their best finish in the league, a hard fought ninth, since 1951. Once touted as the next England #1, Foster has slipped miles behind the man he’ll be replacing at St. Mary’s and the now realistic choice as England’s best keeper, Joe Hart. Now though is Foster’s time to shine and to get his club career back on track. The international accolades will follow, if he’s worthy.

Jerome Boateng, Manchester City: Although they want a top four finish at Eastlands so bad they can taste it, the Mancunians will have to settle for Europa League football this season having come oh so close last term in finishing fifth. No strangers to picking up world class talent whenever they can, I believe it will be the quiet roll players for City that will make or break their next attempt at qualifying for the Champions League. Boateng is just that role player.

The German left back who can play any position at the back will be a vital addition to a City defense who were good without being great last season. As Manchester City look to be once again loaded in attack, Boateng can provide assistance on the wing to support attacks while holding his own as a defender. Manchester City will need solid performances from players just like Boateng to make that crunching tackle or deflection so the David Silva’s of the world can do what they do best. At 21, Boateng was one of the best young players at this summer’s World Cup for a great German side. Manchester City like Germany will hope they can get the best out of the talented defender.

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Out of the 20 clubs in the Premier League, which ones do you think have the most expensive season tickets? Many of you may guess that Manchester United and Liverpool would be high up on the list, but you may be surprised by the findings that Four Four Two Magazine revealed in their latest issue.

The worst offender is Arsenal who have for years had the highest ticket prices in the Premier League (see here and here).

Here are the top 8 most expensive season tickets for the 2010-11 Premier League season:

1. Arsenal, £1,825 ($2,911)
2. Tottenham, £1,695 ($2,704)
3. Chelsea, £1,210 ($1,930)
4. Newcastle, £975 ($1,555)
5. Man United, £931 ($1,485)
6. Fulham, £899 ($1,434)
7. West Ham, £850 ($1,356)
8. Liverpool, £785 ($1,252)

While not complete (you can get the whole list in the latest issue of Four Four Two), I should add that the two clubs with the lowest season ticket prices are Wigan Athletic (£295; $470) and Blackburn Rovers (£209; $333). I know that Arsenal is a more attractive football side to watch than Blackburn, but are they really that much better? Are they 774% better (when comparing how much more expensive their season ticket prices are)?

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On his first official press conference as new Fulham boss, Mark Hughes lambasted his former employers, Manchester City, and aired out his frustrations about his short tenure at Eastlands.

Hughes was sacked last December and replaced by Roberto Mancini, who still failed to get City into the Champions League and had to settle for Europa League football. Hughes was asked whether he would have got City into the Champions League and he said, “Yes I would. I agreed to the targets at the beginning of the season, which was to get to sixth position. I agreed to that because I thought we could over-achieve. I thought fifth, possibly fourth was very, very achievable.“.

Hughes also ripped into the higher authority at Eastlands, saying he was keen to get back into direct management after some of his managerial powers were stripped off him at Man City. “On some occasions at City players were presented to me which I didn’t really have a direct input on. But if you get a call and someone says ‘Would you like Robinho?’ then, as a manager, I have to say ‘Yes I would’. Whether a situation like that was correct in terms of timing, that’s open to debate“.

Hughes has definitely lit the fire with his former employers and it will be interesting to hear what City officials have to say on the matter. For now, Hughes is keen to concentrate on his new side and his priorities must be to bring in a new striker, he openly admits. Bobby Zamora only scored 8 goals last season and was the top scorer. Hughes will also look to fend off the interest of Arsenal and maintain star ‘keeper Mark Schwarzer.

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El Niño has ended his silence today and has announced he “is more committed to Liverpool FC than ever.” This almost feels like a summer move, because with Liverpool finishing 7th last season, it seemed inevitable that the combination of his highly-overvalued price tag and Torres’ desire for Champions League football would lead to his departure from Anfield.

Depending on which Liverpool supporter you speak to, you get a different emotional response on Fernando Torres’ decision to stay put.

There are those with Torres tunnel vision, who dare not envision their hero in another uniform, plucking goals for a title rival like Chelsea. They claim that with Torres, Liverpool are a far better team than without him. Indeed, a Torres-Gerrard-Cole attacking triumvirate has mouths salivating in Liverpool, and will surely be among the best front lines in the Premier League.

And then there are those that feel in this Manchester City-distorted transfer market that maybe, just maybe, it would have been wiser to get the £50, £60, or even the mind-boggling £70 million for Torres, the astronomical numbers that City had purportedly been flirting with to land the Spanish striker.

With the potential of such an absurd amount of cash coming in, should Liverpool have listened to offers?

Such overvaluations only come around so often, and with Torres’ recent history of niggling injuries that keep him out for a month here or a month there, a £50-70 million offer is gross overestimation of his true value in my mind. While I lack genius knowledge of the world transfer market, surely Roy Hodgson could have replaced Torres with at least three top-drawer players had they resolved this situation very quickly post-World Cup.

Even with his dreadful World Cup performances, City and Chelsea were still pricing Torres at alarming rates. Had Liverpool sold early, that influx of cash could have given Liverpool a lot of leverage in the transfer market to go after top names like David Silva, Mario Balotelli, or Rafael van der Vaart just to name a few. Or perhaps buying a direct “replacement” (quotes because it is hard to replace Torres) plus some cheap, young up-and-comers to bring depth into the squad that Liverpool desperately needs. With either approach, money would have been less tight to try and lure players to Anfield that would serve to rebuild the club.

The reasons for second-guessing the retention of Torres are A) economics and B) improvement.

First, yes, Torres is a top 5 striker in the world when healthy, but he is not worth the ridiculous sums of money Man City were throwing out there, and much of that has to do with his propensity for injury. Any product with the very real tendency to break down at critical junctures should have its value lowered. Despite your deep love for that product, when a buyer comes along and grossly overvalues it, and you, as the seller, are in need of quick cash to improve your overall company, you should sell that product and reinvest in your business.

Second, does retaining Torres improve a Liverpool side that finished seventh last season? It was surprising to see them play so poorly last year, and one can blame various injuries and poor form from their captain Steven Gerrard, but their fall from grace last season begs the question of whether offloading star players to build depth at the club is the better way to respond to a disheartening season.

But as the powers-that-be at Anfield saw it, just like many Liverpool supporters spanning the globe see it, a Liverpool with Torres is better than a Liverpool raking in £50-70 million with which to rebuild.

Of course, there is no right answer, just opinion. Time will tell which option would have better served Liverpool and their fans.

What do you think? Leave comments and ideas below.

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