If that was the case Tony Fernandes and the Mittal family would never have invested in QPR. Yes they have more recent pedigree and a slightly better stadium etc but hardly a monster of the game.
When those guys first got involved in QPR, that was a vanity project, involving people who thought they were going to build the next Chelsea etc, but in reality didn't know what they were doing. (Which is why the likes of Briatore and Eccleston baled out early, btw)
The point being that other would-be investors have learned from that fiasco - even if Fernandes hasn't, ha ha.
I think MB will have a huge amount of credibility and Brentford has huge potential to grow its natural revenue from £10M per annum to in excess of £100M per annum with promotion to the PL. And as others have said if you're a new Chinese billionaire then no doubt ego and status also play a huge part over and above the pure financial investment. Let's be honest, why would anyone invest in the majority of football clubs if your only driver was making a financial return on your investment?
As I said above, if you buy into BFC, you're not paying for a football club, you're paying for Mr. Benham, for without him, we'd likely be where Orient are. And risking it all on one man, at least until he has got the club that much further than presently, is too much of a risk.
Meanwhile, even if Mr. Benham might be prepared to accept a degree of outside investment in the club (to fast-forward his plans), I'm sure he is presently wealthy enough to demand that it only be on his own terms (control, direction, reward etc).
Of course, were it a question of going to a higher level than merely reaching, and surviving in, the Prem, then that might (have to) change. But I personally don't see that happening for a good while yet i.e. we must be aiming to become a Bournemouth or a Watford first under Mr. Benham, not a WHU or Southampton under someone else.
Let's be honest, why would anyone invest in the majority of football clubs if your only driver was making a financial return on your investment?
Actually, the majority of clubs in the Prem are now making money. As for the Championship, they're losing massively, but people are still investing either because they can't get into a Prem club, or they can't afford it, but still want to take a punt on getting there. And as punts go, there have got to be better bets in this Division than BFC.
Meanwhile, anything below the Championship is a whole different proposition entirely, with the normal rules of investment and profit & loss etc not applying. Which is why the truly wealthy outside investors continue to stay away from those divisions, leaving it to the spivs, the fan investors, the fantasists and the sorely deluded.
I believe we are very much an attractive proposition and would be very surprised if MB, with his Asian connections through his gambling network, has not been approached by a number of interested parties from China and the Far East in general.
Very likely. But being approached*, and reaching an agreement, are two very different things.
* - More likely expressing a tentative interest
Football has got even more expensive than ever, it's unfair and probably unrealistic to expect a one man success story like MB to fund a promotion push on his own these days, good recruitment, a bit of luck and a fair wind will get us so far and maybe produce another PO challenge but that relies on many things going our way whilst taking on fallen giants with huge parachutes coming out of the skies, mid-table Championship is brilliant but I reckon MB and co still want more.
