Pursuit Sports: TFG's new vehicle for their 'soccer' clubs

The Friedkin Group hire ex-FSG chief to lead new US company Everton will be a part of

Being thankful for small mercies, I’d say that would be a massive win for us!

“These sports teams have souls you really need to nurture” Fucking hell Beeston, do you actually know who you’re talking to and who you’re talking about🤦‍♂️

As for nurturing the souls of the clubs, he seems to be saying that they know they’re outsiders and are only stewards of Everton. We are the soul of the club, and that should be nurtured. What else would you want to hear?

Tony #2, I think he does know who he's talking to and about, and is expressing TFG's sense of responsibility to them.

So before they have made any real key strategic decisions they are telling us that we know that we might not be happy with them Michael?

I didn’t read it like you Jonathan, because even through the bad times, I have always believed that Everton, have always been an English institution because of our longevity, and I genuinely believe that the last thing that needs nurturing at Everton, is our great fanbase.

So he’s telling his new bosses that they have a lot of responsibility towards the fans Mike?

Time will tell if TFG are the answer but they are surely a big improvement on what went before.

They've put separate boards in each club to run them separately and now they have put top layer oversight in place to run their sporting businesses.

So TFG are removed from direct involvement, which should avoid a Crystal Palace type scenario when we qualify for Europe.

If they are seeking to take on an NFL team, then don't be surprised to see that appear at the new stadium, despite Tottenham and Wembley's monopoly on that to date.

As for soul. There is only one group that owns the rights to the soul of Everton and that is us. We've lived and breathed it since before we can remember. As Tony says in a different way, get to know your audience and be careful what you say and how you say it. As much as we support to the hilt, we can be an unforgiving bunch.

We may be grateful for the investment, but scars run deep and a combination of the last nearly 40 years, plus being a deep rooted traditional fan base doesn't mean we will be bowled over with buzz words. We will judge on actions.

Always finish on.a positive. The change we've wanted for years is happening, so I hope he comes in and lives by his words.

It will be a very different Everton, but we, the supporters, won't lose our heart and soul.

Incidentally, Beeston is very highly regarded in the industry. He's a former key executive of RS owners Fenway Sports Group, where for 12 years he oversaw their commercial ventures, generating the kind of cross-sponsorship revenues we'd love to see at Everton:

“One of the companies I oversaw by the end of my tenure was Fenway Sports Management, which was selling sponsorships for the Red Sox, NESN (that's New England Sports Network, where I once did freelance work), Liverpool, [Pittsburgh] Penguins, PGA Tour, Boston Common Golf. The more you can scale that, it doesn’t sacrifice anything, because it drives incremental revenue.”

In regards to ManUre I thought that was the Leprechaun's only adventure in to footie, Not sure about Buehly though, cheers

It’s only words, and you only have to read the first few views on this thread to realise that a lot of us take what has been said, differently.

Maybe not everyone, maybe just me, but because I have always felt that most people in football, just pay lip service, then when they don’t, I tend to look into things that little bit more.

The article isn’t even about Everton, (we are still waiting patiently for TFG’S real plans, imo) it’s about our owners forming a new company in the USA, to bring together their sporting assets.

Truthfully there’s a focus on the next thing they do - in North America and not soccer would be his guess. Even though they want to be where the eyeballs are?

The premier league is the biggest football league in the world, so if they want to be where the eyeballs are, then hopefully they concentrate on getting Everton, into the champions league!

That’s good, stop worrying everyone, because although they are very, very quiet, my new bosses know exactly what they have got to do?

Sometimes it’s better saying nothing, but as I have said, the only real connection to Everton football club, in this article, is the forming of a new company, even though we already belong to TFG, anyway

It’s just that when I read the words; these sports teams have souls you really need to nurture, then it doesn’t make any real sense to me.

If I’m being honest it sounds like he his talking absolute shite, trying to convince others that they just have to nurture our soul.🤷‍♂️

The last thing anyone needs to do to an Evertonian, is nurture their soul, and I’m sure even Liverpool fans would tell you this, if they were being honest

They are the custodians. We are the constant.

I get where Tony is coming from. We don't need telling us to nurture our soul. There is a fine balance between recognition, praise and being patronising.

I don't need reminding me of my Everton soul. I think my Dad sold that to the club the day I was born.

We are a very demanding support-base and rightly so. One that for generations like mine has been hurting for decades. It has made us very protective and suspicious about something that is ours.

We have been seriously let down but won't let go. We never will.

The younger ones embarrass me with their persistence and ability to keep going. I'm looking forward to a brighter future for those younger generations. They deserve it more than me.

To finish, I don.t mind a bit of corporate talk. We've needed it for years, and to be run professionally. But I would just be careful as to how they communicate with a lot of our traditional support base.

They need to understand Everton and Evertonians.

A bit of a ramble, but I hope it makes a bit of sense.

Wenger probably tapped into French players because he was French, but they produce a lot of very powerful physical footballers, and this is definitely one of the major attributes required to play in the very physically demanding EPL.

He looks alright to me Jake, definitely much better than the 777 Dude, who loved his baseball caps

Ian and Danny, the Friedkins bought out the remnants of AS Cannes a couple of years ago, almost a decade after the club's financial collapse. It's just a fourth-tier club now, although they did reach the semis of the French Cup this year.

Dan Friedkin goes way back in Cannes. His movies have been big winners at the Film Festival. Not a wild speculation to guess that's how he got acquainted with the club.

We probably got a bit carried away on words. A way of describing it is that we won't give our trust away, until. well, we trust. After what we've been through, that may take time.

Mike @ 25, thank you for that. It makes sense now given Dan Friedkin's connection with the film industry. He flew a Spitfire in the film (movie) Dunkirk right?

Hopefully though, whatever he does will be good for Everton.