Hasta la victoria siempre

You know, if this rampaging fiasco at our beloved club weren't so worrying and serious, it has real possibilities of developing into a masterpiece of Machiavellian intrigue. Every day it has more twists and turns than a John Le Carre novel. Tinker, Tailor has nothing on this! I think at some future time, when the full story is out, someone might make themselves very rich indeed on exposing the true nature of the likely gut wrenching and mind boggling plot. Steve Tucker are you up for it?

However, the more one tries to unravel this disturbing but fascinating story, the more sinister the possible ramifications may be in some maybe, not too distant future. Chris Saunders' excellent article on the nature of Malaysian, and in particular, Chinese Malaysian business culture powerfully illustrates important differences in what fundamentally constitutes right and wrong between our own cultural beliefs. It is clear their unpalatable disregard for lower status people thankfully does not chime with our own. But the crazy ego boosting obsessions and ruthless, selfish drives of these Asian businessmen make for unexpected challenges to institutions we hold dear when they cast their steely, acquisitive eyes upon our shores.

Why am I saying all this? Well, I kick myself for this but like many of us I was taken in my Vincent Tan's overtures offering us a new dawn of prosperity and success. Before the rebranding, with hindsight, completely naively, I was lured into it, hook, line and sinker. Despite subsequently being upset and saddened at the change of colour, I reluctantly went along with it to the extent of continuing to attend matches, albeit steadfastly refusing to wear any red. At the time, perhaps entirely, selfishly, I decided to watch my club, despite deep down, it was drifting away from me and, as opposed to boycotting. Now at this time, I understand how brave and wise the guys who decided to boycott really were, and how proud we should be of each and every one. The onslaught on our cherished club continues apace.

So where could this all end? I give you a possible nightmare scenario. Ok many of you might say I'm being OTT and absurdly alarmist about this. However, think of the franchise system in USA sport and how that has been allowed to develop in the home of the free market panacea. If a club in say Wichita does not make the required profit, next season it could find itself resurrected in say, Atlanta. One year the Saganaw Red Sox, Tuscon Buccaneers the next.

So thankfully I hear you say, that sort of think couldn't happen right here. Ok maybe you're right, but for how long? I'm sure there's not one of us here who has by now not been disabused of the naive notion of the wise, kindly guardians of our game protecting all our interests. All of us have been taken in by the ckever marketing people setting up this system which demands ever increasing masses of money to be injected into the game. And for what purpose? Well to constantly line their pockets of course, silly!!! Aren't they all just like all the greedy poiticians we were once fool enough to entrust with our destinies. All caught with their pants down, with their fingers trapped in the till.

So given this new challenge in unchartered territories we have on our hands with these thrusting, bigotted, greedy, ego obsessed, rich and ruthless breed of Asian Tiger with enough money on their hands to buy out the principles of even the most scrupulously traditional minded, Football boss, I give you a possible frightening scenario, and a glimpse of the endgame for us:

The Kuala Lumpur Dragons FC Football franchise. It plays in red and has one of its bases in Sarajevo. Its other European base is in Cardiff UK. It is reported the Premier League, in recognition of Mr Tan's generosity, has agreed that as an experiment 2 of the club's home fixtures next season shall be played at Mr. Tan's impressive new 100,000 seater Berjaya Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, and depending on its success, many more home games could be played in Malaysia in future seasons.

I tell you selling our souls for three pieces of gold and losing our identity as a result might only be the beginning. We all must fight this evil injustice as one!

That is outrageous

Got an agenda have you butt?

Well spotted Clambake; I guess the title says it all!

Merry Christmas to you and yours, and to Grumpyguts too; and to everyone else who contributes on this forum, be they red or blue.