Sorry CraigDS, let me rephrase that, wouldn't a 10% commercial investment have an impact on the owners long-term commitment to the club?
It has as much impact as giving a couple of % to LeBron had - none.
How would a £100m, for example, short-term injection strengthen the long-term? Do you think they would use it to cover expansion costs and players investment short-term for a 10% commercial loss long-term?
He specifically mentioned it with regards to a naming rights partner, so I'd assume it would be used to pay for the expansion, which in turn allows all the added revenue to be spent on players/wages sooner.
It's impossible to say if its worth it for them without knowing the figures, but there are obviously situations where it is because that's why they're seeing it as an option.
Also, I respect your posts in the accountancy threads, do you think a 10% fan based investment could work in some form?
I don't see a minority fan ownership having much chance of working, I think there would be a hell of a lot of friction between what a minority fan ownership wants and what a business owner wants. I'm not sure that friction would be beneficial to anyone in the long run.
Could fan ownership work fully? Yeah sure. It could work along the lines of Bayern with a mix of fan and commercial partners. I think we had the chance of that though and the fans couldn't make it happen even at a critical time.