Redknapp's dig at foreign owners but praises Abramovich

There is an article published in the Daily Telegraph yesterday featuring an interview with Harry Redknapp. The interview refers to the situation at Liverpool and the new American owners coming in. While Redknapp uses the situation as an example of how things have gone wrong there, he also has time to praise Roman Abramovich and how he "loves it at Chelsea". He said:

"The new people are not buying Liverpool because they love Liverpool, As little kids I don't think they used to watch Liverpool play and had Liverpool pillow cases and duvet cases. They see Liverpool as a club they can make a few quid out of. I don't agree with it, I think it's sad.

I was glad when I saw Sheffield Wednesday was about to be bought, it's a great club, fantastic support, but they've been bought by a Middle East consortium and that's how it's gone, it's all changed. It's good for the club but you wonder where it's all going to finish.

It's been great for clubs like Chelsea. [Roman] Abramovich has done a great job there, he's taken them to another level, he loves it and lives for football, he's there every week and it's his life. But for other clubs you end up with a situation like at Liverpool, where it hasn't worked out.

A foreign owner could argue that there's more fans around the world than there is in their own place, I think we could go way down the line, when we play multiple games abroad.

We've got the NFL coming to London again shortly. Who would have thought they would have to come over and play at Wembley? But if there's money in it, if there's millions of pounds to take the team to Texas, or to Russia, or Hong Kong, China, Japan, it will happen.

The time of the British owners is disappearing fast. I don't know when it could happen, probably not in my time as a coach. But the day when a guy like Reg Pratt buys West Ham, a man who had a wood yard in Wanstead and loved the club, is over. Now it's all about investment."

I have to agree with Redknapp and the more and more I think about it he is dead right about Roman isn't he. He is totally passionate about the game and Chelsea. He will be there jumping about and heading every ball in his seat in his box at the Bridge and all the away games he attends.

It's a shame there aren't many more people who are buying these clubs like Roman. His passion for the game is the difference.

KTBFFH