http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3631400,00.html
It’s not very often that I read anything on the official site, as everything on there is usually a load of contrived hype that I don’t have the slightest interest in, but this headline caught my eye and I couldn’t resist having a look.
It transpires that we have 100,000 followers on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter after only two months.
Now while that figure is dwarfed by Manchester United, with figures of around twelve and and a half million, they’ve been playing this game much longer than us.
When you consider Uncle Herb reckoned we had 250,000 supporters around the world a few years back, this is an astonishing number.
It just goes to show how big the interest is in a country that has a population many tens the size of the UK. Indeed, aren’t a quarter of the world’s entire population Chinese?
I proposed a long while back that we ought to be tapping the Indian market, but the response was at best lukewarm, which is fair enough.
I can understand that many people want to keep the game as British as possible, let alone European and even worse, global.
But if we think like that, we’re going to be missing a trick, in my opinion.
The top clubs will look to tap every possible market, which will give them an edge.
Having seen the interest, we really ought to spend a few quid and do some serious promotion and scouting in the far east, I reckon.
Even though footy isn’t a major thing over there yet, the law of averages says there has to be some top players that are undiscovered.
Then again, the club won’t pay the going rate for players as it is, so what I’m saying is probably pie in the sky.
It’s just a thought.
We probably do have to do something like that if we want to be competitive.
I’m just a go down the match, meet my mates and have a beer after man. Villa’s marketing is better than it has ever been, other than the team.
Imo the best way to stir interest would be to sign one or maybe a couple of Chinese players (according to wiki there are only 4 in the EPL at present) and perhaps WU LEI: “CHINA’S MARADONA” might not be a bad call.
Valued at (according to transfermarkt.co) £700,000, small change in todays terms and apparently he’s a top star in China so his signing would really put us on the map over there. All that priceless publicity for £700,000? Bargain.
You know BWS not a bad idea, 25 years ago my lad broke into the Chinese market and got a government industrial official over to see his factory, my lad went over to theirs, they asked him then why don’t Aston Villa sell themselves as Man Utd was a big name then, I rang the Villa as I did work then for them, and you know what they laughed at it, but as you know that was in the reign of Stride and co, today he deals all over China. They had that chance and missed it years ago.
Sounds like their short sightedness and lack of vision cost them dear, they could have been way ahead of the game had they took notice at the time.
This WU LEI fella, at that sort of money what’s to lose? And as I posted above the free publicity linked to any deal would make it cost neutral(ish).
I think its more Club PR bullshit, do they expect us to believe we rank higher than any of the following, Juventus, Milan, Roma, Barca, Madrid, Ajax, Bayern, Feyonord, Dortmand, Paris, Monaco, Boca Juniors, Corinthians let alone Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool. We need to stop believing this PR crap or we will all go mad and start thinking we are still in a season of transition.
Lol Bill. Did your lad get arrested when ‘he broke into the Chinese market’? 🙂
Good one Langford, hey he did in one of their planes, the wheel fell off a plane that took off in front of him, nobody on the plane spoke English and the bloody thing was flying round and round the tower all had not yellow but white faces, and my lad didn’t know what was going on . After a hour and landing swore that’s the last time in a Chinese plane,
Lol…bill. I broke into the flower market once…came out smelling of roses! 🙂
You’lr never take me arive croper!
Rain wooney signs for Villa…its all chinese to me! 🙂
well its Chinese for me this weekend 🙂 my Malaysian chow mein ~ its a must if u aven’t tried it ~ keep the feel good factor guys ~ no game until baggies come 2 town ~ i watched them against everton, they are a team on the down grade shame really but i hope our guys smell blood NO MERCY
I’m bored. What’s happening? Any transfers in?
Seems Fulham might go up against us for Hoolahan.
And they can outbid us 🙁
That’ll be interesting, as it seems Hoolahan wants to work under Lambert, but Norwich don’t want to do business with him.
Jeez I would be embarrassed if I was paid to put that crap on the OS, desperate or what ?
Who gives a fuck what people all the other side of the world think who will never see a game live and probably changing quickly from being Man yoo fans to Man Citeh fans.