HOLLYWOOD BY A DIFFERENT NAME – PART 2
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Mark Palios , being questioned by Ally McCoist and Jeff Stelling on TalkSPORT .
HOLLYWOOD BY A DIFFERENT NAME – PART 2
Martyn Best , our inside man and Associate Director at Tranmere Rovers Football Club , looks at football club ownership .
I truly do not know .
I don ’ t always have the inside track , and so , the following observations are purely personal views based on what has been publicly declared , and like our readers I was fascinated to see the Tranmere Rovers ’ Chairman Mark Palios on TalkSPORT recently sharing his own perspectives .
Mark was answering the rumours put to him by Jeff Stelling and Ally McCoist on whether the globally influential rapper A $ AP Rocky , and by implication , his girlfriend and mother of his two children , the world-famous singer and entertainer Rihanna were part of a consortium about to invest in the Club .
Mark , like the skilful , attacking midfielder he once was , danced around the looming tackles of the radio personalities , and highlighted the fairly obvious rationale of a football club owner and what should be their strategic aim to secure the long-term viability and ambitious future for any club .
There was clear excitement in the discussion , and the rumours had even made a top story in The Times the previous day with comparisons being made to the recent investments in other football clubs by high profile celebrities . The positive influence of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at neighbours and rivals Wrexham was highlighted , as was NFL star Tom Brady ’ s investment at Birmingham City .
We have all seen the hugely beneficial impact that the Hollywood and Disney + involvement at Wrexham has had , with two successive promotions and the club currently vying for further promotion to the Championship , just one amazing step from the Premier League . We ’ ve all been captivated by the Welcome to Wrexham documentary and the joyful insights we have seen of their journey over the last three years , and I ’ d like to think that a similar journey for Tranmere would be very welcomed by the fans .
It is indeed fascinating to see all sorts of crossovers of interest between different sports , and sports owners ’ interests , and we can see across the river , what huge impact the Fenway Sports Group , originally owners of a famous American baseball club , the Boston Red Sox has had on Liverpool Football Club .
In terms of music stars owning football clubs , that also has a long tradition , and what about Elton John ’ s hugely emotional success with Watford , and it was a little bit funny that they lost in the 1984 FA Cup Final to the other club from across the Mersey , Everton . So , could Tranmere maintain the exotic path that Merseyside clubs have shared and experienced ?
Rumour , speculation and perhaps even hope , rarely beat the truth , and it will be fascinating to see what happens and when .
Mark did give a tantalising response to Sky TV reporters and when asked , “ Do you have a timeline for this ?” his rather intriguing reply was “ ASAP ” with a very cryptic twinkle in his eye .
As for me , well whatever the outcome , we can only Praise the Lord that everyday is a Tranmere day , and while we know that most days on Birkenhead it rains , it pours , we also know who has an umbrella .
( The views expressed by the writer are entirely personal and do not represent , nor does he hold them to be representative of the Club – but what fun that journey might be ?)
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