From Sharp's success to SEGA's stumble: The Journey of Japanese Investment in the Premier League

Source: Daily Mail

The 1980’s -2000 was the decade of major development in business and a jolly good time for the global economy. Advancement in technology all over the world and the rise of the brilliant minds of the far east countries many Japan played a pivotal role in the economic boom in all major business sectors, even in the commercially developing football leagues in Europe, many the Premier League and La Liga.

Japan in the 1980’s was booming many new industries coming up and new innovations, gizmo’s and gadgets were introduced to the world. Many companies were willing to invest in the Silicon Valley’s newest competitor and the major Japanese giants like Sony, Toyota, Fuji, Panasonic, Sharp Electronics and Canon were looking to tie up with foreign companies to build and increase the global brand exposure. English football was and still is a popular hub for these companies. One such example is the relationship of Sharp Electronics and Manchester United.

Sharp was United’s first ever shirt sponsor from 1983 – 2000, one of Sharp’s lengthiest Sponsorship deal till lasting 17 years and during the era when United won 7 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups, 1 League Cup, One UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup (Now known as the UEFA Super Cup) and 1 UEFA Champions League.

Source: MEN

After Renaming in 1970, Sharp launched the first ever LCD calculator and went on to build to design and manufacture radio’s, TV sets and other small electronical devices until it set sights on the English footballing market to get global traction and brand exposure with one of the most successful and historic clubs in Europe. In 1983, Sharp signed a deal with English giants Manchester United in a deal to make them the club’s first shirt sponsor and kick started a new era of global brand endorsements in English football. The deal for an initial 5-year period for 500,000 pounds. The amount was a big sum back in the day but a rather small sum in today’s footballing world as it would technically be as much as Alexis Sanchez’s weekly wages including bonuses and other amenities. Sharp had a successful promotion of their goods being part of a trophy winning side which saw global icons grace and hold their products a grand photo shoot with the likes of Denis Irwin and then manager Ron Atkinson endorsing the Japanese companies range of products likes calculators, radio sets, printers and small generation 1 computers and tv sets.

Due lack of technological advancements there were not many specialised advertisements and hoardings per say but in their starting kit in the 1982-83 season had Sharp Electronics printed. A smart move by a marketer which would help understand the brand objective and recognition. The company were new in the global market, not many people knew that they were an electronics company. Sharp Electronics made a clear motive in a marketing point of view. Gradually moving on to only Sharp when their brand became recognised in the late 1980’s and once they became a household name in England, Sharp decided to endorse their latest product of a Viewcam which debuted in 1993 in their famous black kit printed Sharp ViewCam all the way to 1997. They switched back to Sharp till 2000 and had a massive increase in shirt sales in the treble season of 1998/99 especially their Champions League winning red kit and the famous Adidas blue kit which was more of a trending fashion statement back in the day with every massive United fan owning the kit worn during the FA Cup final. Sharp also had a very famous controversial kit of the infamous grey kit during the match against Southampton in which United wore their grey Sharp ViewCam kit which was coinciding with Southampton’s home kit which caused too much confusion and Sir Alex made them change during half time into their blue and white strips kit.

Source: Squaka

Sharp had a competition in the English Premier League with Japanese Electronics company, JVC. JVC was Arsenal’s kit sponsor from 1981-1999. Although they were two years before Sharp and one of the first Japanese companies to invest in English football, Sharp was relatively stronger in a brand positioning and marketability point of view, as United won more trophies in that period and Arsenal were a lesser know club back then. Adidas, Arsenal’s kit sponsors during that time and produced some exceptional kits, especially their famous yellow JVC kit and their stripped blue kit. 

Although, we can never judge a book by its cover. As soon after Arsenal’s deal with JVC came to an end, one more Japanese company SEGA, all geared up and ready to invest in Arsenal. It wasn’t as it planed out for the video game giant. SEGA had launched its newest console the Dreamcast one of the 6^th generation console. The Japanese forked out a massive 100 million in their marketing budget but, could grow the hype. SEGA signed a deal with Arsenal with their latest Dreamcast logo on Arsenal’s original home kit and the SEGA logo on their yellow kit. But, SEGA’s rival, Sony had just launched its own PlayStation 2 console during that time frame and sales in England were off the charts. There was so much demand for the much advanced, both quality and quantity wise that Sony brushed past its competition leaving SEGA into losses. The aftermath caused SEGA to become extinct in the video games market and made it a thing of the history books. SEGA didn’t extend their deal with the Gunners and was forced to cancel its contract with other European clubs like Sampdoria. The heavy investment in Arsenal and very less return on investment and lack of sales forced SEGA to exit the console market thereafter.

Source: Getty Images

A successful time with Sharp, JVC and an unsuccessful one with SEGA in the 1990’s has still seen increase in Japanese interest in the English football market with the likes of Yokohama tires signing a multimillion-pound long term deal with Chelsea becoming their shirt sponsor by signing a major 200-million-pound deal with Chelsea roughly estimating to 40 million a year for 5 years in 2015. The deal the second highest earning per year, only behind Manchester United who are on top with the 53 million a year deal with American car tycoon, Chevrolet.

Nissan, a major player in the Japanese car industry and in the world, partnering up with the Premier League and become the official sponsors of the Sky Sports Premier League covering all the weekend action, previews, reviews, statistics. It was a masterstroke by the brand by promoting the newly built partnership with videos of enthusiastic football fans in UK rushing room to catch the weekends games in the newly launched Nissan vehicle.

Source: Sky Sports

There hasn’t been a big Japanese player in the Premier in recent times but still the likes of Manchester United have kept faith in small and upcoming Japanese companies like Yanmar who are the Red Devils Official Tractor partner, yes you heard right! Yanmar have launched a new tractor naming it after United and it is also used to maintain the grounds of Old Trafford

Solskjaer the lifeline for Timothy Fosu-Mensah?

Manchester United have found their winning form after the appointed of Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, winning 4 games in a row bring attacking and attractive football back at the famous pitch of Old Trafford. With the January transfer window up and running, it will be interesting to see the clubs transfer activity with an interim coach appointed. But the club could benefit with one possible transfer activity.

Chelsea have kick started the winter window by securing the services of Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic for 57 million, who will subsequently join the Blue’s in June as he has been loaned back to the German side for the remainder of the season. Chelsea are also looking to trim their squad by offloading veteran English defender Gary Cahill who is a major target for Fulham who are looking to bolster their defence by adding some experience in a new looking Claudio Ranieri set up. Fulham on the hand, are willing to part ways with full back Tim Fosu-Mensah to make space for Cahill. Fosu-Mensah had been loaned by Mourinho to give him valuable experience in the Premier League but the Netherlands youngster has been restricted to only 9 appearances this season followed by a string of loses for the newly promoted side. But if this deal goes through, it would be a blessing for Ole, the fans and the club should their academy graduate return.

United still have a fluctuating defence and more in the right back area. Valencia will still remain the club’s captain even though he is linked with a move to Inter Milan willing to sign him on a free in the summer. Valencia, 33 is slowing down in pace and technicality and doesn’t provide the required output in the form of crosses inside the box and attacking runs. Dalot looks like a long-term successor and with the questions of his future and productivity in question, Fosu-Mensah would be a valuable asset to the squad.

Ole expressed his desire to give more minutes to youth and has already given first team debuts to two of the academy’s brightest talents, Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes, also including the likes of James Garner in the match day squad. He refused to loan out these talented players by giving them more first team exposure certainly is continuing the club’s age-old tradition of youth development.

Ole has adopted a fan favourite game play of high-octane attacking football in which the players fight for the ball, apply pressure on the opposition and creating many chances via wings. His game is highly dependant on the movement of Pogba and the attackers, allowing them to roam free through the middle and letting the full backs make forward runs and cut inside to supply crosses. The perfect game plan for the likes of Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot who are strong, quick and brilliant crossers pf the ball. We have also witnessed the likes of Lindelof and Jones turning into ball playing centre backs who push into the midfield and supply passes. Lindelof usually sets up passes in the middle of the park and initiate quick counters and scoring chances. But, the likes of Valencia and Young have seemed to have struggled in this kind of set-up mainly pertaining to their age as both of them are over 33 and do not have the speed, stamina and crossing ability left in them and can’t compete against the better full backs in the modern game. It is no doubt that the likes of Dalot, Shaw and Fosu-Mensah are better solution.

Fosu-Mensah is 21 and is still maturing. He showed immense potential when Louis Van Gaal handed him his senior debut 4 years back and since then has become out of favour for Mourinho and an unavailable option for Solksjaer due to his loan. Should his loan be terminated, he would welcome him with open arms. Tim is a versatile defender who has the body and technical ability to slot into midfield if needed. He is strong, fast and can make attacking runs by pushing his way through like a bulldozer. A strong and thunderous right back has been missing for a couple of seasons and Fosu-Mensah would flourish in Ole’s set-up as it is his natural game play. He also has a great defensive output and can make strong tackles but during his time at Fulham he conceded many fouls in crucial areas of the pitch which threatened his side defensively. Averaging over 67 touches per 90 and winning 46% of his tackles per game, Tim has a decent stat record for a player who hasn’t got enough chances to impress. His stand-out negative is his fouls. He averages 1.12 fouls per game and already has had 3 yellow cards in his 8 appearances for Fulham this year.

Given these stats, there is definitely room for improvement as he is still young and given, he is an academy graduate, problems at right back and Ole’s faith in the youth and academy, Fosu-Mensah has a great opportunity ahead of him should Gary Cahill switch to Fulham.

The perfect example for him are Trent Alexander-Arnold who regardless of his weak physique consolidated the right back spot at Liverpool becoming one their key players within a year and helping them reach the Champions League final. Also, Aaron Wan Bissaka who was promoted to the senior side at Crystal Palace and immediately made an impact. Consistent run games just made them better.

Given United’s current situation, giving Tim Fosu-Mensah a go in the second half of the season would ease the pressure off Valencia and provide healthy competition for Dalot and provide cover for other defensive areas of the defensive or midfield should the need arise as he is a rare gem possessing a versatile quality of playing in multiple areas of the pitch and is a very good ball player and dribbler of the ball. United could very well use his skill of bulldozing his way through the right flank and continue Ole’s new style of dynamic free flowing football.

Fosu-Mensah however will not be a regular starting option for the squad given his lack of experience and it is most definite that United will be in the market for a highly rated right back in the summer as Matteo Darmian’s future looks uncertain and Valencia should be shown the exit door no matter who takes the reigns permanently.

Claudio Ranieri has stated that Fosu-Mensah can return to Manchester United if they want him, but nobody can deny that the real reason would be because of their own transfer agenda! The youngster is also highly rated in his homeland with many Dutch pundits like Van Gaal and Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman who highly regard him, with the later saying that the player should get more opportunities to play to get into the national side, a new looking youthful side showing signs of the glory days with stars like Depay, De Jong, Van Dijk, Promes, De Ligt ect.

Fosu-Mensah really deserves chances in the top flight and with the right team and under an attacking manager, the club shouldn’t waste time and recall to the place he rightfully belongs, home, Old Trafford!

Where is the FOOTBALL in Manchester United Football Club.

With the international break currently ongoing, Manchester United and Jose Mourinho are trying to salvage most of their time to rebuild themselves. The club’s gradually making wholesale behind the scenes changing and reporting trying to plan for life post Mourinho who time at the club may have gotten shorter with the series of losses, draws and near scrape victories and numerous bust-ups with senior players, club officials and of course, the media.

The manager faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford and reports suggest that the club are searching for a potential successor in the international break. With training ground disputes, questionable on pitch decisions which don’t make sense, no team structure and no club structure, United are in the current state of limbo where the hierarchy consisting of the rich Glazer family and the chief executive, Ed Woodward controlling the club like a business rather than a world class footballing family with the football part just run on its own with no proper communication between the manager and a club hierarchy with footballing knowledge. We are not far away from that time when the club may follow the footsteps of the likes of Chelsea who sack their manager every 2^nd or 3^rd season. Some may argue at least they won titles. No one of the main reasons was that there was at least some footballing know how in the club with Michael Emenalo and Marina Granovskaia controlling the transfers, football operations and maintaining the core values and style of the club.

United for 26 years didn’t require a technical director with Sir Alex around as he created the values of the club. His leadership qualities and ideologies didn’t require an upper hand as he created all the ethos of the club and understood the need for the importance of youth which Sir Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy created at the club. The Glazers were busy securing sponsors during Sir Alex’s final season and didn’t seem to think about life after him and who would run the club after the man spearheading the football operations and managing the team retires. There was no one to stop David Moyes who was busy targeting the likes of Phil Jagielka and Marouane Fellaini. The club didn’t try to sign Toni Kroos as the Glazers knew that Moyes would work under a budget and spent the money on who knows what and numerous sponsors after that.

They knew that Mourinho has a history of authority issues in his previous jobs and signed him. It was a good decision but they knew that Mourinho is a winner because he got what he needed always, financial backing and to get the player he requires. Mkhitarayan, Zlatan, Pogba and Bailly in the first season won them the Europa and EFL Cup but, Lukaku, Lindelof and Matic couldn’t do the trick in the second year as United missed out on Perisic as the club refused to play few extra million, failed to sign Bale and didn’t get a left back and a quality and experienced centre back for two whole seasons. There is no stability as the manager asks for targets suiting his defensive style and knowing Mourinho is not a fan of youth and attacking football, he prefers experience and the heads prefer youth because of their marketability and not their skill as there is no one to tell the manager as there no Director of Football. There is always going to be a clash of ideologies where in the club owners don’t even have a footballing ideology.

Mourinho is free to play his own style of defensive football because there is no footballing brain in the club to keep an eye on him and the owners don’t financially back the manager as they don’t believe it makes sense via a business point of view and don’t know the main footballing point of view as there is no one to tell them and the manager is always under fire when the club haven’t supported him at all and don’t understand the football behind Manchester United FOOTBALL Club.

Mourinho is also to blame in all this mess as he is taking all the frustration out on the pitch on all the players making amends with what he has with him. Playing Scott McTominay in defence, playing strength and defensive players like Fellaini, Matic and Herrera who slow the game down, wherein United have a history of fast and high-octane attacking game play. No doubt Mourinho is a great manager, but he will continue playing his ‘Dinosaur’ football when there is no one to stop him. For three whole seasons, United haven’t got a solid defensive pairing and still haven’t. Eric Bailly arguably the clubs best centre back is not being selected and being substituted off in hardly 20 minutes. There is no stability in defence and Mourinho is tying to add salt in wounds as he wasn’t given proper medication to treat the wounds in the form of an experienced centre back and a world class right winger and attacking midfielder. Playing Sanchez in the wrong position and public criticism of Pogba is the definition of playing the Jose way and the not United way.

Mourinho is a serial winner and I will support him to till the end. Not suggesting that United should sack Mourinho, but saying that given the state of things and without a Director of Football United aren’t winning a major title. These constant disputes with the board and clash of ‘Ideologies’ aren’t going to get the club anywhere even if they have of the best managers on the planet and not even backing him via the footballing point of view. Mourinho will not be able to mentally do his job properly and take his anger out in the ways we are currently seeing as he has lost the confidence of senior members of the squad already. He is unintentionally harming the club’s reputation, stature, image and values all because of an ignorant board and no footballing mind to look after him.

Not saying that United should sack Mourinho, sacking him will not make sense as the same situation is going to happen with the next and then the next and then the next manager who takes charge. But given the current situation it would be the best for the club would be to appoint a Director of Football before January as he who knows the values of the club could reduce the burden and guide Jose so that he can plan for the future. But given the attitude of the board, fixtures against Chelsea and Juventus would make or break Jose’s United future which is not looking good for him. He is a helpless man as he hasn’t got the backing and due to the board’s negligence Jose would be sent packing just to cover the Glazers tracks. A technical director would instil attacking football into the club which how much Jose tries he isn’t going to be capable as it is nit his style.

United are not a modern FOOTBALL club and not a stable club, they should follow the examples of the likes of Inter Milan, Ajax and Roma who have former player who know the values of the club are successful due to the same season as the values of the club are in place and implemented. I won’t mind an attacking minded manager, but no sense of him unless a Director of Football is hired who would select the best candidate for the job. As of now, Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United may be coming to an end. But, in Jose I trust till the end!

A new chapter for our International Reds.

The Premier League has finally kicked off and we have experienced four game weeks pass by. Manchester United have had a relatively slow and bad start based on the competition in the league, winning two and losing two. But, the fans have been given some positive news regarding Jose’s adoption of attacking football and his love for the fans. Attacking mentality may not have been fully established under Mourinho but, the signs are positive.

With the completion of 4 game weeks, it is time for the International break where the reds will go on abroad to represent their national sides right after the World Cup in Russia. This time instead of playing in dull meaningless international friendlies many reds will feature in the newly created UEFA Nations League, an international competition where all 55 UEFA member nations will be drawn into leagues as per their official rankings. They will then be drawn into groups in which they will internally compete and try to reach the knock-out rounds. Don’t think it as another time killing competition, the results of the Nations League will have a direct impact on the qualifications for Euro 2020.

Let’s look at the various reds who have been called up for international duty and when are their fixtures.

England:

Phil Jones has been omitted from the squad and so has Ashley Young. Both of them were in the World Cup squad. Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard retain their spots in Gareth Southgate’s team. Luke Shaw has caught the eye of Southgate and has replaced fellow team mate Young on both club and international level. It is a great chance for Shaw to impress right after splendid performances for United and also winning the player of the month award. England take on Spain on 9^th September in the Nations League and then take on Switzerland in a friendly on the 12^th

.

France:

Paul Pogba has been retained in the French national team. The World Cup winners take on Germany in the Nations League on 7^th September followed by hosting Netherlands on 10^th of September. Anthony Martial misses out on the squad once again.

Belgium:

Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini retain their place in Roberto Martinez’s Belgium squad. Belgium take on Iceland on 12^th September after a trip to Scotland on the 8^th.

Brazil:

New signing Fred, has been retained into the Brazil squad to face USA on 8^th September in an international friendly followed by a match against El Salvador on the 12^th. Andreas Pereira is expected to make his international debut for Brazil after selecting Brazil as his national team instead of Belgium.

Spain:

David De Gea is retained in Spain’s national side to face England in a crunch Nations League fixture on 9^th September followed by one more tough fixture against Croatia on the 12^th.  Herrera and Mata miss out.

Sweden:

Victor Lindelof is selected to represent Sweden in the Nations League fixture against Turkey on the 9^th of September and a trip to Austria before that.

Serbia:

Nemanja Matic is retained in the Serbian national side in the Nations League against Lithuania on 8^th of September followed by a fixture against Romania on the 11^th.

Scotland:

Scott McTominay is selected by the Scottish FA to play in the Nations League against Albania on 11^th September after an international friendly against Belgium on the 8^th.

Notable Absentee’s:

Alexis Sanchez was selected for the Chilean national team but the player requested that his name be removed as he wants to stay back in Manchester and improve his game. Sergio Romero and Marcos Rojo haven’t been selected for Argentina due to injury. Antonio Valencia also hasn’t been risked by Ecuador. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Ashley Young miss out on the England squad. Anthony Martial is also ignored in the French national side. Ander Herrera and Juan Mata haven’t been selected for Spain. Matteo Darmian has been excluded from the Italian national team and Eric Bailly hasn’t got any fixtures with Ivory Coast, so he stays in Manchester.