Simon Jordan

“I sat in Football League meetings for far longer than I wanted and listened to absolute drivel. When real reform was needed, petty nonsense was discussed.”

“I lost my club through a series of circumstances and bad luck. The whole banking system collapsing and my foolish bravery didn't help.”

“Like Brexit, Covid-19 divides opinion.”

“As an owner, you wanted your young players to flourish and be recognised by their peers. And playing at international level could also increase their value.”

“In real life I have always been a huge risk-taker, a person who believes and invests in other people's ambitions, so not quite a philanthropist, but certainly a pseudo-Renaissance man.”

“One of the biggest hypocrisies of all is the expectation of the fans themselves, demanding owners must come through the door, give them exactly what they want in terms of elite players, without caring less about who they are or where they got their money from.”

“Football is a force for good.”

“The Premier League has virtually created a wasteland outside of itself.”

“Football's got to own its own outcome and build its own platform and by becoming the Netflix of football you control your own destiny.”

“The likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram dominate every aspect of people's thinking and have in part been responsible for the election of an American President.”

“Mourinho has divided opinion since his first arrival at Chelsea in 2004. He made bold predictions and had the temerity to back them up.”

“I am a great believer in evolution.”

“Football is the only industry I know that builds in failure as part of its fibre.”

“Football has systematically refused to deal with agents. Instead of regulating them like the mid-2000s, football has loosened control over the business as even more money poured in.”

“The motivations for owning a club are varied. Ego always plays a part. Some buy them just because they can, some for the kudos and some to own an iconic British institution.”