JJ and Kealia Watt invest in Burnley FC

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Can I just go on record as saying I hate the whole bloody Hollywood Wrexham circus. I have absolutely nothing against the club, its fans and the town. They'd be getting pretty solid gates ever since they went down. They have tradition. The two Yankees who discovered the place and football haven't got a damn clue what that tradition means.

Proper League of Gentlemen Tubbs vibes!

[gandhisflipflop]

Can I just go on record as saying I hate the whole bloody Hollywood Wrexham circus. I have absolutely nothing against the club, its fans and the town. They'd be getting pretty solid gates ever since they went down. They have tradition. The two Yankees who discovered the place and football haven't got a damn clue what that tradition means.

And people like you are what’s wrong with our club and football in general

[ClaretPete001]

Give it a rest!

I actually once met Taffy at Burnley Boys Club.

He was a miserable get as well. Or at least he was that day..

Albeit to this day one of my heroes.

[jedi_master]

I think it’s brilliant that he and his Wife are seemingly having a perfectly normal night out in Burnley. He’s invested in our club, but there would be no expectation whatsoever of him having drinks in the Royal Dyche/going to the Palazzo etc. I’d just assume he’d turn up for a game and possibly stay in Manchester etc.

It might only be a little thing but actions like that as well as his social media replies to regular fans and so on show the class of this man, and also his passion and excitement for his new investment.

On the subject of Wrexham - who gives a toss how much the Americans knew before they got involved there? Wrexham we’re rapidly becoming a non-entity after almost 15 years I think outside of the league. Reynolds and Mcelhenney have transformed that clubs fortunes, brought in a whole new fanbase and proven themselves responsible and passionate stewards who have taken the sport into their hearts. Good on them.

[Taffy on the wing]

I actually once met Taffy at Burnley Boys Club.

He was a miserable get as well. Or at least he was that day..

Albeit to this day one of my heroes.

You calling anyone a miserable get.....

[Vegas Claret]

Can I just go on record as saying I hate the whole bloody Hollywood Wrexham circus. I have absolutely nothing against the club, its fans and the town. They'd be getting pretty solid gates ever since they went down. They have tradition. The two Yankees who discovered the place and football haven't got a damn clue what that tradition means.

absolute drivel,History is just that and tradition wont ever be changed because supporters don't allow it - remember Cardiff changing strip colour etc, the owner no longer is the owner. This is all about progressing clubs into this century and I for one think it's bloody fantastic

[morpheus2]

Proper League of Gentlemen Tubbs vibes!

They probably don't understand the markings on the pitch, they just see lines and lines and lines and lines and lines..

[ClaretPete001]

You calling anyone a miserable get.....

No, Taffy got the impression he was a bit fond of his own opinion not too fond of listening to anyone else's.

Just an impression as a young kid meeting his hero and being a bit taken aback by the brusque nature of the encounter.

Other people may have found him totally different of course.

[GodIsADeeJay81]

https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/16553 ... ACdjg&s=19

From what I've seen, he's poor at pulling a pint but he's determined to go back tomorrow for another crack at it

[Boss Hogg]

No, Taffy got the impression he was a bit fond of his own opinion not too fond of listening to anyone else's.

Just an impression as a young kid meeting his hero and being a bit taken aback by the brusque nature of the encounter.

Other people may have found him totally different of course.

I met him in the foundation bar. He seemed a really decent bloke and quite humble to me.

[ClaretPete001]

I met him in the foundation bar. He seemed a really decent bloke and quite humble to me.

As I say it was one day at Burnley Boy's Club. I guess some of his later media work and various spats with the club cemented the view but I don't know him and it would be churlish not to accept that on any given day we all have our moments.

I suppose he struck me as the kind of person who would say 'give it a rest' over and over on a message board.

I also had a bit of a run in with Alan Stevenson in Thompsons Centre over a table tennis incident.

Amazingly, I managed to annoy two club legends before the age of 15. Some might say unsurprisingly..

[Taffy on the wing]

No, Taffy got the impression he was a bit fond of his own opinion not too fond of listening to anyone else's.

Just an impression as a young kid meeting his hero and being a bit taken aback by the brusque nature of the encounter.

Other people may have found him totally different of course.

Mmm .......Someone fond of his own opinion?....even more than you?

He must be a complete prick.

[Vegas Claret]

get a room lads ffs

[Benson]

absolute drivel,History is just that and tradition wont ever be changed because supporters don't allow it - remember Cardiff changing strip colour etc, the owner no longer is the owner. This is all about progressing clubs into this century and I for one think it's bloody fantastic

Vincent Tan still owns Cardiff City.

[JellyBaby]

As someone who knows nothing about the NFL or women’s soccer in the US, how famous are the Watts? Who would be the equivalent?

[Big Vinny K]

As someone who knows nothing about the NFL or women’s soccer in the US, how famous are the Watts? Who would be the equivalent?

Curly and Raquel Watts

[GodIsADeeJay81]

As someone who knows nothing about the NFL or women’s soccer in the US, how famous are the Watts? Who would be the equivalent?

JJ was voted into the team of the 2010's which isn't bad seeing as he wasn't drafted until 2011.

Widely regarded as one of the best defensive linesmen of all time

It's hard to make a comparison in regards to level of fame

[JohnMac]

I can confirm that would be true.

I think I saw him before the investment story became news and I too thought he was huge!

[bfcmatt]

I actually once met Taffy at Burnley Boys Club.

He was a miserable get as well. Or at least he was that day..

Albeit to this day one of my heroes.

I met taffy when I was a ball boy in my (a lot) younger years, I remember him telling me that if we were winning that l had to walk as slow as I could to get the ball but If we were loosing I had to run for it.

[Vegas Claret]

first time I've heard him talk about part of his role being attracting new investment
https://twitter.com/BBCLancsSport/statu ... 28129?s=20

If you let the video complete it should roll to one with Kealia

[claretgoss]

first time I've heard him talk about part of his role being attracting new investment
https://twitter.com/BBCLancsSport/statu ... 28129?s=20

If you let the video complete it should roll to one with Kealia

They do both sound so genuinely excited and (pardon the pun ) invested in it all. It's great to see!

[Jellybean]

first time I've heard him talk about part of his role being attracting new investment
https://twitter.com/BBCLancsSport/statu ... 28129?s=20

If you let the video complete it should roll to one with Kealia

Thanks for sharing Vegas, sounds like the team is heading your way to continue the party!

[KateR]

As someone who knows nothing about the NFL or women’s soccer in the US, how famous are the Watts? Who would be the equivalent?

I, or the family, don't follow NFL, however living in Houston, where he is a legend and hearing about him all the time, he would be compared to Beckham IMO. While his wife is the "soccer player", she only played a few games for the USA women's team and is nowhere near as famous and couldn't be compared to Victoria B in any way shape or form! Yet, I believe she will be the one who actually gets more involved with the team, the women's team that is, than JJ will with the men's teams. However, I think they'll be much more important in the PR side of things and "selling" Burnley FC to the American public in trying to make BFC, everyone's second favorite team following AP's philosophy and raising the image of BFC in general.

[PaintYorkClaretnBlue]

I think I saw him before the investment story became news and I too thought he was huge!

The bigger they are the harder they fall! Tell him that next time you see him John

[Dougall]

As I say it was one day at Burnley Boy's Club. I guess some of his later media work and various spats with the club cemented the view but I don't know him and it would be churlish not to accept that on any given day we all have our moments.

I was at (I presume) the same event and I got the same impression. From a starting point of idolising Taffy as a hero, I left the event thinking that he was a very rude man who came across as contemptuous of Burnley fans.
For all we knew, he could have been dealing with something awful in another area of his life but his behaviour was remarkable in the context (Boys Club open day).

[aggi]

I, or the family, don't follow NFL, however living in Houston, where he is a legend and hearing about him all the time, he would be compared to Beckham IMO. While his wife is the "soccer player", she only played a few games for the USA women's team and is nowhere near as famous and couldn't be compared to Victoria B in any way shape or form! Yet, I believe she will be the one who actually gets more involved with the team, the women's team that is, than JJ will with the men's teams. However, I think they'll be much more important in the PR side of things and "selling" Burnley FC to the American public in trying to make BFC, everyone's second favorite team following AP's philosophy and raising the image of BFC in general.

I've heard the Beckham comparison a lot but I think it might be a bit of a US-centric one. Beckham is internationally famous compared to, until recently, JJ Watt bring pretty much unheard of outside the US/NFL.

[KateR]

I've heard the Beckham comparison a lot but I think it might be a bit of a US-centric one. Beckham is internationally famous compared to, until recently, JJ Watt bring pretty much unheard of outside the US/NFL.

you're probably correct but I was talking about in the US to the original question and in a way comparison to DB in the UK, although he is well know in the US for soccer fans due to his Miami involvement but JJ is far better known in the US than DB. Hope you understand what I'm trying to say, probably badly as usual!

[KRBFC]

JJ was voted into the team of the 2010's which isn't bad seeing as he wasn't drafted until 2011.

Widely regarded as one of the best defensive linesmen of all time

It's hard to make a comparison in regards to level of fame

As good as he was he played in one of the least cared about positions, DT is miserable at least the guys on the end get some credit.

[KRBFC]

I've heard the Beckham comparison a lot but I think it might be a bit of a US-centric one. Beckham is internationally famous compared to, until recently, JJ Watt bring pretty much unheard of outside the US/NFL.

Beckham is a shocking comparison, he’s not even remotely close to the fame or fortune of DB

[Vegas Claret]

Beckham is a shocking comparison, he’s not even remotely close to the fame or fortune of DB

one of the things I liked about Pace's interview yesterday was he was honest and said he had never heard of JJ because he wasn't a NFL fan. You would have needed to have lived in a cave to have not heard of Beckham BUT NFL is gigantic over here, so there is no downside for us with JJ and his Mrs

[AshevilleNCClaret]

JJ Watt was an incredible football player and will probably make the hall of fame (this is reserved for the upper echelon of players who dominated during the majority of their careers).
I've watched the P for about 9 years, and I think maybe a better comparison might be Marcus Rashford???? Good player, obviously known by fans who follow the sport and partially recognizable by those who don't.
5+ million twitter fans is nothing to sneeze and it looks like he is going all in with his support (i.e. not just token photo shoots/bland social media posts).

I would put Peyton Manning as the same level as David Beckham. Both incredibly talented athletes whose names are easily recognizable by people who don't follow sport.

[Spiral]

Comparing his fame, I was thinking someone like Frank Lampard, if Lampard were a thousand times the public speaker and media/public relations dream come true that he actually is. Everyone on the planet knows Beckham, but even though Lampard is not as globally famous as Beckham, lots of people in the UK who don't know football know still know Frank Lampard, and EVERYONE who knows football recognises his as one of the greats of his generation. Lampard's fame doesn't transcend him being a footballer like Beckham's does, bit his fame still transcends the game of football to a certain degree. He could do the dancing programme or the jungle one and lots people would recognise him before needing any kind of introduction. If Lampard got involved in a US sports team and did an energetic tour of the UK to promote them — Sky Sports, TalkSport, BBC, Good Morning Britain, Loose Women etc — virtually all footy minded people are going to hear about it eventually, most sports minded people (from other, non-football sports) would probably also hear something about it, and a fair number of the non-sports audience would still have enough of an idea of who he is to be willing to listen. This is the good thing about getting a sports person to represent our brand in the US; the audience we're targeting self selects because if they're twigged to JJ as a sportsperson it means they're sports minded.

[KateR]

Beckham is a shocking comparison, he’s not even remotely close to the fame or fortune of DB

and you'd be 100% wrong if you were discussing the two in the US, and nobody mentioned fortune either, but if that helps you make your claim, OK! But, in terms of fortune you'd need to look at Victoria's contribution to that side of the family, and fame, especially from a women's point of view.

[Spiral]

I would put Peyton Manning as the same level as David Beckham. Both incredibly talented athletes whose names are easily recognizable by people who don't follow sport.

I'm pretty sure Manning and Beckham were in an advert together recently? Good comparison I think.

[CoolClaret]

As good as he was he played in one of the least cared about positions, DT is miserable at least the guys on the end get some credit.

He was a defensive end - one of the best pass rushers to ever play the game, NFL sack leader in two separate seasons

He is massive in America for sure - not Beckham levels but not many are

[aggi]

you're probably correct but I was talking about in the US to the original question and in a way comparison to DB in the UK, although he is well know in the US for soccer fans due to his Miami involvement but JJ is far better known in the US than DB. Hope you understand what I'm trying to say, probably badly as usual!

I see what you're saying. I wasn't particularly picking on your post, just a convenient one after lots of people had likened him to Beckham (some without that nuance).

[KRBFC]

and you'd be 100% wrong if you were discussing the two in the US, and nobody mentioned fortune either, but if that helps you make your claim, OK! But, in terms of fortune you'd need to look at Victoria's contribution to that side of the family, and fame, especially from a women's point of view.

It’s just a poor comparison to make, The Beckhams are global superstars

[KRBFC]

He was a defensive end - one of the best pass rushers to ever play the game, NFL sack leader in two separate seasons

He is massive in America for sure - not Beckham levels but not many are

I thought he was a DT more than DE

[aggi]

JJ Watt was an incredible football player and will probably make the hall of fame (this is reserved for the upper echelon of players who dominated during the majority of their careers).
I've watched the P for about 9 years, and I think maybe a better comparison might be Marcus Rashford???? Good player, obviously known by fans who follow the sport and partially recognizable by those who don't.
5+ million twitter fans is nothing to sneeze and it looks like he is going all in with his support (i.e. not just token photo shoots/bland social media posts).

I would put Peyton Manning as the same level as David Beckham. Both incredibly talented athletes whose names are easily recognizable by people who don't follow sport.

Ha, I just had to Google Peyton Manning. I think Tom Brady is probably the only recent NFL player whose name lots of non-NFL, non-US people would recognise.

[CoolClaret]

I thought he was a DT more than DE

You thought wrong!

[Spiral]

I don't follow NFL, but even over here in England I knew Manning as a sportsman before I knew the actual rules of NFL. I think Brady eclipsed Manning in fame over the last decade where he just kept on winning and winning and winning as an old man, but I get the sense that a decade ago Manning was the big face of the NFL. In this analogy Brady would be Ronaldo. Comparing Beckham precisely is hard, though, because nobody else from sport quite compares to him as a celebrity.

[NRC]

Since their involvement, if I've brought them up with random friends or even strangers in a bar (yes, we do that here, strike up conversation in a bar), there is not one single person who has answered the question "do you know who JJ Watt is" negatively

[Spiral]

...if I've brought them up with random friends or even strangers in a bar (yes, we do that here, strike up conversation in a bar)

We do that over here as well, to be fair. We all need to be five pints down before anyone bothers doing it, but we still do technically do it.

[AshevilleNCClaret]

I don't follow NFL, but even over here in England I knew Manning as a sportsman before I knew the actual rules of NFL. I think Brady eclipsed Manning in fame over the last decade where he just kept on winning and winning and winning as an old man, but I get the sense that a decade ago Manning was the big face of the NFL. In this analogy Brady would be Ronaldo. Comparing Beckham precisely is hard, though, because nobody else from sport quite compares to him as a celebrity.

Manning does a lot of commercials and has this affable goofy personality. An 85 year old women living in a nursing home in Iowa would recognize him. Brady is like Ronaldo. Larger than life. Has their own brand. Brady’s divorce got a ton of attention.

[KRBFC]

You thought wrong!

Played both positions still

[CoolClaret]

Played both positions still

Erm, no he didn’t

Stop doubling down - he’s a defensive end

You might be getting confused because he’s played DE in a 3-4 front with an extra edge rusher/OLB next to him

[KRBFC]

Those pesky quarter backs taking all the fame and making all the money

[KRBFC]

Erm, no he didn’t

Stop doubling down - he’s a defensive end

You might be getting confused because he’s played DE in a 3-4 front with an extra edge rusher/OLB next to him

I always thought he was primarily a DT maybe you’re right with the formation, I’m happy to concede that he’s mainly a DE. The internet also suggests he’s played both roles tho

[Aclaret]

Just been reading that both JJ & Tom Brady are eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028.....I haven't a clue what it means or why such a long time away....sounds like our JJ is up there with the best though.

[CoolClaret]

I always thought he was primarily a DT maybe you’re right with the formation, I’m happy to concede that he’s mainly a DE. The internet also suggests he’s played both roles tho

There’s nothing to concede you’re wrong.
He’s a defensive end, played their in HS & College not ‘mainly’

Might have lined up in DT a handful of times on like goal line situations but absolutely never played nose tackle

On dime packages (4-2-5) he lined up as a DE 5 technique for passing downs but most of the time he was a 3 technique DE

The NFL is changing mind - when he first made it pro you wouldn’t have a full classification of ‘EDGE’ players