Hey big spender!

Will Manse PP’s spending spree reap the rewards they seek?

The transfer market in pesis is usually a fairly simple task, with players changing clubs for various reasons rather than cold hard cash... that’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but its not the main driving force. In this offseason however there have been some signings that look set to completely shake up the competition for 2021 thanks to Manse PP scrambling to sign as many stars at any cost. Think Mr Burns in the Simpsons episode “Homer at bat”.

In fact, some comments from former players and coaches linked to the team have noted that the entire team is completely different for 2021 compared to the lineup that dominated Ykköspesis in 2019. Maybe my analogy with the Simpsons episode is closer to the truth than it first sounds.

Who has signed for Manse

Towards the end of the regular season there were whispers amongst the pesis community about Manse looking to sign some big names and top of their shopping list was the league’s best pitcher in 2019 and candidate for 2020, Juha Puhtimäki. Also in the mix was former Joensuu star Tuomas Jussila, who despite bringing a star quality to IPV alongside veteran Sami Partanen, was unable to reach the playoffs this year. Former SiiPe bright star, turned Joensuu regular, Simo Vainikainen also signed for Manse, alongside Joensuu outfielder Lauri Kivinen. If you consider the fact that Juha Niemi also plays for Manse, who signed from Joensuu as a joker following the 2019 championship, the Manse team in 2021 will look very familiar to JoMa fans.

What about Joensuu? Are their days at the top over?

On the contrary, Joensuu have a very healthy youth/farm system and some great talent coming through. In fact, the story of the 2 teams seems to be on very different paths: Joensuu have built their team, their brand and success over time - much like a malt whisky, it has been a slow process but well worth the investment, which looks set to hold value for years to come. Manse are injecting a lot of cash into the team to try and establish a clear foothold within a busy sporting market in Tampere.

Which is the better route? Slow and steady? Or spend, spend, spend? 

This really is a difficult question to answer and only when we can look back in years to come will we be able to see if Manse’s gamble has paid off. The demographics and sporting market in a large city like Manse is very different to a place like Joensuu, where pesis has grown to overtake the popularity of other sports that are currently less successful. Manse however are competing against some very successful hockey teams and other sports, so need to make a big impact to reach the audiences they want.

The “slow and steady” approach builds in a legacy and longer term stability, but careful planning and decisions must pay off in the short term as well in order to keep adding to the growth of the team. The “spend, spend, spend” approach is high risk but offers a high reward in the short term which (if invested properly with longer term planning) can give a good long term outlook for the team.

As a fan of Scottish football team, Dundee United, I am all too aware of the negative impact that big spending has on teams and potentially the league. The overspending of clubs such as Rangers and Grenta historically proved to be their undoing and when the bubble burst, the clubs were left with significant problems. The scenario also resonates with fans of the former Helsinki Superpesis team - Kaisaniemen Tiikerit. Tiikerit were founded in 1996 and played in Superpesis in 1997 and 1998. Their demise as a team has a lot of factors to explore and I don’t intend to go into them al here; however the team’s significant spending caught up with them and despite finishing the regular season in 1997 and 1998 in 2nd place in the table, could not get past the quarterfinals. At the end of 1998 season Tiikerit had reported debts of around 2 million Finnish Marks and had not been able to pay its player’s wages throughout the summer of 1998. In the age of Coronavirus, restricted attendance numbers and uncertainty, the risk for Manse is surely amplified.

So what should fans be looking out for in 2021?

The answer is simple: success. If Manse succeed in a top 4 finish, or even a championship, the gamble will look set to pay off; however that is no guaruntee that things will remain stable for the club in years to come, the real test will be to see what happens if (or when) success doesn’t come their way or when it comes time to make longer term decisions for the club. Expect to see Manse making the headlines next year either as “Allstar team shakes up the league in only its second season in Superpesis” or “Despite its star-studded lineup, Manse still cannot break into the top end of the table”.