Stand back everyone! Oliver Dowden has just announced a government 'fan-led review' of football
Take that Joel Glazer!
I am really surprised that banning the players is legal, I thought it would be a restrictive employment practice. I think this will be challenged, although the owners won't care, less matches for their assets to be injured in so they will take it as a win.
Stand back everyone! Oliver Dowden has just announced a government ‘fan-led review’ of football
And another easy win falls into the laps of bojo and the tories so they can pretend to be on the side of the common people.
Really? Villa fans don’t tend to mention that much, I didn’t realise.
:o)
PSG have just won the champions league !?
and Roma vs Villareal for the Europa
Which franchises do we think would be first to be moved to another country?
United and Liverpool to the US? both have American owners and grounds badly in need of modernisation, why invest improving what you have if you can get an American city to mainly fund you a new stadium. Chelski to Moscow, again needed ground modernisation got abandoned a year or two ago. City could flip to New York city being the main team in the city group.
London could hold 2 teams probably not 3, and 3 would be too many concentrated in the north west. Same goes for 2 Madrid and 2 Milan teams, they will want to spread them out a bit more.
Wit from The Guardian’s preamble of tonight’s Leeds v Liverpool match:
“It’s an important game for Liverpool, who need to finish one of the top four divisions if they are to qualify for next season’s European Super League. Can they do it?“
I think it's quite funny. Football has been a money game for many years, since way before the Premier League era.
FIFA, UEFA and the national FAs are a cartel anyway and not very progressive. They're just upset as someone is effectively stealing their lunch
The more I think about it the more I think it will happen now. The prize for the owners is massive, it will be a European league expanding to a world wide league in 10 years or so, the money involved will be massive, it will make the PL look like a provincial backwater league. National teams will be history as the big clubs now represent nations in a world league.
In 20 years time the 2 or 3 world league teams left in the UK will mop up all the fans and the controversy will be long forgotten.
I think it’s quite funny. Football has been a money game for many years, since way before the Premier League era.
Yeah I think you probably have to go back to the 50's for any semblance of sporting equality in football, and even that might be looking at the past through rose tinted spectacles.
FIFA, UEFA and the national FAs are a cartel anyway and not very progressive. They’re just upset as someone is effectively stealing their lunch
Bojo coming out on the side of the premier League kind of backs that up.
Isn’t it just mad that they’ve announced this when there are no fans in grounds to show their overwhelming support over the next few weeks. Absolutely mad.
There’s already a European league in basketball. The Americanisation of sports is not necessarily a bad thing, some aspects of it they do much better.
I don't mind if a European league forms, it is inevitable sooner or later. But there has to be some form of promotion and relegation, and no guarantees for the clubs who believe that past glories are more important than current form. If you want to remain at the high table you have to keep earning it.
FIFA, UEFA and the national FAs are a cartel anyway and not very progressive. They’re just upset as someone is effectively stealing their lunch
It’s a unique situation because pretty much everyone involved here is representative of the most vile, corrupt, money-grubbing self-serving bastards on the planet
It’s coming to something when the people who brought you the premier league are claiming the moral high ground
None of the parties involved in this spat give a shit about anything other than their own already enormous bank balances
If you want to remain at the high table you have to keep earning it.
Talking of unlikely candidates for taking the moral high ground... Looks like Leeds are keen to remind Liverpool (and the other 5) of that this evening
I see a new cliche coming (and not Gael)
"Football, It's a game of four quarters."
Come to think of it, the money men must have been licking their lips during the summer when the drinks breaks were introduced mid way through each half.......Space for an advert or two..or three....or...
Well, you get the point.
Big Shaka isn't wrong.
With all this shenanigans about the superleague lets take a moment to appreciate the legend that is Big Dunc, sending a message to someones little brother to stop slacking in school
https://twitter.com/JackSimmo1998/status/1384191352703832064?s=20
If you've not watched the MOTD 'Top Ten Hard Men' its well worth a viewing, just to witness the eye-watering tackles going in back in the day. No spoilers as to who number one was, but you can probably guess
West Ham claiming their rightful place as the best team in the land.
https://www.thecourier.co.uk/sport/2148133/how-would-the-premier-league-table-looked-if-big-six-were-banned/amp/
West Ham claiming their rightful place as the best team in the land.
And Potterball finally taking us to the top 10 finish that we were aiming for.
With all this shenanigans about the superleague lets take a moment to appreciate the legend that is Big Dunc, sending a message to someones little brother to stop slacking in school
Top man.
If you stick in and get on with your photography Big Dunc will pay you a visit and take you for some lunch.
And if you don't Big Dunc will 'pay you a visit' and organise some hospital food for you
No spoilers as to who number one was, but you can probably guess
Darren Anderton ?
How do you feel if ESL promises to ditch the rubbish VAR instances and miniscule off sides ??
Oh... actually this is a good game.
Howabout a 10min sin bin for crap diving?
What other fan winning rules could they bring in ??
What other fan winning rules could they bring in ??
Kiss Cam, obviously.
Cheerleaders, snazzy ref outfits, or they could go the whole WWF and make it scripted, to avoid disappointment for the big six.
For crap dives, you're made to play the rest of the match in a pink tutu
Less VAR? I say more! 5 min stoppage for every decision, where a celeb panel of ex-players mull over the super slow-mo to establish how much contact there was and give their verdict on how much writhing and howling in pain the player did.
Could be usurped with Instagram style adverts of the players showing off their latest 5 jillion pound cars - that’ll get the kids spending.
I bet all these great ideas and more for winning over the fans were discussed at great length by the various protagonists, whilst not for one minute were they sat on their stupid greedy arses staring longingly at a big bag of moolah, thinking humbly to themselves - we’re doing this for the fans.
RM.
What's depressing is that the superleague will have to back down, Johnson will claim this as a victory, even tho he was just caught lobbying his own government so Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman could buy Newcastle United
Letting murderous dictators, Russian oligarchs & gambling tycoons buy up Premiere league club is how this mess came about!
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/boris-johnson-saudi-bid-newcastle-united-warning-crown-prince-b929725.html
Yes Rodge, you are no doubt right.
My little idea was just how might they win you over.
I'm going for NFL style seflie screens at the side of the goals
Oh to have seen Robbie Keane's face as he saw in real time how rubbish his little rollie-pollie was !!
@Ro5ey 🤣
Robbie Keane was an innovator with his gymnastic displays! Aubamayang wouldn’t be where he is now without the founding father Keane. 🙃
RM.
Less VAR? I say more! 5 min stoppage for every decision, where a celeb panel of ex-players mull over the super slow-mo to establish how much contact there was and give their verdict on how much writhing and howling in pain the player did.
Peter Robbie Keane was an innovator with his gymnastic displays! Aubamayang wouldn’t be where he is now without the founding father Keane
Actually that would be Peter Beagrie of Everton.
I don't know what everyone is worried about, the Madrid president has explained that football will be saved by trickle down economics, what could possibly go wrong....
Isn't all of this just a natural progression from the imbalance created when multiple teams from each of the richest leagues were allowed to compete in the same,"Champions League" tournament?
Loving the irony of Real Madrid's dinosaur president, Florentino Perez, claiming that the ESL will save football and that all the top teams are losing money. All you ever hear from these clubs is the ridiculous transfer fees for players, and the absurd wages they pay them, many of whom end up languishing on the bench or being farmed out on loan to other clubs. Clubs like Real, Barcelona and Chelsea just seem to hoover up players and then that's the last you hear of most of them. Surely the easiest way for these 'top teams' to become profitable is to have a greater focus on their cost base i.e. reducing transfer fees and associated agents fees for players and agreeing a more effective salary cap.
Don't forget that Perez has been at the helm of RM whilst they have racked up record debts. Some of it from the stadium refurb but mostly though buying players, players wages etc. etc. etc.
He's one of the architects of the clubs like RM, Barcelona & Spurs having roughly $1Bn of debt yet he can save the rest of the pyramid. FFS
Here's a question for fans of one of the big 6. I just made this statement on another forum.
If this goes ahead I will never attend a Liverpool football match again or pay a subscription to watch it.
Would you?
To put into context I attended every LFC home game for 15-20+ years, after leaving the city I've still attended plenty.
The more I think about the proposed ESL the more it appears to me that one money making organisation (the clubs) wants a bigger slice of the other money making organisations (Premier League/UEFA & possibly FIFA). The relegation/promotion malarkey will get ironed out, the threats of banning players etc will slowly disappear and the money spinning will end up in the pockets of those that have the biggest attractions i.e - the highest profile players.
Once set up and given 4 or 5 years to settle down, I'm starting to think the ESL might not be such a bad thing.
He’s one of the architects of the clubs like RM, Barcelona & Spurs having roughly $1Bn of debt yet he can save the rest of the pyramid. FFS
It seems to be a European Debt Superleague. Not sure how Chelsea qualify.
He’s one of the architects of the clubs like RM, Barcelona & Spurs having roughly $1Bn of debt yet he can save the rest of the pyramid. FFS
It seems to be a European Debt Superleague. Not sure how Chelsea qualify.
The relegation/promotion malarkey will get ironed out
How? Mediocre sides like Spurs and Arsenal will be propping up the table season after season. And the whole point is they can't be relegated.
If you look at the Gross debt the picture is frightening.
The Net debt includes a lot of smoke & mirrors to make them look less rubbish
If you look at the Gross debt the picture is frightening.
That must've been a helluva contract he got if Spurs are still paying it off.
How? Mediocre sides like Spurs and Arsenal will be propping up the table season after season. And the whole point is they can’t be relegated.
I just heard the interview with Pep where he says that basically there are no consequences for being rubbish so its not really a competition at all.
Even Pep has put the boot in now. With Sky, BT and now Amazon distancing themselves from this I wonder where the money is coming from.
Now the government are getting involved in a review of governance of football, I wonder if they might have shot themselves in the foot with this.
Here’s a question for fans of one of the big 6
When was the last time you went to your lower league local team ?
When was the last time you even watch Championship league highlights ? Let alone a full League one game?
Im talking my own experience of course... so For me to say this new league will ruin football really is a bit rich (forgive the pun)
Oh and I prefer watching my lad play far more than anything .... started 9v9 last week and bagged a goal in his debut for his new team.
When was the last time you went to your lower league local team ?
2 years now. My lad was playing football a lot in those days and we regularly went to see Reading play as my office is walking distance from the stadium and they're our local team.
Championship? What's this lofty league you're talking of?