Live Match Discussion 2024/25

[Lycan]

Does Auckland a huge favor. Just for being there they're earning over 5 times their average annual revenue (~£2.6m from the CWC vs ~£480,000 annually).

Not really fair to the rest of the clubs in their league though is it? FIFA invent this ridiculous circus, they somehow get dragged along for the ride and now nobody in New Zealand can compete with them financially for the next decade.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

i thought a NZ team won the A League and it was them. i will get back in my box.


Brisbane are shite though

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

i thought a NZ team won the A League and it was them. i will get back in my box.


Brisbane are shite though

Auckland City are in because they are Oceania's best team

Wellington Phoenix and whichever other Auckland team it is play in the A-League which is Asia now for FIFA purposes

Auckland City are basically Bilston Town but they'd get to represent Wolverhampton if Wolves split off and joined a Birmingham only league (shudder)

 

[jd1981]

And I'm sure the "quality" would be mostly in Europe. Funny, that.

Whatever.

No you’ll probably find teams in other South American countries other than Brazil and Argentina who would offer at least a bit more competitive performances.
Europe has the best players, best leagues and continental competition shock horror it’s delusional to suggest otherwise. It’s also delusional to expect European clubs to put a 100% into a tournament that they know is a manufactured money grab.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

And thats why no Australian team as they need to give the Asian spots elsewhere

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

No you’ll probably find teams in other South American countries other than Brazil and Argentina who would offer at least a bit more competitive performances.
Europe has the best players, best leagues and continental competition shock horror it’s delusional to suggest otherwise. It’s also delusional to expect European clubs to put a 100% into a tournament that they know is a manufactured money grab.

have a look at teams outside Brazil and Argentina in the Libertadores. they are pretty shit.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

And thats why no Australian team as they need to give the Asian spots elsewhere

I think that's reasonably transparent. Do well in the AFC Champions League (which isn't a bad tournament) and you get in.

Auckland City are the kind of team I might have got in 20 years ago. We're talking not even West Midlands Premier level.

 

[jd1981]

have a look at teams outside Brazil and Argentina in the Libertadores. they are pretty shit.

Yep but nowhere as bad as Auckland but probably in as much need of a big day as they do.

 

[Lycan]

And thats why no Australian team as they need to give the Asian spots elsewhere

I think Australian teams have won the Asian Champions League (or whatever it's called) before. I want to say Western Sydney Wanderers? That would've been before the House of Saud started paying off elite footballers into semi-retirement though, I don't think any of them have a chance now.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think Australian teams have won the Asian Champions League (or whatever it's called) before. I want to say Western Sydney Wanderers? That would've been before the House of Saud started paying off elite footballers into semi-retirement though, I don't think any of them have a chance now.

The J-League and K-League are also way better than the A-League where they actively revere Adam Le Fondre.

I do wonder if the Saudi bubble will burst. I mean if you're already massively rich why the fuck would you want to live there for a few quid?

I don't get Sarabia. For five years us and PSG have been paying him £100k+ every single week. You don't need money. Go and play for someone in a nice place, not Qatar.

 

[Lycan]

The J-League and K-League are also way better than the A-League where they actively revere Adam Le Fondre.

I do wonder if the Saudi bubble will burst. I mean if you're already massively rich why the fuck would you want to live there for a few quid?

I don't get Sarabia. For five years us and PSG have been paying him £100k+ every single week. You don't need money. Go and play for someone in a nice place, not Qatar.

I have no idea really, they really do have a bottomless pit of money, they could keep churning this amount into it for decades and it wouldn't matter to them whether the bubble has burst or not. They're always going to get someone willing to sell their soul for generational wealth.

I have no idea about Sarabia either, there would've been loads of Spanish clubs who would've loved to sign him. Marco Verratti plays for the club he's just signed for so I imagine that was who sold it to him.

 

[PuntsWolf]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1936176884389494895

Can’t say I’ve seen a player give a manager this much disrespect before!

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Much as I dislike Lage, bloke is acting like a prick there.

 

[jd1981]

Some harsh realities needs saying but shouldn’t have to be said:
Football in its current state:
The final of the champions League decides the best side in Europe and worldwide.
Same as the MLB calls it the World Series even though other countries play baseball however we all know the absolute best play in MLB.
Players of any real quality will end up and want to play in Europe because it has the best leagues and pay packets.
The WCC means more to clubs from outside of Europe than it does to European clubs.
Trying to get European clubs to be a 100% committed to it isn’t going to happen after a long season and when they can see a cherry picked tournament.
Having this tournament 1 year out from a World Cup isn’t good preparation plus it means a lot of players won’t have any sufficient rest time.
Having period of time away from football every other summer is a good thing not bad.

 

[Alan]

Not really fair to the rest of the clubs in their league though is it? FIFA invent this ridiculous circus, they somehow get dragged along for the ride and now nobody in New Zealand can compete with them financially for the next decade.

That’s something I hadn’t considered.

 

[Alan]

No you’ll probably find teams in other South American countries other than Brazil and Argentina who would offer at least a bit more competitive performances.
Europe has the best players, best leagues and continental competition shock horror it’s delusional to suggest otherwise. It’s also delusional to expect European clubs to put a 100% into a tournament that they know is a manufactured money grab.

Well from the outside it looks pretty arrogant. Maybe they should do that Super League. At least that would be “competitive”.

I’m done, this shit actually upsets me. Whether it should or not.

 

[jd1981]

Well from the outside it looks pretty arrogant. Maybe they should do that Super League. At least that would be “competitive”.

I’m done, this shit actually upsets me. Whether it should or not.

Apologies if it upsets you Alan. I’m merely just stating how it’s viewed in Europe by a lot not everyone.

 

[jlo]

I'm with Alan on this, we're addressing the wrong problem though - the issue is how this tournament has been set up at the tail end of a busy season and is trying so hard to be relevant when audiences just know half the teams haven't got their heart in it.

The competition could have more merit, but the calendar and overkill of football does it a disservice - there's no perfect solution in my mind though but seriously, this competiton is due to last a whole month?! I guess this has essentially replaced the confederation cup in terms of testing out a world cup set of venues the year before the real thing too, but that was fairly pointless anyway.

 

[jlo]

Also the Auckland thing seems like a bit of a quirk, I can see the merit in that it can grow the sport in that part of the world locally too however hadn't picked up on the Australia going through a different route issue.

I saw somewhere the prize money isn't split equally anyway, even excluding how far they go in the tournament? E.g. if both Auckland and Real Madrid get knocked out in the groups, they still take quite different amounts of prize money away?

 

[Alan]

Auckland have won Oceania the last four years running. Not the greatest dynasty ever given it’s almost entirely amateur clubs, like Auckland are, but per the setup they earned the right to be there. And you’re never ever ever getting me on board with any region getting less than 1 guaranteed spot in the WC or CWC or whatever else BS they cook up.

The idea of a tool manufacturing manager playing against Bayern fucking Munich is one of the most romantic stories sport can produce, IMV.