The Football News Thread 2020/21

[Deutsch Wolf]

I've been asking myself this question all the way through the thread - what would I do if we were involved? I mean, I know how I'd feel (disgusted, disappointed), but would I stop watching? I honestly don't know. I do recall how mystified I was when the European Cup became the Champions League - the concept of four 'champions' just seemed nonsensical - but that competition seems entirely normal to me now. If this does somehow bulldoze its way through, it might well find similar traction in a few seasons' time.

I don't have a problem squaring that circle at all.

It's anti-competitive, it's got no sporting merit or value, it's chasing markets that don't exist, a ridiculous concept dreamed up by men of primarily inherited wealth who know nothing of the concept of competition or climbing the ladder.

I'd be gone, 100%. If that's 33 years down the drain then so be it.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Out of interest, was there a level of anger at the announcement of the Premier League or did fans/the media generally think that was a positive idea at the time?

I remember the creation of the PL but dont remember the initial reaction. I only remember thinking ‘ooh, Wolves can say they are in Division One now’

Not really. As I mentioned yesterday, English football was on its knees. Shite TV coverage, crumbling grounds, miles behind the top leagues in Europe, only just emerging from the shadow of hooliganism.

You can argue that they didn't execute it properly but something had to be done, the FA were never going to do anything other than polish their blazer buttons and sink another gin and soda.

That was solving a problem. This is creating a problem.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

4 German Leipzig, Bayern, Dortmund + Another (Frankfurt?)

Schalke are one of the four biggest clubs in Germany, without a doubt. Hamburg would have a shout too.

Both are irredeemably shite at the moment which just underlines what a nonsense concept this would be.

Leipzig are everything wrong with modern football, don't get me started on them.

 

[prawnking]

The money they get from the ESL will basically mean their squads are so much better than the other 14 that it'll be impossible for anybody to break in to the top six.

Breaking into the top six won't matter anyway as it doesn't get you anything. It'll just be those wankers competing for a title that's even more devalued than it is now and the rest of us trying to stay up and basking in the glory of 12 games a season against the Super League stars. Great.

 

[Kenny]

3 behind them into the Europa League (which will be basically as prestigious as the Anglo-Italian Cup by this point).

Don't forget UEFA are introducing a 3rd European Tournament from 2022 (if it existed last season, thats what we would have been put in)

 

[BillyDee]

There won't be any German teams in it.

 

[Del Woppio]

It's proper mad who few footballers and managers have spoken about this so far. Maybe it'll need a Klopp or a Rashford to go first, but the silence is strange

 

[sycophantia]

Out of interest, was there a level of anger at the announcement of the Premier League or did fans/the media generally think that was a positive idea at the time?

I remember the creation of the PL but dont remember the initial reaction. I only remember thinking ‘ooh, Wolves can say they are in Division One now’

From my memory no, certainly it didn't really bother me at the time, just felt like a name change for the top division. As DW said it meant there was actual live league football on telly.....if you could afford it.

 

[Johnny75]

I would imagine those players are checking their contracts and have been told to say nothing by the clubs and agents.

 

[Tony Towner]

Out of interest, was there a level of anger at the announcement of the Premier League or did fans/the media generally think that was a positive idea at the time?

I remember the creation of the PL but dont remember the initial reaction. I only remember thinking ‘ooh, Wolves can say they are in Division One now’

PL was a branding exercise to the average fan. Yes who ran/owned it changed but with promotion and relegation it really was more of the same, but with more games on in the pub

 

[The Saturday Boy]

There was concern that the Premier League would make the gap between the elite and the rest unbridgeable but by retaining promotion and relegation they have kept the risk and there are numerous examples of clubs coming up and competing - although few have managed to break into the very top echelons (Leicester and Blackburn being the two notable exceptions and Blackburn didn't hang around at that level for long).

Huddersfield Town have won the top division title more times than Spurs.

 

[Johnny75]

It was the change in prize money and distribution of TV rights (controlled by the league with no club involvement) that drove the change.

I remember it being called the 'greed league' at the time.

 

[WolfmanOz]

A

There was concern that the Premier League would make the gap between the elite and the rest unbridgeable but by retaining promotion and relegation they have kept the risk and there are numerous examples of clubs coming up and competing - although few have managed to break into the very top echelons (Leicester and Blackburn being the two notable exceptions and Blackburn didn't hang around at that level for long).

Huddersfield Town have won the top division title more times than Spurs.

And so have Wolves.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It was the change in prize money and distribution of TV rights (controlled by the league with no club involvement) that drove the change.

I remember it being called the 'greed league' at the time.

Like any form of trickle-down economics, it doesn't even work in theory let alone practice.

As I say, they could have come up with a more equitable solution. But on the whole it was a good move, we got better football, better facilities, better coverage.

This doesn't help anyone other than 12 club owners.

 

[Kenny]

"BREAKING Boris Johnson vows to block plans for Super League 'by the elite, for the elite'"

Sorry Boris, even though you are on the right side don't be calling things out that are for the elite. We all know if you had any say in this you would be giving contracts out to your mates so they can enjoy the riches. Don't make out you care about the fan or the future of teams like Crystal Palace, Southampton etc

 

[Tony Towner]

"BREAKING Boris Johnson vows to block plans for Super League 'by the elite, for the elite'"

Sorry Boris, even though you are on the right side don't be calling things out that are for the elite. We all know if you had any say in this you would be giving contracts out to your mates so they can enjoy the riches. Don't make out you care about the fan or the future of teams like Crystal Palace, Southampton etc

Dido Harding for next Spurs manager then.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

"BREAKING Boris Johnson vows to block plans for Super League 'by the elite, for the elite'"

Sorry Boris, even though you are on the right side don't be calling things out that are for the elite. We all know if you had any say in this you would be giving contracts out to your mates so they can enjoy the riches. Don't make out you care about the fan or the future of teams like Crystal Palace, Southampton etc

Boris Johnson there, who handed the Olympic Stadium to West Ham so their bongo-peddling owners could make a quick buck on Upton Park.

 

[Kenny]

Dido Harding for next Spurs manager then.

£135m contract to track and trace Doc's best position? (yes I did it, turned a SL chat into a Doherty dig)

 

[northfield wolf]

They are taking our beautiful game even further away from us. All the foreign money men, who dont give a fuck for the average football fan. Same as the Premier League really, yes the grounds have improved (they had to ) ,but we now have foreign owners, foreign managers and foreign players. The English game is no more, and that is the reason we will never win anything ever again in international football. A very sad day for football.

 

[BillyDee]

However this pans out, it's likely I'll be getting more invested in non-league football (side benefit of 4 mile round trip opposed to 400 miles...).