Really pleased to see the PM has put a stop to this. I thought he spoke very eloquently at the press briefing yesterday, and once he had made clear the threat to legislate to prevent it, it was simply not viable. Bravo.
It was an interesting debate on Talk Sport yesterday with more listeners calling in saying they'd done it than I would have expected. In reality though, are we really saying you can change your spouse or religion but not your football team? It seems as though we can change every allegiance we have other than our football team which to be honest is a bit pathetic.
If I don't like a service provider then I change them. If a restaurant changes hands or chefs and I no longer like it I stop going. Mike Ashley has ripped the heart and soul out of Newcastle United and I've not been in the ground for ten years because of him. If I lived in an area where there was an alternative then I might have considered switching. Right up until my thirties I would have said that was impossible but once you mature and realise that this whole thing about not switching teams is absolutely ridiculous then I now see why and how people do it. I think the Arsenal / Palace switch is a great example.
Yes I've supported one club, my local club, all my life but do they add value to my life? No. Do I have a strong personal attachment to them? Yes, but it's a business, a corporation that doesn't give a monkey's chuff about me or any other supporter, only the cash as has been proven this week by the ESL-Six.
My father used to take me to Selhurst Park in the 1950s, when Palace was in the 4th Division (remember that?).
They boasted 10 internationals in the first team; Johhny Byrne I remember, Welsh goalie Vic Rouse, some guy called Noakes? I was very young but still remember the great vibe. And the half-time Oxo.
Incidentally, I lived opposite and went to school with Alec Stepney.
I would much prefer a pay per view model. Right now if I want to watch my team I have to pay for sky sports which uses my subscription to pay for the premier league, a league that I have little interest in. Very little of the money Sky takes from Scottish fans gets ploughed back into our infrastructure.
Pay per view with a percentage of the takings being spread about smaller teams would be my ideal.
I'd not twigged that as part of joining the ESL, the 12 had resigned from the European Club Association so not only have the relinquished any moral high ground (!) they may have had but they now don't have a seat at the only table UEFA recognise where clubs can negotiate with them. Rather unfortunate as I'm guessing the revised Champions League proposals is high on the agenda for the next few meetings!
So Real and Barca still have not accepted the ESL is over, looks like the desperados will do anything to stop the Chinese or Oil money coming in for the clubs once and for all.
I've no doubt that it'll proceed, but I wonder whether the 'coefficient' clause might be amended and the dispensation for clubs to be accepted based on historic performance would be challenged by the remaining clubs?
I think amendments will be very necessary so they're seen not to be pandering to the 'big 12'.
Two Italian clubs out,it’s starting to look like the Spanish Super League now!
I heard his interview on talksport and he was saying similar. The man speaks 100% sense and truth.
There is no way uefa and FIFA were ever going to let this happen and stop their gravy train. The idea they would ban the best players from their competitions is ludicrous. Who would watch their competitions and who would sponsor without the stars?
I gave up on football after SAF left Man U. He had his players under control. Now there are too many spoilt brats masquerading as footballers. Too much money being leeched by agents. If Joe Punter is happy to fund all this, great. Fill your boots
I am not and I have dropped me following of football right down. I didn't even watch WC final last two tournaments
Perez, Real Madrid President says this isn't going away. The 12 clubs have legal agreements. More over in The Guardian
Perez is hoping for the £130m payoff for them breaking the contract, UEFA should tell Real and the other 2 that unless they too withdraw from this tournament now, then they will be banned from the CL, starting with the Semis next week. This is an easy way to end this nonsense now, UEFA better step up and shut this deluded fool up as they are going to do fck all else as punishment, and he's never going to stop grasping while Real are almost bankrupt.
Last edited by aksing; 24th April 2021 at 19:34.
As a side note, I’m really enjoying the snide bitchy comments made on Sky and BT Sport at the moment. For example, after the Liverpool v Newcastle game earlier the comment “as annoying as it is for their owners, Liverpool are going to have to earn their place in the Champions League” tickled me. I just hope it makes those running those clubs twitch every time.
Super league is back
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...mpions-league/
Crikey - please no. This sounds like a rejected planning proposal. They will keep at it until they get it through
I think you are right, they see premier league teams disappearing over the horizon in the money they make from the epl and they need a way to keep up.
Chelsea spent more than the teams in the top leagues of Spain, Germany, Italy and France combined in the January transfer window, says it all really.
And it’s back!
European court of justice have ruled that UEFA and FIFA have acted unlawfully in blocking the creation of the European super league
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...egally-latest/
Ain't going to happen. The ESL is dead and the world is a better place for it.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
I could not see the fans of our top six supporting it, without the fans it’s dead in the water. We have the best league in the world end of.
The Champions league format from next year pretty much is a super league just not as "fixed" as the ESL, no groups at least 8 matches before knockout not 2 legge
From BBC...
"The new format will see the initial phase contain one single league table, which includes all teams.
Each club will play eight group-stage games against different opponents, with four home ties and four away.
The top eight will go through to the knockout stage, while those from ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged play-off to progress.
Uefa added that "similar format changes will also be applied to the Europa League (eight matches in the league stage) and Europa Conference League (six matches in the league stage) and both will also include 36 teams in the league phase".
The European Club Association (ECA), which represents more than 240 clubs, said it endorses the reforms made by Uefa."
Interesting how decide which single matches will be home or away as I'm sure the likelihood of the Spanish teams getting all their tough ties at home and EPL all getting tough away matches is *cough*brown envelope* low.
OT Just realising Arsenal pulled a fast one reducing* our season tickets to include only home group matches (3) as will be an extra match income next season, already paying extra this season for FA Cup home match against 'Pool as removed FA Cup too (used to be first 7 home cup matches excluding League Cup, hence our season tickets often were high against others that didn't include it- now we are just expensive).
* whilst putting the price up 5% for us lower tier plebs