More “top level” football nonsense- planned “super league”

[maninasuitcase]

Man City are out as well now and Ed Woodward at Manchester United is resigning.

 

[The Big Dady]

All six Premier League teams involved in the European Super League have formally withdrawn from the competition.

Manchester City were the first club to formally pull out after Chelsea had signalled their intent to do so by preparing documentation to withdraw.

The other four sides - Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - have all now followed suit

The 12-team Super League was announced on Sunday to widespread condemnation.

Manchester City confirmed they have "formally enacted the procedures to withdraw" from the Super League.

Liverpool said their involvement in the proposed breakaway league "has been discontinued".

Manchester United said they had "listened carefully to the reaction from our fans, the UK government and other key stakeholders" in making their decision to not take part.

Arsenal apologised in an open letter to their fans and said they had "made a mistake", adding they were withdrawing after listening to them and the "wider football community".

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said the club regretted the "anxiety and upset" caused by the proposal.

English football's 'big six' were part of a group, also containing Spain's Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and Italy's AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, that announced plans to form the breakaway league, which they hoped to establish as a new midweek competition.

It was condemned by fans, football authorities and government ministers in the UK and across Europe by Uefa and league associations.

Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea's Stamford Bridge ground before their game against Brighton on Tuesday to protest at their club's involvement.

Chelsea have yet to release a statement confirming their withdrawal, though BBC sports editor Dan Roan reported earlier on Tuesday the Blues had begun proceedings to pull out of the proposed tournament.

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who was involved in the Super League discussions, has announced he will step down from his role at the end of 2021.

Leading players at some of the six clubs signalled their disapproval of the planned breakaway league.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson said on social media his side's "collective position" is they do not want the Super League to take place.

"We don't like it and we don't want it to happen," read a message that was also posted by many fellow Liverpool players.

After City confirmed their withdrawal, England winger Raheem Sterling posted: "Ok bye."

Link

 

[ESG]

Just read Chris Sutton on the BBC.

"One of the greatest nights we've had in our game"

Very true and fair play to the Chelksea fans for their protest but were they not aware of our worst night at The inbreds?
?

 

[Supa Shrimpa]

The new ESL fixtures released...lol

 

[MisterStubbs]

I’ve read this morning that the premier league has said that they believe a points deduction for the ‘big six’ would only punish the fans and players.. well, isn’t that exactly what you do when club owners run their clubs in to the ground financially and you give them a points deduction? In other words, they are absolutely bottling making a statement of the so called big six.

 

[rigsby]

It will be back jn a different format. It is only a stepping stone to the World league anyway.

The sooner it happens the better.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

1.It will be back jn a different format. It is only a stepping stone to the World league anyway.

2.The sooner it happens the better.

1.FWIW I happen to agree with your first comment.I tend to think it's some sort of grotesque ploy to to get more money out of Sky or whoever buys next season's TV rights anyway.

2.Not sure why you think this? (unless you think clubs like SUFC etc will somhow be better off if the big boys cut their links with the rest of the game ?)

 

[rigsby]

1.FWIW I happen to agree with your first comment.I tend to think it's some sort of grotesque ploy to to get more money out of Sky or whoever buys next season's TV rights anyway.

2.Not sure why you think this? (unless you think clubs like SUFC etc will somhow be better off if the big boys cut their links with the rest of the game ?)

Obscene greed in football starts at the very top, including the not fit for purpose governing bodies. The get rich quick ethos filters down and helps destroy smaller clubs, whilst the money goes straight to the top. The sooner they are gone and armchair PL fans stop aiding and abetting the pyramid scam of English football, the better we will all be.

The longer they hang around before the inevitable happens the worse it becomes for us.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Obscene greed in football starts at the very top, including the not fit for purpose governing bodies. The get rich quick ethos filters down and helps destroy smaller clubs, whilst the money goes straight to the top. The sooner they are gone and armchair PL fans stop aiding and abetting the pyramid scam of English football, the better we will all be.

The longer they hang around before the inevitable happens the worse it becomes for us.

Rather thought it was some of those armchair PL fans who were in fact subsidising us. "Trickle down " economics and all that.

Edit.I notice that neither the FA nor any of the other football associations involved threatened to chuck any of the 12 clubs out of their domestic leagues. Perhaps next time?

https://www.newstatesman.com/politi...er-league-has-shown-another-football-possible Meanwhile you might be interested in Paul Mason's take on a European Super league.(Warning this article first appeared in the New Statesman).

 

[harveyoe]

Rather thought it was some of those armchair PL fans who were in fact subsidising us. "Trickle down " economics and all that.

Edit.I notice that neither the FA nor any of the other football associations involved threatened to chuck any of the 12 clubs out of their domestic leagues. Perhaps next time?

https://www.newstatesman.com/politi...er-league-has-shown-another-football-possible Meanwhile you might be interested in Paul Mason's take on a European Super league.(Warning this article first appeared in the New Statesman).

Thanks for sharing that. A very interesting and thought provoking article. I have always believed, well at least since the idea was first mooted, that this would one day happen, and I still think that one day it will.

I think the majority of fans realise that this would bring about the end of football as we know it,and that everything that can be done to prevent this, should be done. Sadly, I think it has only been halted for the moment and will just keep re-surfacing until one day they get away with it.

I'm not sure about the idea of fan owned clubs but I do have some contacts in Germany and I will try to find out, in more detail, how their model works. As to other possible options, they are difficult to discuss here as they would almost certainly wander too far into the realm of politics.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Florentino Pérez: the emperor who wanted more but lost for once | Sid Lowe

The Real Madrid president had been working on his Super League for three years but it fell apart quickly and is now threatening his legacy

www.theguardian.com

Amazed to learn that it took RM's President 3 years to set up the Superliga deal when it fell apart in just 48 hours.

Interestingly, Bar$a's newly re-elected President Laporta came out in favoutr of the proposed new league to Spanish media last night.Bar$a need money apparently and their supporteres are used to good football ,which costs money.

 

[londonblue]

In fairness to the Real Madrid president, when you listen to his justification you realise that actually there is another side to the argument.

They were doing this to save football as young people are not interested in football because there are so many meaningless matches. We shouldn't be so quick to condemn when it is obvious that he and the rest of them were doing this for our benefit, not his or his team.

(Maybe he should wonder why in Spain there are so many meaningless matches and tackle the problem at source, not create a ****show to paper over the cracks.)

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Fan Ownership Is the Future of Football

German football's 50+1 model gives supporters a real say in their clubs and a better culture in the stands – if English fans want to be treated as more than consumers, it's time to build a movement demanding the same.

tribunemag.co.uk

Certainly hope so.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

In fairness to the Real Madrid president, when you listen to his justification you realise that actually there is another side to the argument.

They were doing this to save football as young people are not interested in football because there are so many meaningless matches. We shouldn't be so quick to condemn when there it is obvious that he and the rest of them were doing this for our benefit, not his or his team.

(Maybe he should wonder why in Spain there are so many meaningless matches and tackle the problem at source, not create a ****show to paper over the cracks.)

Think that was the idea behind the Superliga.Certainly heard Koeman saying the other night that Bar$a had to play too many games in Europe.Remember tha late,great Johan Cruyff saying years ago that Champions Legue football before the knock out stage was like decaffinated coffee.He was quite right of course.

 

[harveyoe]

It is interesting but also somewhat disturbing that younger people are losing interest in football, or at least that their level of interest is lower than in previous generations. I have seen that this is the case because I have three grandsons. Two of them play in junior leagues but all of them have no interest in going along to an actual match or even watching a whole match on television.

The Real president may believe that he is saving football with the super league, but is he? Surely there will eventually be meaningless matches even in this proposed competition. So, even this dramatic change will not sustain interest for long.

The Real president and his counterparts at other clubs need to be thinking about why their product is not grabbing the interest of younger people. I'm not sure that meaningless matches are a significant part of the problem. I wonder if anyone has ever conducted a survey among the younger generation to try to establish the real reason for the drop in interest.

From a completely cynical point of view, it is in the interests of these elite clubs to keep football going and therefore keep the funds flowing in for as long as possible. Which is why I believe that the super league idea will one day happen.

I'm afraid that I don't have the answers but I do realise that football has to change and evolve to survive. It may not be palatable to those of us in the older generations but we must accept that change is needed. Nothing lasts or stays the same forever.

 

[southendkid]

In fairness to the Real Madrid president, when you listen to his justification you realise that actually there is another side to the argument.

They were doing this to save football as young people are not interested in football because there are so many meaningless matches. We shouldn't be so quick to condemn when it is obvious that he and the rest of them were doing this for our benefit, not his or his team.

(Maybe he should wonder why in Spain there are so many meaningless matches and tackle the problem at source, not create a ****show to paper over the cracks.)

Young people aren't interested in football because it's too expensive, they've priced football based on the fact that they know established fans will grumble about the cost but pay anyway because they are fans, young people aren't established fans so if you tell them it's £40 a month to watch their team then they'll just find something else to watch. Plus watching an illegal stream is incredibly easy to do, even if you are a fan already most young people know how to watch the match for free.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Young people aren't interested in football because it's too expensive, they've priced football based on the fact that they know established fans will grumble about the cost but pay anyway because they are fans, young people aren't established fans so if you tell them it's £40 a month to watch their team then they'll just find something else to watch. Plus watching an illegal stream is incredibly easy to do, even if you are a fan already most young people know how to watch the match for free.

It certainly used to be but I'm not so sure it is any more.Incidentally,if you've got any tips I'd be interested to hear them ( you can pm me if you like).

 

[Supershrimper]

Young people aren't interested in football because it's too expensive, they've priced football based on the fact that they know established fans will grumble about the cost but pay anyway because they are fans, young people aren't established fans so if you tell them it's £40 a month to watch their team then they'll just find something else to watch. Plus watching an illegal stream is incredibly easy to do, even if you are a fan already most young people know how to watch the match for free.

Young people aren't interested in football because they would have to put their phones down for a whole 90 minutes and concentrate (i suppose they could take a breather at half time)

If it can't be condensed into a tweet or a tiktok video they aren't interested.

I'm generalizing but if two very near car collision misses involving young people head down on their phones just walking into the road without even glancing up is anything to go buy I could well be close to being right.

 

[rigsby]

Rather thought it was some of those armchair PL fans who were in fact subsidising us. "Trickle down " economics and all that.

Edit.I notice that neither the FA nor any of the other football associations involved threatened to chuck any of the 12 clubs out of their domestic leagues. Perhaps next time?

https://www.newstatesman.com/politi...er-league-has-shown-another-football-possible Meanwhile you might be interested in Paul Mason's take on a European Super league.(Warning this article first appeared in the New Statesman).

Trickle down economics don't work in English football. Every player and agents look up and expect better wages. Fans and chairman alike believe you can buy success. If they can sign X why can't we afford Y

Football has become the worst form of keeping up with the Joneses. Clubs like ours simply don't need to have a £5m per year wage bill in the lower leagues. Turns out more money means more charlatans being attracted to football and just more debt for each club.

Even Hullbridge who are Ryman North which is 8th? tier have a £60,000 pound wage bill. below them in Essex Senior there are strikers on £250/300 per week.

In England football could pay for the best sporting facilities in the world. Instead we have obscene amounts filtered into the hands of a few hundred people, many of whom are registered as an overseas company to avoid all British tax.

If the PL did give every L2 team another £5m we would just have the same squad and agents on double their current wages and a wider gap between players and fans, with even less loyalty. That is a gap that is already spoiling lower league football for me.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Trickle down economics don't work in English football. Every player and agents look up and expect better wages. Fans and chairman alike believe you can buy success. If they can sign X why can't we afford Y

Football has become the worst form of keeping up with the Joneses. Clubs like ours simply don't need to have a £5m per year wage bill in the lower leagues. Turns out more money means more charlatans being attracted to football and just more debt for each club.

Even Hullbridge who are Ryman North which is 8th? tier have a £60,000 pound wage bill. below them in Essex Senior there are strikers on £250/300 per week.

In England football could pay for the best sporting facilities in the world. Instead we have obscene amounts filtered into the hands of a few hundred people, many of whom are registered as an overseas company to avoid all British tax.

If the PL did give every L2 team another £5m we would just have the same squad and agents on double their current wages and a wider gap between players and fans, with even less loyalty. That is a gap that is already spoiling lower league football for me.

Maybe but I'm not sure the solution is just to cast the bigboys adift either.

We sold Stan on for big money and that kept us afloat for a while.