well the idea that either Spurs or Arsenal deserve a place in the supposedly 12 best teams in Europe is beyond parody.
warspite1
Agreed - an absolute joke - but it's a shame that this point about Spurs not deserving a place keeps being raised. It's a shame because it detracts from the real issue. If any clubs deserve a place in a super league based on history, merit, trophies won, etc etc then Manchester United and Liverpool are the two English clubs that can say they deserve it. But its not the point. The problem is what this 'super league' means, and the total betrayal of every club in European football no matter how big or small. This is a closed shop and its totally unacceptable.
It is sad day for football. I don't see a way back from this - the die has been cast.
...
It is sad day for football. I don't see a way back from this - the die has been cast.
Best wishes,
Steve
agree, I mean one or more of them may back down, but that they even think this is a good idea/acceptable is so telling as to their mindset.
the financial doping of PSG/ManC/Chelsea (add to according to taste and knowledge) was always going to undermine any pretence of competition and this is the natural end point of that.
I guess it explains Mourinho's awful tactics this season - clearly it doesn't matter one bit how dire Spurs are to watch if this is the end goal.
and agree with Warspite - the whole idea is risible, there is no way can anyone claim this is 'deserved' but adding the 2 north London teams makes it into a complete farce
ORIGINAL: warspite1
The problem is what this 'super league' means, and the total betrayal of every club in European football no matter how big or small. This is a closed shop and its totally unacceptable.
What they are doing here ofc is making an "American style" league. None of the "founders" gets demoted etc etc.
I hope this does not happen, as one of the things about football are those magical moments when the underdogs wins through. (Denmark winning the Euro, Rosenborg winning at San Siro etc), and that we will lose out on.
Also, how "special" will Liverpool vs Man Utd be when this league is added?
I will however claim that UEFA will have to take some blame here too, I understand the club owners wanting more income, especially with the money going out. Had UEFA followed their own rules about FFP over the years, club spendings would have been lower by necessity already.
They are a bunch of rich teams breaking the rules because they´re rich and they want an absolute power, establishing a feudal system where they´re the kings.
maybe Christian Gross is still looking for a job ... or Sherwood, lets have another period with the Gillet tactics
warspite1
Well that is curious timing....
I mean 12 cup wins out of 14 - that is a pretty good pedigree to be taking into a shot at silverware (especially as its a VERY long shot against Manchester City).
What prompted Jose's removal just six days before the Carabao Cup Final? The performance at Everton was dross - but no worse than the dross that has been served up all season.
I don't buy that it was a cynical attempt to deflect criticism about the European Super League - after all the majority of anger has been directed at the real big clubs, Liverpool, United, (and in terms of tradition, Arsenal) with lesser anger for the oil clubs of City and Chelsea (maybe because they don't need the money and their involvement is simply fear of being left out), while Spurs are largely treated as a bit of an irrelevance who's presence in this company is something of a joke.
So what happened over the weekend to make Levy act this morning? Strange.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
They are a bunch of rich teams breaking the rules because they´re rich and they want an absolute power, establishing a feudal system where they´re the kings.
Shameless.
That's the way I see it too. A way to milk more money and nothing else. Maybe needed after the pandemic, but who doesn't?
"Yes darling, I served in the Navy for eight years. I was a cook..."
"Oh dad... so you were a God-damned cook?"
(My 10 years old daughter after watching "The Hunt for Red October")
Apart from 5 big European leagues it was already impossible to achive anything in Champions league for other European countries. I don't remember when Totenham was last champion in English league. But was still in Champions league. If they invite to CL organizations 3 to 5 teams in 5 big leagues, finance gaps between 'united Europe' gets worse. Domestic leagues for this big 5 their problem.
I believe European football should be better divided to West&East, Mediterian and Balkan Leagues.
Apart from 5 big European leagues it was already impossible to achive anything in Champions league for other European countries. I don't remember when Totenham was last champion in English league. But was still in Champions league. If they invite to CL organizations 3 to 5 teams in 5 big leagues, finance gaps between 'united Europe' gets worse. Domestic leagues for this big 5 their problem.
I believe European football should be better divided to West&East, Mediterian and Balkan Leagues.
That there are 'have's' and 'have nots' in football - both domestic and European - has always been true and probably always will.
It's not ideal. As a Spurs fan I wish that Man City, PSG and Chelsea couldn't have happened. But they are not the only ones. I would love to know the finances of Real Madrid and Barcelona for example.....
But the point is, while things may not be ideal, and not always fair, there is no 'closed shop'. It is this that is so repugnant about the 'European Super League'. The unbelievable sense of entitlement of these clubs is just beyond belief.
Perez says football is becoming less popular and audiences are decreasing. So, in order to save sinking football these clubs decide the best way forward is to grab the only lifeboats - and thus save themselves.....
How about? If football is less popular and income is decreasing, they simply decide to pay the players less obscene wages? There's a thought.....
Of course Real Madrid wouldn't want to do that because Chelsea, PSG and Man City would win everything.... well then now they know how the smaller clubs in Spain and Europe have felt for years in trying to compete with them.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
La Repubblica is reporting that Agnelli has resigned from Juventus, while apparently the prat in charge of Barcelona has suddenly decided it needs to be approved by their fan base.
so the super league is looking like N London vs Milan?
No doubt Spurs will be the last one standing......
I think its really interesting what was said following the Premiership meeting today - and that, although the six clubs will be welcome, certain people who have attended meetings in the last few months, knowing what was being planned, will not be welcome back. Well one has to ask who attends these meetings and who they were talking about.
My money is on Mr Levy and Mr Edwards to name two.....
I'm just hoping that the only reason Spurs haven't pulled out is because they can't afford the exit fees. If they stick it out until the whole thing folds then perhaps there will be less penalty fees to pay because they can claim force majeure.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Woodward has left Man Utd .. who is going to sign up their official tractor sponsorship deal with Mongolia now?
So it seems as if a load of owners are busily dumping their front persons who actually run the clubs - so yes, that puts Levy v much at risk, esp after the Mourinho disaster?
Arsenal and Liverpool have apologised to the fans. Would be nice if someone from Spurs would do the same.....
Instead they made this bland statement:
Chairman Daniel Levy said: “We regret the anxiety and upset caused by the ESL proposal. We felt it was important that our club participated in the development of a possible new structure that sought to better ensure financial fair play and financial sustainability whilst delivering significantly increased support for the wider football pyramid.
“We believe that we should never stand still and that the sport should constantly review competitions and governance to ensure the game we all love continues to evolve and excite fans around the world.
“We should like to thank all those supporters who presented their considered opinions.”
So once again they seem to be missing the mood here and getting their response to the initial error wrong too.... Oh lordy.
Interesting that the six Italian/Spanish clubs are yet to make any announcement. What are they waiting for?
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
The supporters of the various teams expressed very clearly their opinion about the matter. Guess which was the only team that got a positive vote... [8|]
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"Yes darling, I served in the Navy for eight years. I was a cook..."
"Oh dad... so you were a God-damned cook?"
(My 10 years old daughter after watching "The Hunt for Red October")
It's not ideal. As a Spurs fan I wish that Man City, PSG and Chelsea couldn't have happened. But they are not the only ones. I would love to know the finances of Real Madrid and Barcelona for example.....
Yes, did UEFA have a look their finances. Income and expenditure. System was already corrupted. Erasing points from others leagues isn't a solution. EX: PSG was a French team no big worldwide supporters before.
My favourite quote from the ESL story is the early quote from Crawley Town FC...
"Crawley Town Football Club would like to confirm that despite the rumours, we are not one of the six clubs in mention and will not be seeking membership to any Super League. The club will make no further comment at this time."
I've said it before and I will say it again... football clubs must be self-financing and live within their means. It is really that simple. With regard to ESL, the rich clubs want it because they are desperate for money. Why are they desperate for money? Because their expenses are greater than their income. If the ESL was a successful project, quite apart from damaging the national leagues involved, it would not, ultimately, benefit the rich clubs. They would just find ways to spend more money and end up in the same position they are in now. This is not sustainable.
There is problem at the national league level with one or two, on average, big clubs dominating the national leagues (6 clubs in England, 3 in Spain, but just Bayern in Germany, Juventus in Italy, PSG in France etc.) Why are there 6 clubs in England and only 3 in Spain and 1 pretty much everywhere else? Money. The insane riches of the Premier league supports more.
There is also a problem at the continental level. The Premier League is the cash cow that dominates every other European league. If all European teams were self-financing and living within their means, the Premier league teams would dominate every European competition. The likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona can only dream of achieving that kind of spending power.
This is why Real Madrid and Barcelona are in such a huge financial holes. They are buying the best players with transfer fees and wages that they simply cannot afford.
European football is fundamentally broken. It has been broken for some years now. Covid 19 has brought the problem into sharp relief.
And what about the other European nations? Remember "the good old days" when Reims, Fiorentina, Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, Partizan Belgrade, Celtic, Ajax, Panathinaikos, Leeds, Saint Etienne, Borussia Munchengladbach, Brugge, Malmo, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Hamburg, Roma, Steaua Bucharest, Porto, PSV, Red Star Belgrade, and Sampdoria competed for the big prize? Quite a few of them won it as well.
Jean-Marc Bosman joined Standard Liege in 1988. Two years later when his contract expired, Standard cut his wages by 75% and would not let him leave. Correlation or causality?
European football has deep, deep problems. They cannot be fixed by papering over the cracks.
