Football's Finished

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I'm getting more and more ****ed off with football every season.

 

I'm sitting watching Setanta Sports News and they are covering the Keegan story ... a complete shambles almost up there with Burley leaving.

 

Who do these feckers think they are buying clubs and then taking the complete **** out of the fans? Because at the end of the day it is the fans that suffer ... no one else.

 

Time and time again these foreign millionaires/billionaires are coming in and causing turmoil left right and centre.

 

The Man City story was quite exciting yesterday but on reflection, it's terrible for the game that these guys can come in and basically buy success.

 

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

I can see myself following youth/amatuer football in years to come.

 

Footballs *****ed.

[Praha06]

HMFC Kickback.

 

Where the drama queens are.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Nowt constructive to contribute then?

 

HMFC Kickback - where the arseholes are.

[vegas-voss]

I'm getting more and more ****ed off with football every season.

 

I'm sitting watching Setanta Sports News and they are covering the Keegan story ... a complete shambles almost up there with Burley leaving.

 

Who do these feckers think they are buying clubs and then taking the complete **** out of the fans? Because at the end of the day it is the fans that suffer ... no one else.

 

Time and time again these foreign millionaires/billionaires are coming in and causing turmoil left right and centre.

 

The Man City story was quite exciting yesterday but on reflection, it's terrible for the game that these guys can come in and basically buy success.

 

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

I can see myself following youth/amatuer football in years to come.

 

Footballs *****ed.

 

It's all about the money.

 

But lets face it you would be buzzing if it was us.

[tommythejambo]

HMFC Kickback.

 

Where the drama queens are.

 

Despite possibly being a bit over the top the OP makes a very valid point. The gulf between rich and poor will only increase as clubs become billionaire's playthings.

 

I think a wage cap may be in football's best interests for the long run.

[LarrysRightFoot]

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

The sooner these are introduced the better.

 

There is no chance of those outside the established footballing eltie acheiving anything in football now unless a billionaire buys them.

 

In another thread I was saying how impressed I was by Zenit but at the end of the day even they are the richest club in Russia now.

 

Money is ruining football IMO.

[Praha06]

Nowt constructive to contribute then?

 

HMFC Kickback - where the arseholes are.

 

OK then, here u go; I agree with your sentiment, that is that a lot of club owners seem to treat the fans with a lot of contempt, even resorting to fantasy football antics on occasion.

 

Happy?

 

 

And yes I have an arsehole, so your statement is entirely with merit.

[1874robbo]

I'm getting more and more ****ed off with football every season.

 

I'm sitting watching Setanta Sports News and they are covering the Keegan story ... a complete shambles almost up there with Burley leaving.

 

Who do these feckers think they are buying clubs and then taking the complete **** out of the fans? Because at the end of the day it is the fans that suffer ... no one else.

 

Time and time again these foreign millionaires/billionaires are coming in and causing turmoil left right and centre.

 

The Man City story was quite exciting yesterday but on reflection, it's terrible for the game that these guys can come in and basically buy success.

 

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

I can see myself following youth/amatuer football in years to come.

 

Footballs *****ed.

 

Mark hughes seemed to think the Man City thing was very exciting also.

I give him 1 month max then it's goodbye Mr Hughes thanks but no thanks.

[Jammy T]

In any market where finances are involved, a sure sign that a big bubble is inflating is when the world and his auntie all try and get involved spending and "investing" greater and greater amounts of money doing so

 

The bubble has a wee while to inflate, but rest assured something is going to happen within the next 5 years that will pop it.

 

These money men, will at some stage get together to try and ensure they get a return. Whatever they propose is the way forward will go through.

 

Football will never be the same again, and is unlikely to flourish as it has to date.

 

The current boom started with SKY of course, it will end with these guys.

 

Football will not be the game we grew up loving in 5 years, and it wont be the better for it, and it might be completely on its erse. I can almost guarantee you that.

[vegas-voss]

Despite possibly being a bit over the top the OP makes a very valid point. The gulf between rich and poor will only increase as clubs become billionaire's playthings.

 

I think a wage cap may be in football's best interests for the long run.

 

It will happen soon once the big clubs like Real and Utd start moaning about these new forces then things will quickly change and then the men with money will get bored and move on.

[vegas-voss]

Mark hughes seemed to think the Man City thing was very exciting also.

I give him 1 month max then it's goodbye Mr Hughes thanks but no thanks.

 

He's just a puppet.He never had a clue about who was being signed yesterday.Still what a puppet to be.

[loveofthegame]

I'm getting more and more ****ed off with football every season.

 

I'm sitting watching Setanta Sports News and they are covering the Keegan story ... a complete shambles almost up there with Burley leaving.

 

Who do these feckers think they are buying clubs and then taking the complete **** out of the fans? Because at the end of the day it is the fans that suffer ... no one else.

 

Time and time again these foreign millionaires/billionaires are coming in and causing turmoil left right and centre.

 

The Man City story was quite exciting yesterday but on reflection, it's terrible for the game that these guys can come in and basically buy success.

 

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

I can see myself following youth/amatuer football in years to come.

 

Footballs *****ed.

 

 

1st- the Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is English

2nd- moneys always bought success really. Its the way it is.

 

However I do agree with the sentiment that the inflix of foreign owners is a worry. They, as you rightly say, don't give a flying **** about the fans. They are greedy, arrogant and power mad, using football clubs as toys to boost their own egos.

 

I also CANNOT STAND the way they treat people, in particular managers. eg. Vlad with Burley, Thaksin with Eriksson, Ashley with Keegan.

[speedbump]

Hughes was assured he would have cash to spend before he took the job, so I think he knew about this takeover before he jumped ship from Blackburn. He's a respected name in football, he seems like a players manager as well. I think he'll be there for a while yet.

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

Hughes was assured he would have cash to spend before he took the job, so I think he knew about this takeover before he jumped ship from Blackburn. He's a respected name in football, he seems like a players manager as well. I think he'll be there for a while yet.

 

I doubt it.

 

These guys want the biggest names. Hughes isn't a big name as a manager yet.

 

They have already came out and said they want Torres, Fabregas and Ronaldo!!

[Das Root]

In any market where finances are involved, a sure sign that a big bubble is inflating is when the world and his auntie all try and get involved spending and "investing" greater and greater amounts of money doing so

 

The bubble has a wee while to inflate, but rest assured something is going to happen within the next 5 years that will pop it.

 

These money men, will at some stage get together to try and ensure they get a return. Whatever they propose is the way forward will go through.

 

Football will never be the same again, and is unlikely to flourish as it has to date.

 

The current boom started with SKY of course, it will end with these guys.

 

Football will not be the game we grew up loving in 5 years, and it wont be the better for it, and it might be completely on its erse. I can almost guarantee you that.

 

 

 

All it will take is for Joe Public to start looking at his monthly expenditure, realising that with the current state of the economy the Sky subscription isn't something that can be continued, revenue will drop and then Sky will re-evaluate the stupid money they hand out to clubs.

 

Still, it would be good to see Man City go on a run and take the title, sure it will be bought but the big 4 buy their trophies each year, as do the bigot bros up here, so I'm happy to see someone else get their chance

[Diego10]

I'm inclined to agree with the OP. The whole dynamic of the game is fundamentally skewed by the money now involved. You get bored billionaires coming in with plenty of cash but no clue. the model for top teams will now be multi-million pound names coming in, and a manager expected to mould these picks into a coherent team within 6 months and if they don't they're sacked. Ferguson and Wenger will be the last of their kind, managers with full control over the top teams, as the money men will demand results from whoever replaces them.

 

Top teams won't take chances now, so you have squads of 35-40 players, many of whom are stagnating by sitting in the reserves when 15 years ago they'd have trickled down to clubs lowere down the leagues. This is one of the main reasons why the quality of football further down is so poor. There are just as many good players as there ever were, just no playing first team football.

 

All the while we're getting charged huge amounts to watch guys who are no as good as players we paid a fraction of the money for in a more competitive and more interesting league.

[Therapist]

Hughes was assured he would have cash to spend before he took the job, so I think he knew about this takeover before he jumped ship from Blackburn. He's a respected name in football, he seems like a players manager as well. I think he'll be there for a while yet.

 

Not sure about that mate. The new owners have their sights set on Chelsea FC, Manure, Real Madrid - all clubs with high profile proven winners at the helm. Much as I think Hughes has potential, I think his coat is on an extremely shoogly peg.

[Goose Baxter]

It's all about the money.

 

But lets face it you would be buzzing if it was us.

 

It once was Vegas-voss!!

[1874robbo]

He's just a puppet.He never had a clue about who was being signed yesterday.Still what a puppet to be.

 

An unemployed puppet soon though imo.

This consortium aint going to pump millions into this project without their choice of man at the helm,they need a face at the forefront and i'm afraid Hughes's doesn't fit.

[tommythejambo]

2nd- moneys always bought success really. Its the way it is.

 

Valid point.

 

Even if there was salary caps and such, some teams would still have more money available than others. E.g. Man Utd will always have more money to spend than Hull. Which would ensure that the best players will always find their way to the 'now' big clubs.

 

One thing that gets my goat is people banging on about the treatment of managers.

 

Most of them (well the examples mentioned) are at a big club and were getting paid shedloads, it's the fans that are mistreated.

 

E.g. Eriksson, was one of the highest paid managers in the World, spent one of the biggest transfer bidgets in the league at the start of last season and just got Man City into the UEFA cup, I'd be looking for a better return than that.

[Charlie-Brown]

A reduction in advertising revenues could be one thing that could cause Sky / Setanta etc to offer less for Premiership & other football league TV rights contracts if sports events sponsors & advertisers had less spare money to spend on these things.....or the failure / bankruptcy of one of these digital broadcasters as happened with ITV Digital could also seriously affect the money available to football.....how likely either of these things are well who knows.....also how close are big football events to market saturation point?

 

One thing is certain is that if Man City's new owners start to spend serious amounts of money in the transfer market then it will only fuel further inflation in the price of wages & transfer fees demanded for the better players - despite the huge sums of money in the game football is making less & less sense financially with clubs spending every last penny and then some on 'improving' their squads - despite record amounts of money coming in even more money is going out the door with so many clubs increasing the debts year on year....the only real winners are the players & their agents and other football club employees who earn(take) big wages from the game.

[Buffalo Bill]

I used to go down to watch City once or twice a season in the 90s when they were drifting between the 1st, 2nd and even 3rd tiers of English football.

 

Back then their players ranged from average to crap, with the odd gem like Kinkladze.

 

Now it looks like they're going to mega-spend and become another Chelsea.

 

 

I don't know why but think I prefered them the way they were.

 

 

Buffalo Bill

 

.

[Maximus]

Had the same opinion as the OP for the last 3 or 4 years. The game is dying, it's becoming like the yank sports with the globalised brand culture and it ain't healthy for the sport. Just look at our own club, barely identifiable now, it's so stale and souless. I don't want footie to become a generic, 'franchise' circus it already bad enough with all the needless glitz and hype. It will get to the point where you might as well have a 'roster' draw at the start of every season with the speed players move clubs these days. It's becoming harder to define each club they are all becoming so samey. Very few clubs, in the UK at least, are retaining any sort of unique identity. Money has virtually eliminated the need for the clubs to bring through their own players or develop their own style of play. Once you start losing that verity you lose most of the appeal IMO.

 

The bubble is going to burst some day and it's probably going to be very soon given the current economic climate world wide with people now being forced to get a grip on their finances. Mind you it's becoming a rich man's game in more ways than one, maybe that's the aim. Turn it into a sport for the middle class?

[LarrysRightFoot]

Valid point.

 

Even if there was salary caps and such, some teams would still have more money available than others. E.g. Man Utd will always have more money to spend than Hull. Which would ensure that the best players will always find their way to the 'now' big clubs.

 

Just relating to your point and not opposing it am I right in thinking there is/was a wage/transfer cap in the lower leagues in England?

[LarrysRightFoot]

Had the same opinion as the OP for the last 3 or 4 years. The game is dying, it's becoming like the yank sports with the globalised brand culture and it ain't healthy for the sport

 

I know what you are saying but in a way it would be better if football was run like 'yank' sports because at least the structure of sports over there garuantees some kind of competition, as there are rules to stop teams monoploising there sports arent there such as rules on picks during drafts and such like?

[Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC]

I know what you are saying but in a way it would be better if football was run like 'yank' sports because at least the structure of sports over there garuantees some kind of competition, as there are rules to stop teams monoploising there sports arent there such as rules on picks during drafts and such like?

 

I see what you are saying. A major revamp in the way football is run is desperately required.

 

Of course, FIFA wont want to upset the big boys though so change is unlikely.

[stevieC@pivot]

I used to go down to watch City once or twice a season in the 90s when they were drifting between the 1st, 2nd and even 3rd tiers of English football.

 

Back then their players ranged from average to crap, with the odd gem like Kinkladze.

 

Now it looks like they're going to mega-spend and become another Chelsea.

 

 

I don't know why but think I prefered them the way they were.

 

 

Buffalo Bill

 

.

 

Nostalgia mate,we all have it!! I preferred Hearts b4 CPR.

[srm12]

Good OP and I was saying the same thing to my old man last night.

 

I hope we are reaching a saturation point in terms of the money on wages and transfers as well as marketing that now goes into football because the whole thing is getting really boring. The money in football is ridiculous now with people becoming more and more disengaged with their teams. New breeds of fans come through who don't know there arse from their elbow but have been seduced by the whole sky sports media machine, and the atmosphere at games gets worse season on season.

 

Watching sky sports news last night was some absolute comedy viewing with Jim White creaming his pants over every hint of a new rumour and fans overreacting to every bit of news. You even had Arsenal fans demanding that Wenger goes because he's not spending xamount on some player who will come at a vastly overinflated price and add little to their squad. The money in football has totally changed the mentality of everyone involved-owners, players and fans alike. The sacking of Keegan is a strange one and I personally can't believe the owner is stupid enough to just sack him - their must be more to it.

 

As Maximus stated clubs are rapidly losing their identity and thats happened at our club to a great deal over the last 2 seasons. I am however optimistic for Hearts as our new manager seems to have galvanised the squad, talks a good game and has instilled a good team spirit. And once a clear team spirit and a good manager is in place the support is sure to come back.

 

Mon the Hearts, feck the premiership - boring corporate nonsense!

[Diego10]

Valid point.

 

Even if there was salary caps and such, some teams would still have more money available than others. E.g. Man Utd will always have more money to spend than Hull. Which would ensure that the best players will always find their way to the 'now' big clubs.

 

One thing that gets my goat is people banging on about the treatment of managers.

 

Most of them (well the examples mentioned) are at a big club and were getting paid shedloads, it's the fans that are mistreated.

 

E.g. Eriksson, was one of the highest paid managers in the World, spent one of the biggest transfer bidgets in the league at the start of last season and just got Man City into the UEFA cup, I'd be looking for a better return than that.

 

What manager can bring instant success to a club, especially when you are coming to a team that is rubbish to begin with? You could have the 11 best players on the planet and still no guarantee a winning team. you need tactics, training - a chance to get your players to gel. fair enough you want results for your money, but stability is important. Ferguson would have been sacked after his first season if he took over Man U now, and he's about the most successful manager of all time.

[I.J]

Said for nigh on 10 years now that football will go the way of the world's "big" sports (NFL, NBA etc) in that only the best 30 teams will be worth a sook.

 

The rest of us will console ourselves with having a lower league team that once every ten years will produce a player who may hit the bench of one of the big teams.

 

For what it's worth, under my theory - Glasgow can only sustain one team.

[I.J]

What manager can bring instant success to a club, especially when you are coming to a team that is rubbish to begin with? You could have the 11 best players on the planet and still no guarantee a winning team. you need tactics, training - a chance to get your players to gel. fair enough you want results for your money, but stability is important. Ferguson would have been sacked after his first season if he took over Man U now, and he's about the most successful manager of all time.

 

And at the same time, Ronaldinho had a MoM performance against Bologna for Milan on Sunday, and guess who won.

 

Ancelotti brought on Emerson, a 33 year old DM with 10 minutes to go.

 

Managers DO have to live and die by decisions.

[Gabriel]

It is a sad state of affairs, but if it were any other club than Manchester City, I would be genuinely worried. There is just something about their history of owners that suggests that this will also, eventually, end in tears. They had the eccentric Peter Swales, the extravagant Frannie "I'll jump of the Kippax" Lee, and more recently the embarrassing Thaksin Shinawatra. All have arrived promising the world, all have left delivering nothing. Sometimes, it's just not meant to be.

[I.J]

There is just something about their history of owners that suggests that this will also, eventually, end in tears. They had the eccentric Peter Swales, the extravagant Frannie "I'll jump of the Kippax" Lee, and more recently the embarrassing Thaksin Shinawatra. All have arrived promising the world, all have left delivering nothing. Sometimes, it's just not meant to be.

 

Sounds like us, unfortunately.

[tommythejambo]

Just relating to your point and not opposing it am I right in thinking there is/was a wage/transfer cap in the lower leagues in England?

 

Not to my knowledge, but you may well be right.

 

What manager can bring instant success to a club, especially when you are coming to a team that is rubbish to begin with? You could have the 11 best players on the planet and still no guarantee a winning team. you need tactics, training - a chance to get your players to gel. fair enough you want results for your money, but stability is important. Ferguson would have been sacked after his first season if he took over Man U now, and he's about the most successful manager of all time.

 

I'm not denying that. All I'm saying is that for the investment put in you would expect more than an upper midtable finish. Also Man City started the season liek a house on fire, and then began to fall away, sort of puts paid to your 'gelling' argument.

[jack D and coke]

Anybody watching Sky sports news? Saying Man City will bid for Christiano Ronaldo, Torres, Fabregas etc in the january transfer window! Apparently they're looking for around 18 of the worlds best players! The arab dude saying they will bid ?125m for Ronaldo!!!! FFS!!! Absolutely nuts!

[Rick Grimes]

Said for nigh on 10 years now that football will go the way of the world's "big" sports (NFL, NBA etc) in that only the best 30 teams will be worth a sook.

 

The rest of us will console ourselves with having a lower league team that once every ten years will produce a player who may hit the bench of one of the big teams.

 

For what it's worth, under my theory - Glasgow can only sustain one team.

 

with only one team, no guarantee of perpetual success & the ability to play on sectarian tensions to keep a following, could it even support one?

[Nookie Bear]

I used to go down to watch City once or twice a season in the 90s when they were drifting between the 1st, 2nd and even 3rd tiers of English football.

 

Back then their players ranged from average to crap, with the odd gem like Kinkladze.

 

Now it looks like they're going to mega-spend and become another Chelsea.

 

 

I don't know why but think I prefered them the way they were.

 

 

Buffalo Bill

 

.

 

That's what a lot of people are saying on the radio this morning.

 

My English team are Stoke City and have been for donkeys....seen them in the top division way down to the 3rd tier and seen some simply horrific footballers disgracing the shirt.

 

Now I see us bidding ?4m for Pennant, ?7 for Joe Ledley, ?8m for serbian strikers and yet the really weird thing is that it leaves me a bit cold, a bit like playing Championship Manager.

 

Stoke are using the combination of TV money and wealthy owners to make bid which, 5 years ago, would have been the preserve of only a select few clubs. But now Hull City are bidding ?7m for players????

 

I haven't suffered on a weekly basis like some guys I know who watch Stoke every week so who am I to deny them the chance to see better players? But the whole thing leaves me a bit cold and almost indifferent - it's like theyare taking the management out of the game and handing it over to the accountants.

[lost in leith]

Said for nigh on 10 years now that football will go the way of the world's "big" sports (NFL, NBA etc) in that only the best 30 teams will be worth a sook.

 

The rest of us will console ourselves with having a lower league team that once every ten years will produce a player who may hit the bench of one of the big teams.

 

For what it's worth, under my theory - Glasgow can only sustain one team.

 

IMHO this has been the agenda of the G14 group for years. The Champions League is a monster, leading to most major leagues in Europe being dominated by the same teams every year.

 

Interesting take from the BBC's business editor on recent events.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2008/09/football_bubble.html

[Malinga the Swinga]

You have mercenaries like Robinho crying because they have a dream to play for one club, Chelsea. What's that, he said, Man City will pay me more. In that case my dream is Man City, now where do they play.

 

Someday, one of those big clubs with a foreign owner is going to go belly up when owner either dies, gets imprisoned or just gets fed up, and then like a pack of cards, they will all come tumbling down.

[Nookie Bear]

You have mercenaries like Robinho crying because they have a dream to play for one club, Chelsea. What's that, he said, Man City will pay me more. In that case my dream is Man City, now where do they play.

 

Someday, one of those big clubs with a foreign owner is going to go belly up when owner either dies, gets imprisoned or just gets fed up, and then like a pack of cards, they will all come tumbling down.

 

No doubt one of our resident Chelskis will confirm/deny this but I believe Abramovich has lent ?750m to Chelsea on an interest-free basis, however this can be recalled at 18 months notice.

 

Built on sand.....

[Eldar Hadzimehmedovic]

Football is nothing like it was even ten years ago. Christ, that makes me feel like an old man. There is virtually no competition anymore and the biggest chequebook wins, almost without exception. The saddest fact is that we are not powerless - the fans could change the nature of the game. It would take some pretty radical moves but it could be done if people went to matches involving their local team, bought some merchandise and (crucially) stopped buying their kids Man U/Barca/Juve/Real shirts, stopped watching Champions League games on the telly and started watching Conference games (or anything with a genuinely competitive league). There's loads more too, but saying it and doing it are two different things. FWIW, I choose not to watch CL games on TV now. I just follow on the BBC website and always, always cheer on the smaller club of whoever is playing.

[CostaJambo]

I'm getting more and more ****ed off with football every season.

 

I'm sitting watching Setanta Sports News and they are covering the Keegan story ... a complete shambles almost up there with Burley leaving.

 

Who do these feckers think they are buying clubs and then taking the complete **** out of the fans? Because at the end of the day it is the fans that suffer ... no one else.

 

Time and time again these foreign millionaires/billionaires are coming in and causing turmoil left right and centre.

 

The Man City story was quite exciting yesterday but on reflection, it's terrible for the game that these guys can come in and basically buy success.

 

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

I can see myself following youth/amatuer football in years to come.

 

Footballs *****ed.

 

Having worked in the area for most of the last 15 years I can confidently predict Man City fans will be considered even less than Romanov considers us and will be wishing the Thai guy was back before the season's out. There is probably some wee Indian guy in Abu Dhabi getting his erse reamed as we speak for buying City instead of United.

[jamcow1]

I'm getting more and more ****ed off with football every season.

 

I'm sitting watching Setanta Sports News and they are covering the Keegan story ... a complete shambles almost up there with Burley leaving.

 

Who do these feckers think they are buying clubs and then taking the complete **** out of the fans? Because at the end of the day it is the fans that suffer ... no one else.

 

Time and time again these foreign millionaires/billionaires are coming in and causing turmoil left right and centre.

 

The Man City story was quite exciting yesterday but on reflection, it's terrible for the game that these guys can come in and basically buy success.

 

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

I can see myself following youth/amatuer football in years to come.

 

Footballs *****ed.

 

im for sallary caps... they do it in north america in pretty much all their pro leagues and it works quite well, dont get me wrong the big teams still win things most of the time but it is more competitive, and it keeps one team from just having superstars..typically each team can only afford one top name(ie. in basketball)

[Sgt.Rock]

I'm actually quite surprised that it's taken this long for a middle-eastern petrodollar 'investment' of this size to appear in the EPL.

 

Like a bunch of stroppy yoofs playing on the swings in a primary school playground, the big wheelers and dealers have moved in and taken the beautiful game for themselves. Very few of these high rollers have any agenda other than to massage their own egos, and all that us wee infants can do is look on in tears while they wreck our swing park.

 

And yet some of them are deluded enough to think they are still one of us. In the ultimate parody of the Working Class Hero, pot-bellied Chairmen sport replica shirts and swill beer on the terraces (or where the terraces used to be..) and then indulge in whimsical multi-million pound sales and purchases with all the concensual instincts of a hungry velociraptor. Just - it would seem - to prove that they are bigger than some of the established heroes in our national sport.

 

The game I grew up on in the 1960's is long dead. Not of itself a problem if what replaces it is better. The first competitive match I ever attended was Chelsea v Spurs in 1968. I think I paid two shillings to get in. Dave Mackay captained Spurs, Peter Osgood played for Chelsea. The corresponding fixture now would cost me around ?50. Chelsea would have Frank Lampard while Spurs would field Dimitar Berba... oh hold on, he's gone to Man U. And would it be better entertainment than the 1960's fayre? Pffft. More athletic, more technically adept, maybe, but better enertainment... nah. Frank Lampard earns several hundred times more pound notes than his Dad ever did, but is he really that much better than his Dad? Indeed, is he any better than his Dad? I don't think so.

 

The EPL is absurdly predictable to the point where it may now be more of a two-horse race than even the SPL. Two days ago, Man City weren't part of the big four. Today they are the richest club in the world. The only way to break the Man U - Chelsea duopoly is to get a richer sugar daddy than they have. Don't worry about the football, that'll follow soon enough. But the millions swilling around in the trough helps to price the average punter out of his seat, while adding diddly-squat to the quality of the product. In truth, the last time I watched a game and felt genuinely on the edge of my seat with excitment (without the aid of Andy Gray's miserably contrived hysterical 'colour' commentary) was probably on a sunny afternoon at Celtic Park in May 1998, when the underdogs won us a cup, and I was there to see it.

[Only a Game]

Not sure about that mate. The new owners have their sights set on Chelsea FC, Manure, Real Madrid - all clubs with high profile proven winners at the helm. Much as I think Hughes has potential, I think his coat is on an extremely shoogly peg.

 

He'll be out the door as soon as they can reasonably do it. Paid in full and then some.

 

If your spending that kind of money you want Hiddink or someone in that kind of class to manage it for you.

[Jamblow]

I used to go down to watch City once or twice a season in the 90s when they were drifting between the 1st, 2nd and even 3rd tiers of English football.

 

Back then their players ranged from average to crap, with the odd gem like Kinkladze.

 

Now it looks like they're going to mega-spend and become another Chelsea.

 

 

I don't know why but think I prefered them the way they were.

 

 

Buffalo Bill

 

.

 

Although a slighty differing angle - the big problem is the modern day owner / foreign footballer has no real appreciation of a British football club's history or tradition. Hearts epitomise this and the best example was Rix's 4-1 defeat of Hibs. A team of Jambos would of gone for ten that day to finally put the 7-0 game to bed - we certainly had the team to do it. The merecenaries are good to watch but that bond between player and fans is now gone. Even the Scot's players don't care about the fans any more. For instance we all loved Pressley but he threw it all back at us and more.

[LarrysRightFoot]

IMHO this has been the agenda of the G14 group for years. The Champions League is a monster, leading to most major leagues in Europe being dominated by the same teams every year.

 

Interesting take from the BBC's business editor on recent events.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/robertpeston/2008/09/football_bubble.html

 

The 'Champions League' is a farce! It should be back to the European Cup. Knock-out football. League winners only. All countries have the same chance.

 

How can you justify the 4th placed team in England being allowed into the competion at the same stage as the the chapions of Belgium??? Its a f****ing joke!

 

Platini has some good ideas but the rich clubs won't let him implement them! Its a farcical situation.

 

Im also all for the 6+5 rule but it will never happen and that will be to the detriment of grass roots football and our national team.

[jack D and coke]

The 'Champions League' is a farce! It should be back to the European Cup. Knock-out football. League winners only. All countries have the same chance.

 

How can you justify the 4th placed team in England being allowed into the competion at the same stage as the the chapions of Belgium??? Its a f****ing joke!

 

Platini has some good ideas but the rich clubs won't let him implement them! Its a farcical situation.

 

Im also all for the 6+5 rule but it will never happen and that will be to the detriment of grass roots football and our national team.

 

All the sponsorship money comes from England, Italy, Spain and Germany hence why they get the 4 places from but i agree with you it's a farce.

 

The UEFA cup has been totally devalued also. The dropping out of the CL into that is the biggest joke of all. It used to be the hardest one to win. Getting rid of the cup winners cup also was a bad move imo.

[LarrysRightFoot]

I know what you are saying but in a way it would be better if football was run like 'yank' sports because at least the structure of sports over there garuantees some kind of competition, as there are rules to stop teams monoploising there sports arent there such as rules on picks during drafts and such like?

 

P.S. If something like this did happen and the Old Firm were not winning everything every season it would be interesting to see just how many people actually did still 'support' them?

 

My guess is about a quater of those who currently claim to be 'died in the wool' supporters.

[Goodfella]

I'm getting more and more ****ed off with football every season.

 

I'm sitting watching Setanta Sports News and they are covering the Keegan story ... a complete shambles almost up there with Burley leaving.

 

Who do these feckers think they are buying clubs and then taking the complete **** out of the fans? Because at the end of the day it is the fans that suffer ... no one else.

 

Time and time again these foreign millionaires/billionaires are coming in and causing turmoil left right and centre.

 

The Man City story was quite exciting yesterday but on reflection, it's terrible for the game that these guys can come in and basically buy success.

 

Unless wage caps/transfer caps and foreign player limitations are put in place football is really going to change over the next few years.

 

I can see myself following youth/amatuer football in years to come.

 

Footballs *****ed.

 

 

Spot on man, I pretty much think the arrival of this new super ridiculously rich guy for City sort of adds leverage to the construction of a new European Super League, with domestic countries fighting it out with perhaps lesser "Spectacular" leagues...

 

I mean the Premiership would look a whole lot different without the top 4/5....