I'm not sure it will be quick at all. Interesting thing will be the threat to exclude players from internationals given that squads for the Euros will need to gather in a few weeks' time
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European Super League - Dead on arrival
- Thread starter milo
- Start date
I'm not sure it will be quick at all. Interesting thing will be the threat to exclude players from internationals given that squads for the Euros will need to gather in a few weeks' time
Rorschach
Sonny Walters
Necrophiliac party, eh ? Naughty.
Briddo1882
Erik Edman
Just for the record, I would prefer to go back to 3pm kickoffs on a Saturday, a game where players could battle on the pitch an make a tackle without fear of being booked easily, players were ordinary guys that just happened to be good at football and my club felt like MY club.
I don’t like what I see currently and this new thing just adds to the path that football has been going down for years.
mark my words, next stop will be a worldwide franchise where teams from China, Brazil, the US, Europe etc will compete against each other on a weekly basis. 8 equally seeded leagues will fall into regions across the globe, playoffs will happen, semi’s and then a SuperFinal - basically the same format as NFL.
I don’t like what I see currently and this new thing just adds to the path that football has been going down for years.
mark my words, next stop will be a worldwide franchise where teams from China, Brazil, the US, Europe etc will compete against each other on a weekly basis. 8 equally seeded leagues will fall into regions across the globe, playoffs will happen, semi’s and then a SuperFinal - basically the same format as NFL.
balesleftboot
Sean Davis
This isn't for the match going fans at all is it. It's for the worldwide armchair audience. Some might be happy to watch Spurs v Real Madrid at 1am from New York but I won't be.
MKSpur
Christian Ziege
Timing is everything isn’t it? A few years ago having made the CL once with our 36k seater stadium would we have been considered a ‘leading club’ ?
I don’t think I can stop supporting us or pretend there is but some relief that we have been included but it is a big conflict for me that there is no semblance of qualification or relegation to this competition and we are the club most likely to benefit from that. The sky 4 looked a closed shop and us and City broke that, through two methods that are not available (sporting merit and financial doping!)
I think there will be a very different crowd at these matches.
I don’t think I can stop supporting us or pretend there is but some relief that we have been included but it is a big conflict for me that there is no semblance of qualification or relegation to this competition and we are the club most likely to benefit from that. The sky 4 looked a closed shop and us and City broke that, through two methods that are not available (sporting merit and financial doping!)
I think there will be a very different crowd at these matches.
I guess it depends on (i) whether UEFA, PL etc carry through on their threat to expel these teams (I doubt it) and (ii) if they dont, how teams juggle competing demands of the ESL and PL.
Setting side qualification rules for now, if this thing essentially replaces the CL it wont be that different will it?
DeanoAustin
Jimmy McCormick
Very disappointed that this seems to be happening but not in the least bit surprised.
This is just the latest step from when the game turned pro, the wage cap disappeared, the Premier League started. And when you allow people who are great at making vast sums of money to own the biggest football clubs with whom they have no affiliation, you can't be surprised when they use those clubs to make money at the expense of everyone else. The biggest football clubs in England aren't owned by anyone who grew up supporting them, they're owned by rich foreigners who love making money. There is no Jack Walker or Dave Whelan here. Those men bought their success but they did it for the love of the game and the love of their club. In Levy, we have the closest thing to a football fan amongst the top 6 ownership. And Levy, much as I love the evil genius, is a much better businessman than he is a football man. U2 took a lot of criticism for moving their tax affairs to The Netherlands and Bono once said "Part of U2 is a business so you can't complain when a business acts like a business". That's exactly what's happening here. Fair play to Levy for getting us to the top table, that's some achievement, but I don't really want there to be a top table like this. In fact, our participation shows everything that's wrong with this - we've won nothing of substance for 30 years but we're there because of where Levy has us in the money league.
I do also find it a bit rich Gary Neville pontificating on SKY. As someone else posted, he's bleating on about the common man, football history and all that stuff from behind a paywall. On the platform that did more to take football away from the working man than any other organisation. The one who regularly tramples on the history of the game by forgetting that football existed well before 1992. And talk of docking points and that...shows how naive Neville is and how he's not as clever as he thinks. Dock the top teams points and you can look forward to a lot of time and money wasted on a court case you'd lose. SKY, UEFA, FIFA and all these people aren't the heroes or moral crusaders here. They're just the bullies who feel threatened because there is now a bigger bully in town.
This is a sad thing for the game in my view. But it's the latest in a long line of sad things for football that have taken it further and further away from being the game of the people. I'm disappointed but not surprised. Whatever happens here, the rich clubs will come out of this better off. They may stay in the existing structure and keep the appearance of sporting integrity but they'll do so with a much bigger slice of the pie and, as far as sporting integrity goes, we're then just window dressing because the bigger the gap between the haves and have-nots, the less of a competition it is.
This is just the latest step from when the game turned pro, the wage cap disappeared, the Premier League started. And when you allow people who are great at making vast sums of money to own the biggest football clubs with whom they have no affiliation, you can't be surprised when they use those clubs to make money at the expense of everyone else. The biggest football clubs in England aren't owned by anyone who grew up supporting them, they're owned by rich foreigners who love making money. There is no Jack Walker or Dave Whelan here. Those men bought their success but they did it for the love of the game and the love of their club. In Levy, we have the closest thing to a football fan amongst the top 6 ownership. And Levy, much as I love the evil genius, is a much better businessman than he is a football man. U2 took a lot of criticism for moving their tax affairs to The Netherlands and Bono once said "Part of U2 is a business so you can't complain when a business acts like a business". That's exactly what's happening here. Fair play to Levy for getting us to the top table, that's some achievement, but I don't really want there to be a top table like this. In fact, our participation shows everything that's wrong with this - we've won nothing of substance for 30 years but we're there because of where Levy has us in the money league.
I do also find it a bit rich Gary Neville pontificating on SKY. As someone else posted, he's bleating on about the common man, football history and all that stuff from behind a paywall. On the platform that did more to take football away from the working man than any other organisation. The one who regularly tramples on the history of the game by forgetting that football existed well before 1992. And talk of docking points and that...shows how naive Neville is and how he's not as clever as he thinks. Dock the top teams points and you can look forward to a lot of time and money wasted on a court case you'd lose. SKY, UEFA, FIFA and all these people aren't the heroes or moral crusaders here. They're just the bullies who feel threatened because there is now a bigger bully in town.
This is a sad thing for the game in my view. But it's the latest in a long line of sad things for football that have taken it further and further away from being the game of the people. I'm disappointed but not surprised. Whatever happens here, the rich clubs will come out of this better off. They may stay in the existing structure and keep the appearance of sporting integrity but they'll do so with a much bigger slice of the pie and, as far as sporting integrity goes, we're then just window dressing because the bigger the gap between the haves and have-nots, the less of a competition it is.
Agree about the relief point. The two big points whici I think will dictate the eventual impact are:
- Whether teams do remain in domestic leagues (I think they will given the leagues need them)
- Qualification rules, which I think is more difficult. Maybe a second tier competition is created (this replaces the CL, and another replaces the EL?)
Finney Is Back
Luka Modric
You don’t like New York?...
Mulletperm
Mauricio Taricco
Glenda's Legs
Paul Walsh
What's the point of being in both the ESL and the PL? If European competition is guaranteed through being a part of this 'elite' group, then PL participation is pointless, apart from maybe trying to win the PL which would eventually have the same kudos as winning an FA Cup. The PL will become the competition for resting players ahead of the midweek ESL games.
Plus you can't have these 'elite' clubs hoovering up PL prize money to take away and spend in their closed shop ESL. That won't work.
I don't believe these clubs have any interest in staying in their respective domestic leagues, it's just a sop to somehow soften the blow and a threat - accept this new status quo, or throw us out.
What's the point in a league where it's your financial standing that ensures participation rather then competitive merit? We already have the issue of sugar daddy owners in the PL where money buys success, but at least there's still a chance for others to break into the ranks, even if only temporarily. I enjoy watching and playing against promoted teams and players that I've never seen much of before. I enjoy seeing the newly promoted team that takes everyone by surprise, the Hulls, the Wigans, the Wolves. On the flip side, the anguish of players when relegation is confirmed (or experiencing it as a fan) is equally a part of the game and a reminder of what could be.
With more regular European competition for us over recent years, I look forward to the draws, to working out possible opponents, to seeing who we eventually get, to the relief in getting a 'lesser' team (haha) or the excitement of drawing a Real Madrid or Barcelona. It's now going to be a pretty sterile experience, with a much smaller pot of teams and even less competition than there is now.
If it was 5 of the named clubs but without us, I'd be saying eff off, good riddance, we'll survive without you. But those involved will be responsible for the next stage in killing football competition and I am extremely saddened that we will be a part - nay, a founding member - of that legacy.
Plus you can't have these 'elite' clubs hoovering up PL prize money to take away and spend in their closed shop ESL. That won't work.
I don't believe these clubs have any interest in staying in their respective domestic leagues, it's just a sop to somehow soften the blow and a threat - accept this new status quo, or throw us out.
What's the point in a league where it's your financial standing that ensures participation rather then competitive merit? We already have the issue of sugar daddy owners in the PL where money buys success, but at least there's still a chance for others to break into the ranks, even if only temporarily. I enjoy watching and playing against promoted teams and players that I've never seen much of before. I enjoy seeing the newly promoted team that takes everyone by surprise, the Hulls, the Wigans, the Wolves. On the flip side, the anguish of players when relegation is confirmed (or experiencing it as a fan) is equally a part of the game and a reminder of what could be.
With more regular European competition for us over recent years, I look forward to the draws, to working out possible opponents, to seeing who we eventually get, to the relief in getting a 'lesser' team (haha) or the excitement of drawing a Real Madrid or Barcelona. It's now going to be a pretty sterile experience, with a much smaller pot of teams and even less competition than there is now.
If it was 5 of the named clubs but without us, I'd be saying eff off, good riddance, we'll survive without you. But those involved will be responsible for the next stage in killing football competition and I am extremely saddened that we will be a part - nay, a founding member - of that legacy.
johnola
Jermaine Jenas
Understand the point about the ESL vs the PL. I think it would depend on how the kudos around them play out, which in turn impacts the money. If the PL can maintain excitement, and therefore fans and therefore money, then the big 6 will still want to be competitive in it.
I agree though about juggling line-ups and also the excitement of the smaller teams and draws against random european teams
Finney Is Back
Luka Modric
If they are really building a Euro Super League then....
a) There are a bunch of super clubs that surely actually have to be in it (Bayern, Porto, Benfica, Ajax)
b) They could do with getting rid of at least one very unsuper club who have no right to be there).
a) There are a bunch of super clubs that surely actually have to be in it (Bayern, Porto, Benfica, Ajax)
b) They could do with getting rid of at least one very unsuper club who have no right to be there).
DeanoAustin
Jimmy McCormick
Yeah but then we'd have no local derby in the ESL.
I'm sure the 3 un-named clubs will be Bayern PSG and Dortmund
We're far richer than Porto, Benfica and Ajax and that's what is drivig who is included or excluded (had we been playing in the Dutch league, we'd ahve also won dozens and dozens of titles)
milo
Jack L. Jones
It's about international fanbase and wealth alone. They are holding places for Bayern, Dortmund and PSG. The other clubs that you mention will be in the five invitation places but I wouldn't be surprised if you saw another breakaway and a super league b formed of Ajax, Benfica, Porto etc
We could always take up West Ham on their long-standing offer....
jamonserrano
John Scales
Gutter Boy was right.