Todays Games

[Dr. Feelgood]

57 minutes ago, globaldiver said:

Who should be allowed?

Sharon Brittan.

Or is she a complete country ?(well, 3 countries, in fact).

[London Wanderer]

1 hour ago, globaldiver said:

Who should be allowed?

I think @Tonge moor green jacket makes a good point about a wealth line. Personally, I’d draw that as low as possible. In terms of how much clubs and players can be sold for. It’s ridiculously out of hand, but it’s been going this way for a while and we’ve become accustomed to it. Nothing seems to shock anyone anymore and we love the game so much that we turn a blind eye to it all. Financial fair play clearly changes nothing and those with the richest owners continue to achieve most the success. But yes, any alternative is just communism 😂

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Football has always favoured those with deeper pockets and/or wealthy owners.

FFP in principle is good: just needs to be properly asserted, and loopholes closed.

That way, the money can be invested under a controlled manner.

The large numbers in the prem are by virtue of sky money which attracts wealthy owners.

It's often said that it protects the big boys even more, but I don't think that stands up.

Remember Liverpool winning everything for a while, then Utd under Fergie.

More recently a number of smaller teams have made progress at the top end, including ourselves.

Look at Leicester, and now Brighton. Fulham and Brentford have had great seasons too. Newcastle too, without spending the absolute mega money they could do.

The facilities the sky money provides allows smaller clubs to have their own development schemes as well as buying a decent player or two.

Really don't see it as a case of the big teams always being the top teams.

Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool nowhere near this season.

 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

West Ham back level.

Are Arsenal cracking?

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Big shift in the title odds I would imagine now.

[globaldiver]

2 hours ago, London Wanderer said:

I think @Tonge moor green jacket makes a good point about a wealth line. Personally, I’d draw that as low as possible. In terms of how much clubs and players can be sold for. It’s ridiculously out of hand, but it’s been going this way for a while and we’ve become accustomed to it. Nothing seems to shock anyone anymore and we love the game so much that we turn a blind eye to it all. Financial fair play clearly changes nothing and those with the richest owners continue to achieve most the success. But yes, any alternative is just communism 😂

If we did impose restraints, then some other country would create a better league, so the prem would fritter away. Whether that’s a good thing or not…..

[Johnnyrotten]

2 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

West Ham back level.

Are Arsenal cracking?

Looking weak at the back.  I'm willing Holden to succeed, as an ex BW player, but I watched him closely today and he looks so far short of Premiership quality, mainly physically.  Brushed aside easily by every forward he came up against and his composure on the ball that made him stand out in the championship counts for little at Prem level.  He was class for us but not sure I'd swap him for Santos because of the physical difference mainly.

[Not in Crawley]

That we've allowed state owned clubs is the first thing we really need to look at.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Just now, Johnnyrotten said:

Looking weak at the back.  I'm willing Holden to succeed, as an ex BW player, but I watched him closely today and he looks so far short of Premiership quality, mainly physically.  Brushed aside easily by every forward he came up against and his composure on the ball that made him stand out in the championship counts for little at Prem level.  He was class for us but not sure I'd swap him for Santos because of the physical difference mainly.

Not been helped by a few injuries. Nor going bald, but that's a different type of problem.

[green genie]

Premier league can get to fuck.

penalty against West Ham form a yard away doesn’t matter as outside silhouette. Easter decision against Utd too close. 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

I enjoy watching motd and listening to prem commentary.

Having no specific loyalty I enjoy it purely for the football.

Good that Everton are still struggling and I've enjoyed seeing Brighton, Fulham and Brentford do well.

[Roger_Dubuis]

Manchester City's  7th league title in 12 seasons will mean Manchester has  won more league titles than Merseyside.

 

Back in 1992 it was 27-9 to Everton and Liverpool

 

 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

51 minutes ago, Roger_Dubuis said:

Manchester City's  7th league title in 12 seasons will mean Manchester has  won more league titles than Merseyside.

 

Back in 1992 it was 27-9 to Everton and Liverpool

 

 

Not sure that will be much consolation to you, deep down.

[MancWanderer]

2 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Big shift in the title odds I would imagine now.

Indeed. Massives will win it now unfortunately imo

[MancWanderer]

1 hour ago, green genie said:

Premier league can get to fuck.

Indeed. There's the odd interesting game but the rest is just "making sure that we don't lose" shite in the main. Maybe the odd club trying to get in the top 6. 

Spain, Germany, France and Scotchland are the dullest leagues in the world. Nailed on winners every year. We've pretty much reached that point

Italy probably has the most interesting top league in Europe. And decent footy

[tomski]

I’ve tried to rid myself of football as my hobby/love for a long time but I just can’t do it. 

L1 is the centre of the universe for me. We go up it will be championship, down L2 etc.

In terms of elsewhere I get frustrated with the premier league mainly because of the commentary and over analysis of the same fucking teams usually involving Gary Neville.

That said you can’t argue there are some stunning games in our top flight. 

Still enjoy watching the championship but am scratching my head at how Blackburn seem to always be in the play offs despite never winning. 

Love Italian football. Fell in love with it at either Italia 90 or just before when I think Inter played Villa and everything about them seemed class. Players/kit/stadium. Grew to love it more when James Richardson came into our lives. The league was the bollocks. Loved the art of defending and the fact no one scored as it suggested to me they were the kings of football.

Loving the resurgence in Italy at the moment. It reminds me of the premier league in the 90s when we started getting the talent before they moved to bigger and better. Napoli story is great and hope they can do it. I sadly went off Inter when they signed up for super league and kept signing Rags. Like so many teams that it’s good to be neutral. Still have a dislike of Milan and Juventus though and enjoy their defeats.

I also love Bundesliga and admire it’s principles and fan culture. I can understand why looking from the outside people call it shit as Bayern Munich win on repeat but them aside the games are exciting and they love to develop young players and you could argue are giving our young players for the national team a better route to market. 
 

Spanish and French leagues I just can’t get into but am willing to try a live match as I think with a beer or 2 and warm weather I could become an officinado.

 

 

 

[globaldiver]

2 hours ago, Roger_Dubuis said:

Manchester City's  7th league title in 12 seasons will mean Manchester has  won more league titles than Merseyside.

 

Back in 1992 it was 27-9 to Everton and Liverpool

 

 

All Lancashire, the world home of football

[London Wanderer]

4 hours ago, globaldiver said:

If we did impose restraints, then some other country would create a better league, so the prem would fritter away. Whether that’s a good thing or not…..

ah not necessarily, it's just the same strange argument that we should let big business contribute fuck all tax because they would leave if we had a fairer tax system. 

Who knows, could even be better for homegrown British talent. The hope would also be that it is something European leagues unite on. It's a pipe dream anyway, not gonna happen, big money rules. 

Football, as good as it is, would be much more entertaining with fairer financial rules. 

[Johnnyrotten]

18 minutes ago, tomski said:

 

Still enjoy watching the championship but am scratching my head at how Blackburn seem to always be in the play offs despite never winning. 

 

I think that most weeks, wierd isn't it.  Lost as many as Rotherham.  Every time they are on TV they seem to struggle, get booed off quite a bit, then I look at the table and they're nailed on for a play off place.  PNE too, went about 10 games without a win, hardly win at home, fans chanting You Dont Know What You're Doing, but right in the play off mix. 

So many under achieving teams in Championship - Norwich, Watford, WBA, Swansea, Stoke, QPR etc.  Good league to be in though.

[gonzo]

We do get snobbish about the Premier league, non more so than me.

It is the highest standard and best entertainment of all. But that doesnt mean the rest aren't. Italian football is ace, I love it. The standard is brilliant, the lowee echelons are more akin to ours, jeopardy all over the show. Our top is better than their top and games much more entertaining imo.

The issues we face with VAR and suchlike is no different anywhere else. Its worse in Italy and play-acting miles worse.

I just like watching good football, theres no better than the top end of the prem for that. The CL even better and city top of the shop.

Our pyramid is what makes us different from the rest of the world. Some of the standards, gates and size of clubs across our league system is astonishing. Best in the world bar none.

[Johnnyrotten]

3 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

I enjoy watching motd and listening to prem commentary.

Having no specific loyalty I enjoy it purely for the football.

Good that Everton are still struggling and I've enjoyed seeing Brighton, Fulham and Brentford do well.

Me too.  I'd rather listen to the opinions and discussions on 5 live, Sky Sports, MOTD etc (depending who the pundits are) than watch the games, although I do that enjoy the highlights.

How Fulham are doing so well with Ream and Robinson in their defence is one of life's mysteries, they must have great attackers.   

[globaldiver]

18 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

ah not necessarily, it's just the same strange argument that we should let big business contribute fuck all tax because they would leave if we had a fairer tax system. 

Who knows, could even be better for homegrown British talent. The hope would also be that it is something European leagues unite on. It's a pipe dream anyway, not gonna happen, big money rules. 

Football, as good as it is, would be much more entertaining with fairer financial rules. 

Not really, we don’t need to speculate, we have evidence; this is what the Premier League have done, gained a competitive lead in the market.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

The rules are fair now, so long as they're applied.

FFP allows more to be spent by successful clubs that earn the most.

If you eat away at that, then you start to lose the competitive factor- where being unsuccessful still pays.

A system completely anathema to the British culture, and maybe the rest of the world, apart from the US maybe, with its franchise approach to sport.

Where would that leave the rags to riches stories of the crazy gang, and clubs like Bournemouth, Brentford etc?

Permanence in a lower league, with no need to dream, with mediocrity at the top table, with average players not needing to give a toss because their income is forever secure.

 

[London Wanderer]

10 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

The rules are fair now, so long as they're applied.

FFP allows more to be spent by successful clubs that earn the most.

If you eat away at that, then you start to lose the competitive factor- where being unsuccessful still pays.

A system completely anathema to the British culture, and maybe the rest of the world, apart from the US maybe, with its franchise approach to sport.

Where would that leave the rags to riches stories of the crazy gang, and clubs like Bournemouth, Brentford etc?

Permanence in a lower league, with no need to dream, with mediocrity at the top table, with average players not needing to give a toss because their income is forever secure.

 

some good points there. 

[Jol_BWFC]

5 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Big shift in the title odds I would imagine now.

Indeed. I looked this morning and City were 8/11. Now they are 4/9.