The sad part of it is that once this season is over, richer clubs will swoop in to dismantle Leicester's squad. If the Chinese are willing to pay 50m EUR for Alex Teixiera, who knows what they'll fork out for Vardy or Mahrez?
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The 2015-2016 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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The sad part of it is that once this season is over, richer clubs will swoop in to dismantle Leicester's squad. If the Chinese are willing to pay 50m EUR for Alex Teixiera, who knows what they'll fork out for Vardy or Mahrez?
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This was discussed on a Wednesday board. I was all for them until I read these posts:
"Administration is usually because you've messed the finances up so badly there is no other option, however on one of the two occasions Leicester went into administration, it was seen by everyone as a business decision to get rid of debt to gain an advantage especially as at same time as going into administration they also managed to build and move into a brand new ground. Very very fishy what they did.
It is because Leicester did this that the Football League & clubs introduced points deductions to penalise administration, to try and prevent short term sporting reward for screwing over your creditors, too late to penalise Leicester though.
That Leicester administration was as dodgy as f*ck, and it still irritatates many who's clubs suffered because they had scruples and morals and wouldn't screw their creditors to get of their debt burden. Yes that group of fans definately includes Owls fans.
In terms of now, Leicester have built the team well, they've done well and it good to see another team up there.
Unfortunately Leicester's success is based on foundations which are the 'corpses' of their unpaid creditor victims. So as (follow member) says 'cheating' pays."
And:
"I hate clubs going into admin...ANY club, I don't care who they are it's not in the best interests of the game and it hurts the regular everyday footy fan far more than those that own the club...I've been to fan days at a few clubs, dropped cash into buckets, sponsored stuff online, texted cash to fans groups and all sorts of stuff to help keep clubs going and I do it willingly....However....
As Stan points out Leiecester set about doing this to to suit their own ends, to clear the table and start again and IIRC the rules changed after they did that to stop it happening again...the points deductions etc. Which many, many clubs have had to endure, clubs much lower than Leicester, without the fanbase or resources that Leicester have and some have even fallen by the wayside as a result....
When they did what they did it was the snidest thing in footy for a long, long time and remains so....football clubs have all sorts of stigma attached to them for various things, our club is amongst those....for some reason Leicester seem to be blemish free.
I share what "was" said...and ....it's great to see a shake up at the top of the Premier League but it's tainted....plus it shows how bad the 'usual suspects' are nowadays rather than how good the others are and have caught up.
in short....
F**K LEICESTER!!"
So I really am torn a bit.
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Yes, but first, let us enjoy the dream - in an ugly era, expressed and exemplified by the sordid revelations around Mr Blatter and Co - at least a Leicester victory will allow the idealists, romantics and dreamers to briefly indulge the notion that the Good Guys Might Win for Once.
And, in truth, if they do win, all of those players, irrespective of whatever else happens to them in their careers, or what ever success comes their way, will, at the end of their careers, will look back on that period as one of the high points.
An who can deny seeing the belated, utter vindication of Claudio Ranieri - a genuinely decent and thoughtful man - as something that is not richly deserved and long overdue?
That certainly puts a bit of a negative spin on things. Although - without excusing what Leicester's previous boards have done - I think it's fair to point out that
- Ranieri, the players and the fans are all blameless when it comes to previous decisions to go into administration.
- Many clubs above Leicester are financially doping in a far more brazen manner.
- Leicester are at a substantial financial disadvantage to all of their current rivals.
In short, Leicester could be said to have cheated a bit to get where they are, but in a world where financial cheating is endemic they are far from the worst offenders and their current league position owes more to shrewd management by Ranieri and the lucky coincidence of a few underrated players over-performing at just the right time than to what the club suits have done.
The big question is, what happens after this season? Most of the players will suddenly become more valuable, expectations will be high and the club suits might let success go to their (empty) heads. They could easily go into a tailspin.
If everyone is cheating, I'd at least prefer to see the plucky little cheats beat the big bloated overdog cheats.
Leicester has definitely the advantage of having far less matches than the other title challengers. Similiar to Liverpool two years ago when they had their shot at the title. It makes a severe difference once you have one game a week opposed to have an additional one mid-week (partly also including international duties) almost every week. Having deeper squads with more quality players can only help so much when you still have to adjust your focus every other day.
Having less games to play helps keeping that demanding physical play style up while also wearing your opponents down.
Having less games to play helps keeping that demanding physical play style up while also wearing your opponents down.
Yes, in what might be seen from a sort of feng shui perspective, Leicester have decluttered beautifully, and have little to distract them from being able to focus on the actual Premiership, whereas most of the other contenders have other competing obligations.
Leicester are still extremely vulnerable to a few key injuries. Thus far they have avoided that, but it could prove decisive.
Agreed.
If we are to discuss corruption and dodgy ethics, Leicester would not be my target of choice. Let us deal with the Mr Blatters of the word, first, and the frightful oligarchs and complete criminals who own some of these clubs and the values that permeate them as a result, before we pursue the minnows.
They are, but - in common with almost everyone else - I am surprised and delighted that they are still comfortably ahead as late in the season as the second week of February, almost two thirds of the way through the season, having collected some prize scalps along the way.
Yes, injuries may yet hurt them, - I hope not - but thus far, - and it is a most impressive achievement - they have kept their tidy shape all season.
More to the point, if Manchester United are sufficiently criminally stupid to appoint Mr Mourinho as manager, the compelling drama, oversized ego, compulsive attraction of the mad lime-lights - and all of the proverbial sound and fury that invariably attends anything that Mr Mourinho does or says, would also surround such an appointment and would serve to take a lot of attention away from Leicester.
Indeed, if I were Mr Ranieri, I would devoutly hope that Mr Mourinho is appointed, with a long drawn-out, tedious, tortuous, mutual courting session which will soak up almost all of the perfervid attention of the media - as this will serve to keep whatever pressure may come to bear on Leicester at a minimum. Sometimes, being boring - or being perceived as not too exciting - may have some value.
In fact, if Leicester are still in a strong position by Easter (and barring an unfortunate series of injuries, I see no reason why they would not be), their chief competition will come, not from those other teams challenging (or not) for the title, but rather than those close to relegation, who will be fighting for their very survival in the top flight as they seek to stave off relegation. Sometimes, doomed teams can deliver a nasty, unexpected but ferociously motivated blow at the end of the season - a blow far beyond what anyone might have considered them capable of.
Still, if Leicester win the title, - and I sincerely hope they do - it will be a blow for those who argue that not everything can be measured in monetary worth, and against the arguments of the economists who are slaves to the tyranny of 'rational' schools of thought, who are of the opinion that monetary reward is the only spur that can possibly motivate human beings. Pride, professionalism, and principle can do so, too.
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After throwing away the lead vs. Chelsea, United now trails the top 4 by 6 points.
It is fair to say that the only way we are getting Champions League football next season is to win the Europa League, but that won't be easy either with some good teams like Dortmund, Porto, Sevilla etc...
Or let's hope that Mourinho enjoys Thursday night football.
It is fair to say that the only way we are getting Champions League football next season is to win the Europa League, but that won't be easy either with some good teams like Dortmund, Porto, Sevilla etc...
Or let's hope that Mourinho enjoys Thursday night football.
Neville's stint at Valencia continues to freefall, with another loss. He's not going to survive till the end of the season unless he can win some games.
EDIT: The more I read about it, the more it looks like he could be sacked/resign any moment. The fans, who up till now have been blaming the owners/players, are turning on Neville.
EDIT: The more I read about it, the more it looks like he could be sacked/resign any moment. The fans, who up till now have been blaming the owners/players, are turning on Neville.
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West Ham are above Liverpool in the table for a reason - they are better than us, and they showed it again tonight, though it was a slightly lucky win. Benteke's dismal failures to finish, coupled with the usual defensive failings, cost Liverpool their FA Cup run.
Bilic seems to know how to beat Klopp. I wonder if that is just a feature of this transitional season for Liverpool, or if he really has his number.
Bilic seems to know how to beat Klopp. I wonder if that is just a feature of this transitional season for Liverpool, or if he really has his number.
It does. But I've decided I'm going to enjoy their success regardless.
Let's face it, the game has been infected by money from top to bottom. There is only one way to stop that - and that would be for fans to truly vote with their feet and stop (financially) supporting clubs in protest. Which is why fan protests always fail - those same protesting fans continue to buy match tickets, replica shirts and TV subscriptions.
The billionaire owners (like Kroenke, Henry, the Glazer hydra, the Sheik, Abramovic), the league suits and the TV people only care about sports teams to the extent that they serve as vehicles for profit and publicity. They are investments. Even the few owners who are willing to operate at a loss still put a high priority on boosting club revenue (and FFP makes that even more imperative). Any talk from those people about passion, tradition, and so on is simply a cynical sales pitch.
If Leicester can give the truly uber-rich teams a black eye by beating them to the title, I can only applaud it.
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It does. But I've decided I'm going to enjoy their success regardless.
Agreed.
Nicely said both of you - and I can only express my complete agreement with you.
If Leicester have played fast and loose with the labyrinthine legalities of administration, it has been at a relatively minor level when compared to and contrasted with what the clubs bloated with wealth have been able to do.
While I deplore financial doping, I feel that to punish the minnows while allowing the major culprits escape, is somehow to miss the point completely.
Besides, the current manager and team are not responsible for whatever misdemeanours occurred in the past.
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This.
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[doublepost=1455138141][/doublepost]Does/Could this happen in American sports? I don't know. And I don't know how many American fans would understand the term/phrase (and what comes with) "going into administration". I know on US broadcasts commentators go on about their success but I don't think they've ever delved into that.
Liverpool have reversed course on their proposed ticket price increases and John W. Henry has apologized.
"The compromise that the manager, Jürgen Klopp, had called for has resulted in general admission prices being frozen at 2015-16 levels for the next two seasons, the removal of game categorisations and the number of £9 tickets being increased to 10,000 across a Premier League campaign.
In an open letter to the club’s fans the principal owner, John W Henry, chairman Tom Werner and FSG’s president Mike Gordon concede “part of the ticketing plan we got wrong” and that it was the strength of opposition to their proposals that forced the rethink."
"The compromise that the manager, Jürgen Klopp, had called for has resulted in general admission prices being frozen at 2015-16 levels for the next two seasons, the removal of game categorisations and the number of £9 tickets being increased to 10,000 across a Premier League campaign.
In an open letter to the club’s fans the principal owner, John W Henry, chairman Tom Werner and FSG’s president Mike Gordon concede “part of the ticketing plan we got wrong” and that it was the strength of opposition to their proposals that forced the rethink."
Yes, I spotted a report about this in the Guardian yesterday.
This is both funny - rather ironical - and interesting. Actually, I suspect that it was the size of the dissent (approximately 10,000 walking out early), and the fact that it was clearly so well co-ordinated, rather than the simple fact of it (which they would normally have expected to have been able to brush off, effortlessly, and ignore, magisterially,) that unnerved them.
In any case, yes, it is nice to see an example of grassroots democracy and dissent actually working and yielding something positive, and yes, naturally, it is exceptionally nice to see this public about turn.
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World Cup news:
And it begins...the journey to the 2018 World Cup baby!
18 new players (new blood) to be tested for a test run for Team Colombia this month for the 2 games in March.
With Cuadrado, James & Bacca doing good in Europe, Abel Aguilar returning from injury and Falcao trying to get back in form, Colombia looks like it is shaping up again to be an unstoppable force.
And it begins...the journey to the 2018 World Cup baby!
18 new players (new blood) to be tested for a test run for Team Colombia this month for the 2 games in March.
With Cuadrado, James & Bacca doing good in Europe, Abel Aguilar returning from injury and Falcao trying to get back in form, Colombia looks like it is shaping up again to be an unstoppable force.
Sunderland do not deserve to stay up. They have had two lucky escapes in the last couple seasons and I really hope they go down.
It's looking grim for LVG though. Mourinho looms.
EDIT: I came across this truly ghastly article in The Economist about Liverpool's ticket price revolt. It once more demonstrates how money ruins football. The article takes a 100% neoliberal approach to football. Football clubs are not simply products, and football supporters are not simply consumers.
I do agree with one of the authors' observations though. Generating revenue is even more important now than ever, because clubs cannot be run at a loss. This is a side-effect of FFP, and may actually increase pressure on clubs to raise ticket prices even more than before.
It's looking grim for LVG though. Mourinho looms.
EDIT: I came across this truly ghastly article in The Economist about Liverpool's ticket price revolt. It once more demonstrates how money ruins football. The article takes a 100% neoliberal approach to football. Football clubs are not simply products, and football supporters are not simply consumers.
I do agree with one of the authors' observations though. Generating revenue is even more important now than ever, because clubs cannot be run at a loss. This is a side-effect of FFP, and may actually increase pressure on clubs to raise ticket prices even more than before.
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