The 2020-2021 Football Thread

[danny842003]

Curious on thoughts. What if the Premier League (and other European leagues), switched to 5 teams being relegated/promoted? Would that benefit/help more teams overall?

Thoughts...

I don’t see any benefits to it but a lot of negatives.
You’re going from removing 15% of teams to 25% which is pretty significant.
There’s already a group of teams who sort of make up a league between the premier league and championship, that group would get larger.
Teams would be less incentivised to invest in players with an increased risk of losing the money from the EPL. This would increase the gap further between the top and bottom.
You would make the competition objectively worse from a spectators point of view as a team who is adrift at Xmas is much less likely to pull off the great escape and survive. Come January you would potentially have clubs with nothing to play for.
I don’t see any benefit other than giving clubs who aren’t really good enough to get a chance at a season in the big league with a quick return back again.

 

[Apple fanboy]

A fourth from bottom plays third in the Championship is another idea that’s been floated, but personally I think the current system works.
I am against teams that drop from the CL group stage into the Europa though. It should be one or the other.
Meanwhile
Spurs beat Southampton earlier.
Currently Man City beating Villa. Both sides down to 10 men with Stones and Cash sent off.

 

[takao]

Curious on thoughts. What if the Premier League (and other European leagues), switched to 5 teams being relegated/promoted? Would that benefit/help more teams overall?

Thoughts...

I think that will make some things worse though actually, a lot of clubs are struggling with finances when getting promoted and regelated again quickly. Happened to my home team who nearly went bankrupt because of that. 5 teams going up and down means a lot of uncertainty.
And then you invest less in attacking but play safe and park the bus.

Personally i think la Liga, Serie a and PL should go back to 18 or 16 teams. Those extra 2 teams are just increasing the region in the table which is plain boring. Which means every team needs more players which costs money and you have too many games.

On regelation I think the best thing to make the bottom and and top,of the lower league more spicy is to have at least 1 of the regulation slots being marked where you have a play off like in the Bundesliga. Not a second league play off but having like the top regelation spot play against a potential promoted club.
This makes the battle at the end of the season just great. Then it matters if you are 20th or manage to get to the 18th. And vice versa in the league below.

These 2 game playoffs in the German Bundesliga are literally pure football drama.
A regelation decision potentially boiling down to a penalty shootout. Last minute goals to safe a team from going down a league. Or dropping out of a league on the away goal rule. Can you imagine ?
Those two games are my personal football highlight in TV every year. The most emotional football possible.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Curious on thoughts. What if the Premier League (and other European leagues), switched to 5 teams being relegated/promoted? Would that benefit/help more teams overall?

Thoughts...

It wouldn't strike at the heart of the inequality in the league. The issues are primarily about who calls the shots and how money (especially TV money) is shared.

Club owners, corporate sponsors, governing bodies, and national governments have all continually failed to protect the sport from corruption, wealth inequality among clubs and inflation of the cost to fans. There is literally no institutional champion we can rely on to fix any of this. At the end of the day grassroots organizing among fans and communities may be our only hope for change.

 

[circatee]

Brilliant responses, thanks for sharing!

 

[Apple fanboy]

It wouldn't strike at the heart of the inequality in the league. The issues are primarily about who calls the shots and how money (especially TV money) is shared.

Club owners, corporate sponsors, governing bodies, and national governments have all continually failed to protect the sport from corruption, wealth inequality among clubs and inflation of the cost to fans. There is literally no institutional champion we can rely on to fix any of this. At the end of the day grassroots organizing among fans and communities may be our only hope for change.

I don’t know. I think 14 Premier League clubs handled themselves pretty admirably this week. Yes you might question their motives, but they have proved to be a cut above the other 6!

 

[mrsmith1]

Up until the creation of the PL, there was a rule that the home team, had to share a certain percentage of their home game gate receipts. Now while their has always been big, well supported clubs and smaller clubs, this rule did at least keep some kind of financial balance and allow smaller provincial clubs like Ipswich, QPR, Wimbledon & my own team, Nottingham Forest, to rise through the league’s and challenge the bigger teams. Once this rule was removed and the clubs with a bigger support base to keep all of the gate money, that’s when the equality in football started.

 

[danny842003]

Up until the creation of the PL, there was a rule that the home team, had to share a certain percentage of their home game gate receipts. Now while their has always been big, well supported clubs and smaller clubs, this rule did at least keep some kind of financial balance and allow smaller provincial clubs like Ipswich, QPR, Wimbledon & my own team, Nottingham Forest, to rise through the league’s and challenge the bigger teams. Once this rule was removed and the clubs with a bigger support base to keep all of the gate money, that’s when the equality in football started.

The gate receipts are pretty insignificant to my understanding. The money comes from TV.

 

[Silencio]

The gate receipts are pretty insignificant to my understanding. The money comes from TV.

The lack of gate receipts has even hit the biggest clubs hard during the pandemic, but the effect was of course far worse for the smaller clubs. The big clubs have large TV revenues and sponsorship deals to help cushion the blow that the smaller teams simply can't get.

 

[mrsmith1]

The gate receipts are pretty insignificant to my understanding. The money comes from TV.

It is now, but when this rule was cancelled and the big clubs kept all of their gate receipts, That was when the imbalance began.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I don’t know. I think 14 Premier League clubs handled themselves pretty admirably this week. Yes you might question their motives, but they have proved to be a cut above the other 6!

The fact is six clubs tried to break away, the other 14 didn't. I can only applaud the 14!

With that being said, call me cynical, but if you think there are only six greedy clubs in the football pyramid willing to sell the rest out, you could be set for some major disappointment in the future. I simply don't trust clubs to self-regulate.

 

[Apple fanboy]

The fact is six clubs tried to break away, the other 14 didn't. I can only applaud the 14!

With that being said, call me cynical, but if you think there are only six greedy clubs in the football pyramid willing to sell the rest out, you could be set for some major disappointment in the future. I simply don't trust clubs to self-regulate.

It’s true we don’t know which clubs turned down the opportunity or who’d have said yes if asked. But we can be sure which six are the most self centred. And yes I’m talking about owners not players or managers here.

Meanwhile the brief flirtation West Brom had with getting out of trouble seems to be owner. Leicester have cemented their third place for a CL spot. I for one hope they get it. If not just to keep out one of the greedy six. Of course really I’m hoping two of them don’t earn a spot!
Reading up on European qualifying today.
Apparently if Chelsea win the CL
And Arsenal win the EUROPA League
Then fourth place in the League doesn’t get a spot if both finish outside of the top four.

 

[danny842003]

Florentino Perez’s comments are just making me want to see Madrid fall over in financial ruin. All these comments about saving football, it’s about saving Madrid and his own skin with football as a working mans game the sacrificial lamb. I hope he stubs his toe several times everyday for the rest of his life.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Florentino Perez’s comments are just making me want to see Madrid fall over in financial ruin. All these comments about saving football, it’s about saving Madrid and his own skin with football as a working mans game the sacrificial lamb. I hope he stubs his toe several times everyday for the rest of his life.

Any of the 12 clubs that have some sort of failure or financial hardship in the future will be met by a huge grin from me. The greedy six.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Florentino Perez’s comments are just making me want to see Madrid fall over in financial ruin. All these comments about saving football, it’s about saving Madrid and his own skin with football as a working mans game the sacrificial lamb. I hope he stubs his toe several times everyday for the rest of his life.

I loathe him. He makes P.T. Barnum look like Mother Theresa. He's a professional liar, a con-man extraordinaire and a demagogue.

The worst thing about Perez is that he envisions a world where all football fans are just glory hunters supporting a handful of 'Super' teams. And, ideally for him, most of them will be Real Madrid fans. Just watching them squash opponents year after year after year while the trophies pile up into the stratosphere. It's like the Mad Max vision of football's future, at least for non-super teams.

 

[Apple fanboy]

A bit conflicted about tonight’s game. I don’t want Everton winning and getting closer to us and the fight for fourth. On the other hand I am actively supporting whoever plays the greedy six for ever more.
Hoping for the Everton win then!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

A bit conflicted about tonight’s game. I don’t want Everton winning and getting closer to us and the fight for fourth. On the other hand I am actively supporting whoever plays the greedy six for ever more.
Hoping for the Everton win then!

So you're an ABTG6 then, eh?

 

[Apple fanboy]

So you're an ABTG6 then, eh?

I’m missing the first two, you’ll have to help me out.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Anyone But The Greedy Six? as in, "Who do you want to see win this match/competition?"

 

[Apple fanboy]

Anyone But The Greedy Six?

Absolutely! Given the line ups I’m thinking Everton will win it.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Of all the "Big Six" owners, Kroenke cares the least about fans or the sport. He's absolutely pitiless. Which means he is the least likely to bow to fan pressure.

Absolutely! Given the line ups I’m thinking Everton will win it.

Could be a tight match. But Arsenal like to crumble at the end...

 

[Apple fanboy]

Of all the "Big Six" owners, Kroenke cares the least about fans or the sport. He's absolutely pitiless. Which means he is the least likely to bow to fan pressure.


Could be a tight match. But Arsenal like to crumble at the end...

Looks like I got my wish. An excellent victory and a loose for one of the Greedy six. Perfect.
Tomorrow we have a big match against Chelsea. The winner will take a step closer to the CL spot. I'll have everything crossed, but with our injury list I'm not very hopeful.

I'll also be chearing on Newcastle.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Absolutely! Given the line ups I’m thinking Everton will win it.

Of course Everton were going to win it.

There are days when Arsenal don't know whether they wish to be ludicrous or simply embarrassing.

My favourite cousin - I've written of him before, he has an autistic daughter, and is also an Arsenal supporter, - anyway, he phoned me on my birthday just under a fortnight ago to wish me well, and, when we discussed Arsenal, he was astounded when I expressed the opinion that we hadn't a hope of winning the Europa Cup, that the competition was a waste of time, energy and resources, and that I earnestly desired our speedy departure, because - apart from fear of incurring injuries, - I would far prefer that we focus on building and paying attention to our gaping lack in defence and midfield instead, that we shouldn't have sold Martínez, - after some thought, he concurred, especially re the sale of Martínez, - but yes, we both were in complete agreement that this proposed SuperLeague was morally rotten, financially greedy and utterly inexusable.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Of course Everton were going to win it.

There are days when Arsenal don't know whether they wish to be ludicrous or simply embarrassing.

My favourite cousin - I've written of him before, he has an autistic daughter, and is also an Arsenal supporter, - anyway, he phoned me on my birthday just under a fortnight ago to wish me well, and, when we discussed Arsenal, he was astounded when I expressed the opinion that we hadn't a hope of winning the Europa Cup, that the competition was a waste of time, energy and resources, and that I earnestly desired our speedy departure, because - apart from fear of incurring injuries, - I would far prefer that we focus on building and payng attention to our gaping lack in defence and midfield instead, that we shouldn't have sold Martínez, - after some thought, he concurred, but yes, we both were in complete agreement that this proposed SuperLeague was morally rotten, financially greedy and utterly inexusable.

My Arsenal supporting friend called me earlier, but I was just finishing something. When I called him back he didn’t answer. Maybe I’ll catch up with him tomorrow and give him some stick. I’ve not spoke to him since the ESL debacle.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Lovely turn and half volley from Mo today in the 3rd minute. Then 90 minutes of nothing. Then Newcastle 'win' a draw at the death. Then VAR chalks off the equalizer as it went in off Callum Wilson's arm. Then Newcastle score another in the 96th of 94 minutes and it counts. 1-1.

Almost Arsenal-esque in the lateness of their collapse against a mediocre opponent. The game hinged on finishing, as 'Pool created more than enough chances to win the match comfortably.

But the ABTG6s will be happy.