It Could Get A Bit Messi In Here - The Football Thread.

Joe Mac said:
Compulsory sale orders to protect the interests of British business would be an interesting development. We've been hearing from the start with the Glazers that they've been utterly perplexed by ideas such as joint rights bargaining across the league and the existence of promotion and relegation to and from the Premier League. They want an NFL style closed shop and this is their attempt to get one.
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But the NFL is a socialist organization. They have a salary cap that all teams have to live under. They have equal TV money that's shared with all 32 teams and is negotiated by the league. The only thing the NFL doesn't have is promotion and relegation and a winner take all system. In the NFL, the champion is determined by a playoff. The Glaziers certainly get that. They probably thought buying United would be another feather in their cap since American owners all want a Premier team to add to their portfolio. The NFL is absolutely set up to give each team an equal opportunity to bring in and acquire talent. Hell, if you are a terrible team, you get a better draft choice so you can get the franchise QB you need to be successful. It's about the most un-American form of capitalism we have. If anything, the Super League is a further NFL-ization of the Premiership and European football.
 
mdmost said:
But the NFL is a socialist organization. They have a salary cap that all teams have to live under. They have equal TV money that's shared with all 32 teams and is negotiated by the league. The only thing the NFL doesn't have is promotion and relegation and a winner take all system. In the NFL, the champion is determined by a playoff. The Glaziers certainly get that. They probably thought buying United would be another feather in their cap since American owners all want a Premier team to add to their portfolio. The NFL is absolutely set up to give each team an equal opportunity to bring in and acquire talent. Hell, if you are a terrible team, you get a better draft choice so you can get the franchise QB you need to be successful. It's about the most un-American form of capitalism we have. If anything, the Super League is a further NFL-ization of the Premiership and European football.
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True I was talking more about the closed shop and the fact that you can still make a fortune without any sporting merit and just stinking the whole competition up. Hell you even get rewarded for mediocrity by getting the best picks in the draft!

Given the Glazer’s history at United this is their ideal scenario. Guaranteed millions without having to bother investing. They’ll happily let United stink the super league up because they can’t be relegated and they can keep using it as their personal ATM. They’ve already withdrawn well over £1 billion in the 16 years that they’ve been there.
 
Joe Mac said:
Given the Glazer’s history at United this is their ideal scenario. Guaranteed millions without having to bother investing. They’ll happily let United stink the super league up because they can’t be relegated and they can keep using it as their personal ATM. They’ve already withdrawn well over £1 billion in the 16 years that they’ve been there.
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And maybe even more so for the Kroenke's and Arsenal. I read a stat a year or two back that compared club revenue and spending, and AFC was by far the cheapest. They likely won't even be in the Europa next year!

First and foremost, the "Super" here seems to refer to team's global popularity.
 
Right. The same thing happens over here with NFL franchises. The Cincinnati Bengals have been a laughing stock for 30 years. Even the worst ones still make a killing as they have other revenue streams outside of just TV money. Stadium money, parking, merchandise deals. Unlike EPL teams, they can move cities if they don't get a fully taxpayer funded stadium deal. The Arsenal ownership group also owns the Los Angeles Rams, formerly the St. Louis Rams, formerly the Los Angeles Rams. You can guess why they went back and forth. MLB is similar. NBA is the worst. At least with European teams, you can be assured of them being present the entirety of your lifetime, even if they suck.
 
mgp said:
And maybe even more so for the Kroenke's and Arsenal. I read a stat a year or two back that compared club revenue and spending, and AFC was by far the cheapest. They likely won't even be in the Europa next year!

First and foremost, the "Super" here seems to refer to team's global popularity.
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Yeah they got away with it for 8 years because Fergie was a genius who kept winning on a comparatively paltry budget when the debt servicing was at it worst.

They’ve had to spent since he left, and have done horrendously at it, but with competition being irrelevant now I’d be shocked if they’re not the smallest spenders on transfer in the ESL if it goes ahead.

Actually more their value, because there is noway anyone is convincing me that Spurs are in the top 20 or 30 most popular European clubs, never mind the top 12.
 
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Oh, i see there are thoughts on this super league nonsense. Anyone want to tldr them for me? My thoughts - men go be men (and launder that JP Morgan money), just leave the women's leagues alone, please!

Also Mourinho. Maybe the Spurs will stop being so disappointing? He's inarguably a great coach - in the right environment and with the right people around him. Tottenham wasn't that. I think that's a mutual feeling.

@Joe Mac - not sure if you saw but Tobin Heath has returned to the US with a season ending injury and will not be playing any further games for Manchester United this season. That is a huge loss for them. Press is still playing - she was on the bench this weekend (not surprising since she had just played for the USWNT). No one knows (well, Heath and Press probably know) if they will return to ManU next season. They were both drafted by Louisville in the expansion draft and I get the feeling neither one wants to play there. So it should be interesting to see what shakes out.

Anyone confident the olympics will be held?
 
Joe Mac said:
Yeah they got away with it for 8 years because Fergie was a genius who kept winning on a comparatively paltry budget when the debt servicing was at it worst.

They’ve had to spent since he left, and have done horrendously at it, but with competition being irrelevant now I’d be shocked if they’re not the smallest spenders on transfer in the ESL if it goes ahead.

Actually more their value, because there is nowhere anyone is convincing me that Spurs are in the top 20 or 30 most popular European clubs, never mind the top 12.
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Fair point on Fergie and United. I forget how long ago I saw the stat, but it could've still been swayed by the Pogba transfer.

On Spurs...probably correct, but for some reason they have an outspoken amount of support in my little bubble. I think they've been marketed as a working class alternative to the bigger london clubs (or something), because I (used to) see their jerseys all over the place.
 
Teeeee said:
Oh, i see there are thoughts on this super league nonsense. Anyone want to tldr them for me? My thoughts - men go be men (and launder that JP Morgan money), just leave the women's leagues alone, please!

Also Mourinho. Maybe the Spurs will stop being so disappointing? He's inarguably a great coach - in the right environment and with the right people around him. Tottenham wasn't that. I think that's a mutual feeling.

@Joe Mac - not sure if you saw but Tobin Heath has returned to the US with a season ending injury and will not be playing any further games for Manchester United this season. That is a huge loss for them. Press is still playing - she was on the bench this weekend (not surprising since she had just played for the USWNT). No one knows (well, Heath and Press probably know) if they will return to ManU next season. They were both drafted by Louisville in the expansion draft and I get the feeling neither one wants to play there. So it should be interesting to see what shakes out.

Anyone confident the olympics will be held?
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Rich billionaires create cabal in which they can’t lose and make more billions. Fuck sport, fuck competition, fuck fans, fuck history, and fuck mere millionaires. There’s also supposedly a commitment to launch the same in the European women's game.

That’s a pity, hopefully they can hold onto that 3rd place.

If the olympics happen in Japan this year given their covid situation it will be a gargantuan scandal, they have to be cancelled.
 
Joe Mac said:
Rich billionaires create cabal in which they can’t lose and make more billions. Fuck sport, fuck competition, fuck fans, fuck history, and fuck mere millionaires. There’s also supposedly a commitment to launch the same in the European women's game.

That’s a pity, hopefully they can hold onto that 3rd place.

If the olympics happen in Japan this year given their covid situation it will be a gargantuan scandal, they have to be cancelled.
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OK, so my gut reaction of "ew david" about the super league is held by many of you. It seems so gross. And yes, they have said they'll get the women's league launched after the men's. Which is: 1. such a shitty approach. "Oh, we forgot about the women, let's add something to this press release to make them think we actually didn't forget them but we all know we did." and 2. leave the women alone!!!!

Arsenal and Manchester United are battling for that 3rd place. I think Arsenal is on a positive trend (especially now that they know the coach is leaving after this season). And Manchester United has been trending down since Heath was injured. We'll see.

Should be a fun next few months of football!
 
Congratulations to your 2021 UEFA Champions League winner... PSG?

This is going to get ugly (or interesting?).

Jesper Møller, the Danish FA chairman, told Danish outlet DR Sport that he expects the members of the breakaway group who remain in this season's Champions League to be removed from the competition saying.

"[Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea] are going out, and I expect that to happen on Friday," Møller said. "And then you have to see how to finish the Champions League."
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Teeeee said:
OK, so my gut reaction of "ew david" about the super league is held by many of you. It seems so gross. And yes, they have said they'll get the women's league launched after the men's. Which is: 1. such a shitty approach. "Oh, we forgot about the women, let's add something to this press release to make them think we actually didn't forget them but we all know we did." and 2. leave the women alone!!!!

Arsenal and Manchester United are battling for that 3rd place. I think Arsenal is on a positive trend (especially now that they know the coach is leaving after this season). And Manchester United has been trending down since Heath was injured. We'll see.

Should be a fun next few months of football!
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I think the problem is that the women’s teams are owned by the same people. There was condemnation for a long time for the big men’s teams not having women’s teams because of the potential for their profile to lift the profile of women’s football. The flip side is that if their shitty ownership models are going to shaft men’s football for their own financial game they were going to do the same with the women’s game down the line once they knew they could get away with it.

Hopeully a few of united’s homegrown stars can step up. I know Katie Zalem had a big profile on arriving at United and that Lauren James is highly rated around the English game.
 
Joe Mac said:
I think the problem is that the women’s teams are owned by the same people. There was condemnation for a long time for the big men’s teams not having women’s teams because of the potential for their profile to lift the profile of women’s football. The flip side is that if their shitty ownership models are going to shaft men’s football for their own financial game they were going to do the same with the women’s game down the line once they knew they could get away with it.

Hopeully a few of united’s homegrown stars can step up. I know Katie Zalem had a big profile on arriving at United and that Lauren James is highly rated around the English game.
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Absolutely the problem with the women's teams in that league. They are an afterthought. And it shouldn't be. Look how much the women's league has grown just in the past 12 months! Huge huge names in the game have been attracted to it. Sam Kerr, Heath, Press, Morgan (and more but I'm blathering). We need more diverse ownership. Period. I'm curious to see how the LA women's team ownership structure plays out. That seems like a model that I could get behind.

Zelem's stock fell A LOT after she went to Dubai for NYE and then COVID spread through the team. I'm honestly surprised she is still captain. She hasn't been playing hugely great, but hasn't been awful either. She's just been there.

Lauren James is one of the upcoming stars. Her name will be around and known for many years to come. She scored the 1st goal for the women at the men's stadium a few weeks ago.
 
Teeeee said:
Absolutely the problem with the women's teams in that league. They are an afterthought. And it shouldn't be. Look how much the women's league has grown just in the past 12 months! Huge huge names in the game have been attracted to it. Sam Kerr, Heath, Press, Morgan (and more but I'm blathering). We need more diverse ownership. Period. I'm curious to see how the LA women's team ownership structure plays out. That seems like a model that I could get behind.

Zelem's stock fell A LOT after she went to Dubai for NYE and then COVID spread through the team. I'm honestly surprised she is still captain. She hasn't been playing hugely great, but hasn't been awful either. She's just been there.

Lauren James is one of the upcoming stars. Her name will be around and known for many years to come. She scored the 1st goal for the women at the men's stadium a few weeks ago.
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It’s a double edged sword. For years the women’s game and its advocates were shaming the men’s clubs who didn’t get involved, charging them with failing to use their profile to raise thst of the women’s game and for denying young girls the dream of playing for United in particular because the Glazers wouldn’t invest in the women’s game because they saw no return. That changed with the WSL and was welcomed at the time.

I hadn’t heard that about Zalem! Not cool! Some family the James’, her brother is on course to be a world class player too!
 
wokeupnew said:
View attachment 96125

Both German clubs are standing firm!! Bundesliga just became the best league
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Leipzig waiting for their invite

Carol Burnett Please GIF by Golden Globes - Find & Share on GIPHY
 
mgp said:
Congratulations to your 2021 UEFA Champions League winner... PSG?

This is going to get ugly (or interesting?).
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Good. In fact, bring back Porto, Dortmund, and Bayern to the semis. Let the people still have Champions League football. PSG pair up with Dortmund, Porto play Bayern. PSG and Bayern going another round to win it all would be fun.
 
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