OT: Premiership Football

spen666

Pay £50 to get in £3+ for programme

Games switched at short notice for TV etc

Overpaid prima donnas not intrested in football or the fans




OR you local non- league side , admission, programme and a pint all for less than £10

The Future of Football is Here

Make your choice

suzyb

At least you have a moderately competitive league that 3 or 4 teams could actually win.

Before the season even starts up here everyone knows every team bar Rangers and Celtic are playing for third.

Clever Pun

football thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

UndercoverElephant

Clever Pun wrote:

football thread >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Quite right, CP. Spen, this is nothing to do with cycling, you should join a football forum.

:P

gtvlusso

Well, OT is in the topic, so I am gonna run with this.

I agree with Spen.

However, there are an awful lot of loyal fans who will pay these massively inflated prices and thats why the cost is high......demand. Although it defies belief.

Personally, I prefer rugby and don't live too far from Bristol rugby stadium (also Bristol Rovers FC) - I think I paid £6 to get in last time I watched a match there.

All comes down to money y'see.

rick_chasey

Some people like watching high quality football.

When (say) Rooney switches it from right to left and Evra takes one touch to control it, that's special.

You don't get that at your non-league side.

FWIW, my nearest team by distance is Chelsea anyway. *groan*

kamiokande

Outside of Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and maybe Newcastle the rest of the premier league is struggling with getting people through the turnstiles. Saw the Sunderland - Stoke game on MOTD2 last night and the stands looked half full. I think it's heading for an implosion between 5-10 years away.

Fans are being driven away by increasing prices and an alienation with their clubs and their clubs players. Clubs seem more interested in 'building the brand' and increasing commercial revenue and players view any club other than Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City simply as a stepping stone to one of those clubs or the equivalent abroard.

bigmat

I'm really falling out of love with football. The Premier League is massively overpriced and now the players largely have no affinity with the teams or the fans, it just doesn't generate the same passion for me. However, I don't see paying even £10 to watch lower level football as much of a bargain when i could go down to Hackney Marshes (or equivalent) to watch some lumps hoof a ball for 90 minutes for free. The drop off in quality as you go down the leagues is massive and in my experience from league 1 down there really isn't any obvious talent on display (of course that isn't really the case, they are professional athletes and probably very good footballers, it just doesn't come across that way!)

I used to think the Championship was the sweet spot but not really feeling it this season.

bails87

Are footballers overpaid?

Seems to me they're paid what the market wants to pay them.

dhope

bails87 wrote:

Are footballers overpaid?

Seems to me they're paid what the market wants to pay them.

+1
And why do we expect players to love their clubs when we buy them in from abroad to play for a club in an area they have no affinity with? It's a job, not a romance (much as we'd like to believe differently). What did Cesc 'owe' Arsenal for example? They gave him his break, sure. He gave them a number of years of excellent football and they've qualified for the Champions League repeatedly in part due to his efforts.

bails87

dhope wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Are footballers overpaid?

Seems to me they're paid what the market wants to pay them.

+1
And why do we expect players to love their clubs when we buy them in from abroad to play for a club in an area they have no affinity with? It's a job, not a romance (much as we'd like to believe differently). What did Cesc 'owe' Arsenal for example? They gave him his break, sure. He gave them a number of years of excellent football and they've qualified for the Champions League repeatedly in part due to his efforts.

Exactly. If Mr Smith, an engineer at North West Steel Ltd gets offered £50,000 a year extra to go to West London Steel Ltd to do exactly the same job, it would seem mad for the customers of NW Steel to hurl abuse at him for 'betraying' them every time they see him at the annual steel industry conference. But do it in football and it's normal. :?

joelsim

I've totally fallen out of love with football over the past few years. There was a time when England getting knocked out of a tournament would make me want to cry. These days I just don't care. I don't even have Sky.

joelsim

Many of my mates feel the same too, people who used to absolutely love it. There is definitely a time of reflection on the part of the clubs and players looming, the whole sorry state is teetering on the brink.

joelsim

Many of my mates feel the same too, people who used to absolutely love it. There is definitely a time of reflection on the part of the clubs and players looming, the whole sorry state is teetering on the brink.

tailwindhome

One football thread not enough?

Or are you just short of readers for your blog?

rick_chasey

bails87 wrote:

Are footballers overpaid?

Seems to me they're paid what the market wants to pay them.

You're assuming the market is correct.

FoldingJoe

It's all Jimmy Hill's fault.

bails87

Rick Chasey wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Are footballers overpaid?

Seems to me they're paid what the market wants to pay them.

You're assuming the market is correct.

I'm also trying to do some stirring

lastant

kamiokande wrote:

Outside of Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and maybe Newcastle the rest of the premier league is struggling with getting people through the turnstiles. Saw the Sunderland - Stoke game on MOTD2 last night and the stands looked half full. I think it's heading for an implosion between 5-10 years away.

We (Norwich) are perhaps an exception to the rule - there won't be many games this season where our attendance is below 26,000 (capacity is c.27,000) and that'll be because the away team don't sell out their allocation. Some will say it's because we're now having some success, but we've had c.20,000 season tickets for years and years now even keeping the numbers after relegation from the Premier League and also into League One.

It does depress me seeing swathes of empty seats as the cameras go round the grounds on Match of the Day but something has to change for them to disappear. The pricing in the Premier League is astronomical...it's £40.00 to go to Villa in a few weeks, and my United ticket (traditionally be one of the cheaper places to visit) is costing me £52.00!

rick_chasey

bails87 wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Are footballers overpaid?

Seems to me they're paid what the market wants to pay them.

You're assuming the market is correct.

I'm also trying to do some stirring

It's going to be a long week isn't it? *sighs*

kamiokande

bails87 wrote:

dhope wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Are footballers overpaid?

Seems to me they're paid what the market wants to pay them.

+1
And why do we expect players to love their clubs when we buy them in from abroad to play for a club in an area they have no affinity with? It's a job, not a romance (much as we'd like to believe differently). What did Cesc 'owe' Arsenal for example? They gave him his break, sure. He gave them a number of years of excellent football and they've qualified for the Champions League repeatedly in part due to his efforts.

Exactly. If Mr Smith, an engineer at North West Steel Ltd gets offered £50,000 a year extra to go to West London Steel Ltd to do exactly the same job, it would seem mad for the customers of NW Steel to hurl abuse at him for 'betraying' them every time they see him at the annual steel industry conference. But do it in football and it's normal. :?

It's completely different though, isn't it? People don't 'support' steel companies. People don't buy a product from a steel company regardless of whether it is good or bad. Steel companies probably don't have much opportunity to monitor the performance of staff at other steel companies, and even if they did I'd imagine most will have very similar pay scales. Steel companies don't compete for trophies in different competitions. I don't think you can compare a 'normal' indusry/market with that of football.

The real problem for me is not money, if Man United can sign a telecoms deal in Vietnam that allows them to pay Wayne Rooney another 40k a week it's up to them. I'd rather he got it than shareholders or the exectutives.

The problem is that competition is largely pointless now. No team outside of Utd, Chelsea or Man City, short of another billionaire owner, will compete for the premier league in the next 10 years. It's unlikely the FA cup could be won by anyone other than a few teams, even the league cup is unlikely. Even if they did do well in one of those competitions Chelsea or Man City will just come and buy their best players. The rest of the teams are just left scrapping around mid-table or relegation, with no real hope of moving.

UndercoverElephant

kamiokande wrote:

The rest of the teams are just left scrapping around mid-table or relegation, with no real hope of moving.

Welcome to Scottish football. It just means there's a league within a league, with so many European places available to the Prem, mid-table obscurity still has a lot to play for.

rick_chasey

kamiokande wrote:

The real problem for me is not money, if Man United can sign a telecoms deal in Vietnam that allows them to pay Wayne Rooney another 40k a week it's up to them. I'd rather he got it than shareholders or the exectutives.

Say what?

kamiokande

UndercoverElephant wrote:

kamiokande wrote:

The rest of the teams are just left scrapping around mid-table or relegation, with no real hope of moving.

Welcome to Scottish football. It just means there's a league within a league, with so many European places available to the Prem, mid-table obscurity still has a lot to play for.

Spain is even worse. Barca and Real Madrid just compete to see who can tank the rest by the most goals. Trouble is I think it's heading towards the point where those mini leagues are getting smaller and smaller.

spen666

Its interesting to see how many people seem to have/ are falling out of love with top flight football

joelsim

I think people are starting to dislike forking out £50 a ticket plus ridiculous food and drink prices to make rich playboys even richer.

As someone once said, the world's thickest millionaires. Joe Public can't feel any affinity with their team any more. Back in 1990 the England players were my absolute heroes; Pearce, Waddle, Gazza, Lineker et al. Now I look at the team and with the possible exception of one or two of them I think what a bunch of t*ssers.

spen666

Who are the exceptions?

joelsim

Walcott and Wilshere.

But then again they are young and will probably go the same way as the arrogant older blokes. Funnily enough my lad and I met Carlton Cole at a charity do and him and his mates couldn't have been nicer. My lad asked for his autograph and CC's mate took my son's cameraphone, CC then grabbed my son and posed with him for a couple of shots. Then signed my lad's shirt. He was really made up. Rio was at the same night and was a right miserable t*at. Lampard was ok too.

I also have to take my hat off to Tony Pulis in his post-match interview at the weekend.

Most of the rest are loathsome.

spen666

Theo Walcott is a waste of a shirt. One hat trick against a crap side and that was it.

Wilshire - maybe when he is older he will be the real deal. At present he is potential only

tailwindhome

Joelsim wrote:

Lampard was ok too.

My wife met Frank Lampard & Christine Bleakly(sp?) on a night out.

They couldn't have been friendlier and took the time to sign autographs for my son and stood for photos with her friends and signed shirts for her friends' kids.

He was injured at the time and took it in good humour when my mate pointed out how many points he'd cost him on his fantasy football team and that he was being dropped for Malouda.

rick_chasey

Not strictly premiership football but I'll be damned if I'm making a new thread.

Utd were totally smashed again last night. Properly smashed. Outplayed, outgunned.

With the exception of Rooney's brilliant strike (out of barely anywhere) it was a depressing sight.

Seems La Liga is now the #1 league, even if it isn't competitative.

Might have something to do with the €800m the clubs owe the tax man, but still...