Other football

[FanchesterCity]

 

Top 10 most successful English teams must include some pretty gash clubs if one title in 30 years, one or two fa cups a league cup and one inconsequential non existent UEFA competition puts you in it!

 

Success in wider world football? Have a word with yourself.

 

Liverpool wanted to 'cream off' the money before the PL? I think you'll find LFC said we along with others generate the lions share of tv money so we should be able to keep what we earn not what we get handed by some johnny come lately mega rich guy who has more money than he knows what to do with.

 

Why didnt he look to altruism and address some of the inequalities in his part of the world rather than chuck it at a pretty non descript football club?

 

An investment group 'saved our arse'? Well yes if you accept another investment group loaded their debt onto the club so they could buy it! Perhaps you dont see the paradox there? LFC wouldnt have needed its 'arse' saving if those two cowboys hadnt bought the club. The club wasnt headed for bankruptcy despite having a large overdraft.

 

Much as I hate manchester united, it is frankly laughable you try and claim edwardes 'investment' in united was in any way corrupt or, on an equal scale as mansours, all things being equal.

 

The fact is city, chelshit and a few other clubs are partaking in financial doping to gain an advantage above virtually everyone else.

 

I said the wider world of football, which extends beyond the realms of the Euro elite... there's 4 divisions of it in England alone... like I said, success on Liverpool's scale... of course not, but in a wider world of course. It's all relative. Football's been going a lot longer than 30 years and some fantastic clubs have come and gone.... Preston, Wolves, Leeds etc.

Just because their success isn't on a par with Liverpool's, it's still relative success compared with the majority. Newcastle have won sod all in donkey's years, but it's just wrong to deny the success they have had in their history.

 

Investment groups were around long before the PL. They were called 'owners' in the old days. Sometimes you got good ones, but they didn't have money, sometimes you got bad ones who did have money. If you were lucky, you had good and rich, and if unlucky, you got bad and skint.

 

Louis Edwards was under investigation for his earnings, and considered a bit of a local crime boss in Manchester, he was also under investigation for corruption prior to him dying - these are facts. His wealth went a long way to making Old Trafford the largest ground back in the day. A visionary some would say,... but make no mistake it was as much an investment back then as it is today.

 

Yes, Liverpool believed they earned the lion's share of the TV money (along with the other clubs) and wanted it to keep it that way. But that was from their perspective, other clubs argued that the money was only being earned because of the league as a whole i.e. it needed the lesser clubs just as much as the bigger ones to make it work.

In the end, 'the other clubs' choice of Sky (over ITV) proved to be a pretty successful one and has arguably earned Liverpool far more than it ever would have with ITV (granted, we'll never know for sure).

 

You can't blame City or Chelsea, or Liverpool for that matter for what's happened - they all signed up for PL and CL, and all wanted to make themselves 'marketable'. That's what's happened. When some investor then comes along and cherry picks whatever club suits their pockets and plans, nobody can be surprised.

 

Like I said, I'm keen on it either, but it IS a result of PL and CL being so marketable, but don't pretend it's a new phenomenon, it's not, it's just bigger than it ever was the gap wider than it ever was.

[Strontium]

The ref went down a bit easy there for me.

[Russ Atmosphere]

Why don't these oil rich publicity seekers put massive wads of their loadsamoney into space exploration, renewable energy technologies, curing diseases or the like? Got to be more exciting than running Man City Kickball Club, whoopdefuckindoo.

[kalasoma]

Just heard a WBA fan say Steve Clarke needs to go. I think someone said this before, but if that's the case, and Clarke does go, I'd take him back as our defensive coach in a heartbeat.

[FanchesterCity]

It all boils down to ego, and the desire to be loved. You're a bored Russian billionaire, and you buy Liverpool. Or the red mancs. It costs a load, and if you spend half a billion, you'd just be continuing success. If you buy Chelsea, who've won nothing of note in 50-odd years, you can spend less up front and the half billion you spend will give them unprecedented levels of success. That success is entirely down to you, and the club's success is synonymous with you, and the fans will love you for it. You just wouldn't get that with a more established club.

 

For Abramovich, it's about ego, I think. That and boredom. For the Abu Dhabi mobs at Citeh and PSG, it's about demonstrating that everything they touch turns to success, to try and win status.

 

I fucking hate it though. Looking at Chelsea's bench, or City's midfield and thinking about what they've done to earn such players. Nothing. Just spent someone else's cash. I know we've spent badly, but so have Chelsea. Difference is, each mistake we make is more costly.

 

Half agree, half disagree...

 

The reasons behind a club purchase are so mixed. It might be personal ego for one, might be some crazed marketing ploy for another. It might be a genuine rescue attempt for some, and a true love of the club for yet another.

 

We've probably seen them all.

 

But you can say "what have they done to deserve it'.... well, United have sold millions of shirts in the China to earn their money. They've created a fantastic corporate machine.

Arsenal have branded themselves 'stylish and classy' and as a result, charged their fans a fortune to watch them... and borrowed the money for the ground which has proven to be a wise investment in the end, but it's still borrowed money in order to make more.

City moved themselves out of an rundown stadium (and chose to rent). It worked for them. They moved to an area that was prime for redevelopment. They got lucky in managing to be the most attractive club at a given moment in time and therefore 'sold themselves' as an attractive business proposition. It could just have easily been the Venkys. You win some, you lose some, and in another 10 years, we could be bust. But could very well have gone bust before then anyway.

 

And the money that the rich clubs pay for players goes into the football 'pool' doesn't it? Which then allows other clubs to spend that money as THEY see fit. 50 million for Torres was 50m in Liverpool's pocket. But it resulted in a panic buy.

 

All clubs are doing it, because all clubs are desperate for the money. It's either CL, or staying in the PL. It's not the money coming into the game that's the problem, it's the fact that we all craved that money if the first place.

[TheHowieLama]

 It's not the money coming into the game that's the problem, it's the fact that we all craved that money if the first place.

 

Cart before the horse here.

[G Richards]

Just heard a WBA fan say Steve Clarke needs to go. I think someone said this before, but if that's the case, and Clarke does go, I'd take him back as our defensive coach in a heartbeat.

100% agree with this. Clarke's strength is Brendan's weakness (which is not to say Rodgers can't, and won't improve there). 

 

It might be tough, because once you've had a taste at being the boss it might be hard to go back. Still, if something happened and Clarke became available, we should get in there. 

[Gnasher]

How the fuck did hull put three in our net? This game is utter shit.

[Gnasher]

100% agree with this. Clarke's strength is Brendan's weakness (which is not to say Rodgers can't, and won't improve there). 

 

It might be tough, because once you've had a taste at being the boss it might be hard to go back. Still, if something happened and Clarke became available, we should get in there.

 

I'd like to see Clark back as well, he help us defend corners/set pieces for a start, not enough good football men at the club.

[Fugitive]

Stoke vs Hull on SKY.... STOKE VS HULL!!!!

 

Give me back my money, you cunts!!!!

[G Richards]

On the Manchester City thing - good luck to them. They have benefitted enormously from the right set of circumstances and the right owner to propel them, rapidly, to the top. Was it fair? No way! But it was within the rules at the time. 

 

If FFP is to be meaningful, this sort of thing will now be much more difficult to do. In the meantime having City and Chelsea up in the top four is a reality of life. There's no point harping on about things we can't do anything about. Our job is to get stronger, in our own way, and to make sure we get a foothold back at the top table. It will be enormously satisfying if and when it happens. 

[SammyAftershave]

I wonder if that Ref will be retrospectively disciplined for simulation? It was nothing more than a slight fly-swatting back-hander, the diving cunt!

[spider-neil]

Stoke vs Hull on SKY.... STOKE VS HULL!!!!

 

Give me back my money, you cunts!!!!

 

 

 

Top billing!!

 

The destroyers of Chelsea VS the destroyers of Liverpool.

[Anubis]

I wouldn't be adverse to seeing Clarke back coaching our defence.

[polymerpunkah]

How the fuck did hull put three in our net? This game is utter shit.

 Was listening on the radio, the commentators were laughing out loud at the collective ineptitude on display, and I kept asking myself "did we really lose to Hull?"

[alles ist gut]

Stoke vs Hull on SKY.... STOKE VS HULL!!!!

 

Give me back my money, you cunts!!!!

BringBackBirmingham?

[Hand Shandy]

Clarke sacked allegedly.

[kalasoma]

neil johnston ‏@ndjohnston 10m

CONFIRMED: Steve Clarke sacked by West Brom http://tiny.cc/kiq37w 

Retweeted by Mark Ogden

[FanchesterCity]

He's been hard done by there.

I suspect they've already got someone lined up though.

[moof]

No way! Let's get him back.

 

Doubt he'd be up for it but it's gotta be worth a try

[Frankenhooker]

They lost three on the bounce, hovering above the relegation zone, and he okayed a Christmas piss up in Ireland, unsurprisingly they then lost a fourth in a row.

 

Can't say I'm surprised.

 

[polymerpunkah]

The Lukaku effect?

 

Doesn't bode well for Martinez if it is.

[kalasoma]

100% agree with this. Clarke's strength is Brendan's weakness (which is not to say Rodgers can't, and won't improve there). 

 

It might be tough, because once you've had a taste at being the boss it might be hard to go back. Still, if something happened and Clarke became available, we should get in there. 

 

I know it would be a tough sell to either Clarke or Rodgers. But, if we invited Clarke back now and gave him whatever salary he wanted, sell it to both Rodgers and Clarke that's it's temporary until Clarke goes to West Ham, or something. That way, we get back the coach who made us the third best defensive team under Kenny, and Rodgers gets the kudos. No-one loses face. Ultimately, you do what's best for the club.

 

Make it happen, John Henry.

[SammyAftershave]

Martin Jol watches on with interest while flossing his pointy teeth with a cadaver.

[kalasoma]

Be funny if WBA took Di Matteo back.