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All aboard the Premier League roadshow?
Anyone who thought English football could not possibly move any further away from its working class roots can think again.
Not content with allowing all manner of foreign businessmen to take control of its leading clubs the Premier League now reveal they want to transport their money-making mountain to foreign shores.
They want to shoehorn an extra international round of Premier League matches from January 2011 into an already congested season to be played in cities around the world.
Roll up, roll up. The Premier League on tour, you might say.
The chances are the top clubs would not play each other, of course. Oh no, they would never agree to the possibility of taking points off each other in the title race for a match which is all about putting more easy millions in bank accounts and nothing about looking after the genuine supporter.
Do not be fooled.
This is not some pioneering initiative such as the one which saw Matt Busby take Manchester United into Europe in the 1950s and which has such poignant resonance this week.
It is a brazen plan by a league whose greed knows no bounds to get more snouts in the trough. To cash in on the burgeoning attraction of a league which is watched with fascination across the continents, which drives so much of the gambling fever in the Far East and which is rapidly becoming England's most sought-after export.
But ask yourself. What will playing in America do for the average Joe who finds it hard enough to take his 2.1 kids from Sunderland to London for a lunchtime kick-off?
How will playing in Sydney, Beijing or Dubai or other glamorous venues nurture the fan base of Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn or Fulham?
The fact is the top echelon of English football no longer cares about real fans. It has not done so for years. It tolerates them so long as they pay through the nose for a seat. Now they might need a long-haul airline seat as well if they want to watch all their club's matches.
It is television, with its access to global billions, which brings in the real cash and which is really the driver behind this new direction.
American sports, it's true, have already experimented with the idea. An American Football NFL match was played at Wembley last October and an NHL ice hockey game was staged at London's O2 Arena.
Basketball's NBA has also played a pre-season game in London.
But those sports, with their salary caps and draft systems, are not tribal by nature. They do not possess the same travelling fan base as English football. Many clubs are run as franchises and are not positioned at the integral core of the community.
It is why the Premier League play a dangerous game.
There is no surer way of alienating your true support than to place several thousand miles between players and real fans.
No surer way to dilute a product than to manufacture yet more congestion on top of two domestic cups, the world's most frantic league and European competitions to boot.
Yes, it might benefit the Glazers and the Abramoviches in particular but only by stampeding over more than a century of history and tradition.
Yet do you know what was worst of all - even worse than Sky television's predictable attempts to pass it off as an exciting idea? It was the musings of Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.
He argued: ''We are a better competition for being a cosmopolitan league and have benefited from our increased international reach.
''Nonetheless, it is critical we retain our English character by improving our efforts to produce home grown talent, deepening our commitment to community engagement and continuing our investment in the grass roots.''
Scudamore's idea of protecting the grass roots is to rip the ground from underneath them?
The Premier League clearly believe their product has no saturation point. So they propose to treat their most loyal customers with contempt.
It is a national disgrace.
9:36am Friday 8th February 2008
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CommentPosted by: Jethro, On the farm on 10:19am Fri 8 Feb 08
What a load of old ****!
Posted by: Steve Burman, eastleigh on 10:27am Fri 8 Feb 08
To all you real football fans.
Try Eastleigh or Havant or the like.
These are `FOOTBALL` clubs not money makinig machines
To all you real football fans.
Try Eastleigh or Havant or the like.
These are `FOOTBALL` clubs not money makinig machines
Posted by: toxteth o'grady on 10:50am Fri 8 Feb 08
Fingers crossed, it all goes t*ts up & the Premiership implodes.
Please Sir, can I have my game of football back ?
Fingers crossed, it all goes t*ts up & the Premiership implodes.
Please Sir, can I have my game of football back ?
Posted by: Loud & Proud EFC, Bishopstoke on 10:56am Fri 8 Feb 08
[quote][bold]Steve Burman[/bold] wrote:
To all you real football fans. Try Eastleigh or Havant or the like. These are `FOOTBALL` clubs not money makinig machines[/quote] I dunno the Water Boys made a bit of money lately LOL.
Totaly agree Steve.
Stick the premiersh1t up your 4ss
Non league you know it makes sense
Steve Burman wrote:
To all you real football fans. Try Eastleigh or Havant or the like. These are `FOOTBALL` clubs not money makinig machines
I dunno the Water Boys made a bit of money lately LOL.
Totaly agree Steve.
Stick the premiersh1t up your 4ss
Non league you know it makes sense
Posted by: N on 11:32am Fri 8 Feb 08
Will the games be played on sawdust inside a big stripey tent? Candyfloss anyone?
Will the games be played on sawdust inside a big stripey tent? Candyfloss anyone?
Posted by: Bashley and Proud, Bashley Rd on 11:59am Fri 8 Feb 08
Bashley FC, real football, real passion, real fans.
The Premiersh*t carnival of cash grabbers can't hope that this gravy train will roll forever can it?
Love to see Murdoch pull the plug on it.
Bashley FC, real football, real passion, real fans.
The Premiersh*t carnival of cash grabbers can't hope that this gravy train will roll forever can it?
Love to see Murdoch pull the plug on it.
Posted by: Gary, Midanbury on 12:39pm Fri 8 Feb 08
Funny how a couple of seasons ago the big clubs were playing to many games and wanted to cut the number of teams in the premiership. You Wave abit of cash under their nose and they want to play more games.RIP FOOTBALL!!!!!!
Funny how a couple of seasons ago the big clubs were playing to many games and wanted to cut the number of teams in the premiership. You Wave abit of cash under their nose and they want to play more games.RIP FOOTBALL!!!!!!
Posted by: Automan, Southampton on 2:11pm Fri 8 Feb 08
the next step will be to franchise teams and under the new rules perhaps only 5 clubs could come from London, or just one from other cities. Could this be why Everton are moving slightly out of the city of Liverpool?
Perhaps teams with substandard stadia won't be allowed at the top table?
the next step will be to franchise teams and under the new rules perhaps only 5 clubs could come from London, or just one from other cities. Could this be why Everton are moving slightly out of the city of Liverpool?
Perhaps teams with substandard stadia won't be allowed at the top table?
Posted by: Saint-Etienne, Hall Green Birmingham B28 on 6:15pm Fri 8 Feb 08
I am dismayed by the Premiership's ridiculous plans and would be even if Saints were in the Premiership!
Football fans everywhere should be united against this folly (Blues/Villa, Liverpool/Everton, ManU/ManCity and Saints/Pompey) This is NOT the time for tribal sniping.
I find myself agreeing with 'Arry Redknapp's "Harlem Globetrotter" comments and would urge anyone apposed to the Premier League's idea to sign the Football Supporters' Federation's "SAY NO TO GAME 39" petition on www.fsf.org.uk
Don't Hate Pompey - LOVE SAINTS!
I am dismayed by the Premiership's ridiculous plans and would be even if Saints were in the Premiership!
Football fans everywhere should be united against this folly (Blues/Villa, Liverpool/Everton, ManU/ManCity and Saints/Pompey) This is NOT the time for tribal sniping.
I find myself agreeing with 'Arry Redknapp's "Harlem Globetrotter" comments and would urge anyone apposed to the Premier League's idea to sign the Football Supporters' Federation's "SAY NO TO GAME 39" petition on www.fsf.org.uk
Don't Hate Pompey - LOVE SAINTS!
Posted by: Jim, Southampton on 10:10pm Fri 8 Feb 08
Bring back the old league. I never saw the point of making a Premier League when it first started anyway. Division 1 to 4, Conference, everyone happy. Plus bring back the football players. Today its a bunch of "actors" who care more about theyre hair than the team. See Wayne Routledge in FHM two years ago: "We all like a nice hair cut before a game, because if we look good, we play better." That Sums It All Up.
Bring back the old league. I never saw the point of making a Premier League when it first started anyway. Division 1 to 4, Conference, everyone happy. Plus bring back the football players. Today its a bunch of "actors" who care more about theyre hair than the team. See Wayne Routledge in FHM two years ago: "We all like a nice hair cut before a game, because if we look good, we play better." That Sums It All Up.
Posted by: Captain Swing, Southampton on 10:25am Sat 9 Feb 08
[quote][bold]Jim[/bold] wrote:
Bring back the old league. I never saw the point of making a Premier League when it first started anyway. Division 1 to 4, Conference, everyone happy. Plus bring back the football players. Today its a bunch of "actors" who care more about theyre hair than the team. See Wayne Routledge in FHM two years ago: "We all like a nice hair cut before a game, because if we look good, we play better." That Sums It All Up.[/quote] Actually Jim, old son, I think Dennis Compton and many of his contemporaries would have agreed with him.
Jim wrote:
Bring back the old league. I never saw the point of making a Premier League when it first started anyway. Division 1 to 4, Conference, everyone happy. Plus bring back the football players. Today its a bunch of "actors" who care more about theyre hair than the team. See Wayne Routledge in FHM two years ago: "We all like a nice hair cut before a game, because if we look good, we play better." That Sums It All Up.
Actually Jim, old son, I think Dennis Compton and many of his contemporaries would have agreed with him.
Posted by: Phil, Downton on 11:04am Sat 9 Feb 08
This comes as no surprise. The minute football invited foreign businessmen to invest in the sport it started a snowball that will never be halted until it melts down and self destructs.
We now have a premier league dominated by foreign players restricting the development of young English talent. We no longer see good young English coaches coming through the ranks and even our national team is in foreign hands!! Football is now associated with phrases and buzz words such as "Brand" "end product"
The premier league went global through TV and now drives the betting industry in Asia which is one of the major attractions to businessmen, especially the Americans who have failed to sell their own sports globally with the exception of Baseball in Japan.
The premier league is now dominated by the 10 richest clubs and the premier league minnows who currently sit below 11th place in the league dare not say no to any new venture for fear of being kicked out of the money making machine that the premier league currently is.
I no longer fear for English football as it is already too late. Playing an extra game over seas is only the beginning. The top 10 will no doubt be guaranteed to play the bottom 10 so they are more likely to win in front of their new breed of fans in China and India. I cannot see Wenger agreeing to play Man Utd in Hong Kong after a long flight risking 3 points in front of an uneducated crowd. The inevitable success of these first games will lead to more overseas games each season until, just like the US, a team will "go on the road" and play 6 or 7 matches on the trot in far flung places.
In the US a team is a franchise, it is not a core part of the community. The franchise often moves to a new city as its new home with total disregard for fans.
This is the model the premier league is now following.
Home based fans no longer finance the club through the turnstiles. The gate money we generate hardly covers the wages of the back four!!!
It is a crying shame and I wonder now, if all those misguided fans who cheered from the rooftops when their club was bought by "Investors" would rather turn the clock back to the days of the old four divisions, where chairman were local, the club a part of the community and fans identified with the players.
Nothing can or should stay in the past but for me the sell out of our national game to the premier league has been the biggest mistake in sporting history. It is a disgrace and now it is clear for all to see.
Taking our beautiful game overseas is not about taking football to fans who live elsewhere, it is about gambling and advertising and branding and television. It is about money, nothing more nor less, MONEY. Generating more money to top up the trough that so many money grabbing people have their noses so deeply buried in. Fans simply have no value in the premier league. They even lie to us in a patronising manner by saying that more money will be invested in to the game, ticket prices will come down, yeah, right!!!
Painful truth.
This comes as no surprise. The minute football invited foreign businessmen to invest in the sport it started a snowball that will never be halted until it melts down and self destructs.
We now have a premier league dominated by foreign players restricting the development of young English talent. We no longer see good young English coaches coming through the ranks and even our national team is in foreign hands!! Football is now associated with phrases and buzz words such as "Brand" "end product"
The premier league went global through TV and now drives the betting industry in Asia which is one of the major attractions to businessmen, especially the Americans who have failed to sell their own sports globally with the exception of Baseball in Japan.
The premier league is now dominated by the 10 richest clubs and the premier league minnows who currently sit below 11th place in the league dare not say no to any new venture for fear of being kicked out of the money making machine that the premier league currently is.
I no longer fear for English football as it is already too late. Playing an extra game over seas is only the beginning. The top 10 will no doubt be guaranteed to play the bottom 10 so they are more likely to win in front of their new breed of fans in China and India. I cannot see Wenger agreeing to play Man Utd in Hong Kong after a long flight risking 3 points in front of an uneducated crowd. The inevitable success of these first games will lead to more overseas games each season until, just like the US, a team will "go on the road" and play 6 or 7 matches on the trot in far flung places.
In the US a team is a franchise, it is not a core part of the community. The franchise often moves to a new city as its new home with total disregard for fans.
This is the model the premier league is now following.
Home based fans no longer finance the club through the turnstiles. The gate money we generate hardly covers the wages of the back four!!!
It is a crying shame and I wonder now, if all those misguided fans who cheered from the rooftops when their club was bought by "Investors" would rather turn the clock back to the days of the old four divisions, where chairman were local, the club a part of the community and fans identified with the players.
Nothing can or should stay in the past but for me the sell out of our national game to the premier league has been the biggest mistake in sporting history. It is a disgrace and now it is clear for all to see.
Taking our beautiful game overseas is not about taking football to fans who live elsewhere, it is about gambling and advertising and branding and television. It is about money, nothing more nor less, MONEY. Generating more money to top up the trough that so many money grabbing people have their noses so deeply buried in. Fans simply have no value in the premier league. They even lie to us in a patronising manner by saying that more money will be invested in to the game, ticket prices will come down, yeah, right!!!
Painful truth.
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