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European 'Super League' and ECFC

Joined
Jan 4, 2020
Messages
677
Many of us will have seen today's announcement re the formation of a European Super League. It seems 12 clubs are behind this including the 'greedy six' of Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal. The others are the Spanish big three of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, plus Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan from Italy.

As an ECFC fan who watches little or no Prem football (despite having access via BT) and only occasionally Champions League, why do I care? And, indeed, why should any of us care who are supporters outside the top divisions of English football?

Part of me cares because I despise what has become of the top tier of the sport. Money has always influenced competition in football; certainly during the 50 years I've been watching. But now those with the money don't just want to tip the scales of competitive balance their own way; they want to do away with competition altogether. A league with no relegation, a league played across the World, this is what they want. It would be a competition without the uncertainty of real competition - just what any long term investor wants.

But a bigger part of me cares because the cynicism of these big clubs will impact our club.

The Super League looks like a threat more than an actual plan. It seems like a way to screw even more concessions from the remainder of the football world than they get already. It's 'Project Big Picture' Mark II but without any sense of conscience or respect for the sport.

Will it happen? I doubt it will in the way that the 12 elite clubs have outlined. But by making such a stark threat, its likely that UEFA and leagues including the Premier League will make concessions, and if they do, so will the FA and inevitably the Football League.

So back on to the table comes B-team involvement in the lower leagues, plus relaxation to the rules around 'feeder clubs'.

Expect to see changes too in the domestic competitions. An end to the League Cup - why would the likes of Man Utd and Chelsea want to play in that? A Super League or, more likely, an expanded Champions League played at weekends, while FA Cup is shunted off to midweek (plans for this have already been outlined).

Expect too a different way of cutting the TV revenue cake. The 12 teams behind the Super League don't want to have to share their worldwide TV audiences with the likes of Crystal Palace and Burnley, let alone Exeter City and Stevenage.

This as big an issue for Exeter City as it is for Manchester City.
 

dontpassback

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Dec 30, 2015
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4,400
I don’t think this will happen,Gary Neville isn’t always correct,but his views on this are spot on,I don’t think EUFA are going to stand by and watch it happen,as always there is too much money involved,like you as a city fan who hasn’t watched MOTD for a very long time,my concern is what happens at ECFC but it would be foolish not to be concerned by other clubs actions higher up !
 

Snoop Fog

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like you as a city fan who hasn’t watched MOTD for a very long time
You don't watch match of the day? What's wrong with you, it's a great programme with quality football, a British institution, I love MOTD!
 

dontpassback

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Dec 30, 2015
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You don't watch match of the day? What's wrong with you, it's a great program with quality football, a British institution, I love MOTD!
I used to love it as a kid,but now they over analyse too much and the pundits tend to talk nonsense,the football show on quest isnt perfect but it’s a lot better than MOTD
 

Legohead

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Jan 28, 2016
Messages
6,762
I don't watch it much these days either. Top level footballers these days mostly seem to have an arrogance about them and huge overinflated ego which makes me bilious tbh. There are no actual interesting footballers as people anymore. They all say the same mundane things in interviews and generally are dull as dishwater. Most like rap music too which makes it a lot worse.
 
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Snoop Fog

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I used to love it as a kid,but now they over analyse too much and the pundits tend to talk nonsense,the football show on quest isnt perfect but it’s a lot better than MOTD
I agree that some of the pundits talk nonsense, I'm not keen on Shearer, but Jenas generally talks sense and Alex Scott clearly knows her stuff and does her research.
 

Snoop Fog

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Glad you find it amusing TPC, but they're my true thoughts.
 

Snoop Fog

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Dion Dublin, Mark Chapman, and Danny Murphy absolutely scathing of the big 6 who propose this super league.

My conclusion is this won't happen.
 

IndoMike

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Touring Central Java...
As Ghosty said, it's probably the constant threat that is the point - to squeeze the last dollar from whomever they can squeeze it.
I'm totally bored with top level football and couldn't give a sh*t. When they started playing FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley I knew the game was up.
Even lower level football is becoming a pain : dodgy owners et al. You know that when even lower League players act like prima donnas the games in trouble
Not to mention "agents".
Doing the bleddy crossword every morning is more satisfying
 

Snoop Fog

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Doing the bleddy crossword every morning is more satisfying
Chance would be a fine thing Mike :)
 
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