Long Read : How modern football became broken beyond repair

[TommyDavo]

Surely any move for a super League and essentially removing teams from their respective national leagues would be , essentially impossible.

It would have to be done above everyone else's head so to speak. So when it actually happened then every single team that doesn't go to the super League would then have grounds to sue for lost income by doing such a move. Especially if there was no direct way for any club to enter said league.

It would drive ticket prices up, fans would have to pay more for travel every week which will reduce the number of actual fans being able to attend.

So for every club that did enter that wasn't your real Madrids or whoever , it would destroy their club. They would lose their fanbase on a consistent basis. All jokes aside, how many scousers attend anfield each week for the game. No way you can afford to fly to Italy / Spain / Portugal etc every second week as well as accomodation and the rest of it 19 times a year. It would cut local fans from their club.

So even though the club's would survive a super League with the additional money/ glamour / better players. It would / over time , kill the club identity and leave the super teams entities of another power rather than their own merits.

Liverpool do not care where there ”fans” herald from. If they could get 60,000 different people into the ground every game that would be ideal for them and their model. Yes it would kill that local identity but do you really think the yanks give one?

 

[Kenshin]

Liverpool do not care where there ”fans” herald from. If they could get 60,000 different people into the ground every game that would be ideal for them and their model. Yes it would kill that local identity but do you really think the yanks give one?

No.

And that is the biggest issue I see with this. The draw of the super League would mean local fans don't matter anymore. Doesn't matter if you fill those stadiums with local fans or tourists , a fan is a fan. So over years, each of the super club's I think would lose that connection with their club in some way. Perhaps not the home fans but the away ones certainly. A lot of away games will be dead for the away team as a result with only choice games getting the local fans travelling.

The owners don't care no , the fans do. Even this site, how many of us could afford to fly around Europe every other week for a football game? Fans won't matter anymore.

Someone recently told me that half the club's in the premier League don't need to sell tickets anymore for cost. They could give them away and it would make no difference, assuming we are one of them. All down to the money from the TV rights, probably why the likes of Bayern can sell season tickets so cheaply as it would apply to them also.

 

[SantaClausisanEvertonian]

It's quite simple for me; if the so-called big clubs want to swan all over Europe every other week then that's fine.
A more unpredictable league with much more appeal to real fans, rather than the Sky/BT/Amazon brigade, would improve the entire English league in my opinion.
Good riddance to those who see their future as being battered by the likes of Barcelona and Real every other week.

 

[mahermi1]

Let the top four go from our league every week for me, let them pay themselves a billion pound a year, just don't let them back in our league, when they've gone, under any circumstances. Who cares what they win, if they win or lose, they won't be in our league.

 

[Archie Knox]

How football became broken beyond repair

The game is going through an unprecedented period of financial and competitive imbalance. Miguel Delaney investigates how we got here and – crucially – whether the dominance of the mega-rich is here to stay

www.independent.co.uk

Any thoughts? Bit depressing to think that the rich clubs are pulling away across the board. If they want a superleague I'll point them to the door and watch whatever is left over.

It'd be absolutely amazing if the "big" clubs broke away to make their own super league. They can koff.

 

[degsy]

Its long, but read it...and the 2nd part.
It nails us to a tee, we even get our own special mention (people can see what we're trying to do)

Basically its the stuff of nightmares - dystopian does it no favours
The big 11 keep waving the super league card and keep getting more concessions

And the 2nd part- how to fix it, is less than optimistic

If we don't bridge the gap soon and keep on hitting the high spots, not just a Leicester one off. We might as well not bother.

 

[cronullasharks]

It wouldn't surprise me if the super league was played right around the world not just at home grounds, a glorified version of the "big clubs" pre season tours.

 

[havrey0123]

Fantastic article that.

I've said for a while the best thing that could happen to not only this league but the whole of Europe is a European Super League.

Forget the best players leaving and the money drying up - think of how competitive all the leagues would be

Germany without Bayern Munich
France without PSG
England without the top 4/5
Spain without Barca and Real Madrid

Believe me best thing that could happen and I hope one day it does although I cant see it - the other 14 clubs owners in the Prem will just give in and let the big 6 have bigger pieces of the pie (TV revenue) in order to keep their own gravy train investment rolling.

You do realise sponsorships would dry up and billionaire owners would leave as there is no money to be made.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

You do realise sponsorships would dry up and billionaire owners would leave as there is no money to be made.

Not really - all that would happen is that a power vacuum would open and some billionaires wil take advantage of the top teams leaving and buy into clubs left behind.

There are very rich owners in leagues like France, Spain and Italy despite the Prem having the most TV revenue.

Best thing that could ever happen.

 

[havrey0123]

Not really - all that would happen is that a power vacuum would open and some billionaires wil take advantage of the top teams leaving and buy into clubs left behind.

There are very rich owners in leagues like France, Spain and Italy despite the Prem having the most TV revenue.

Best thing that could ever happen.

Many of them rely on the champions league to bring in money.

Values of teams left in the prem would plummet, wages would drop, all of the best players would leave.
It would essentially be like the championship.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

Many of them rely on the champions league to bring in money.

Values of teams left in the prem would plummet, wages would drop, all of the best players would leave.
It would essentially be like the championship.

Thats your opinion.

Or every year a different team is winning the league, packed out stadiums, rich ownera buying clubs like Newcastle, Leeds, Spurs, Sheffield clubs, Nott Forest etc. Leagues competitive withh proper rivalries and history and TV deals come in.

Whereas the super league quickly gets boring, state backed Man City and Real Madrid / Barca largely dominate it, atmospheres at grounds are awful / hardly anyone turning up at away legs other than rich corporates and the interest soon goes.

See we all can make judgements on what could or could not happen.

 

[SantaClausisanEvertonian]

Thats your opinion.

Or every year a different team is winning the league, packed out stadiums, rich ownera buying clubs like Newcastle, Leeds, Spurs, Sheffield clubs, Nott Forest etc. Leagues competitive withh proper rivalries and history and TV deals come in.

Whereas the super league quickly gets boring, state backed Man City and Real Madrid / Barca largely dominate it, atmospheres at grounds are awful / hardly anyone turning up at away legs other than rich corporates and the interest soon goes.

See we all can make judgements on what could or could not happen.

Great post FB and I like your thinking, especially about the 'proper rivalries', as opposed to the invented Sky TV rivalries.
I for one wouldn't look forward to away trips all over Europe every fortnight; I couldn't afford it for a start!
On the other hand, trips to places like Villa, Forest, Leeds and the north east do appeal to me as, in my opinion, that's the bread and butter of our game.
Perhaps those left behind would take the FA Cup a bit more seriously too.
The more I think about this, the more a breakaway league without us appeals to me.
At the risk of repeating myself, good riddance to 'The Sky Six'.

 

[degsy]

You do realise sponsorships would dry up and billionaire owners would leave as there is no money to be made.

Not many (legally?) make a 'put it in your pocket and walk away' profit from football - its the ultimate money pit

 

[havrey0123]

Thats your opinion.

Or every year a different team is winning the league, packed out stadiums, rich ownera buying clubs like Newcastle, Leeds, Spurs, Sheffield clubs, Nott Forest etc. Leagues competitive withh proper rivalries and history and TV deals come in.

Whereas the super league quickly gets boring, state backed Man City and Real Madrid / Barca largely dominate it, atmospheres at grounds are awful / hardly anyone turning up at away legs other than rich corporates and the interest soon goes.

See we all can make judgements on what could or could not happen.

That wouldn't get boring. The revenues in the cl are always increasing because.people want to see the biggest teams play each other.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

That wouldn't get boring. The revenues in the cl are always increasing because.people want to see the biggest teams play each other.

No one is arsed if Liverpool go play in the Euro Super League - only the club owners care because their club values will drop.

Not one Everton, Villa, Newcastle, Sheffield Utd, Leeds, Sunderland, West Ham, Wolves etc supporter will give a toss because they support their club and will do whether the standard of the league is great or akin to the championship.

Please go and take the other 4 or 5 clubs at the top with you. You'll soom get tired when Klopp leaves, you appoint Gerrard and get battered week in week out by the top sides in Europe backed by oil money and Spanish/Middle Eastern government.