Today's Football - 2023/2024 Season

[Drico]

I think Leverkusen have actually shirked the members ownership model, which has caused some grumblings, still delighted to see a monopoly broken the 'product' of the prem get knocked down a peg

Yes, but they have special dispensation from that model - and reasonably so: Bayer pharmaceuticals basically built the town of Leverkusen and have been there for nearly 100 years. This is the local factory club - the Werkself - not the Arabs rigging the league. It has more in common with Jack Walker at Blackburn than anything we have seen in the PL from Abramovich or Mansour.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

Yeah. He’s never seemed like a City player, still doesn’t. But that certainly didn’t stop him last season.

And by anyone else’s standards, he’s still great of course.

Just feels like a notable dip.

Set the bar so high. Should be noted that while the consensus is that Palmer, Watkins, Solanke and Salah are all having magnificent seasons, only Palmer can equal his goal return in a season when the consensus is that Haaland has been crap.

 

[Drico]

I just feel some clubs have become too commercially big for their domestic counterparts.

Why I wanted the ESL to happen, let the giants have their super league and leave the rest to have an open and competitive competition year on year.

Bayern - to their eternal credit - wanted nothing to do with the Super League. In their case, it is the others in their league who have allowed them to dominate. There was no good reason why Bayern should dominate other than the shambolic administration of many of the great German clubs. The flip side of the tremendous fan culture here in Germany is the amateur way in which so many clubs are run. It's partly why the so-called "plastic" clubs: Bayer Leverkusen. VfL Wolfsburg, and RB Leipzig, have been able to plug a gap and become Bayern's closest challengers. They are run as businesses - mainly factory clubs in towns they helped build, Leipzig excepted.

 

[Walken]

Yes, but they have special dispensation from that model - and reasonably so: Bayer pharmaceuticals basically built the town of Leverkusen and have been there for nearly 100 years. This is the local factory club - the Werkself - not the Arabs rigging the league. It has more in common with Jack Walker at Blackburn than anything we have seen in the PL from Abramovich or Mansour.

Nice insight and history, appreciated

 

[GoldenToffee]

Absolutely made up both City and Arsenal fell and that it will almost certainly cost the Premier League an extra space in the Champions League next season.

 

[the golden visionary]

Can't wait to listen to talksports obituary on the way to work

 

[Jamo Martinez]

I think Leverkusen have actually shirked the members ownership model, which has caused some grumblings, still delighted to see a monopoly broken the 'product' of the prem get knocked down a peg

There are 2 exemptions to the 50+1 ruling. Bayer with Leverkusen and Volkswagon with Wolfsburg. Something along the lines of the company having 20 years or more connection to the club.

 

[Nymzee]

Just need Leverkusen to dump out West Ham, Atalanta to hold out & Villa not to win the Conference league then 5th CL spot is all mine.

 

[kenada_blue]

Can't wait to listen to talksports obituary on the way to work

"Big clubs don't park the bus"

Sit down. Don Carlo (the greatest manager in world football tm) has your number.

 

[Billy Dean]

The Don is the GOAT. Nearly always finds a way. He is a brilliant man-manager and a not-too-clever, but pragmatic tactician. Pep overthinks and always has. He HAS to be judged at CL level - not PL, given the way his club have effectively rigged the league. And in Europe his record is moderate.

Carlo is very clever tactically IMO

 

[Yid4life]

Eric Dier MOM vs Woolwich.

Redemption arc.

 

[sd_1992]

How did we screw him over ?

We pulled the financial rug from under him after presumably selling him a project to build the club back up.

And it has literally gained us nothing. We would have been better blowing through financial fair play with Carlo than being where we are now.

Whatever people may think about the manner in which he left, he didn’t come here to spend £1.7m in a summer, and nor should he have.

 

[sd_1992]

Great to see a team pull themselves up by their bootstraps all right, if only we could understand the mystery of what could have made the difference.

Better that they should have gotten stuck in the FFP system designed to keep clubs down. After all it should only be United and Liverpool allowed to spend insane amounts of money.

Amazes me to hear Evertonians repeating Kopite media lines about how outrageous it is that city can spend on players when Liverpool and United pay far bigger transfer fees regularly.

But of course that is money they have accumulated through years of corruption, creating rules to keep other clubs down, media bias and bent referees keeping them at the top and not someone pumping their own money in.

Far healthier for the game.

 

[Toffe3m4n]

Gotta be honest - I miss Ancelotti quite a bit

Am I weird for thinking that there is potential for Davide to get involved with the club again at some point down the line?

 

[welshtoffee]

Gotta be honest - I miss Ancelotti quite a bit

Am I weird for thinking that there is potential for Davide to get involved with the club again at some point down the line?

The last time I actually enjoyed watching football with Everton, albeit on Tv due to covid !!!