Another nail in the PL coffin...

[BettingBlade]

It’s not really a nail in the coffin for the Premier League in the sense that this idea is about making a shit tonne of money and attempting to grow it exponentially.

It is though, getting a hammer out, closing the coffin and preparing the nails for the rest of English football. Whats essentially happened over the last 5 years or so is that the gap between the Premier League has grown more than it probably had in the previous 20. It’s now filled with more billionaires than ever and the American ones particularly feel constrained by the current format of the traditional English season.

The league as a whole feels less competitive than ever. The idea that clubs in danger of falling foul of PSR rules could overwhelmingly vote to end points deductions should be a massive red flag to the rest of English football and clearly outlines the contempt for which the elites hold the rest of the footballing pyramid in. It’s a league defined purely by money and it’s starting to outgrow the league structure in which it sits.

From a business point of view it feels like the natural step for the Premier League is to break away to form some kind of super duper NFL type thing. Whatever that may be, games abroad are just the first step on that road. What began as a rebranding of the top division has turned into a massive, corporate bubble that has become far bigger than the top division is designed to be.

That said, I dont actually understand why people thing its such a great watch. The only decent games are between the top 6 but the vast majority are elite v also rans or also rans v also rans. Fair play if thats your bag but I find it fucking boring and wank.

The thing that’s got me most fed up is that the majority of English football is a complete after thought. The clubs, the ex-player pundits, the media, the fans of the top clubs dont give a single solitary fuck about the integrity of competition. They’re all on the fucking gravy train so when Neville and Carragher and all the other cunts want to rouse fans to save their precious Premier League when there’s talk of another European Super League, I hope they are roundly met with the sincerest of fuck offs.

It’s so far detatched from reality that it actually doesn’t feel like football. Everything is geared towards fans that don’t go to matches. They would much rather cater to the armchair fan than the average match going fan, and that fucking stinks quite frankly.

I don’t subscribe to this idea that there is some specific agenda against us but I think it’s quite clear there is pressure to protect the business model. Any business has to protect it’s most valuable assets to be successful, and for the Premier League, that means keeping the elite clubs elite. They’ve done this by making it so difficult for newly-promoted sides to compete unless they spend millions upon millions to even attempt to stay in the division.

The job was fucked for the rest of us once corporate interests became the priority over integrity of competition.

 

[Berkshire Blade]

But who gives a fuck about wealth of the league? Football is for the fans. Liverpool and Man Utd could still have their big-cheese rivalry with a two teams of English cloggers playing long ball, for example.

It's not a nail in the coffin of anything if it gets bigger and more popular worldwide though is it?

 

[Billyblade]

It’s not really a nail in the coffin for the Premier League in the sense that this idea is about making a shit tonne of money and attempting to grow it exponentially.

It is though, getting a hammer out, closing the coffin and preparing the nails for the rest of English football. Whats essentially happened over the last 5 years or so is that the gap between the Premier League has grown more than it probably had in the previous 20. It’s now filled with more billionaires than ever and the American ones particularly feel constrained by the current format of the traditional English season.

The league as a whole feels less competitive than ever. The idea that clubs in danger of falling foul of PSR rules could overwhelmingly vote to end points deductions should be a massive red flag to the rest of English football and clearly outlines the contempt for which the elites hold the rest of the footballing pyramid in. It’s a league defined purely by money and it’s starting to outgrow the league structure in which it sits.

From a business point of view it feels like the natural step for the Premier League is to break away to form some kind of super duper NFL type thing. Whatever that may be, games abroad are just the first step on that road. What began as a rebranding of the top division has turned into a massive, corporate bubble that has become far bigger than the top division is designed to be.

That said, I dont actually understand why people thing its such a great watch. The only decent games are between the top 6 but the vast majority are elite v also rans or also rans v also rans. Fair play if thats your bag but I find it fucking boring and wank.

The thing that’s got me most fed up is that the majority of English football is a complete after thought. The clubs, the ex-player pundits, the media, the fans of the top clubs dont give a single solitary fuck about the integrity of competition. They’re all on the fucking gravy train so when Neville and Carragher and all the other cunts want to rouse fans to save their precious Premier League when there’s talk of another European Super League, I hope they are roundly met with the sincerest of fuck offs.

It’s so far detatched from reality that it actually doesn’t feel like football. Everything is geared towards fans that don’t go to matches. They would much rather cater to the armchair fan than the average match going fan, and that fucking stinks quite frankly.

I don’t subscribe to this idea that there is some specific agenda against us but I think it’s quite clear there is pressure to protect the business model. Any business has to protect it’s most valuable assets to be successful, and for the Premier League, that means keeping the elite clubs elite. They’ve done this by making it so difficult for newly-promoted sides to compete unless they spend millions upon millions to even attempt to stay in the division.

The job was fucked for the rest of us once corporate interests became the priority over integrity of competition.

I wish I could give you several likes for that. I fully agree with everything you've said there.

 

[shorehamview]

We have loads of play-off type games every single season. They’re cunningly disguised as the League and FA Cups. Lots of rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals, even a big play-off final at Wembley. Are these not enough for the money grubbing bastards out there?

 

[BettingBlade]

We have loads of play-off type games every single season. They’re cunningly disguised as the League and FA Cups. Lots of rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals, even a big play-off final at Wembley. Are these not enough for the money grubbing bastards out there?

No those games make players tired but these play offs on top of a regular season would be no problem.

The difference I hear you ask? Around about a hundred million quid.

 

[BettingBlade]

I wish I could give you several likes for that. I fully agree with everything you've said there.

I could go on and on mate. I’ve not even mentioned VAR yet.

 

[dingledog]

The solution is simple. Play league games as per fixtures, at home stadia of the home side which means in home country.

It doesn’t need to be made any more complicated than that.

The integrity of the game is already being damaged by constant and complicated rule changes and anti-competitive changes as well as adhering to the television schedules and of course VAR. We’re seeing onfield and off field issues, clubs gambling their futures for the present and the only people that lose out are the fans.

The sooner a regulator with actual powers comes in with the focus on progression of the game and protection of clubs for fans, the better

This change may not affect Sheffield United, but it affects the game and its integrity

I look at the other regulators the govt has introduced into Water, Media etc and it gives me no confidence that any regulator will have any power or ability to make a difference. As in the other cases it will become the lapdog of the industry its meant to regulate.

 

[Davalon]

That’s a ridiculous comparison though - the NFL regular season is incredibly short and not all teams play each other. You could easily flip that argument and say why don’t the NFL play for 9 months like the EPL instead of 6 months (if you happen to make the post season), have more games and make more $$$

Maybe but a big part of his argument was how much the NFL makes compared to the PL. Can't remember the exact figures but the NFL dwarfed the PL.

I've always enjoyed the NFL since the 80's although I don't follow it anywhere near as much as I used to. That said I wouldn't want English football to follow in terms of franchised teams, splitting the country into conferences etc.

How many Blades would accept United being a PL regular and competing for trophies and Europe but after being moved to Kent for instance.

 

[Overthehills]

It’s not really a nail in the coffin for the Premier League in the sense that this idea is about making a shit tonne of money and attempting to grow it exponentially.

It is though, getting a hammer out, closing the coffin and preparing the nails for the rest of English football. Whats essentially happened over the last 5 years or so is that the gap between the Premier League has grown more than it probably had in the previous 20. It’s now filled with more billionaires than ever and the American ones particularly feel constrained by the current format of the traditional English season.

The league as a whole feels less competitive than ever. The idea that clubs in danger of falling foul of PSR rules could overwhelmingly vote to end points deductions should be a massive red flag to the rest of English football and clearly outlines the contempt for which the elites hold the rest of the footballing pyramid in. It’s a league defined purely by money and it’s starting to outgrow the league structure in which it sits.

From a business point of view it feels like the natural step for the Premier League is to break away to form some kind of super duper NFL type thing. Whatever that may be, games abroad are just the first step on that road. What began as a rebranding of the top division has turned into a massive, corporate bubble that has become far bigger than the top division is designed to be.

That said, I dont actually understand why people thing its such a great watch. The only decent games are between the top 6 but the vast majority are elite v also rans or also rans v also rans. Fair play if thats your bag but I find it fucking boring and wank.

The thing that’s got me most fed up is that the majority of English football is a complete after thought. The clubs, the ex-player pundits, the media, the fans of the top clubs dont give a single solitary fuck about the integrity of competition. They’re all on the fucking gravy train so when Neville and Carragher and all the other cunts want to rouse fans to save their precious Premier League when there’s talk of another European Super League, I hope they are roundly met with the sincerest of fuck offs.

It’s so far detatched from reality that it actually doesn’t feel like football. Everything is geared towards fans that don’t go to matches. They would much rather cater to the armchair fan than the average match going fan, and that fucking stinks quite frankly.

I don’t subscribe to this idea that there is some specific agenda against us but I think it’s quite clear there is pressure to protect the business model. Any business has to protect it’s most valuable assets to be successful, and for the Premier League, that means keeping the elite clubs elite. They’ve done this by making it so difficult for newly-promoted sides to compete unless they spend millions upon millions to even attempt to stay in the division.

The job was fucked for the rest of us once corporate interests became the priority over integrity of competition.

quality post! And couldn't agree more with the bold.

 

[Bladesman]

We have loads of play-off type games every single season. They’re cunningly disguised as the League and FA Cups. Lots of rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals, even a big play-off final at Wembley. Are these not enough for the money grubbing bastards out there?

Yes but peasant clubs from the rest of the football pyramid may upset the elite clubs by knocking them out of the competition. We can’t have that you know.

 

[SheepdipBlade]

Whilst there is always some hypocrisy based on how well we do or don't in the PL, i don't see this as childish sulking at all.

After watching us for over 40 years and achieve 8 top flight seasons and a few cup semi finals, I'd like to see us do something more before my time is done.

Staying in the PL for a few years would suffice as winning anything gets more unlikely by the day.

However, if the PL decides to go down some Americanised route then my desire will fade markedly. That's not being mardy, it's simply not the game many of us fell in love with.

Money talks yes but you don't have to like change in a sport just based on milking it dry.

I think you've hit the nail on the head.

To say football is simply a business is to miss the point that the reason the business exists is sport. To run the business in such a way that the sport itself suffers (in that the competitiveness of teams is thrown out of balance - with six famous teams out purchasing the other 100+ professional clubs) - is surely self defeating. Do people really enjoy watching the big six beat all comers 90% of the time? Is it really exciting to watch a contest where the outcome is pretty much certain before kick off as it's been bought by the owners billions during the transfer window?

The EPL has made a decision. It's not concerned about the sport, competition or fair contests - and it's not concerned about the fans of 100+ clubs who can't afford to compete. It's concerned about the big six, their global reach and the profits they can reap. In short IMO the EPL is an organisation that is running football as a business/for profit and doesn't have the foresight or integrity to run football as a sport.

This will simply see traditional fans who care deeply about their local clubs walk away from the sport, see smaller clubs go out of existence and see the game followed by shallow glory hunters who pay to watch their favourite brand/club play other plastic clubs on TV.

At least the cricket season has started!

 

[Swannyblade]

Maybe but a big part of his argument was how much the NFL makes compared to the PL. Can't remember the exact figures but the NFL dwarfed the PL.

I've always enjoyed the NFL since the 80's although I don't follow it anywhere near as much as I used to. That said I wouldn't want English football to follow in terms of franchised teams, splitting the country into conferences etc.

How many Blades would accept United being a PL regular and competing for trophies and Europe but after being moved to Kent for instance.

I agree, seems like a dumb comparison and a non-starter to me.
The nature of the sport means that it's impossible to play a high volume of games in the NFL. The geography of the States means it's necessary to split the country up into conferences. Also, a large part of the current model came out of the AFL-NFL merger.
I wonder if they'd be as quick to adopt the draft system and do away with the majority of transfers.

 

[Bartleby]

I’m old enough to remember when we finished 9th, we were challenging for Europe for the bulk of the season and it was easily one of the best seasons of the last 30 years.

Yep. Sheffield United close in on 4th place, what a headline.

 

[petcharlie]

You are right but unfortunately the extra billions will all go in the pockets of the big six making an even more uneven playing field making the dreams of 80 odd other clubs just that DREAMS . No doubt the big guys will just watch as the small guys go to the wall . Yes you are right the prem has been a success but at what price ? Every year it becomes clearer that the gulf is getting wider and wider between the England football league and the Prem as teams get promoted and teams then get relegated or have a battle to keep hold of their prem status Forest went berserk buying players of Quality some 20 or more came in and they are just about clinging on . Our mid field against Chelsea were competing against 280 million pounds worth of talent ,how on earth can any club in the football league hope to hold their own against such opponents every week and survive in the prem? It is getting to be no fun anymore for thousands of supporters of the smaller clubs who are just there to make the numbers up because every week every month every year it is a survival battle and sooner or later those supporters will call time on their Saturday ritual of supporting their club .

 

[jt64]

It can be done and is being done - but we have to think and act like a Prem club , even without the resources of the top 6/7...but we haven't and don't.

The trouble is that we think and act like, at best, a Second Division club - both in terms of level in the pyramid, and the age at which the second tier was actually called that

 

[SwissBlade]

I look at the other regulators the govt has introduced into Water, Media etc and it gives me no confidence that any regulator will have any power or ability to make a difference. As in the other cases it will become the lapdog of the industry its meant to regulate.

Completely agree but… it’s got to be better than currently as right now there is zero accountability

 

[metalblade]

It seems that rules have now been changed in order to allow domestic (Premier League) fixtures to be held abroad, in a move that is apparently being described as groundbreaking....

I mean listen, I don't truly believe this would pose a massive problem for us (even as a Premier League team). This move would be of more interest to the big 6 of the league, as they look to cash in on the global markets. Little Sheffield United hold little neutral interest within the Uk, never mind the global market. You are more likely to see a Man City vs Liverpool game played in some 100k plus American stadium, in the same respect that they tried to take a domestic Barca v Real Madrid game out out to Miami a couple of years back.

It does however further aid that financial gulf between clubs like them and clubs like us! It is almost as if the Tory government have taken charge of the Premier League in this day and age.... They adjust policy in favour of the leading stakeholders and aim to make the rich, richer.... and the poor, poorer.....

Whilst I fear for the old fashioned football fans of these 'elite' clubs, they need to let them go and do their own thing in a European super league. Of course they won't allow this because they need to protect the financial integrity of the Premier League. They don't want to de-value their own brand.

Likewise you wouldn't see many of the smaller clubs voting against Premier League qualification and participation, because whilst inevitably it generally leads to a season of being whipping boys, the financial incentives pay for the clubs running for a few seasons... it's a no brainer.

I don't know the solution, but I do know that our recent flirts with the top side have somewhat ruined my passion for the sport as a whole. I will always love Sheffield United football club with all my heart, but where is the happy medium? What do we sacrifice?... Our integrity? The future financial security of the club?....

A stint in the Premier League was once seen as a cup final every week.. a fantastic challenge and opportunity! Now it's just a chore! It's ridiculous!.... the enjoyment well and truly zapped. And it seems they are determined to bow down to the big boys again in order to try and keep the financial integrity of the league in tact!

It's bullshit.

The above is the reason why I have fallen out of love with the game. I will always love Sheffield United but you can shove your Premier League up your arse. It isn't sport on a level playing field and it is becoming more akin to the American wrestling pantomime every season. Even the FA cup is going the same way it was no surprise to see Liverpool and Manchester City avoid each other in the semi finals I'd piss mysen laughing if somehow Man United and Coventry got to the final but that is never going to happen is it unless some big Chinese betting syndicate take a hand in how it plays out.

 

[SwissBlade]

I'm not in any way proposing it, it's just what I can easily see happening.

On the plus side, our last game of the season will always be our last regular season game, if that makes you feel any better.

Ha ha not really

 

[Rodley]

Yep. Sheffield United close in on 4th place, what a headline.

View attachment 181879

In the absence of revolution of the English Premier League, presumably orchestrated by disgruntled S2 and Burnley fans, I guess it’s the best we can hope for.

 

[Pintor75]

The above is the reason why I have fallen out of love with the game. I will always love Sheffield United but you can shove your Premier League up your arse. It isn't sport on a level playing field and it is becoming more akin to the American wrestling pantomime every season. Even the FA cup is going the same way it was no surprise to see Liverpool and Manchester City avoid each other in the semi finals I'd piss mysen laughing if somehow Man United and Coventry got to the final but that is never going to happen is it unless some big Chinese betting syndicate take a hand in how it plays out.

Think your last bit is where it's heading, I'm not accusing anyone ,but you can't help thinking with all this money sloshing around that referees,VAR men etc might be got at, when players are on millions a top referee on £200/250k or whatever is a target for being bought surely.

 

[metalblade]

Think your last bit is where it's heading, I'm not accusing anyone ,but you can't help thinking with all this money sloshing around that referees,VAR men etc might be got at, when players are on millions a top referee on £200/250k or whatever is a target for being bought surely.

Well it has happened in other sports relatively recently

 

[cahill]

I suspect a lot of football fans wouldn’t be too upset to see the elite clubs leaving the English game to join some sort of European/Global set up, its the fans of those clubs who’d be most put out. That said those elite clubs know that would be throwing the baby out with the bath water. The strength of our league is its depth.

I wish those six clubs who were implicated in the aborted Super League had been told to eff off there and close the door behind you.

 

[Flumps]

It’s not really a nail in the coffin for the Premier League in the sense that this idea is about making a shit tonne of money and attempting to grow it exponentially.

It is though, getting a hammer out, closing the coffin and preparing the nails for the rest of English football. Whats essentially happened over the last 5 years or so is that the gap between the Premier League has grown more than it probably had in the previous 20. It’s now filled with more billionaires than ever and the American ones particularly feel constrained by the current format of the traditional English season.

The league as a whole feels less competitive than ever. The idea that clubs in danger of falling foul of PSR rules could overwhelmingly vote to end points deductions should be a massive red flag to the rest of English football and clearly outlines the contempt for which the elites hold the rest of the footballing pyramid in. It’s a league defined purely by money and it’s starting to outgrow the league structure in which it sits.

From a business point of view it feels like the natural step for the Premier League is to break away to form some kind of super duper NFL type thing. Whatever that may be, games abroad are just the first step on that road. What began as a rebranding of the top division has turned into a massive, corporate bubble that has become far bigger than the top division is designed to be.

That said, I dont actually understand why people thing its such a great watch. The only decent games are between the top 6 but the vast majority are elite v also rans or also rans v also rans. Fair play if thats your bag but I find it fucking boring and wank.

The thing that’s got me most fed up is that the majority of English football is a complete after thought. The clubs, the ex-player pundits, the media, the fans of the top clubs dont give a single solitary fuck about the integrity of competition. They’re all on the fucking gravy train so when Neville and Carragher and all the other cunts want to rouse fans to save their precious Premier League when there’s talk of another European Super League, I hope they are roundly met with the sincerest of fuck offs.

It’s so far detatched from reality that it actually doesn’t feel like football. Everything is geared towards fans that don’t go to matches. They would much rather cater to the armchair fan than the average match going fan, and that fucking stinks quite frankly.

I don’t subscribe to this idea that there is some specific agenda against us but I think it’s quite clear there is pressure to protect the business model. Any business has to protect it’s most valuable assets to be successful, and for the Premier League, that means keeping the elite clubs elite. They’ve done this by making it so difficult for newly-promoted sides to compete unless they spend millions upon millions to even attempt to stay in the division.

The job was fucked for the rest of us once corporate interests became the priority over integrity of competition.

Can't say I really give a shit about a top 6 match. People like those purely because of the name involved but I find whenever I watch one it's often a slow dance of trying to figure each other out and maybe a couple goals. When someone says to me "it's City Liverpool this weekend!" My reaction is always "so?"

When it comes to football (outside of United and the teams around us) my main interest is being entertained and a top 6 match is seldom entertaining.

 

[1889]

This thread really highlights the problem with modern football and its current administrators. It is also apparent that some people have lost sight of what the game is all about, it’s roots, it’s history and ultimately its appeal.

The more money becomes the motivation, the more the rules are tinkered with, the more the game moves away from its original premise, the more a part of its real attraction dies.

Football became the most popular game in the world, because it was relatable, anyone and everyone could play, it was the rivalries, the history, the skilful local players, the raw aggression and the sense of belonging, the passion and pride of supporting your local team.

Now, people travel hundreds of miles to attend a home match, their alliegencies change from year to year, its no longer a game, it’s an industry where the rules are constantly changed to maintain the status quo and favour the most popular and wealthiest clubs. The game is less about skill, aggression and entertainment and more a sterile, risk averse battle of tactics, more akin to a game of chess. Locally, in real terms, young men don‘t play the game anymore, yet it seems the footballing authorities are oblivious to this fact, whilst they actively promote the game, to a gender, not equipped to compete at the highest standard.

If you were to arrange the 92 teams in terms of wealth and assets, it would not be dissimilar to the current football league tables and for me that shows exactly what the game has become, it’s more like the stock market than the game I grew up watching and only slightly more interesting.

 

[Large Mendonca]

It is though, getting a hammer out, closing the coffin and preparing the nails for the rest of English football.

This.

 

[cahill]

It’s not really a nail in the coffin for the Premier League in the sense that this idea is about making a shit tonne of money and attempting to grow it exponentially.

It is though, getting a hammer out, closing the coffin and preparing the nails for the rest of English football. Whats essentially happened over the last 5 years or so is that the gap between the Premier League has grown more than it probably had in the previous 20. It’s now filled with more billionaires than ever and the American ones particularly feel constrained by the current format of the traditional English season.

The league as a whole feels less competitive than ever. The idea that clubs in danger of falling foul of PSR rules could overwhelmingly vote to end points deductions should be a massive red flag to the rest of English football and clearly outlines the contempt for which the elites hold the rest of the footballing pyramid in. It’s a league defined purely by money and it’s starting to outgrow the league structure in which it sits.

From a business point of view it feels like the natural step for the Premier League is to break away to form some kind of super duper NFL type thing. Whatever that may be, games abroad are just the first step on that road. What began as a rebranding of the top division has turned into a massive, corporate bubble that has become far bigger than the top division is designed to be.

That said, I dont actually understand why people thing its such a great watch. The only decent games are between the top 6 but the vast majority are elite v also rans or also rans v also rans. Fair play if thats your bag but I find it fucking boring and wank.

The thing that’s got me most fed up is that the majority of English football is a complete after thought. The clubs, the ex-player pundits, the media, the fans of the top clubs dont give a single solitary fuck about the integrity of competition. They’re all on the fucking gravy train so when Neville and Carragher and all the other cunts want to rouse fans to save their precious Premier League when there’s talk of another European Super League, I hope they are roundly met with the sincerest of fuck offs.

It’s so far detatched from reality that it actually doesn’t feel like football. Everything is geared towards fans that don’t go to matches. They would much rather cater to the armchair fan than the average match going fan, and that fucking stinks quite frankly.

I don’t subscribe to this idea that there is some specific agenda against us but I think it’s quite clear there is pressure to protect the business model. Any business has to protect it’s most valuable assets to be successful, and for the Premier League, that means keeping the elite clubs elite. They’ve done this by making it so difficult for newly-promoted sides to compete unless they spend millions upon millions to even attempt to stay in the division.

The job was fucked for the rest of us once corporate interests became the priority over integrity of competition.

Tha writes well. Couldn’t agree more. They are however caught in a bit of a double bind. The thing that’s made them «great » is the English Pyramid football system which has depth, longevity, and culturally deeply entrenched within English life. Everyone, football fans or no , can identify the names of clubs. The government recognise this and have looked to the rule book to prevent any future Super League weakening the brand. A bit like the appellation system in France in relation to cinema or Champagne for example . I think the govt understand the importance of the English League system and for once may want to protect something against corporate greed or the free market system. If the elite clubs leave the Pyramid System wouldn’t it weaken them or cheapen their brand ?

 

[Eskimo]

For many it's shit. For many in a global sense it's good news. There is a reason so many US and overseas groups are buying into the league. They see the growth that could come. Chelsea's owners have spent billions and they are in it to make a profit!

Whats that got to do with football?

 

[Champagneblade]

It seems that rules have now been changed in order to allow domestic (Premier League) fixtures to be held abroad, in a move that is apparently being described as groundbreaking....

I mean listen, I don't truly believe this would pose a massive problem for us (even as a Premier League team). This move would be of more interest to the big 6 of the league, as they look to cash in on the global markets. Little Sheffield United hold little neutral interest within the Uk, never mind the global market. You are more likely to see a Man City vs Liverpool game played in some 100k plus American stadium, in the same respect that they tried to take a domestic Barca v Real Madrid game out out to Miami a couple of years back.

It does however further aid that financial gulf between clubs like them and clubs like us! It is almost as if the Tory government have taken charge of the Premier League in this day and age.... They adjust policy in favour of the leading stakeholders and aim to make the rich, richer.... and the poor, poorer.....

Whilst I fear for the old fashioned football fans of these 'elite' clubs, they need to let them go and do their own thing in a European super league. Of course they won't allow this because they need to protect the financial integrity of the Premier League. They don't want to de-value their own brand.

Likewise you wouldn't see many of the smaller clubs voting against Premier League qualification and participation, because whilst inevitably it generally leads to a season of being whipping boys, the financial incentives pay for the clubs running for a few seasons... it's a no brainer.

I don't know the solution, but I do know that our recent flirts with the top side have somewhat ruined my passion for the sport as a whole. I will always love Sheffield United football club with all my heart, but where is the happy medium? What do we sacrifice?... Our integrity? The future financial security of the club?....

A stint in the Premier League was once seen as a cup final every week.. a fantastic challenge and opportunity! Now it's just a chore! It's ridiculous!.... the enjoyment well and truly zapped. And it seems they are determined to bow down to the big boys again in order to try and keep the financial integrity of the league in tact!

It's bullshit.

Can we request they bring it forward for our matches?

 

[Berkshire Blade]

Whats that got to do with football?

What's more money coming into a sport got to do with a supposed death?

Once again there's no actual plans to plan abroad just no legal block to it.

Basically it's a sulk from a blade unhappy we are doing poorly.

 

[JustLookin]

What's more money coming into a sport got to do with a supposed death?

Once again there's no actual plans to plan abroad just no legal block to it.

Basically it's a sulk from a blade unhappy we are doing poorly.

You keep saying that but it gets no more true each time you say it. The prospect of English Premier League games being played abroad for the sole purpose of increased revenue should be a concern for every club outside the top six.