Various media personalities, groups, organisations, bloggers and guest are spilling outrage, anger and fear using all manner or hyperbole to fuel their emotional release – but what few are demonstrating, is surprise!
This is no surprise: anyone looking at the past 10 years would see that things have been heading this way and I know I have voiced concerns as others have in posts on this very blog, mostly in reaction to incremental moves towards what is happening not only now, but in pursuance of bigger changes further down the track – my-my, here we are!
Football as a commodity has been ripe for the picking; indeed as a resource it’s amazing its stood unfelled for so long – your average gas field or mineral deposit would not have lasted anywhere near as long. It’s been nicely fattened up by the media companies and the long term investment of billionaires sensing this potential. That potential is to grab it wholesale, build its star quality and then control access to it whilst making billions in revenues through advertising, merchandising and marketing.
The negative responses will have been expected and as such the clubs are staying quiet until the various now uninvolved parties, punch themselves out. They will have thought this through and have a plan: maybe it’s to leverage more money from the existing dynamic, but would JP Morgan be involved in what would amount to a very high stakes hustle? Would all the footballing bodies be squealing quite so much? Would all of these clubs have actually signed up?
The fact is that those footballing bodies are only getting such a sympathetic hearing because they are voicing that same outrage and concern that most everyone else has. But the truth is that they were taking the game down a reckless path already with each expanding their own bailiwick to increase games, tournaments, numbers of national teams (with some picking from populations less that the average pre-covid EPL crowd), players expected to perform upward of 50 games per season:- those organisation were already feeding vampire-like from the media and marketing teat.
Frankly, people like Aleksander Ceferin (UEFA) and FIFA spouting about being, “disgraceful and self-serving” are merely stating that someone else has managed to achieve a greater degree of self-service and disgracefulness than they were able to – its sheer hypocrisy from people who had already sold out to the media!
Make no mistake: this is now open slather and eventually the biggest fish will feed on the biggest food-source and in the process muscle out the smaller fish, like UEFA and FIFA who will feed like hyenas on the scraps left by the lions.
So to Spurs and our involvement in this. Part of my own conspiracy-theory (lite), has been that as a club we have been positioning ourselves for something, with a view to a greater interest from the US whether as an expansion of “sar-car” into mainland America or a consolidation such as we are seeing mooted today.
Regardless of the ethics, if this is to go ahead, we are on the inside and I think it’s in no small part to the training ground, the stadium, the networking and profile in the US and the rest of the world made by the venue being set up for American Football, buying (even if not using) American and far Eastern players, Gareth Bale, Harry Kane and Mourinho as star quality names……. it’s not for winning trophies – just ask the people at Dulux!
Now we wait a response and rest assured it’ll be well thought out. I don’t think this is a “maybe proposition”; all the clubs have already signed up and the plans will be already in place for how this will roll out. There will be meetings with the stakeholders at the various leagues and governing bodies to negotiate for pre-determined objectives and positions.
Stuff like international release and player trading between leagues, consistency of rules and changes to rules, promotion and relegation for non-founder clubs will all have to take place. The governing bodies (FIFA/EUFA) will have to come round: the money flows downhill and the media will follow the richest scent. Indeed the pundits will soon start to change their tone should the ESL gather pace and their employers want to get a seat in the big game.
Lastly in response to Harry’s request for substantive reasoning there’s lots of things I hate: Poch being denied funds, the Woolwich Wanderers, politicians, Russel Brand, the bloke who nicked my guitar when I was a kid and this European Super League and the effect it’ll have (should it go ahead) on the rest of the footballing world.
I can’t change that, but as Jose says (or rather used to say) we can be cnuts as long as we are clever cnuts and Daniel Levy, much as I despise his footballing nouse (or lack thereof) is a clever cnut…. one might almost say King Cnut, acknowledging the tides of change.
Elevenstonedidiots
3 years ago
I’m a bit sketchy on the details but my understanding of this Super League is, one winner, no relegation, no groups or play-offs etc? With no relegation there could be a lot of dead rubber games too. With the PL you’ve got 3 competitions within a completion as it were. There’s the battle to win the league, finish top 4 and the battle to beat the drop. With this format Spurs could be hanging around in mid-table neither threatening to win the thing or have to worry about the drop. That level of anticipation and excitement around crunch fixtures gets eroded over time because Spurs are getting riches beyond your wildest dreams just for turning up. Riches beyond their wildest dreams to service a stadium debt I might add. If a promotion / relegation format was implemented it would look a lot less self-serving and perhaps the British clubs can create a fund to ensure that a percentage of the wealth is redistributed to grass roots or lower league football. As for the impact on the future of CL, I couldn’t care less. That could well end up becoming something like what the EL still providing meaningful competition for the smaller European Clubs. For all it’s expansion into the lesser leagues in Europe we still end up with more or less the same 8 teams in the quarter finals. It’s debatable whether bringing football to the masses has really benefited the development of football in the nether regions of Europe. Rather than issuing empty threats of expulsion perhaps the PL needs to engage with this to work out a mutually beneficial format.
Apparently all these teams get 3.5 billion each…. UEFA said these teams cannot compete in the CL or any domestic comps.. And players will not be allowed to play for their national teams. The whole thing stinks…….. Forget about Spurs winning any titles…… For a long long time.
It is all in the name of money as well this cannot be ignored.. We need to pay players more do we? What’s all this extra money needed for? Who are losing out instead? Where is all this new money coming from?
Steve 'Killer Cushion' Williams
3 years ago
Good video H.. Some of the best matches come the end of each season is the relegation battles. The basement boys fighting for their lives.. A football league without relegation stinks.. As soon as any club can’t win then who cares if you’re 4th, mid table or bottom. There is nothing to play for. Seasons will become boring fast. Especially for us with Baldy the clown at the helm.
Exactly. This is the logical place Levy can go to die albiet stinking rich. THFC were dead before this. Football was dead before this. Even so, it’s still disgusting. Demolishing the Lane was symbolic foreshadowing of this very outcome. My day was ruined that day.
An Super League is not a new concept.
Various media personalities, groups, organisations, bloggers and guest are spilling outrage, anger and fear using all manner or hyperbole to fuel their emotional release – but what few are demonstrating, is surprise!
This is no surprise: anyone looking at the past 10 years would see that things have been heading this way and I know I have voiced concerns as others have in posts on this very blog, mostly in reaction to incremental moves towards what is happening not only now, but in pursuance of bigger changes further down the track – my-my, here we are!
Football as a commodity has been ripe for the picking; indeed as a resource it’s amazing its stood unfelled for so long – your average gas field or mineral deposit would not have lasted anywhere near as long. It’s been nicely fattened up by the media companies and the long term investment of billionaires sensing this potential. That potential is to grab it wholesale, build its star quality and then control access to it whilst making billions in revenues through advertising, merchandising and marketing.
The negative responses will have been expected and as such the clubs are staying quiet until the various now uninvolved parties, punch themselves out. They will have thought this through and have a plan: maybe it’s to leverage more money from the existing dynamic, but would JP Morgan be involved in what would amount to a very high stakes hustle? Would all the footballing bodies be squealing quite so much? Would all of these clubs have actually signed up?
The fact is that those footballing bodies are only getting such a sympathetic hearing because they are voicing that same outrage and concern that most everyone else has. But the truth is that they were taking the game down a reckless path already with each expanding their own bailiwick to increase games, tournaments, numbers of national teams (with some picking from populations less that the average pre-covid EPL crowd), players expected to perform upward of 50 games per season:- those organisation were already feeding vampire-like from the media and marketing teat.
Frankly, people like Aleksander Ceferin (UEFA) and FIFA spouting about being, “disgraceful and self-serving” are merely stating that someone else has managed to achieve a greater degree of self-service and disgracefulness than they were able to – its sheer hypocrisy from people who had already sold out to the media!
Make no mistake: this is now open slather and eventually the biggest fish will feed on the biggest food-source and in the process muscle out the smaller fish, like UEFA and FIFA who will feed like hyenas on the scraps left by the lions.
So to Spurs and our involvement in this. Part of my own conspiracy-theory (lite), has been that as a club we have been positioning ourselves for something, with a view to a greater interest from the US whether as an expansion of “sar-car” into mainland America or a consolidation such as we are seeing mooted today.
Regardless of the ethics, if this is to go ahead, we are on the inside and I think it’s in no small part to the training ground, the stadium, the networking and profile in the US and the rest of the world made by the venue being set up for American Football, buying (even if not using) American and far Eastern players, Gareth Bale, Harry Kane and Mourinho as star quality names……. it’s not for winning trophies – just ask the people at Dulux!
Now we wait a response and rest assured it’ll be well thought out. I don’t think this is a “maybe proposition”; all the clubs have already signed up and the plans will be already in place for how this will roll out. There will be meetings with the stakeholders at the various leagues and governing bodies to negotiate for pre-determined objectives and positions.
Stuff like international release and player trading between leagues, consistency of rules and changes to rules, promotion and relegation for non-founder clubs will all have to take place. The governing bodies (FIFA/EUFA) will have to come round: the money flows downhill and the media will follow the richest scent. Indeed the pundits will soon start to change their tone should the ESL gather pace and their employers want to get a seat in the big game.
Lastly in response to Harry’s request for substantive reasoning there’s lots of things I hate: Poch being denied funds, the Woolwich Wanderers, politicians, Russel Brand, the bloke who nicked my guitar when I was a kid and this European Super League and the effect it’ll have (should it go ahead) on the rest of the footballing world.
I can’t change that, but as Jose says (or rather used to say) we can be cnuts as long as we are clever cnuts and Daniel Levy, much as I despise his footballing nouse (or lack thereof) is a clever cnut…. one might almost say King Cnut, acknowledging the tides of change.
I’m a bit sketchy on the details but my understanding of this Super League is, one winner, no relegation, no groups or play-offs etc? With no relegation there could be a lot of dead rubber games too. With the PL you’ve got 3 competitions within a completion as it were. There’s the battle to win the league, finish top 4 and the battle to beat the drop. With this format Spurs could be hanging around in mid-table neither threatening to win the thing or have to worry about the drop. That level of anticipation and excitement around crunch fixtures gets eroded over time because Spurs are getting riches beyond your wildest dreams just for turning up. Riches beyond their wildest dreams to service a stadium debt I might add. If a promotion / relegation format was implemented it would look a lot less self-serving and perhaps the British clubs can create a fund to ensure that a percentage of the wealth is redistributed to grass roots or lower league football. As for the impact on the future of CL, I couldn’t care less. That could well end up becoming something like what the EL still providing meaningful competition for the smaller European Clubs. For all it’s expansion into the lesser leagues in Europe we still end up with more or less the same 8 teams in the quarter finals. It’s debatable whether bringing football to the masses has really benefited the development of football in the nether regions of Europe. Rather than issuing empty threats of expulsion perhaps the PL needs to engage with this to work out a mutually beneficial format.
Apparently all these teams get 3.5 billion each…. UEFA said these teams cannot compete in the CL or any domestic comps.. And players will not be allowed to play for their national teams. The whole thing stinks…….. Forget about Spurs winning any titles…… For a long long time.
It is all in the name of money as well this cannot be ignored.. We need to pay players more do we? What’s all this extra money needed for? Who are losing out instead? Where is all this new money coming from?
Good video H.. Some of the best matches come the end of each season is the relegation battles. The basement boys fighting for their lives.. A football league without relegation stinks.. As soon as any club can’t win then who cares if you’re 4th, mid table or bottom. There is nothing to play for. Seasons will become boring fast. Especially for us with Baldy the clown at the helm.
And they absolutely KNEW this was happening.
Exactly. This is the logical place Levy can go to die albiet stinking rich. THFC were dead before this. Football was dead before this. Even so, it’s still disgusting. Demolishing the Lane was symbolic foreshadowing of this very outcome. My day was ruined that day.
Is this what happened? 6 days before our final its madness.. We still paying him like we did Botchy? Fcuk me Levy is a clown.
Jose gone …. seemingly because he refused to take the players training in response to the club wanting to be part of the ESL