Arsenal, why?

Morning all.

Another home game in which Arsenal have dropped points. But for Eddie’s last minute strike we’d have lost all three. I half expected VAR to rule that one out as they did our first but I guess they didn’t think Holding was interfering with play.

Arsenal weren’t as sharp or clinical as they were against both Sheffield Utd and Slavia Prague which ultimately cost us two points. Fulham parked their single decker bus in front of goal which changed into a double decker after going ahead from the penalty spot.

Gabriel on Twitter:

Sad for the result today and for the penalty, but that will not let me down, these are things of the game! Only those who understand football know what goes on inside the 4 lines. Keep working hard to improve. Say what you want, I accept the criticism.

Moan all we like but nothing is likely to change, make contact in the box and players will drop like they’ve been shot, or swan dive if the opportunity presents itself. Gabriel clearly made contact otherwise he’d have nothing to apologise for.

Arsenal 1 Fulham 1.

Arsenal have dropped a massive 23 points at home this season. It doesn’t take a genius to know that that kind of form will lead to a season of disappointment.

Mikel Arteta now has a striker crisis after Lacazette hobbled off with a hamstring injury. A scan on Tuesday will tell how long he’s likely to be out for. He’s been in good form of late and he’s going to be missed. With Aubameyang out too, it’s time for Pepe, Martinelli, Eddie and Balogun to step up. Even Moller might find himself drafted into the squad for Friday’s fixture against Everton.

Equally as worrying as Arsenal’s home performances is the news which broke during our fixture which relates to a new European Super League. The kind of thing Arsene Wenger predicted was ten years away back in 2009. Ok, he was a year or two out in his estimation but here we are and it’s being discussed.

Arsenal are reported to be one of the six English clubs in support of this new venture, the others being Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Toots. Other clubs reported to have signed up for the proposal are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

According to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman:

Plans have been in development for months. To be clear, this would not be a breakaway from each of Europe’s domestic leagues, but would be a midweek competition designed to usurp UEFA’s Champions League. There are expected to only be five places in this 20-strong competition available each year based on sporting merit.

Unsurprisingly, this news has gone down like a lead balloon with football fans on social media.

How will play out? It’s easier for me to just copy what’s on the Sky Sports website:

  • 20 participating clubs with 15 Founding Clubs and a qualifying mechanism for a further five teams to qualify annually based on achievements in the prior season.
  • Midweek fixtures with all participating clubs continuing to compete in their respective national leagues, preserving the traditional domestic match calendar which remains at the heart of the club game.
  • An August start with clubs participating in two groups of ten, playing home and away fixtures, with the top three in each group automatically qualifying for the quarter-finals.
  • Teams finishing fourth and fifth will then compete in a two-legged play-off for the remaining quarter-final positions. A two-leg knockout format will be used to reach the final at the end of May, which will be staged as a single fixture at a neutral venue.

As soon as practicable after the start of the men’s competition, a corresponding women’s league will also be launched, helping to advance and develop the women’s game.

The new annual tournament will provide significantly greater economic growth and support for European football via a long-term commitment to uncapped solidarity payments which will grow in line with league revenues. These solidarity payments will be substantially higher than those generated by the current European competition and are expected to be in excess of €10 billion during the course of the initial commitment period of the Clubs. In addition, the competition will be built on a sustainable financial foundation with all Founding Clubs signing up to a spending framework.

In exchange for their commitment, Founding Clubs will receive an amount of €3.5 billion solely to support their infrastructure investment plans and to offset the impact of the COVID pandemic.

Florentino Perez, President of Real Madrid and the first Chairman of the Super League said:

We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires.

Backing the new European league, Andrea Agnelli, Chairman of Juventus and Vice-Chairman of the Super League said:

Our 12 Founder Clubs represent billions of fans across the globe and 99 European trophies. We have come together at this critical moment, enabling European competition to be transformed, putting the game we love on a sustainable footing for the long-term future, substantially increasing solidarity, and giving fans and amateur players a regular flow of headline fixtures that will feed their passion for the game while providing them with engaging role models.

Joel Glazer, Co-Chairman of Manchester United and Vice-Chairman of the Super League said:

By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.

In my opinion, this new competition is about one thing and that’s money. I’m disappointed to see Arsenal’s name in with the clubs supporting the proposal. I guess at some stage we’ll hear from the club as to why they think it’s a good idea.

Changes to the Champions League are expected to be announced today as UEFA proposes to increase the number of competing teams from 32 to 36 with the number of games rising from 125 to 225 matches.

See you in the comments.

 

 

 

90 thoughts on “Arsenal, why?

  1. rico says:

    Scott, from the last post re my defence of Stan Kroenke.

    Just to make it clear, I detest the man for what he’s doing and has done to Arsenal. Always have, always will. However, i won’t ever blame him for our football, team selection, subs etc.

    What the club are proposing to do re this new league, if it happens, will end my support of football. I think it’s a disgrace.

  2. ScottfromOz says:

    Rico, I’ve never accused him of poor selections or tactics though.
    I hold him responsible for putting profits above all else and killing the great culture the club had.
    Granted, he’s an investor and has never made any bones about it, so really, those who allowed him in the front door while lining their own pockets are ultimately to blame.
    Let’s hope we aren’t looking at the demise of the clubs and the massive and passionate fan base.
    Again, as passionate as plenty of us international fans are, realistically, we can still watch the games the same way, and the atmosphere won’t be any different.
    The locals won’t have the same access to live games unless they have unlimited time and money and that’s bloody tragic!!!!!
    I’m not sure how things will play out, but I hope this thing doesn’t eventuate.

  3. potter says:

    Plain facts , 15 clubs are sharing the booty whilst the club has just received £14.4 million from this years Europa league.. Weigh this up against the potential guaranteed earnings on offer and you know why the billionaire set have signed up for it.

  4. ScottfromOz says:

    Potter, absolutely.
    Once we are in-if it proceeds-we are in and I’m not sure we can ever come back.

  5. Aussie Geoff says:

    Hi Rico and all With the amount of games we already play we will need another team to cover mid week matches

  6. rico says:

    Hi Geoff

    I just hope this new thing never gets off the ground. Either that or someone buys Kroenke out and withdraws Arsenal from it.

    Scott, I didn’t suggest you did but all I’m trying to say is that just because I don’t go on about him, doesn’t mean I’m defending him.

  7. ScottfromOz says:

    Apparently he’s spoken out about the Super League so that puts a different light on his dismissal.
    Then again, maybe that’s his way of getting out with some pay, who knows??

  8. Aussie Geoff says:

    If this league was to take off has any one come out about what action would be taken on referee’s that join and how embarrassing it would be for the premier league if no referees get picked

  9. ScottfromOz says:

    Klopp is dead against this as well and rumours floating around that the Liverpool squad may refuse to play tonight.
    DAMN, this has been kept very secretive.

  10. ScottfromOz says:

    Rico, how 6 owners can basically overhaul a sport is just against all that’s decent and right.
    I know I’m preaching to the converted here but damn, how arrogant and greedy are these guys?
    All hands on deck to stop them!!!

  11. potter says:

    I think everyone is against the Super League barring the owners.

    They are Billionaires protecting their assets , no more , no less

    Everyone else doesn’t matter.

  12. Cicero says:

    Reading the reports of comments from Uefa and Fifa I’ll repeat more or less what I said around five this morning. No player taking part in a European Super League game will be permitted to play in any World or European cups or tournaments. To continue to play in domestic league and cup football, clubs will have to get the support of the premiership and the FA. I can’t see the top six getting that approval from the Premiership and the FA will more than likely veto the idea of them playing in the cups.

    No time to comment more, back later.

  13. Aussie Geoff says:

    Some of these owners just don’t care about the fans or the clubs history it’s all about the money the same reason why some owners buy a club then move it to a new location in a totally new suburb or the other end of the country it’s all about them.

  14. allezkev says:

    The Bundesliga clubs have not joined because their fans have voting rights and would be against it, but if they could I’m sure that they would join.

    PSG are owned by Qatar money and they don’t want to jeopardise the World Cup, but maybe if Marseilles or Lyon join it might be different.

  15. allezkev says:

    This reminds me of the Premier League breakaway, remember that, all the threats came to nothing because the FA stabbed the Football League in the back and put their name to the new league, the Football League is now very much the minor partner?

    I reckon that this is going to happen…

  16. allezkev says:

    International football is losing its allure anyway and to ban your biggest stars from it would just devalue your competition even more, money talks and the top players will want to play in the Super League

  17. ScottfromOz says:

    Geoff, as I said the other day, Utd are looking to do exactly that to my local A League club.
    Kev, the Germans have it right as far as ownership is concerned.
    Nobody can buy a single share unless they’ve been a financial member for a decade.
    No swooping in and taking over, no opportunistic investors taking advantage of a situation, as a lot can happen in 10 years.

  18. Wavy says:

    From AST

    Arsenal Supporters’ Trust

    The AST deplores the announcement by Arsenal that they are breaking away to form a European SuperLeague.

    This represents the death of everything that football should be about.

    As fans we want to see Arsenal play in competitions based on sporting merit and competitive balance.

    Not surprisingly this action has been taken with no consultation or dialogue, continuing the silence and contempt that Kroenke has shown for Arsenal supporters since day one.

    The AST will do everything we can to oppose this. It will require firm action by the Government and the Football Authorities.

    We urge all Arsenal fans and all football fans to fight this by speaking up and acting against. By standing together we can see off this greedy proposal.

    The AST will now work with FSE, FSA, and other fan groups at both Arsenal and across the game in opposition to this

    I’ll comment later!

    Of Kronke, “we don’t want his sort here!” DHW c 2002. Prophetic words indeed.

  19. ScottfromOz says:

    Interesting that the club stood down so many staff members 12 months ago.
    I’d imagine this new League was being discussed at least that far back.

  20. ScottfromOz says:

    Maybe, Rico, but it still stank.
    Klopp going-well, the German in him will be thinking of the fans.

  21. rico says:

    It didn’t bother me Scott. Of course I felt sorry for those who lost their job but cuts were and are be made in so many places so I kind of understood it.

  22. Aussie Geoff says:

    Maybe josh will run arsenal and Stan will take some of our top players and enter a team in the super league as a American club and use us as a feeder club I hope not just a thought

  23. Aussie Geoff says:

    Scott interesting clip shame he didn’t name the club. However there were some interesting things he said about how the club owners don’t care about a backlash from supporters and how the American owners could not get their head around the relegation rules so except Kroenke how many other American owners are their in the premier league

  24. ScottfromOz says:

    Geoff, I know Utd and Liverpool have American owners.
    Not sure about Tottenham.
    Chavs and City don’t….

  25. Rick says:

    I would like to be4 a fly on the wall today
    I understand the players will be told what the club are going to do.
    I would like to know how the players feal.

  26. Devilgunner says:

    What about the match officials? How many refs are going to forfeit everything, even officiating in WC and Euro, simply for refereeing a game in the ESL? not easy as it sounds. One has to remember that a referee will have to go up a system beginning from youths. Those clubs on the ESL will have to do everything from scratch since the academy will fall if they leave their national league. And all the players under 17 will be free agents. Because academy agreement is only strong within a system in the league.

    A lot of things to ponder

  27. potter says:

    Currently there are 5 American , 3 Chinese , 1 Russian ,Iranian , Thai , Egyptian , Italian , Emirates, and 1 Saudi possibly 2 if Newcastle deal goes through , the other 4 are English.

    Which shows just how money has taken over the ” peoples “” game

  28. Devilgunner says:

    Believe me Potter…the refs are a powerful tool. Tv and VAR cannot run that. It is already a farce.

  29. Cicero says:

    A couple of interesting questions. Could this mean that Arsenal will have two squads, one to play in the ESL and one for the domestic game?

    Could a player spend a couple of seasons in the ESL and then go to a club which plays outside the ESL?

    I can’t see how Uefa/Fifa can ban a player from playing for their domestic club, legally that would be restraint of trade.

    Klopp is on his way to The New Swamp, to replace Moanhio. 😉

  30. Aussie Geoff says:

    Devil If the super league offer the referees 2 or 3 times more pay I recon their will be a few referees in there later years who will be more than happy to chase a big payday before they retire

  31. potter says:

    I was being sarcastic. If we follow the Yankee example there will be 4 linos and two refs .and games with 3 twenty minute periods .

    Got to get the adverts in .

  32. Cicero says:

    There’s already a precedent for refs moving to overseas leagues. Mark Clattenburg February 2019 moved to the Chinese league. If the money’s right they’ll chase it, they are only human after all.

  33. andrewh1313 says:

    I remember after the last 5 subs vote, a ‘top 6 club chairman’ was quoted as saying ‘wait, we will get revenge’. I wonder if this was on his mind then?

    I’m not too shocked by all this, part of my love of football vanished when foreign club owners took over clubs, money became everything, and Bosman gave top players too much power. The identity around clubs that we had for years dissipated.

    In cricket, initially Packer & Tony Greig and now the Indian Super league, have changed many priorities. I think Test cricket will die in 10 years as TV companies want instant viewing figures.

    Sadly this is the world we live in.

    Not sure if anyone else here read the mag/comic ‘Striker’ about Warbury Rovers which stopped 18 months ago but ran for over 20 years, serialised in The Sun for part of its history. It was ahead of its time as Warbury left the Premier to join a World league and faced all the player/ref/owner disputes which may now unfold for real. Unless it’s just a negotiating ploy for more power when a compromise is reached.

  34. allezkev says:

    If you will the EPL you’ll earn around €150m

    If you win the CL you’ll earn around €82m

    If you take part in the ESL you’ll get €350m

    If you win the ESL you’ll earn around €500m

    Now I’m not really sure that agents are going to let their players get the hump and walk away from that little windfall, do you lot?

    I think the prospect of doubling your salary might lessen the effects of not playing international football anymore as well and tbh I won’t miss it…

    Btw, just in case, let me reiterate I’m not in favour of the ESL, but I can see the way it’s going that’s all…

  35. Aussie Geoff says:

    If I recall correctly didn’t Kroenke once claim that he wanted Arsenal to play a home and away match in America

  36. Devilgunner says:

    ‘it is worth noting why Europe’s biggest clubs have decided to go now. Barcelona are £1bn in debt and facing one of the biggest financial crises in their history. Real Madrid were unable to afford a single big signing last summer. Juventus
    have to find around £100m by the end of June. Internazionale’s owners sought emergency funding in February.’

    The Guardian

    https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/18/only-someone-who-truly-hates-football-can-be-behind-a-european-super-league

  37. allezkev says:

    Andrew, football changed when the Premier League came into being, hot on the heels of the Taylor Report and all seater stadiums, bit by bit the atmosphere has changed and it’s probably closer now, crowds wise, to an American sports occasion.

    I think in many respects it’s a damn site more civilised now but the edge went out 30 years ago and it’s been becoming a more gentrified game every season, certainly ever since 1992.

    It stopped being the People’s Game and became a family event, more Middle Class, it’s certainly not the game I remember as a small boy.

    UEFA are as much to blame, they changed a perfectly good system, European Cup, European Cup Winners Cup and UEFACup and brought in the Champions League including non champions, how can they complain? They killed the Cup Winners Cup and saw the UEFA Cup wither on the vine and they’ve added a myriad of pointless international matches to further kill the players, well feck them.

    And FIFA, how can we ever forget that gangs of crooks, The World Club Championship, a bloated World Cup plus other meaningless fixtures to fill their coffers and their individual wallets, well feck them as well.

    And we have the Premier League, the organisation that encouraged these foreign billionaires into our game, short termism at its worst and now they’re bleating as they’ve been outmanoeuvred. They can feck off.

    And the fans, who really cares about the fans?
    They all pay lip service but it means nothing.

    All I see is a whole host of football organisations who for many years had their snouts in the trough and now they’re panicking because they can see the end of their gravy train…

  38. Devilgunner says:

    Cicero…..yes there may be a few refs who will move.

    But mark my words….FAs will introduce contracts for refs now. So it will only be refs at the end of their career who move

  39. allezkev says:

    A European Super League will have the pick of referees, from around the globe, not just in Europe and if they get rid of VAR then I won’t complain…

  40. Devilgunner says:

    What happens now if we are kicked out of the EPL and the Europa cup SF??

    The threat is there as they have been voiced.

  41. rico says:

    CEFERIN: SUPER LEAGUE PLANS ‘DISGRACEFUL’

    UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has strongly condemned “disgraceful” proposals for a new European Super League.

    He said: “I cannot stress more strongly UEFA and the footballing world are united against the disgraceful, self-serving proposals we have seen, fuelled purely by greed. It’s a nonsense of a project.

    “This idea is a spit in the face for all football lovers and our society. We will not allow them to take this away from us.”

    Ceferin also stressed players will be banned from playing in the European Championship and World Cup.

  42. rico says:

    Ceferin has warned players from the 12 breakaway clubs should be banned from all UEFA competitions “as soon as possible”.

    On whether those players will be stopped from competing in Euro 2020, he said: “We’re still assessing the situation with our legal team. It’s a bit too early.

    “We will take all the sanctions that we can… and we will inform you as soon as we have a clear answer. My opinion is that, as soon as possible, the players have to be banned from all our competitions.”

    Can UEFA hold the Champions League without the 12 clubs? “Yes, of course. In Europe there are many good clubs. We will do it with or without them.”

    Ceferin also strongly criticised Manchester United executive vice-chairmain Ed Woodward: “I was a criminal lawyer for 24 years but I’ve never, ever, seen people like that.

    “If I start with Ed Woodward, he called me last Thursday, saying that he’s very satisfied with reforms and he fully supports them. Obviously, he already signed something else.

    “Andrea Agnelli is the biggest disappointment of all. I’ve never seen a person lie so many times as he did, it was unbelievable.”

  43. Devilgunner says:

    Kev, yes you might dont care about the English National team, and maybe some of the players as well.. But try telling that to Italians. They care about their national team. A lot.
    Tell that to the Argies. To the Brazilians. To the Germans. Maybe JM can tell us about the Portuguese.

    It might be that the Europeans, due to forming one union under one flag under one money value may not value their national team. However we have Martinelli, Leno etc. I can assure you that they will want to play for their national team.

    And what would happen if players like Saka and ESR want to play for the national team?? I can tell you what they would do if they are forced to play in the ESL and also want to play for their national team. They would simply run down their contract and sign for a club like Bayern or any other English club who are willing to offer them money and the chance to play for their national team.

    There are lots of ifs and buts….which maybe the chairmen like Kroenke might have not considered but they are issues which are there and which might happen

    Lastly….players contracts right now stipulate that they can play in the EPL, the CL, Europa cup, FA Cup, League Cup. What happens to their contracts once they dont play in those cups but are forced to play in the ESL? Because contracts are done with these competitions in mind. Now if the club joins for the megabucks coming from the ESL would hte players want to be paid in their initial contracts or they would want their fair share?

    too many questions. which Kroenke has to answer. But he will chose to remain silent, knowing fully well that he will look the prized asshole he is.

    And by the way….sorry for saying this….but should ARSENAL play in the ESL and neglect their basic roots and the common fan they should change their name to ARSE ANAL. Sounds similar no.

  44. Devilgunner says:

    Rico….with regards to what Ceferin said about European competitions going ahead without the 12 clubs…..remember that Italy went for a while without juventus in the top tier when they relegated them. And I can assure you that UEFA will go ahead with the other clubs.

    European football is not made only out of these 12 clubs. It went ahead without the English clubs between 1986 and 1992 (correct dates??) and undoubtedly it will go ahead without them once again.

  45. rico says:

    Of course they will Devil and in England, it would make the PL more interesting as all the clubs would have a chance of winning it and not just a select few.

  46. Devilgunner says:

    I have just read that by signing in to form part of the ESL each club will be given EUR350M to spend on players. Plus the fact that winning the ESL will be around 5 times the winnings of ECL. And that each club will get prize placing money depending on where they finish. So that means that in the first season alone they will get around Eur500M.

    How much of that is spent on new players only Kroenke knows.

  47. allezkev says:

    Of course they don’t care, they’ve never cared, if Kroeber could move Arsenal to the US he’d probably do it. It’s why I’ve never trusted him…

    DG I know about the finance, Arsenal can finish 20th in the ESL and still earn double what the winners of the EPL will win…

  48. allezkev says:

    And if UEFA and the EPL chuck out the 6 English and the others, they’ll just play each other.

    Do you think that Sky and BT and anyone else is going to pay the same TV rights?

  49. allezkev says:

    This is going to get messy and this will get desperate but the 12 clubs haven’t made this up on the back of a fag packet, they have some pretty smart lawyers and business people behind them and a lot smarter than the UEFA and EPL people.

    They’ve been preparing for this for ages.

  50. rico says:

    And doesn’t that say it all Kev? Your 7-51.

    Funny how ‘they’ talk about the big six but how do they work it out that Arsenal are within that category, or the Toots for that matter.

  51. allezkev says:

    Look, I’m not arguing for it I’m just putting it out there, these guys don’t care and they never have. You can thank the Premier League for allowing them to buy in in the first place.

    I never wanted Kroeber and I never really wanted Ursnanov but the EPL allowed Ken Bates to sell Chelsea to Abramovitch and that when it all changed and now we have this..,

  52. Devilgunner says:

    Meanwhile……

    …..Spurs have spent 60 years failing to win the league in England. Might as well fail to win the league in Europe and make some money out of it – Daniel Levy

  53. rico says:

    Very attractive for the rich Kev. I wish he’d sell up but there’s even less chance now I’d imagine. Unless it doesn’t go through.

  54. Wavy says:

    I agree. I don’t think the breakaway will happen but, the damage it will do whilst attempting to create the new ‘ money tree,’ could be devastating.
    I’ve said a time or two that eventually the greed within the game will ultimately come back and bite it on the butt. This is the beginning of ‘soccer’, having picked up it knives and forks it about to start eating itself!

    And, I’m utterly ashamed about the fact that my football club is involved in this hi-jacking of my club. Especially as they have not had the courtesy to ask me for my feelings or any other lifelong Arsenal supporter whether approve or give our permission for such a game changing move.

    At the moment I find the whole affair sickening, unconscionable and in the worst possible taste.

  55. ScottfromOz says:

    Fekken Kev is aiming up to be Stan’s new chauffeur the traitorous bastard.
    Kev, I blame you.
    🙂
    Nah, we really need all angles of the situation to be aired so we can all make relatively informed opinions.

  56. ScottfromOz says:

    Wavy, Unfortunately, Stan could not possibly care less about your feelings, or mine.
    That’s what happens when owners take over who have no history at or with the club.
    The German model works because of this.

  57. ScottfromOz says:

    Rico, I’m 50/50.
    I can’t see it possibly going ahead in its current format, but I can see it happening if the coins walk away from their national leagues totally meaning this SL won’t be replacing the CL, but will become the sole competition these clubs are involved in.
    Plenty of players will forgo playing for their national squad if they can earn tens of millions playing a small number of games each season.

  58. Aussie Geoff says:

    Just watched a sports show on pay tv and according to them under the law by most countries FIFA and other bodies like them can not ban a club from joining 2 different organisations however what they can do is schedule say a home and away match for the same day and time that you are due to play in the super league

  59. Limey says:

    I’m hoping this won’t happen yet,It’s been talked about as long as I can remember(I’m 54) so it’s probably inevitable someday.The cynic in me says the clubs involved are merely softening everyone up so they can push through changes to the Champions League. It’s been reported that the big clubs wanted I think 3 teams to qualify based on co efficient raking(past performance ) rather than League position.I think that’s 3 across Europe,but you could easily see the big clubs demanding a bigger number,12 or 20 perhaps!
    The gentrification of football has been happening for years. It’s very different to when I started to go in the 1980s,lots here will remember before that.
    It’s ironic because Arsenal were formed in the 1880s as works team of a munitions factory,now the working classes are priced out of football.
    At least the lawyers will have done well out of this,secret talks have probably been going on for years.

  60. ScottfromOz says:

    Limey, can’t you just hear the sound of player agents around the world licking their collective lips?
    Morning all.

  61. allezkev says:

    Morning All, I get what you say Limey, funnily enough none of this surprises me at all, we’ve been heading in this direction since the foreign owners arrived, it’s just that WuFlu has accelerated the process.

    The thing is both UEFA and FIFA have been adding competitive games and even competitions to the calendar for years, squeezing every last drop out of the players. Then we had the corruption surrounding the World Cups in Russia and Qatar where millions changed hands, and these are the people who are taking the moral high ground, I just can’t take their outrage seriously because it’s all about them personally and the power, prestige and finance that they’ll lose over this, not anyone else.

  62. Aussie Geoff says:

    Apparently some owners want there teams to play less games so if that is case why not change the premier league for ex-sample teams that qualify for champion league / Europa league cups only play for home / away and FA cup those who don’t qualify play for home/away -FA cup and The Carabao cup ect

  63. ScottfromOz says:

    Kev, Australia Or Qatar for a World Cup?
    They were the choices.
    Oz has proven to be second to none when holding Olympic Games etc etc, Qatar can handle bloody anything and yet they got the gig.
    Nothing to see there lol

  64. ScottfromOz says:

    Geoff, I think the owners are saying that because with this new format, they’ve got guaranteed income so no need to open stadiums too often, paying thousands of staff etc etc etc

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