It is the thought which excites those who love real competition and have a passion for the big nights and Wednesday evenings would start to have the same appeal as a Saturday afternoon kick off.
The stadium would be full to the brim week in week out the club accountant will be a happy man since he will be immersed in miles and miles of figures and the supporters would simply love a schedule full of big clubs with a HISTORY which walks out before the players emerge from the tunnel.
It is highly possible that a Wednesday which throws up the following fixtures, especially if at the tail end of the season when a lot is at stake, will have a high television viewer turnout. Arsenal vs Barcelona; Real Madrid vs PSG; Manchester United vs Internazionale; Milan vs Bayern Munich; Manchester City vs Juventus among others.
Obviously throughout the league year each league day will draw the crowds both to the stadiums and in front of the television, however the interest will surely increase as the season nears its end.
Who will form the European Super League?
The biggest conundrum for its formation will be who will form the European Super League, Clubs with financial muscle will squabble with those who have the backing of history, while clubs who are their country’s champions might feel aggrieved if they are left out simply because they are not a big gun in Europe but does the backing of a tycoon or a sheik warrant a place among the European elite?
Does it mean that if you are your country’s league champion you have a right to brag that you are among the best in Europe? A quick look at the Uefa co-efficient for clubs will give a good indication who might form this Super League. But then there are lies, damned lies and DAMNED STATISTICS. Isn’t the European co-efficient for clubs a statistic?
Imagine the following Premier European league:
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Manchester United
Arsenal
Manchester City
Liverpool
Juventus
Milan
Internazionale
Bayern Munich
Ajax
Lyon
Anderlecht
Porto
Borussia Dortmund
Hamburg
Rangers
Celtic
PSV
PSG
Obviously there are other clubs noteworthy of a place among the elite. I left out many clubs who can have a claim to fame although one can see that the above clubs have all won the league consistently since 1962. Since a line has to be drawn somewhere it would be difficult to include clubs who are still living off their last league success of 50 years ago or before or think they are a big club because they once were.
But what happens of the domestic leagues?
Should they cease to exist? Should a club competing in the above mentioned European Super League stop competing in its country and compete only in Europe?
In my opinion it should not. Clubs of the above ilk should have enough monetary muscle to be able to fund both enterprises. And do not forget that playing the above super teams week in week out gives the club more than enough money from the turnstiles and TV sponsorship and shirt sponsors and sales than playing against lowly teams.
So I think that we might be looking at this scenario. Arsenal would have one team competing on Wednesdays in the European Super League and the UEFA knockout cup. This would mean 38 games in the league with the top sixteen clubs from the previous season playing each other on a knockout basis at home and away. Therefore if a club reaches the final it would have played just 46 games, while the least amount of games a club plays would be forty if it competes in the knockout.
On Saturdays then, Arsenal would have another team competing in the domestic league and cups. This would mean thirty eight league games with a revamped knockout cup with the teams getting to play each other home and away. Therefore the club which reaches the final would be playing around fifty games, while the least games a club plays would be forty.
What about the players, can they play in both domestic and European leagues?
In my opinion the answer is a resounding no. It might be that the clubs are allowed two windows during the league season where they can move players up or down, like in case of an injury. However, a club should submit a list of twenty four to twenty eight players who will be playing in Europe, while it submits another list of unlimited players (youth players included) for the domestic leagues.
I think that such a situation is more beneficial to everyone concerned regarding TV rights in the domestic scene plus it removes the attention of the bigger clubs from dominating the local scene. It also gives the big clubs the chance to compete against each other knowing fully well that everyone is playing proper football not rugby style tactics.
At the moment the situation is too chaotic with clubs at the top having to compete in the domestic league, two domestic cups, the European champions league/Europa cup together with a host of national weeks.
A player like Robin Van Persie, if he stays fit for all the season can expect to play around fifty five to sixty five games if he plays in every game his clubs take part in, especially if Arsenal advance to at least the semi finals of every knockout competition. Obviously clubs will rotate players but having the above two enterprises will mean that clubs will have more quality players to choose from.
What does this idea offer to everyone?
The implementation of such an idea will give the other clubs the chance to be able to compete and win once again since the top players of the so called top four or six whatever that might mean, will be plying their trade in Europe. Clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United will start fielding Carling Cup teams in England.
While some may say that this undervalues the local competition I do not agree. Instead it will mean that clubs can compete against these so called big four knowing fully well that they might win games and perhaps win titles. It will also remove the non-competitive reserve league. For example a few years ago Arsenal played Wigan and lost in the semi final of the Carling Cup. Had that been a league game it would have meant three points to Wigan.
Finally, if these giants of football are playing each other, what is to stop those competing in the domestic leagues from organizing a European competition of their own and start the cycle once more?
This is all fiction and imaginativ but those who dare dream, might turn it into reality and I hope that I will still be around to see this victory for proper football and for the small clubs to start winning titles again.
Otherwise, if football continues in its present trend it might eventually kill itself.
Written by DevilGunner
Gossip:
Mario Gotze is injured and has been ruled out for a month, no doubt that will rule out any move for him in January, mind you, Arsene likes them injured. 😉
The Daily Mail report that rumours in Spain suggest Wenger is in for Karim Benzema, some suggest that this could be a swap deal with Robin so that kind of indicates just how little truth is in this rumour. We need a striker and Robin, not one or the other and in any case, our Dutchman is going nowhere.
Morning all
Good post there DG but I’m not sure that ESL would work, too much travelling, the away fans wouldn’t be able to support in the way they do in the Domestic programme… And Wenger wouldn’t buy a squad big enough to cope 😉
If this super league comes in, I would find myself not being as passionate about the Arsenal. They would always have a place in my heart but I would look at this as being a case of selling your soul to the devil.
Football is about the romance, the likes of the FA Cup, the away trips to far flung corners of England….the super league will take that away and all we would be doing is pandering to the money men at Sky and UEFA….and the plastic fans of these clubs that probably never go to the games but pay the subscriptions for TV rights. I am all for progress and change but this smacks of selling-out and would go against everything that I have always believed the Arsenal stand for in the 30 odd years of being a fan.
Some of the points you raise are valid, but the so called ‘top 4 or 6’ are in that position because of the money generated from Europe and the way the TV rights is spread out. That is what needs addressing if you want to give the likes of Wigan et al a chance. Lets not diminish what football is all about by cashing in.
That’s one long post. Whew, but great post though. Morning everybody.
Hi Lee (Le Foxe)
I am kind of with you there, ESL is not my cup of tea, but I can see why it would appeal to other fans…
morning goonster, you still grinning after the last two days results 🙂
You can say that again maam….clichy sent off and samir sitting on the bench was the highlight.
Alternatively;
The same teams as you have mentioned above play a domestic league of 38 games on the saturday. Wednesday’s is a league cup with 4 pots of 5 with 2 from each group playing quaters, semi’s and a final in may.
Meanwhile the home leagues carry on and the Champions in each get promoted and the 2nd place team plays the second weakest team from that nation.
ie.
2nd Man City
5th Arsenal
6th Man utd
9th Chelsea
The above teams finish in the given positions in the european league, meanwhile Liverpool win the home league with Tottenham runners up. Chelsea are automatically demoted to play the home league the following year, Tottenham play a one-off game on a neutral ground against Man utd.
All the Play-off games for the 5 main leagues could be played at one ground over a fan friendly weekend festival of football with a cup final feeling running high.
Away days to south Spain mid Jan would be nice.
Hi wambam, that all sounds a bit confusing 😉
I think we should leave it as it is, it’s not broken so why try and fix it, maybe if the television viewing rights were shared more, the lower clubs would earn more income and would be able to strenghten their sides more and in turn make the PL more competitive
goonster, yaya should be looked at by the FA, he should have been sent off….
I hope he gets banned rico…..song got banned for doing the same. If the FA takes no action then its double standards
Rumour has it that the Arsenal are looking to appeal Clichy’s red card….
Indeed goonster, but will the FA grow some…
Le Foxe, good, he’ll get and extra ban, the appeal has no chance…
morning all… good read DG!
Haha good one le foxe…rico hopefully they will. From I what I gathered shitty were, shit last night. What kinda coach takes off a striker and brings in a CH with 30 mins to go! Beggars belief. Anyway good for us though cause we ll thump ’em.
morning lee…
They ll be missing three of their wing backs namely clichy richards and kolarov which means wayne bridge ll start on the left with that kovacic fella on the left. Men is theo rubbing his hands and licking his lips.
Is Bridge still at citeh? thought he’d long gone…
still there maam….is he gonna get it.
After seeing what romeu and Ramirez handled silva I won’t be losing sleep over him and if the FA charge yaya then its curtains for city.
He’s at West Ham goonster, on loan…..
Whoa, meaning zabaleta ll play? Happy days.
Good morning guys and chicks of the Gunners’ faith.
Thanks for the nice comments. Incidentally that’s an article which although I wrote it I would find rather hard to agree with some points. As some of you rightly pointed out it will take the romance out of the FA and Carling cups. But I feel that that is where we are all heading. In the end we will be competing in a super league between European sides..
And yesterday I was one very happy Gunner…….I was nearly roaring my head off at the end of the final whistle.
The invincible record is the one I hold most dear. Better than winning anything else, yes even if we win the European cup. Nothing beats being invincible for a whole season.
Morning Gooners.
Morning Rico.
Good post DG.
It could happen, but it won’t be because us fans want it to but because TV offer the clubs a king’s ransom.
UEFA/Platini would be unhappy as they would lose control and became an irrelevance.
Agents would be delighted.
My season ticket would rocket in price.
And who would i rather watch;
Arsenal vs Inter, or
Arsenal vs Newcastle?
Morning all,
It takes a special club to go the season unbeaten……..Citeh, jog on.
A ESL doesn’t do it for me either, the away supporters would have to take out a second mortgage to follow their clubs, allocations would never be fully taken up and supporters would end up taking more time off work than diaby, tottenham away any day for me.
“…..supporters would end up taking more time off work than diaby….”
That made my day. larfing me ‘ead off. 😆
How are you AK vecchio amico? Older and wiser aint ya!!!
Morning DG – i thought you’d be happy 😉
Going back to the post, i think clubs in the UK would lose a lot of away support, travelling in the UK is hard enough but popping over to Spain or over countries for a midweek fixture would be a bit too much….
Devil, saw your sign off last night, made me chuckle.
Chelski may have leap frogged us but we’ll peg them back, it’s just a matter of time.
AS I said Rico. I agree with all you folks say…..because you are the voice of the supporters. However I feel that is where we are heading. Its the future reality. The amount of money that any club competing in this league would be stratospheric.
rico, I know of a very happy couple in Donegal who will be coming over in march to see their first arsenal game, they’re over the moon, they can’t wait.
I was roaring Micko. The missus thought I had gone mad. Was nearly doing cartwheels in the living room (if only I still can). You can have the best squad in the world but you do not build team spirit overnight. That is what keeps Manure going. They are a team. And that is what we are discovering right now…..we are becoming a team. And I tell you this, Mancini fears us more than he feared Manure and the chavs. He knows that if we get our shooting boots on we will give someone a hiding and he does not want that to be him.
DG, i wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it happen one day, its all about money and television and the ESL would certainly bring in that…
Sky Sports would fill their boots 😉
Apparently gazidis is willing to give us gooners back the clock end. The away fans ll be moved up to the upper tier which ll free up 3000 cheap seats thereby allowing real gooners a chance to root for their team. Great news huh? About time too I say. The EMS is way too quiet for my liking.
Morning Micko,
Dg’s comment made me chuckle too, never seen so many smilies 😉
Chuffed to hear that, I bet your friends cannot wait until March … 🙂
….The EMS is way too quiet for my liking…..
Goonie likes the OOOhhh’s and AAAhhhhh’s apparently.
Morning all.
A blinding read DG, i had to read it about 4 times to understand the concept shows how thick i am, but i must say i am not in favour of a super league. Personally speaking football has become a sport where television dictates when everybody plays, Teams are being asked to play every day of the week. I have found, that i believe the fixtures can be fiddled to suit individual teams, Undue pressure is put on teams because one team have played earlier than another. I know this will not change, but i used to like everybody playing at 3 oclock on a Saturday and see who were leading at 5. Introducing a super league means a lot of traveling for fans, and for a start many may travel, but i can see home games just being supported by home fans and the same Away. Personally i would dump this idea and also the Carling cup. I would have set days for games Saturday for league games Tuesdays for cup games. Its my beleif that teams must work hard if they want to play in Europe, not all teams benefit from Europe, so i would put another domestic competition on for those who are not involved, as i believe that they shouldnt be rested while these games are being played. the Carling cup could then be used for those teams as it would give those teams the oppotunity to earn as well. Just my feelings!! But good post
Too many stewards and JCLs DG
Morning steve – saturday 3pm for me, that’s football…..
Got to pop off for an hour….
I ll be heading to the EMS pretty soon then. Wouldn’t wanna miss them cheap seats. Maybe I ll see the tiny totts game. Will you be going DG? Maybe we could share a few pints.
Hi all
RvP will need to leave in a swap deal. Arsenal will get a good quid for him and the only reason the Gunners will pay for Benzema is with RvP transfer money.
RvP 29 old. Benzema 23 figure it out.
Benzema has another 6 years service before ageing
It may come down to Benzema’s demands for wages
and this from the ” Sabotage Times ”
Technically gifted, deadly in front of goal and able to play up front on his own Karim Benzema might be.
But he is a shy, introverted footballer who won’t add the teeth Arsenal require to shake the reputation as a team that can be bullied…
http://www.sabotagetimes.com/football-sport/arsenal-karim-benzema-is-a-pussy-cat-rather-than-the-lion-required/
Steve thanks. I have another idea for the Carling cup. Do not dump it. But instead pass a law which states that premier league teams must field players who are 22 years or under. In that way even if Shitty and Manure have to face each other then they have to play the players who are under 22 years of age.
DG – that pretty much fucks Chelsea right up, not sure they could even put together a team under 22 at the moment!!
…so by that reasoning, I love the idea!!
You might have hit on somthing there DG
And that’s another article for me. So I will try and formulate one regarding the Carling cup and the FA cup.
hi!
In a super Europe Leage there aren’t domestic games for those teams.
For an European citizen there are no differences between be in Madrid, Milan, Amsterdan or Lisbon. Don’t forget (for the moment…) the currency is the same and the europeans share lot of things. It’s completely different have a match between Madrid-Almeria or Madrid-Inter or Madrid-Arsenal. For everybody and for the media too. The CL split the domestic leagues in thoses which have moeny capacities and thoses which haven’t. And in this sense, a super League maybe a reality soon.
Kaka – Spurs?
All european media enjoy the confusion between Chris Hoy and Chris Froy… the neighbors noisers at their best !
When I wrote this article I really enjoyed writing the following paragraph……
“…Obviously there are other clubs noteworthy of a place among the elite. I left out many clubs who can have a claim to fame although one can see that the above clubs have all won the league consistently since 1962. Since a line has to be drawn somewhere it would be difficult to include clubs who are still living off their last league success of 50 years ago or before or think they are a big club because they once were……”
Any idea who I was referring to? No million dollars to guess for whom that sly dig was aimed at. Those lowly and little neigh…….!!!!
😆 😆
At the end of the day if God wanted english teams to play in a european super league he wouldn’t have created the English Channel.
not another international comp?
Micko, how do you come up with such lines? “if God wanted English teams to play in a super league he wouldn’t have created the English channel” wow. Dude you should take up poetry my man.
Don’t worry alan, you and me both will be probably be pushing up daises long before that happens.
Hi alan, that sabotage blog is quite funny 😉
Micko – 🙂 re the English Channel….
Talkshite radio is really taking the piss. Now they are claiming that their darling shitty team were better than the mighty arsenal invincibles at this stage. What muppets. They re just looking for excuses to cover up their myopic punditry.
Anyway who cares what they think….fuck them. We are the only and original invincible team. We are the arsenal. COYGS.
Don’t listen goonster, they will never change…
Off again, another trip to the charity shop calls, another good deed of the day 😉
Afternoon Gooners.
Talkshite need callers Stan, so they provoke a response by being deliberately controversial, especially with Arsenal.
I occassionally listen when i’m working, but the station in general is an insult to your intelligence so i usually abstain and listen to other stations.
Just had a chat with a Dutch passenger, Ajax fan.
He told me how well Vertonghen was playing & that he wants to move to the EPL.
But he doubted that he’d leave this January, more likely in the summer.
Hi ya kev….do you think we can take them this weekend? City that is.
stan, I don’t think we’ll lose!!
You think lee?
occasionally Stanley….
Just hope the bloody FA charges yaya. With him out of the way ramsey song and arteta should weave their magic in the middle.
Boo! rico, you’re in good Christmas cheer, I see. Talking to yourself, goonster? Never a good sign… 😛
Very thought-provoking, DG. I imagine the clubs will resist it. And the powers-that-be will ultimately (in some distant future) win.
Micko and Lee, some really funny comments today. 😉
No way Stan, they won’t even discuss it. Clickys red will definitly stand.
Typical! I knew it yet when song did the same a couple of months back it was all over the media with sly shit leading the witch hunt. Anyway we ll turn them over at the badlands with or without yaya. Hi ya agag and steve.
Hi Stan sorry about not answering you last night watching and typing i wasnt reading your coments, but yes no reason we can’t take them but it will not be easy, Main toad, wasteland or emptyhats is still their home
goonster, Clattenburg made no report of the incident, it seems. 🙁 In any case, We are good enough to win it. 😀
Clicky’s red made me… Laugh. Out. Loud. Such a donut.
When i think of them mancs at home reminded me of a joke.
There’s two things that smell of fish, and ones fish
steve, nobody fancied us to win against the Chavs. And we scored five. 😉 If our players keep it tight at the back (mark SIlva out of the game, too) and are more clinical in from of goal, we can win it. 😀 😀 Will be a big ask, but these days we seem to be coming up with the right answers… 😉
I’ll settle for 4 in this one Agag
I wouldn’t mind that myself, steve.
Were easily pleased Agag
YIts alright steve I understand……you re probably right with or without yaya toure we should beat city. Mark clattenburg is a twat. End of.
Evening fine peoples….
Nobody thought we’d beat Citeh last season but, 3-0 and 3 points later 😉
Hi Ricolicious
I read that Benzema was a bit of a lightweight rico, sounds like Chamahka
Hi Steve
To be honest i think we need a strong striker, a bit of a drogba kind of player, a real number 9….
thought drog was immense in the last 20 mins last night….
I like Mark Clattenburg and Chris Foy 😛
Clattenburg likes Arsenal too, why else did he send Clichy off 😉
Boo, rico! Clichy isn’t too keen to face us. 😉 He’s such a mung bean. Good for us. 😀
Hahahahah agag that’s rich. Mung bean, haven’t heard that in years.
Boo to you agag, i’d call him something, maybe a bit different to mug bean though 😉
goonster, well he was, wasn’t he? 😀
vDW may be sold. Ahem. AW, come on you know you wanna sign him. 😀
Chavs want vDW agag
So protective of your vegetables, rico. 😀 It’s Oz slang, right? My friends from there say it all the time.
Not when we have jenks and sagna agag. No chance.
Why do the Chavs always have a thing for players I have a thing for?? Grrr.
What’s for dinner, madame?
🙂 agag, it is slang, but i’m not sure its very nice 😉
Dinner is a bit of a muddle, few things to clear up after the weekend, i’ll enoy it though 😉
I looked it up, rico. It’s fairly innocuous Oz slang. 😉 “Unmanly kinda bloke”, “a person of low intelligence”. He fits the bill, then.
What does it mean where you are?
might just be a brit thing agag, we have so many alternatives for the ‘mung’ part 😉
However, i like the Oz slang, suits him just fine 🙂
Ahhhh. 🙂 I think I get it. Now, that isn’t nice. I wouldn’t call even Nasri or Evra or Terry that. 😀
I hope a few good ones are brought in this January. I imagine AW will just put Ju on for the striker bit. Maybe a creative mid is more likely.
I would agag 😉
Not sure re Jan, something makes me think that having almost won the fans back, wenger won’t sit on his butt……
Good read.personally i don’t want a super league although it appears inevitable…
just popping off for dinner…
Hi Kt
Can you imagine if this happens to the lowly club who are managed by Arry???
No need to tell me what choice of words he would delve in to express himself. lol
DG, have you seen that Levy has said Arry won’t be managing England?
No Rico. Did not see that. If Cappello being a strict disciplinarian cannot contain Looney and is practically forced to take him, than you can imagine what will happen if Arry takes over. It will mean that Looney. Terry and Lampard will run the England team.
MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Darren Fletcher will take an extended break from football for health reasons.The Scotland international has been suffering from ulcerative colitis, a problem with the bowel.
Now I know he plays for Manure but its not good news for the football fraternity.
Its been out today, hardly believe it though, every english fan wants Arry, especially the gooners 😉
I thought the news about Fletcher was sad, forget the football, that is a nasty illness for him to be suffering….
maybe Levy will get his wish after all……that Arry will not be the next England manager. That is, if he does not manage to keep out of the clutches of the inland revenue. Otherwise it will be the Prison National England team which Arry will be managing.
‘Arry’s new team, it’s called…
‘The Great Escape Eleven….. 😛
…..whatever it is he will not Escape to Victory.
😆 😆
Alcatraz beckons……
They should throw away the key. And seal the lock.
Should have done that a couple of years ago.. However, i really want him to get the england job DG….
…..and why may I ask?????
Thats me done guys, off to watch the soaps and then early night – the rotten weather kept me awake last night 🙁
Til tomorrow all…
Nighty night.. Night Dg…
So Spuds don’t have him, he is their motivator….. 😉
Ahhhh. I see. I agree with you all the way.
Good night Rico. I am off too.
hello,
nobody here?
Before City we know CL draw… Friday at 12.am.
It’s quiet on here tonight . Every in the land of nod me thinks.
Dreaming about a Champions league final in Munich against cesc’s Bara. Sweet dreams everyone 😉
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