European Super League

[Rockford's Love Child]

I am sure many of you have seen the news regarding the proposed European Super League.

This is clearly an absolute abomination, but I think it is the inevitable result of developments in English football since the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The supporters of clubs like Rovers warned this was the direction football was heading in when the Sky League was first created. However, it is only now, when they are directly affected, that clubs like Everton express outrage at the further concentration of wealth and power in a handful of clubs. They were perfectly happy to ride the gravy train when they were one of the beneficiaries, as were the EPL bosses who are exasperated at being usurped by a proposed new organisation, but have been perfectly willing to strip power and wealth from the EFL clubs over the past thirty years.

I think this development would actually be beneficial to the lower division clubs, on the proviso that the participating clubs are kicked out of all domestic competitions and are unable to return. The remaining EPL clubs would lose a lot of their television income, reducing the gap between the EPL and the Championship and resulting in the abolition, or at least reduction, of parachute payments. That would be good for competition in the EFL and would make it easier for clubs like Rovers to progress up the divisions. It would probably also mean the domestic cup competitions would be preserved, rather than being continually undermined or even scrapped under the status quo.

The idea that Spurs are part of a European 'elite', but Benfica and Ajax aren't, is completely laughable though.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Update: they actually seem to be proposing that this league will run in tandem with existing domestic competitions, which would be horrific. Surely the EPL / FA have the power to expel these clubs from domestic competition if they form this league ?

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Update: they actually seem to be proposing that this league will run in tandem with existing domestic competitions, which would be horrific. Surely the EPL / FA have the power to expel these clubs from domestic competition if they form this league ?

Indeed they do and so they should. Unlike in American sport, no team has a perpetual right to play in a top European competition. It would have no currency, as UEFA would continue with their Champions League, which would still be regarded as the number one club competition. If they want to go and form their own league, let them do it. The remaining 86 clubs would have a great opportunity to reform the English game - structurally and financially.

 

[bigmart]

The key will be have the Premier league got the bottle to do something meaningful about it or not.

I maybe wrong but the plan seems to be that it will start next season so the rest of Premier league isn't really worth playing then as these 6 will be in their new league leaving whoever else to go into champions league etc.

 

[FridayNightMemories]

And they complain about too much football as it is. This resulted in these clubs sending out reserve teams to FA cup matches and whatever name the League Cup has these days. And they waffle about recovery time needed for players. How will yet another competition help that?

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

It is interesting how the six English teams “qualify” for this “elite“. Three of them have never even won the Champions League or the European Cup. Tottenham have not even been English champions for 61 years!

The government has been making the right noises against this idea. They could potentially discourage these clubs through taxation. Maybe it will depend on which group of clubs has the best lobbyists. I wonder who has signed up David Cameron?

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I think, as Mart says, the question is whether the authorities have the balls to actually expel the clubs who have proposed this. The clubs involved still have tremendous financial clout, and the EPL would obviously be terrified of losing the revenue that Liverpool and United bring to their League.

They absolutely should kick them out though. The big fear I have is that the EPL / FA will eventually back down and reach a compromise, where the ESL is introduced in a modified form, but there is still huge damage inflicted on the domestic game, with the abolition of cup competitions, new B team proposals, and so on.

 

[Ian]

The government has been making the right noises against this idea.

I would say the vast majority are making the same noises but when it comes to the crunch..
It's all about money at the end of the day and I think they will come to some ridiculous compromise.

 

[aldoes mustache]

Uefa should ban them all from European competition, they should be docked points in their respective Leagues, and huge fines, it is great to hear the Liverpool fans up in arms and seeing their arses saying the owners are just after money and don't care for the fans or club, hope they never let the B teams in its a joke and it is time people stand up to those so-called big teams one day the money will run dry they can't keep up the spend they have Liverpool spend 3 times more than they bring in and are 700m in debt sooner one of them goes bust the better will do the whole of football the better

 

[Boz]

Think it’s far too soon to have any idea where this will ultimately end up, although like the rest posting, plus the supporters groups of the 6, I’m not in favour.

If things were to run as the Superleague want, then it could mean an end to other domestic competitions like the FA Cup, where lucrative ties against Spurs and Man Utd have helped Rovers financially in recent years. It would mean the continuation of the domestic league though unclear how much priority the superleague clubs would attach to it. If the 6 were expelled from the Premier then that immediately becomes less financially viable without them, tv deals would not be so lucrative and the loss of revenue at the top would have a knock-on effect at our level. For that reason, it feels that some kind of not particularly palatable compromise will be the final outcome.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Barely any of the revenue from the top reaches our level anyway. A loss of revenue at the top would be good for the lower divisions, as it would reduce the upward pressure on wages, and reduce the disparities between the top and bottom of the game.

We can afford to survive on the income we generate ourselves, provided there is not relentless wage inflation.

 

[O4anotherplayoff]

It's a very bold political play but, at this stage, that's all it is. And on the eve of UEFA's announcement of changes to the Champions League too.

One leading European club official described this as a big game of poker.

Despite the brinkmanship I'd expect a compromise to be found. Looks like being an ugly and rocky ride though.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Any compromise will almost certainly inflict more damage on the lower divisions. That is what I am most concerned about.

 

[Boz]

It may not be a great deal coming down from the top, but can we even afford to lose that? I’m certainly not confident of a virtuous approach from those who remain in the Premiership and the Championship to the leagues below.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

It may not be a great deal coming down from the top, but can we even afford to lose that? I’m certainly not confident of a virtuous approach from those who remain in the Premiership and the Championship to the leagues below.

Yes we can, provided the gross income at the top of the game (the newly structured EPL / Championship) does not increase.

We don't need TV income to support ourselves, provided wages are controlled.

The danger of any 'compromise' is that the lower division clubs get slightly bigger handouts from the top, but the gross income at the top increases at an even faster rate so wages spiral further out of control. Any 'compromise' would also doubtless involve B teams in Leagues One and Two and the rest.

The proposals should be opposed outright.

 

[bigmart]

Klopp has come out and said he is against it.

 

[bring back the cowshed!]

Klopp has come out and said he is against it.

Credit to him for taking a stand directly against his employers but in line with the fans. He probably supports the ownership model in his native Germany, where fans must own the majority of the shares in every club.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Credit to him for taking a stand directly against his employers but in line with the fans. He probably supports the ownership model in his native Germany, where fans must own the majority of the shares in every club.

There is some talk that the same rules could be introduced here to prevent the breakaway.

 

[bigmart]

Credit to him for taking a stand directly against his employers but in line with the fans. He probably supports the ownership model in his native Germany, where fans must own the majority of the shares in every club.

He was quoted 2 years ago that he was against it and has not changed his stance, credit to him

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

He was quoted 2 years ago that he was against it and has not changed his stance, credit to him

He would not have any shortage of suitors even if Liverpool kicked him out.