The New Golden Age of Football?

[StockGooner]

Prior to the huge money in football, many clubs could win the league. Everton, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Leeds, Liverpool, Utd, Ipswich, Derby, Nottm Forest,..Hell, even Spurs, Wolves and Burnley if you go back to the late 50's early 60's.
Blackburn Rovers started the rot, buying the league title as surely as if they went into a shop and bought it off the shelf. Since then it's been a procession of the usual suspects with only Leicester managing to break the stranglehold.

Football was never meant to be decided by how big a clubs bank balance is.
Every team should have the chance and every fan should have genuine hope that their team can win it.
It's no longer football, it's business and that sucks balls.

It's f***ing ridiculous that clubs ambitions now are top 6 or staying up so they can get more money.

Again, I understand what you're saying, but the time of multiple teams being able to has long gone and won't return naturally I don't think. That is my point. The only way to break into the group is to spend the way Man City did at the outset and hope they then don't forget the fans. Which based on season ticket prices, City haven't. Whilst we have forgotten the every day fan. I know London wages are higher than Manchester, but not enough to justify a £1,000 season ticket surely?

As for football clubs all having a chance. A great idea, but not going to happen. Football doesn't need the local fan. It needs the global fan. As long as we have them, the game won't change, unless you could guarantee that you could get every fan, of every team to not go to one game every season. Now THAT would be a movement.

[Arsenal Tone]

It was making the CL for teams that weren't champions that did it. Whereas it was win the league or win a cup to get in europe now its finish top six and you're in europe.

Imagine if only the champions made it into the champions league. Imagine if second place got europa and everyone else needed the fa or league cup to qualify. Domestic cups then mean more and owners of the clubs in 2nd-4th suddenly have more desire to push for the title rather than settle for top four.

[theHotHead]

Prior to the huge money in football, many clubs could win the league. Everton, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Leeds, Liverpool, Utd, Ipswich, Derby, Nottm Forest,..Hell, even Spurs, Wolves and Burnley if you go back to the late 50's early 60's.
Blackburn Rovers started the rot, buying the league title as surely as if they went into a shop and bought it off the shelf. Since then it's been a procession of the usual suspects with only Leicester managing to break the stranglehold.

Football was never meant to be decided by how big a clubs bank balance is.
Every team should have the chance and every fan should have genuine hope that their team can win it.
It's no longer football, it's business and that sucks balls.

It's f***ing ridiculous that clubs ambitions now are top 6 or staying up so they can get more money.

Again, I understand what you're saying, but the time of multiple teams being able to has long gone and won't return naturally I don't think. That is my point. The only way to break into the group is to spend the way Man City did at the outset and hope they then don't forget the fans. Which based on season ticket prices, City haven't. Whilst we have forgotten the every day fan. I know London wages are higher than Manchester, but not enough to justify a £1,000 season ticket surely?

As for football clubs all having a chance. A great idea, but not going to happen. Football doesn't need the local fan. It needs the global fan. As long as we have them, the game won't change, unless you could guarantee that you could get every fan, of every team to not go to one game every season. Now THAT would be a movement.

I disagree with this, clubs need local fans, remove the local fans and the game is dead, the Premier League will lose its appeal, the package would receive a body blow it wouldn't recover from. TV money has killed the game, if it goes the other way - i.e. TV losing revenue, the vast sums in the game will go and we get our football back. Without the atmosphere at games the whole thing would be kack.

[theHotHead]

It was making the CL for teams that weren't champions that did it. Whereas it was win the league or win a cup to get in europe now its finish top six and you're in europe.

Imagine if only the champions made it into the champions league. Imagine if second place got europa and everyone else needed the fa or league cup to qualify. Domestic cups then mean more and owners of the clubs in 2nd-4th suddenly have more desire to push for the title rather than settle for top four.

This is what killed European football for me, UEFA's greed. I have said it before, there was nothing wrong with the format the way it was, European Cup, UEFA Cup and Cup winner's Cup, all 3 cups were prestigious until UEFA greed killed it with the Champion's League. By top loading the CL and marginalising the UEFA and Cup Winner's Cup nobody gave 2 hoots about the latter two competitions and in some cases broke the bank to try to qualify for the CL and all its riches. Some clubs came into financial difficulty and were relegated because of it.

Tuesday - European Cup. Wednesday - UEFA Cup. Thursday - Cup Winner's Cup. I loved those days .....

[StockGooner]

I disagree with this, clubs need local fans, remove the local fans and the game is dead, the Premier League will lose its appeal, the package would receive a body blow it wouldn't recover from. TV money has killed the game, if it goes the other way - i.e. TV losing revenue, the vast sums in the game will go and we get our football back. Without the atmosphere at games the whole thing would be kack.

Diagree with which bit? I personally agree with you in that I think clubs need the local fans, I'll always think that. But I don't think clubs are that fussed about them. If a local fan doesn't pay for a ticket, well a touring fan will, in my opinion. That's not to say I agree with that approach as at some point thre will be a tipping point whereby the atmosphere will suffer.

How many clubs have tried to break up there loyal fans. I heard the Palace fans who were onc ein the corner flag and gave dog's abuse to players were moved so that cameras didn't catch their exploits (Might be a rumour). I heard United were wanting to break up the Stretford End fans to make it a more welcoming atmosphere. Ruours maybe, but these kind of actions are not ones of caring, societal clubs.

[theHotHead]

I disagree with this, clubs need local fans, remove the local fans and the game is dead, the Premier League will lose its appeal, the package would receive a body blow it wouldn't recover from. TV money has killed the game, if it goes the other way - i.e. TV losing revenue, the vast sums in the game will go and we get our football back. Without the atmosphere at games the whole thing would be kack.

Diagree with which bit? I personally agree with you in that I think clubs need the local fans, I'll always think that. But I don't think clubs are that fussed about them. If a local fan doesn't pay for a ticket, well a touring fan will, in my opinion. That's not to say I agree with that approach as at some point thre will be a tipping point whereby the atmosphere will suffer.

How many clubs have tried to break up there loyal fans. I heard the Palace fans who were onc ein the corner flag and gave dog's abuse to players were moved so that cameras didn't catch their exploits (Might be a rumour). I heard United were wanting to break up the Stretford End fans to make it a more welcoming atmosphere. Ruours maybe, but these kind of actions are not ones of caring, societal clubs.

I was referring to your comment about local fans. But even taking your point, if a local fan is replaced by a tourist fan the result will still be a shit/dead atmosphere and thats not part of the image that Premier League football sells. Look at the Emirates, they tried to disperse the real fans and then ended up putting some of them back together because it killed the atmosphere.

[thebigbangtheo]

I disagree with this, clubs need local fans, remove the local fans and the game is dead, the Premier League will lose its appeal, the package would receive a body blow it wouldn't recover from. TV money has killed the game, if it goes the other way - i.e. TV losing revenue, the vast sums in the game will go and we get our football back. Without the atmosphere at games the whole thing would be kack.

Diagree with which bit? I personally agree with you in that I think clubs need the local fans, I'll always think that. But I don't think clubs are that fussed about them. If a local fan doesn't pay for a ticket, well a touring fan will, in my opinion. That's not to say I agree with that approach as at some point thre will be a tipping point whereby the atmosphere will suffer.

How many clubs have tried to break up there loyal fans. I heard the Palace fans who were onc ein the corner flag and gave dog's abuse to players were moved so that cameras didn't catch their exploits (Might be a rumour). I heard United were wanting to break up the Stretford End fans to make it a more welcoming atmosphere. Ruours maybe, but these kind of actions are not ones of caring, societal clubs.

I was referring to your comment about local fans. But even taking your point, if a local fan is replaced by a tourist fan the result will still be a shit/dead atmosphere and thats not part of the image that Premier League football sells. Look at the Emirates, they tried to disperse the real fans and then ended up putting some of them back together because it killed the atmosphere.

Does the fact or should I say suggestion that we should look to complete the final quarter of the season without any fans in attendance, lend any weight to the issue of how important the local fans are including those who travel from Ireland or Scandinavia for every game for example, to the money men running the game?

Invisible Stan wouldn't think it a big deal if only football tourists filled the seats, so the days of 'professional fans' being bused in with their placards and giant #1 finger pointing foam hands and constant chanting of U S A, I mean Arse Sen Nal, with the main objective of getting the cameras pointed at them to appear on the telly whilst screaming 'YEAH BABY!' might be less than a generation away.