Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 (edited) Couldn't agree more Elessar. What happened at Chelsea when Abromovich came was bad enough, but the City situation is a complete new level to that. Their quite happy to buy players and sit them regardless just to stop other clubs getting them. Just because they can. Shy of being taken over by a mega rich Arab and buying everything that moves (which I would hate, as much as I crave a 19th Championship); I honestly don't see how you can compete with that. And I don't know how you stop it. You can't bring in a cap like in US sports as they'd just go legal and claim restriction of trade. It really is a worrying problem for a competitive product in a league that's currently up for grabs to two teams at most. Hail. Edited May 21, 2012 by Gibbs Hog Heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Teams like Chelsea and City are no different than thoroughbreds . . . toys for the mega-rich. But then you have clubs like Barca, which are supporter owned, and profitability is NOT a concern since their economics works as long as they break even. In a way, if I was a neutral observer, I might say that it's "fair" considering Chelsea and Citeh would have had no chance to win anything if not for this. The traditional powers don't have a lock on the trophies. Despite the season not panning out as I had wanted, I can't say it was a dull season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCranon21 Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Today he told his teammates he's leaving, he didn't tell his future destination. Rumors saying he'll play in China. China huh. Never thought he'd leave Chelsea. Well good luck Didier if the rumors are true. I think my friend will be taking this one hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinC Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Couldn't agree more Elessar. What happened at Chelsea when Abromovich came was bad enough, but the City situation is a complete new level to that. Their quite happy to buy players and sit them regardless just to stop other clubs getting them. Just because they can. Shy of being taken over by a mega rich Arab and buying everything that moves (which I would hate, as much as I crave a 19th Championship); I honestly don't see how you can compete with that. And I don't know how you stop it. You can't bring in a cap like in US sports as they'd just go legal and claim restriction of trade. It really is a worrying problem for a competitive product in a league that's currently up for grabs to two teams at most. Hail. UEFA are bringing in a rule about club finances and the deficit/debts//wage bills etc I think for the end of next season. The only sanction though is clubs who break it are not allowed to take part in the Champions Leauge/UEFA League - although that's a tough sanction. If of course they enforce it - be interesting to see how they treat clubs like Chelsea/City/Real Madrid etc who run huge losses on their football operations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 (edited) Like anything else, there's ways and means around it. City are already deep into building a luxury hotel on their site to aid a clubs own generated income. And can you really see UEFA coming down hard on a Madrid for example? All they have to utter is the words 'breakaway Super League' and UEFA will **** themselves and smooth whatever transgression over. Any talk of sanctions from Nyon is just that, talk. The big clubs hold ALL the power; and there's ways and means around anything. The bigger clubs will exploit the very big loopholes through even bigger sponsorship and commercial deals totally unrelated to the football side to show the company's earning more than it's spending. Hail. Edited May 22, 2012 by Gibbs Hog Heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Like anything else, there's ways and means around it. City are already deep into building a luxury hotel on their site to aid a clubs own generated income. And can you really see UEFA coming down hard on a Madrid for example? All they have to utter is the words 'breakaway Super League' and UEFA will **** themselves and smooth whatever transgression over. Any talk of sanctions from Nyon is just that, talk. The big clubs hold ALL the power; and there's ways and means around anything. The bigger clubs will exploit the very big loopholes through even bigger sponsorship and commercial deals totally unrelated to the football side to show the company's earning more than it's spending. Hail. I tend to agree that they'll try to circumvent the rules. But I think the breakaway super league is a bluff they will be called upon. No matter the TV deals, I think clubs like Real Madrid still need ticket sales from the other 36-some odd league games and domestic cup matches to make their business model work. What teams would go into the super league? RM, Barca, Chelsea, Citeh? Not sure the Italian super clubs or Bayern would follow suit. The fact is that Chelsea and Citeh are johhny-come-latelys, so the football world doesn't necessarily need them. Some other billionaire willing to abide by the rules will fill the void and take, say, Aston Villa or Preston North End to the top. Citeh don't have a big following either, "half" of Manchester? And I doubt they have a big enough, LOYAL, international following to support their own TV deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bay Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Someone buying a lower league side like PNE and bringing them up would be fantastic. I think managers who claim that they're the shiz should go to a lower league and really prove their mettle by hoisting them up as well. I know it won't happen. I enjoy the Blackpool, Norwich, Swansea stories more than the next $50 mil Man City drops on one player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Loving the fact Michael Laudrup is apparently on the list of guys L'pool are interviewing. Him or AVB would top my list now Morinho has confirmed the new deal in Madrid and ruled himself out along with Pep and De Boer. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Someone buying a lower league side like PNE and bringing them up would be fantastic. I think managers who claim that they're the shiz should go to a lower league and really prove their mettle by hoisting them up as well. I know it won't happen. I enjoy the Blackpool, Norwich, Swansea stories more than the next $50 mil Man City drops on one player. Exactly. There's NO story in Man City's accomplishment. I don't think it's any secret that if you splash around a lot of cash that you're very likely to win it all. ---------- Post added May-22nd-2012 at 11:27 AM ---------- Loving the fact Michael Laudrup is apparently on the list of guys L'pool are interviewing. Him or AVB would top my list now Morinho has confirmed the new deal in Madrid and ruled himself out along with Pep and De Boer. Hail. To this day I'm still not sure about the great player become manager phenomenon. L'pool's most recent experience should be enough of an example. It's not that these guys are dumb but things came so easy for them that they never really furrowed a brow trying to solve problems. Players, maybe it's a stereotype, aren't the most introspective lot. There are too many former greats who were average at best at being managers. Pep and and Cruyff are startling exceptions but they were both very philosophical players who thought a lot about the game. To WHICH, I think Laudrup might be another startling exception as he is from that Cruyff-Pep-Ajax/Barca school of football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 (edited) Whilst it's very true that great players, and make no mistake about it for any casual reader happening by, Michael Laudrup is worthy of consideration alongside the likes of Cruyff, Platini, Zidane et all as Europes GOAT, don't always make great coaches; I think Laudrup has all the makings of breaking that adage for all you've mentioned and more. By all accounts, he's taken that same philosophical approach he had on the pitch into coaching. Although he's not vastly experienced as yet, all his teams have been full of the same, inventive, attacking flair he showed as a player. And he's from great footballing stock, not only out of the same school's so to speak as you mentioned; but his father and uncle before him who steeped both Michael and his brother in the beautiful ways of the beautiful game. I also love the fact he has his full set of UEFA coaching badges, which should be of paramount importance in selecting coaches to me but often sadly isn't. He'd be a perfect fit for everything FSG want to do as regards a long term, young, hungry manager who's got the clout to appease players and fans alike following on from a living legend. And it would nicely right our massive faux pas back in '83 when we had the soon to be World class Danish youngster all but signed; but lost him to Juventus for the ridiculously trivial thing of 1 extra year on his contract. Given time to get his own philosophy across and money to bring in the type of players to play that way, I could see a very bright future with either Laudrup or AVB. Presuming we are indeed heavily courting both men. Hail. And for anyone new to the name, that has a spare 25 mins or so, this is a great watch on the life of an oft overlooked, World class player: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8znurvci7dE Edited May 22, 2012 by Gibbs Hog Heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Being as some of you have been discussing it the past few pages, Drogba tonight finally confirmed he's leaving Chelsea for 'a new challenge.' Feel free to speculate where that challenge may be. I guess this might now stop Torres ****ing and moaning which is all he's done since Saturday. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Forza Napoli!!!! Woot!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwack Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 If MLS was smart they would throw bags of money at Drogba to get him to come play over here. Drogba, especially after Saturday, is one of the most well known football players and if MLS can get him to play here that can only help not only MLS's popularity but the sport's popularity as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amm0409 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 MLS is garbage. I think US soccer is fine until after college. We just dont have anything for them to do, unless they go overseas. Anyways, always fun to have a laugh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Forza Napoli!!!! Woot!!!! Napoli fan I presume? (He asks before he say's something he shouldn't.). Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwack Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 MLS is garbage. I think US soccer is fine until after college. We just dont have anything for them to do, unless they go overseas. You couldn't be more wrong. US Soccer is anything but fine before college. The grassroots programs/academies that are needed and slowly being put in place have been non-existent over here. US kids have been taught the fundamentals of the game throughout the years mainly by parents who have no clue or have no business coaching the game. MLS and some of its clubs have started academies that target talented kids at a young age and develop their skills properly so they'll be ready to play the game at a high level. Which most select/travel and definitely high school programs don't come close to doing. MLS is improving as a product as a result of more and more MLS players going overseas to take the next step in their career. Will the MLS ever be on the same level as the EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, etc...but overall MLS has become more popular and a much better product than it was when it first started in the mid 90s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCranon21 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 If MLS was smart they would throw bags of money at Drogba to get him to come play over here. Drogba, especially after Saturday, is one of the most well known football players and if MLS can get him to play here that can only help not only MLS's popularity but the sport's popularity as well. I wish DC United would spend the money to bring him over here. That would be sweet. But would they spend the money on a player who is about to turn 35? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar78 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Obviously people are going to have strong reactions to this but I think it hurts the league to bring in these old guys for tons of money. Thierry Henry is one of my favorite players but if we just took his salary and spread it out amongst all of MLS then everyone could get a $40,000 pay bump. Honest question, does Henry and Beckham now put butts in seats? Certainly wouldn't be my motivation to see a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 MLS is garbage. I think US soccer is fine until after college. We just dont have anything for them to do, unless they go overseas. This is simply not true, and if you think it is you have not been paying attention to MLS or American soccer in general. Consider the number of American players who are currently playing abroad and/or who were on the most recent world cup rosters. A good number of these guys currently play or got their start in the MLS. MLS play may not be at the level of other top-flight leagues, but to say that it's garbage is completely ignorant. I wish DC United would spend the money to bring him over here. That would be sweet. But would they spend the money on a player who is about to turn 35? See, this is where I have an issue with bringing in older big name players. If the team has a need for it, then I'd support it. But right now DCU has absolutely no need for a center forward. We are tied with NY for the most goals scored so far this season. Bringing in Drogba on DP money would be nothing more than buying a name to fill seats/sell jerseys, and that's where people would see MLS as a joke. Now if say Toronto talked about bringing him in, then I'd understand completely ---------- Post added May-23rd-2012 at 09:51 AM ---------- [ MLS and some of its clubs have started academies that target talented kids at a young age and develop their skills properly so they'll be ready to play the game at a high level. Which most select/travel and definitely high school programs don't come close to doing. DCU is a great example of this. Andy Najar is a product of their youth system. If anyone things a guy like Andy would be where he is right now (former MLS rookie of the year, player for Honduras national team) in the old system of travel/high school team to college to pro soccer, then you are silly. Obviously there are other examples, but I am more familiar with DC than any other team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skinsfan1311 Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Napoli fan I presume? (He asks before he say's something he shouldn't.). Hail. LOL! I wouldn't call myself a good fan, because I don't follow really them that closely, except when my Italian friends on FB whoop it up when they play well. I attended many games, and the occasional riot, back in the day at stadio San Paolo..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibbs Hog Heaven Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 ..... I attended many games, and the occasional riot, back in the day at stadio San Paolo..... Ahhhh, see that was the ' ..... before I say something I shouldn't' line. Having spent three days in Naples following Liverpool 2 years back in the Europa League, and all the stabbings and attacks on our fans that resulted leading upto the game, mainly on (all be it naive) single and pairs of two English fans (good numbers for the gutless scooter boys in Italy); along with a whole host of 'mirth' after the game when the Carabinieri thought it would be great fun, after taking us on a near 3 hour circular trip around and around the outskirts to 'let everything die down'; to then drop us at the bottom end of the City by the port and have us walk back up unescorted to the hotels whilst the said scooter boys were out in force trying to intimidate and worse by riding parallel on the other side of the road dragging iron bars and all the usual gesticulating. (Thankfully we had next to no 'passengers' out there, and the lads that did go were old school and everyone stuck together to the extent that the Neapolitan's dare not make a move on a very edgy walk back through the City to say the least. If we had of broken number then it could of been absolute carnage.). A very uneasy, stressful trip alround (save for Pompeii which is like a completely different World to Naples); in one of the most deprived, moody places I've ever had the miss-pleasure to visit. (Which is not to excuse our own cretins as some of the 'revenge' attacks on anyone or anything remotely Italian looking in the return leg in Liverpool a few weeks later were utterly disgraceful too. Most perpetuated by young ***** who weren't even in Naples.). I would advise anyone planning on a trip to Italy that wants to sample Rome or Naples to stay WELL clear if there's a soccer match on. Italy can be dodgy at the best of times when it comes to soccer, but those two City's are NOT places to be on the streets if your foreign and not from either. Sorry man, not meaning to seem like I'm having a go at you. Just still very bitter from 2010 and angry how UEFA continue to let this **** go down in Naples, as a few teams, most notably Bayern Munich fans found out to their cost this past season. Hail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forehead Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 At least MLS doesn't do that awful shootout anymore, where the guy starts dribbling from midfield. Eliminating that was a step in the right direction. Okay, on a totally different note, and this would probably need a response from one of our friends across the pond, I'm curious how much it costs to buy an English Soccer team. I didn't win the lottery or anything, I'm curious. I don't mean one of the top flight teams that costs 9 figures. I'm talking, what if you were a person of modest wealth (say, 50-60 million) but not own-a-country wealth, and you wanted to buy a cool sounding team that's in League Two or something, like Torquay United. Would you be able to reasonably buy one of those clubs and still have money to spend on players and working the team up the table? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amm0409 Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Bay Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 (edited) Okay, on a totally different note, and this would probably need a response from one of our friends across the pond, I'm curious how much it costs to buy an English Soccer team. I didn't win the lottery or anything, I'm curious. I don't mean one of the top flight teams that costs 9 figures. I'm talking, what if you were a person of modest wealth (say, 50-60 million) but not own-a-country wealth, and you wanted to buy a cool sounding team that's in League Two or something, like Torquay United. Would you be able to reasonably buy one of those clubs and still have money to spend on players and working the team up the table? Blackburn Rovers cost $73 million I think. No real idea how much lower league teams would be but it varies greatly even within the same division I'd imagine based off of any number of things like history, popularity, marketability, stadium, etc. Plus player wages and any debt that is incurred. A lot of the smaller clubs don't make a lot of profit, no real revenue from tickets and merchandise and there are no big sponsorship or TV money. Sometimes a team can strike it right, like Blackpool and Norwich for example, and bring a team up from the lower levels. It's not easy though, and stuff like that is the exception. It's unfortunate that it generally is all about money now. Even if a club has an established and good youth program it will be gutted as soon as the talent is unearthed if there's no money or promise of trophies/promotion. Edited May 24, 2012 by Old Bay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boysetsfire Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 In 2010 DC scored a total of 21 goals the ENTIRE season. This year they've scored 25 and it's only May. God that was a rough year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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