SEE YOU! A brand spanking new modern fitba thread 2020/21

Man City & Athletico Madrid have 'pulled out'

 

Just read a headline there "Chelsea set to pull out of European Super League amid fan outcry".

I wasn't aware anyone had JOINED.

When did that happen?

 

Never in.

Got what they wanted from UEFA.

 

There's the first bit alright.

 

Couldn't make it up. The same people who were supposedly outraged now are offering soothing explainers for the situation.

Chelsea and Manchester City are preparing to withdraw from the European Super League (ESL).

Efforts to leave come just two days after both were announced as two of six English clubs to sign up to the controversial new competition.


The ESL has been widely criticised since being announced on Sunday.

Around 1,000 fans gathered outside Chelsea's Stamford Bridge home ground before their game against Brighton on Tuesday to protest their involvement.

Chelsea and City were part of English football's 'big six' clubs - alongside Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham - to have agreed to join the new league.

In total, 12 European clubs announced their intentions to form the breakaway league, which they hoped to establish as a new midweek competition.

It was condemned by football authorities and government ministers in the UK and across Europe by Uefa and leagues associations.

Chelsea were the first club to indicate they will not press ahead with plans and City followed soon after.

Chelsea and City were not drivers of this plan, they were the last to sign and feared being left behind.

It is not clear how easy it is or how binding the contracts are.

Clearly something changed on Tuesday, whether it was the backlash, the worldwide condemnation, the political pressure or whether the players have have had their say.

Analysis
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin on BBC Radio 5 Live

I'm not even mildly surprised - it didn't look like Chelsea wanted to get on that train but they didn't want to be left at the station.

I don't think these clubs were prepared for anything. This seems like utter panic from a set of clubs. I think this is the first break that falls and then we are back into something like normality.

Chelsea wanted to move stadium a few years ago, fans weren't having it. The club, instead of pushing it through, said "we were wrong". They can change, they can adapt.

It's gone now, dead in the water. It is that big because the other clubs would look a bit silly without them now.

 

Glen Hoddle:-

• "The power that football has, and the fans, and everyone".

Good man Glen.

Steve Sidwell:-

• "It gives me goosebumps when I hear Ed Woodward has quit and I am not even a United fan".

Admirable sentiments, Steve.

Dolly Bird:-

• "The football should hopefully do the talking- on the pitch".

Profound musings, darling.

Commentator:-

• "The fight against racism continues, against which there must be no room"

Yes, there must be no room against racism, quite right Sir.

 

Stevieo Africanus

 

David Goldblatt | The Guardian

A literal chronological smorgasbord of articles demonstrating a clear slow-cooker progression so far as the problems of money/detachment/corruption are concerned.

Bury were run out of business before the coronavirus even started.

there was of course the Thaksin Shinawatras, Eggert Egghead, Hicks and Gillet, Carson Yeung, and many others besides, who showed up and used the clubs.

The PL enabled all of this. Waved them onboard as having passed "Fit and Proper" tests.

Today, the PL presents itself as a........victim. Not sure how, but there you are.

 

Word is Chelsea are doing the same. It's dominos now.

 

Ed Woodward resigned. Makes me wonder why though? The backlash? He's just a business guy that doesn't give a shit about fans. It's not like he's manager stepping down after a bunch poor results. Hang around until you get sacked and take a severance.

I'm guessing the owners asked him to resign and provided him a nicer exit package than he would have otherwise. They figure Woodward can be the scapegoat and they can backtrack putting the blame on him.

 

Nail. Meet. Hammer.

Its precisely that.

But this is not the end. Not even close.

Come back in a few years.

 

Oh yeah they'll try to repackage it for sure.

 

No. You are in the process of spending three full days of your life attacking every member of the press that speaks out against the ESL even though you also disagree with it.

The people you are attacking are being heard by thousands, in some cases millions of people. By attacking them on fightbeat, you're being heard by about ten people. Half of them don't live in the UK. It's pointless.

 

I don't see it quite like a repackaging more like an evolution. People have short memories. The objection to the Super League is largely based on the fact that the current sanctioning bodies don't get a look in.

They seem quite happy to essentially rig the Champions league and interrupt the domestic season for their own needs.

Let's be clear here, the Siper League is coming. It will be a reality once the TV and Sanctioning bodies decide it's a go.

In the meantime, its "People Power" etc etc.

 

It takes 20 seconds to make a post. 10 people? Thats optimistic mate. Very. Billy only posts in the tags. That leaves you Hut, Whiskey, maybe Ugots , maybe Slice....who am I leaving out.....

Ps the very actual post you quoted...that was sarcasm on my behalf.


I'm aware of the disparity of coverage between my views and those of Sky.

But this is as true of my comments -or yours- in General discussion, for that matter.

But we still make them, right??

 

I know the greedy billionaire fucks are out of touch but it's such a weird miscalculation. It's clear almost none of the players and managers had any idea this announcement was coming. Maybe because of the empty stadiums they figured they were protected from something embarrassing like walk-outs/boycotts? Somehow the pandemic would work in various other ways to quell a backlash?

Yes obviously these sleaze ball owners aren't completely stupid and people have short memories but this definitely did some self-inflicted damage.

 

Jack Dorsey and CNN ran interference all last Summer. There was no penalty to be paid. These people are beyond calculating. They just do it. They are all giants, of tech, of media, of sport. They moved the baseball out of Georgia on bullshit grounds. Moved it to Colorado. No penalty. They debased their fans with the flag kneeling, no penalty. Of course they feel they can do what they like. Why wouldn't they? They saw the Qatar world cup split the domestic season with nary a complaint. This is all part of a trend, a flow.

 

"Mostly peaceful football grab"....

 

I don't know how authentic this is but I have been hearing about leaked pieces of info from the ESL organizers. One of the ideas being passed around was to shorten the matches from 90 minutes to appeal to younger viewers. There was also language talking about "legacy fans" and seeking out "future fans" for the ESL.

Sounds like a shit sandwich from the start.

 

The "Future Fan."

"Dude, you like soccer. Me too. I LOVE Manchester United. That's my team! And I love Real Madrid, Bro! But I tell you what, dude. Messi's my dog! Yeah, he's my boy so you know I gotta pull for Barca too, dog. And I got like five guys from Chelsea on my fantasy team, Brah! So I'm all about Chelsea too, dude!"

 

It makes a certain amount of sense- in that it sounds like something they would do- because they definitely wanted to have FEWER games.

Fewer games would mean less wear and tear on their assets, with larger TV revenues making up for the drop off in gate revenues.

Besides you only get paid from 1 of every 2 games you have, in effect.

And they are almost certainly predicting a recurrence of empty stadiums.

It's sinister but it's entirely unexceptionable in many regards.

Very few people realize what the "New Normal" really means.

It means NO NORMAL.

 

The owners are "Anywheres" and they think the Plebs are too. Or can be made to embrace the suck.

It is what it is.

The World is Anywheres vs Somewheres.

I am a Somewhere. You are a Somewhere albeit that your Somewhere has changed recently. Buy you're definitely a Somewhere. Hut is a Somewhere.

These guys are not Somewheres.

Welcome to the new dichotomy.

 

Argh i hate that shit so much. Fuck all this appealing to new/different demographics. It's the world's most popular sport, not some struggling restaurant that needs customers or will have to close. It's always about growth and expansion. If you want to make changes to the game how about asking people who already loyal followers and very knowledgeable?

Nope. They way they figure it those people are of no value. Instead look at people who aren't interested in your product. Go out of your way to get their opinions. Do market research and evaluate changes that might get their interest. It's fucking sickening.

 

They specifically stated people from age 16-24 are no longer watching football in the numbers of previous generations. So the changes made were going to cater to that demographic.

Fucking great.

 

Good book, that.

 

Because they cant afford a fucking ticket anymore

 

I don't believe that's all there is to it. For a YouTube generation football is indeed too slow a game. I have noticed myself how I hang on the phone while watching football and I am much older than them.

I see the point and the problem,but changing rules should be the very last resort to save a sport, especially since it doesn't need saving

 

Its the end point in the transition from football being a spectator sport to a tv show. Thats what i meant by them not getting to games any more.... the entire orientation to it is different.

 

Irish, your boy, James Corden close to tears talking about the Super League.

 

this is what cracks me up.

the fans have been priced out but they've been priced out more and more since about 1993.

I know I keep banging on about it but the people that have been and ARE fucking us are using the owners WANTING to fuck us as a smokescreen for them to keep fucking us.

This is the Barons rebelling against King John. And you know what? That's great. But we're not Barons. We're still tied to the fucking yoke.