TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
These clubs have no concern for the traditional match day fans, other than to act as moving scenery and a backdrop to proceedings. They don't care about fans having to travel to other countries midweek - remember that La Liga was already coming under pressure to have a game in the States and then there was the Premier League's 39th game (lord knows where). This is about maximising global revenues from streaming subscriptions and associated merchandise.
Of course, the big 12 want to stay in their domestic leagues but it fundamentally affects the legitimacy of the competitions. It's not only that having even more money will distort the PL anyway, having more money to pay big salaries and so dwarfing the spending power teams like Wolves or Everton or whoever even further. If by Feb/Mar, Arsenal and Spurs (for sake of argument) have no likelihood of winning the PL, and have no jeopardy in qualifying for the ESL but are still involved in it, they can simply start fielding weakened teams and that can affect those teams fighting relegation.
Perhaps the most galling aspect is the absolute feeling of entitlement that the big 6 are the big 6, and this will enshrine this in perpetuity. I mean, Arsenal and Spurs are demonstrably not at the moment, and fortunes wax and wane. We all know that Man City was in the third tier in 1999 and needed a very fortunate play-off capitulation by Gillingham to get out of that division. Go back 30 years and whilst all 6 were in Div 1, Leeds and Crystal Palace were top 6 with Spurs and Chelsea being mid-table. Man Utd hadn't won Div 1 for 20+ years (and had a season in Div 2). Chelsea had won nothing aside from one League title and a few FA Cups (plus the Cup Winners Cup) before the Russian millions. Spurs even now have only won the top title TWICE - the last time 60 years ago.
It is a fundamental erosion of the integrity of the Premier League and the pyramid.
Of course, the big 12 want to stay in their domestic leagues but it fundamentally affects the legitimacy of the competitions. It's not only that having even more money will distort the PL anyway, having more money to pay big salaries and so dwarfing the spending power teams like Wolves or Everton or whoever even further. If by Feb/Mar, Arsenal and Spurs (for sake of argument) have no likelihood of winning the PL, and have no jeopardy in qualifying for the ESL but are still involved in it, they can simply start fielding weakened teams and that can affect those teams fighting relegation.
Perhaps the most galling aspect is the absolute feeling of entitlement that the big 6 are the big 6, and this will enshrine this in perpetuity. I mean, Arsenal and Spurs are demonstrably not at the moment, and fortunes wax and wane. We all know that Man City was in the third tier in 1999 and needed a very fortunate play-off capitulation by Gillingham to get out of that division. Go back 30 years and whilst all 6 were in Div 1, Leeds and Crystal Palace were top 6 with Spurs and Chelsea being mid-table. Man Utd hadn't won Div 1 for 20+ years (and had a season in Div 2). Chelsea had won nothing aside from one League title and a few FA Cups (plus the Cup Winners Cup) before the Russian millions. Spurs even now have only won the top title TWICE - the last time 60 years ago.
It is a fundamental erosion of the integrity of the Premier League and the pyramid.
