Football

[Haywain]

Zzzzzz

At least I didn't mention the (alleged) cheating.

 

[Ted633]

Still need the right manager or all the money in the world can be spent with little to show for it in terms of silverware. You could probably count the current managers on one hand who are capable of doing what Pep has done.

Case in point this season - Chelsea.
Man United haven't exactly been frugal the last few years either and they don't exactly have a lot to show for it in terms of silverware.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Well done Manchester City. Incredible what can be achieved with a bottomless pit of money.

And a manager who takes brilliant players and improves them

 

[AlterEgo]

The City treble will have almost no resonance whatsoever in 25 years, a symptom of the complete cultural vacuum the side operates in. And a symptom of modern football, too.

The United 99 side was by far a more controversial and much more human team, love or hate, and will be remembered for much longer. Makes no difference to City fans of course, and it shouldn’t.

 

[VauxhallandI]

The City treble will have almost no resonance whatsoever in 25 years, a symptom of the complete cultural vacuum the side operates in. And a symptom of modern football, too.

The United 99 side was by far a more controversial and much more human team, love or hate, and will be remembered for much longer. Makes no difference to City fans of course, and it shouldn’t.

You really should have a footer stating you are a Liverpool fan with those statements

 

[AlterEgo]

You really should have a footer stating you are a Liverpool fan with those statements

I didn’t even put in that we have six of them. And it rather eulogised the infamous United team of ‘99 don’t you think?

You just won the European Cup, take a day off and enjoy it. The best team won. And nobody, not even your local rivals, will really care much about it.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There's an argument that all successful teams since Jimmy Hill's campaign to abolish the maximum wage have "bought" their success...

Not that I would make such an argument, of course

 

[Haywain]

Case in point this season - Chelsea.

Are you suggesting that any of the Chelsea players would get close to being in the Man City team?

 

[SJL2020]

Are you suggesting that any of the Chelsea players would get close to being in the Man City team?

Kovacic, obviously.

 

[Darandio]

Are you suggesting that any of the Chelsea players would get close to being in the Man City team?

Enzo Fernandez would be the closest I reckon.

 

[Ted633]

Are you suggesting that any of the Chelsea players would get close to being in the Man City team?

No, making point that just throwing £100's millions at a team does not get guarantee success

 

[Haywain]

No, making point that just throwing £100's millions at a team does not get guarantee success

No, but it seriously improves the chances if you can outbid anyone else.

 

[VauxhallandI]

No, but it seriously improves the chances if you can outbid anyone else.

If only it were that simple eh.

 

[Haywain]

If only it were that simple eh.

Perhaps you could explain why you think it isn't?

 

[VauxhallandI]

FFP for one

 

[Darandio]

FFP for one

Can't be that difficult, you've been circumventing that one for years.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Can't be that difficult, you've been circumventing that one for years.

Or not as the case maybe.

Loving the old guard chucking rules up left right and centre to protect the old money. Embarrassing.

 

[Darandio]

Or not as the case maybe.

Loving the old guard chucking rules up left right and centre to protect the old money. Embarrassing.

Well you were, bang to rights. It was there in black and white but 'time barred'. Great to get off on a technicality.

 

[Herefordian]

Or not as the case maybe.

Loving the old guard chucking rules up left right and centre to protect the old money. Embarrassing.

We have similar rules in rugby union. It stops clubs having an unfair advantage to keep things fair and sustainable.

A smaller, less wealthy club could go bust trying to match the spending of larger, richer clubs to compete on the field.

So, there's a salary cap which limits what a club can spend on player wages (this year, £5m) each season.

It's why I prefer rugby. Far less money involved. Football isn't a sport any more, it's a business.

 

[JamesT]

We have similar rules in rugby union. It stops clubs having an unfair advantage to keep things fair and sustainable.

A smaller, less wealthy club could go bust trying to match the spending of larger, richer clubs to compete on the field.

So, there's a salary cap which limits what a club can spend on player wages (this year, £5m) each season.

It's why I prefer rugby. Far less money involved. Football isn't a sport any more, it's a business.

Just ask Wasps, Worcester, and London Irish how well that works…

 

[VauxhallandI]

Well you were, bang to rights. It was there in black and white but 'time barred'. Great to get off on a technicality.

Man City vs Uefa court case details revealed by CAS

The long-awaited reasons for the over-turning of the Uefa ban have been published

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Manchester Evening News article clearly explains the story.

Makes me think the accusers should have ended up in the dock.

Yes time barred is fine too is it not or do you want to make up rules now and punish people for not following them in the past, it’s hilarious how this can be used as a stick but hey this is football fans

 

[AlterEgo]

It doesn’t really matter because the sad thing is a significant amount of people don’t really respect the achievement, and there is nothing you can do about that.

Nearly every football fan liked it when Leicester won the PL, and thought it was a marvellous story. It’s not a case of “old money” getting annoyed at an upstart.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It doesn’t really matter because the sad thing is a significant amount of people don’t really respect the achievement, and there is nothing you can do about that.

Nearly every football fan liked it when Leicester won the PL, and thought it was a marvellous story. It’s not a case of “old money” getting annoyed at an upstart.

I wonder if the same feelings were also felt when Blackburn Rovers won the PL with Alan Shearer leading their forward line.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I wonder if the same feelings were also felt when Blackburn Rovers won the PL with Alan Shearer leading their forward line.

If I remember correctly, there was plenty of sniping about Jack Walker's millions back then.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[Haywain]

It doesn’t really matter because the sad thing is a significant amount of people don’t really respect the achievement, and there is nothing you can do about that.

I don't completely agree with you. Yes, fair enough for winning it and having a great team and a decent manager (and we know what attracts those people to the club). But at the same time let's not paint it, as some of the media seem to be doing, as a fairy tale achieved against overwhelming odds.

If I remember correctly, there was plenty of sniping about Jack Walker's millions back then.

If anything there was a touch more respect because there was no attempt to hide the fact that the title was being bought.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Wonder what impact, if any, the passing of the former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, as was announced earlier today, will have as regards the fortunes of recently promoted A.C. Monza (now a mid-table Italian Serie 'A' football club following their elevation from Serie 'B' last year).

 

[VauxhallandI]

I don't completely agree with you. Yes, fair enough for winning it and having a great team and a decent manager (and we know what attracts those people to the club). But at the same time let's not paint it, as some of the media seem to be doing, as a fairy tale achieved against overwhelming odds.

If anything there was a touch more respect because there was no attempt to hide the fact that the title was being bought.

Who is hiding it at City?

Leicester was an interesting case as the traditional teams were well out of it and no one thought for a minute that Leicester were an ongoing threat and have proven that.

Oh and of course who doesn’t enjoy a laugh at Spurs!

 

[Haywain]

Wonder what impact, if any, the passing of the former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, announced earlier today, will have as regards the fortunes of recently promoted A.C. Monza (now a mid-table Italian Serie 'A' football club following their elevation from Serie 'B' in 2022).

Probably nothing good.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

If anything there was a touch more respect because there was no attempt to hide the fact that the title was being bought.

There probably was. The fact that it (briefly) interrupted the dominance of Fergie's Newton Heath helped too. Now, Citeh ARE the dominant force so they won't be given as much grace by the neutrals.

The days of a successful local businessperson bankrolling their club to league titles are long gone unfortunately. Nowadays you need the sovereign wealth fund of an oil-rich dictatorship.

 

[AlterEgo]

I don't completely agree with you. Yes, fair enough for winning it and having a great team and a decent manager (and we know what attracts those people to the club). But at the same time let's not paint it, as some of the media seem to be doing, as a fairy tale achieved against overwhelming odds.

If anything there was a touch more respect because there was no attempt to hide the fact that the title was being bought.

Well put it this way. The City team is of excellent quality and they all seem to be decent blokes. And the coach is world class. Nobody can complain about the team. Or, in fact, the old school fans who turned up in their tens of thousands in the third tier.

But one cannot *demand* respect, nor can one demand that everyone else takes the team’s achievements in the same vein as other Treble winners or outstanding sides.

City fans will always have to justify their team to other fans (trust me I am very familiar with this as an MK season ticket holder!), and that’s life I’m afraid. I don’t support Liverpool or MK to be popular with fans of other teams.