European Super League

[Sweep]

According to the Mirror, Ceferin at UEFA responding to Klopp’s concerns about having to play more games under the new Champions League format, says that it was done to save clubs. “Our reforms came about because clubs need help responding to the financial crisis. We can carry on as we are but clubs will go out of business. And who does that hurt most? The fans.”
“There can always be less matches but also the salaries of the players and the coaches have to adapt. You cannot generate less and earn more all the time.”
So it sounds like he is agreeing with Perez at Madrid in that the survival of clubs is under threat.
At the weekend Klopp said “ Ten games instead of six and no idea where to put them in. The only people who never get asked are the players, the coaches, the supporters.” He said the only reason for the new format was money. “You can’t have 20 teams in a league, 2 cup competitions, 10 international games before Christmas. These things aren’t possible.”

I suppose one possible solution would be for the teams competing in Europe be allowed not to compete in the League Cup or for it to become a cup for the Football League and not the Premier League. Maybe even the same with the FA Cup. After all, it’s been pretty obvious for years that coaches want to rest their top players for games like these by playing a blend of youth and experience and only bringing some players on when needed. Clearly coaches feel their top athletes can’t cope with the current number of games and that means bigger squads which means a bigger wage bill.
If we accept that European matches bring in more revenue than the League Cup and FA Cup then you can see why UEFA think expanding the CL is the way forward. The coaches don’t think they can cope. Something has to give and it looks like home cup competitions. More European matches, fewer home matches and no “wet Wednesdays at Stoke”. Sounds a bit like the European Super League.

It seems to me they are all the same. UEFA, ESL just fighting over who gets the money.
Maybe all that was missing from the ESL was promotion / relegation? Because unless something gives, that’s what we will eventually get anyway. Or no club to support. Apparently.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Then again, maybe clubs could stop spending £70m+ on players, paying agents tens of millions each year and laugh at a player asking for £200k per week (that's small fry compared to the demands of a Haarland, Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe etc). Football has lost the plot financially and needs to re-set itself. If it doesn't then any club going bust has no sympathy from me or many others.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Then again, maybe clubs could stop spending £70m+ on players, paying agents tens of millions each year and laugh at a player asking for £200k per week (that's small fry compared to the demands of a Harrland, Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappe etc). Football has lost the plot financially and needs to re-set itself. If it doesn't then any club going bust has no sympathy from me or many others.

That for me is a big reason why the likes of Barce , Madrid and Juve are struggling financially - having to pay the likes of Messi and Ronaldo nearly £40mil a year alone plus any bonuses etc. Messi and Ronaldo have prob pushed those clubs finances to the limit

The likes of PSG and City can find ways to soak it all up

And then it’s amusing when I read On various social media groups for Liverpool fans complaining about the fees and the wages Liverpool have spent -pointing fingers because they aren’t paying the top wages and the top fees for players. It’s a never needing circle - a lot of fans expect owners to delve into their own money and spend it

 

[larmen]

That for me is a big reason why the likes of Barce , Madrid and Juve are struggling financially - having to pay the likes of Messi and Ronaldo nearly £40mil a year alone plus any bonuses etc. Messi and Ronaldo have prob pushed those clubs finances to the limit

The likes of PSG and City can find ways to soak it all up

And then it’s amusing when I read On various social media groups for Liverpool fans complaining about the fees and the wages Liverpool have spent -pointing fingers because they aren’t paying the top wages and the top fees for players. It’s a never needing circle - a lot of fans expect owners to delve into their own money and spend it

They have seen Abramovic doing it, they expect the same. Shevchenko as a birthday present, ...

 

[GB72]

It is something that rugby is dealing with at the moment on a massively smaller scale (top players get less in a year than top footballers get in a week). The top players are looking for higher wages, the only way to afford that is to play more matches but with player welfare in mind, that cannot happen without bigger squads, which cannot be afforded without lower wages or even more matches. it is a never ending circle and rugby is having that issue even with salary caps in place (making it harder to have bigger squads). We have the same calls from those clubs with rich backers to ditch and restrictions on spending so as they can buy their way to the top but they are currently being at least delayed by the votes of clubs who are run more frugally.

Unfortunately, without global regulation, there is no easy answer. If Club A will not pay the big transfer fee, the massive wages and a few million to an agent, Club B or C will and so Club A drop behind and take the associated flack for it and do ends up spending beyond their means to try and stay at the top.

 

[Blue in Munich]

They have seen Abramovic doing it, they expect the same. Shevchenko as a birthday present, ...

https://www.givemesport.com/1531453-the-25-clubs-with-the-biggest-transfer-net-spent-this-decade

Yup, let's blame Roman, despite the fact that both Manchester clubs have a significantly bigger net spend in the last decade.

 

[larmen]

https://www.givemesport.com/1531453-the-25-clubs-with-the-biggest-transfer-net-spent-this-decade

Yup, let's blame Roman, despite the fact that both Manchester clubs have a significantly bigger net spend in the last decade.

From my view Chelsea where the 1st who pumped outside money into the squad, just a billionaire with his pet project buying cups.
City did the Chelsea thing, but later.

Not sure if united generated their money or if it was given to them.

 

[clubchamp98]

That imo is where EUFA and FIFA have failed.
They should have capped transfers and wages years ago .
But clubs are to self centred to do it themselves and look where that’s got us.
It needs cooperation from top clubs just like the ESL . Maybe.
Wonder if they have learnt any lessons.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Let’s not kid ourselves that “project big picture” and the ESL were no more than the rich getting richer and more powerful.

The ideas they had and proposed didn’t close the gap between the haves and the have nots, they widen it, and the way they were doing that was by giving the everybody more money, but the bigger slice of the money was going to them and those around them.

UEFA and FIFA also needs to be restructured as, I believe most of us would agree, they’ve been the greediest of the lot!

 

[Blue in Munich]

From my view Chelsea where the 1st who pumped outside money into the squad, just a billionaire with his pet project buying cups.
City did the Chelsea thing, but later.

Not sure if united generated their money or if it was given to them.

Not heard of Jack Walker then?

And the cups are earned by the players on the field, regardless of how they got to the club.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Not heard of Jack Walker then?

And the cups are earned by the players on the field, regardless of how they got to the club.

Jack Walker was British and bought his local football team, yes he injected money and effectively bought the title, but you can’t compare him with Roman or the many other foreign multi millionaires who have no links with the clubs they have “ invested” in

 

[Blue in Munich]

Jack Walker was British and bought his local football team, yes he injected money and effectively bought the title, but you can’t compare him with Roman or the many other foreign multi millionaires who have no links with the clubs they have “ invested” in

Why is that any less applicable to British owners Phil? If the argument is about money injected into the club that they hadn't generated it's exactly the same thing.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Jack Walker was British and bought his local football team, yes he injected money and effectively bought the title, but you can’t compare him with Roman or the many other foreign multi millionaires who have no links with the clubs they have “ invested” in

It’s fair comparison though - just because it’s someone’s local club shouldn’t change the fact that Walker piled millions into the club to buy the best players around to win trophies , he had to stop when he ran out of money.

Walker was prob the first to spend big on a lot of players in a short period of time looking for success , Chelsea before Abramovich arrived had a number of years of success under the likes of Vialli and Gullit - then Abramovich bought the club and did the same as Walker but in a grander scale

Then City who were just a mid level Prem Team after years in the lower divisions took it to the very next stage and continue to spend

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Why is that any less applicable to British owners Phil? If the argument is about money injected into the club that they hadn't generated it's exactly the same thing.

It’s fair comparison though - just because it’s someone’s local club shouldn’t change the fact that Walker piled millions into the club to buy the best players around to win trophies , he had to stop when he ran out of money.

Walker was prob the first to spend big on a lot of players in a short period of time looking for success , Chelsea before Abramovich arrived had a number of years of success under the likes of Vialli and Gullit - then Abramovich bought the club and did the same as Walker but in a grander scale

Then City who were just a mid level Prem Team after years in the lower divisions took it to the very next stage and continue to spend

I'm not disputing that he poured loads into the club and was probably the first to do so to that scale, I'm making the distinction that he had an existing connection with the town and the club, (he was born there etc) and comparing that most the current owners of the "big 6" (With the exception of Levy at Spurs), who have no history with the clubs they now own,

Thats all

 

[larmen]

Not heard of Jack Walker then?

And the cups are earned by the players on the field, regardless of how they got to the club.

No, sounds like the British version of Dietmar Hopp then.
I am only in the UK since Arsenal made it big, invincibles and such. Must have been before my time. Add ManU to the billionaire toy projects then, if you must.

Let me revise, ... well, LP already did. Started with ManU, Chelsea made it worse, City made it worse.

Probably needs Bozos or Musk to ‘improve’ on that.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I see Liverpool have posted £46m year end losses.
Does that make Annan Athletic a more viable club.