In my navy days I did actually do that....Needless to say....it caused quite a stir as you can imagine a few yobbo's wanted to take it out on me but were mainly stopped by the other supporters who just laughed. I am not sure but Pompey where playing Leeds I think...............
Can't see it but I wish it would. Be the best thing to happen to English football in years. Hopefully they'd take the money and VAR with them too.
I assume we are talking about the Big Six, one of whom finished 8th last year, and 2 others of which finished 8th and 10th in 2016, the year Saints finished 6th? I’m asking just to clear up any confusion anyone might be feeling.
The breakaway plan is effectively a murder-suicide pact. The revenues to be had from a European super-league would, I'm quite certain, end up being less than the revenues to be had from playing domestic football plus Champions League. The novelty would wear off after a couple seasons, but it would have also done such damage to the domestic leagues as to make reconciliation difficult. It's either a very stupid plan or a bluff. I tend to lean toward the latter.
Worth reading indeed it Marshall's the salient points well. Can only hope the widespread condemnation will result in changes to the plan. Parry the Judas here, his craven attempts at justifying the 'brave new world' deserve his immediate dismissal.
I think the main goal of the big six here is to get the league reduced to 18, and potentially reform the League Cup (whether that's totally abolishing it or changing the rules so sides qualified for Europe can opt out of it). That way they'd have the extra capacity to play more European games and that's what I think their aim is. The other stuff they've thrown in is probably just chancing their arm to see how much they can squeeze out of their position. We'll know more after the clubs have all discussed it today.
I used to hate the idea of the "big 6" breaking away, but as time goes on I am really coming round to the idea of them pissing off. The issue would be having to manage how we cope with the sudden drop in revenue whilst still having a high wage bill for x years. The other thing to consider would be, we don't like our top players getting snapped up by the big clubs now, that will only get worse if the break away did happen. But the benefits would be a more competitive league, cheaper to watch and it would essentially take football back to an era where the top 2/4/6 will regularly change and success is earned through clever transfers and managers with great tactics. As oppose to Liverpool, who bought the most expensive keeper & CB in world football and claim they didn't buy success.
I think a new top 4/6 would take its place (likes of Everton, Leeds, Villa etc) but the gap would be nowhere near as big as it is now. All the money going out of the game would be a good thing imo and they can take VAR with them too. Doubt it'll happen anyway.
The most dangerous thing to this is that it can't be undone....if (when) it turns out to not be the wonderful thing that some EFL clubs think it is, the power of the top 6 clubs will always mean there is no going back. In fact, they could force through even more unpopular changes. I know football is a business (especially towards the top) but it is more than that...the top 6 view the present system in the same way as M&S would view being asked to bail out a corner shop...but football occupies a place in peoples' hearts that bean counters will never understand. Be interesting to know how fans of the top 6 feel. Perhaps they are more normal fans than we think...perhaps.
P.s. Just did a completely non-scientific scan of a ManU forum to gauge opinion. A surprising number of people who also see it as a disgraceful power grab...with a few nasty comments about any team outside the top sides.
Fan groups of all the top 6 released a joint statement condemning it yesterday. Good on them. Guessing the actual matchgoers would be against it while the fanboys couldn't give a toss.
Really pleased with that....not because it has any real effect, but because it restores my faith in other fans. Perhaps the fans of the top 6 aren't complete tossers
