Off Topic Tottenham a Founder Member of a Breakaway European Super League

The Big 6 of the PL plus the 3 big Spanish and Italian clubs are expected to announce a breakaway later tonight.

It's no surprise that we're in it. The stadium was always part of a desire to mix it with the elite in Europe. Whether it's a good idea....?

https://www.skysports.com/football/...x-english-teams-involved-sky-news-understands

Have at it...

 

I do find it funny that people are forgetting/ignoring that the Premier League was founded by a group of clubs breaking away from the Football League

Of course, the fact that Uncle Rupert made a ****ton of money from this happens, while he likely won't make a penny or cent from the European Super League might have something to do with the obvious double standards

 

Probably not because it won't be worth televising.

 

Think it's disgraceful... the league should immediately ban them imho.

It'll kill off me being a spur if we join that.

When you make City's owners look decent you know you've ****ed up...big time.

Football has changed...some of it is fantastic imo.
Safer grounds, no fighting on the terraces, more kids, more non white fans, more games on TV etc.

Some of it worse...stupidly high ticket prices, worse atmosphere, little or no player loyalty, obscene wages, fewer clubs winning trophies etc.

But this change kills football as it is purely about money for the richest clubs...no relegation etc.

Not for me...Will view it like AFC Wimbledon fans viewed things with MK Dons.

 

We were one of the "big 5" along with Liverpool, Arsenal, United, Everton that pushed for the Premier league.

Liverpool failed to win it for the first 28 years, and it took Everton 13 years to get into the top 5 and Spurs 14 years to get into the top 5.

If this goes ahead I hope a worse fate awaits all involved

 

I’ve posted my views on this before but I think it’s a farce and ultimately will not succeed on its own merits, it’ll just be one of those things that’s ‘too big to fail’.

The novelty and excitement that comes from playing European teams comes from the fact that it’s an achievement just to qualify for the competitions in the first place, and obviously then that you play different teams each time. Playing the same big European clubs season after season will soon get stale in a way that playing the big English clubs doesn’t, because there’s a natural rivalry within the league that exists. This is a clear dismissal of the domestic fanbases that these clubs exist for spiritually, and is a colossal middle finger to fans who pay good money and have had these clubs in their families for generations, going week on week home and away. Playing big European teams every week only appeals to foreign fans and without wanting to be jingoistic and say they’re not ‘real fans’, the fact is that they’re not the lifeblood of the clubs. They’re not the reason our clubs exist.

Comparisons to the PL breakaway are apt in some ways but although that was a money/power grab to an extent, the fact ultimately remains that any team in the football league pyramid can aspire to be part of the PL, and it preserves participation in the domestic cups and preserves those domestic rivalries that are so important to fans. This new proposal, to my understanding is a completely different kettle of fish as it’s a closed shop and has no respect for the traditions and fans and rivalries in the domestic game.

I know I’m not alone in saying this, that if this project goes ahead and Spurs are a part of it, then I’m done with the club.

 

The most peculiar thing about this whole move is that the only obvious potential gain is to non-PL sides, as they scramble to close the ever widening financial gap. But if nearly half the splitters are PL sides, this Super League or whatever they're calling it will only serve to further lock in global sporting finance in the PL's direction.

For the PL itself, it will serve to further widen the gap between the 'chosen few' and the peasantry. Again, not at all surprising given the emergence of the likes of Leicester and West Ham as forces, together with the return of big clubs such as Villa and Leeds. Acting now ensures that little group of upstarts remains irrelevant in the long run.

Ironically, it was the PL's somewhat socialist approach to sponsorship that enabled it to establish itself as the most competitive and exciting league in world football in the first place. I was very young at the time, but I remember watching Serie A highlights on channel 4 "Goooooooaaalazzzzooo" and just being mesmerised at how superb those players were compared to the packhorse tripe that populated the PL.

The speed at which those tables turned had a hell of a lot to do with the football and great rivalry Ferguson and Wenger brought to the league, but also due to simple policies such as parachute payments and fixed distribution of TV revenue rather than individually negotiated deals that blighted and ultimately ruined leagues such as La Liga.

Case in point: I remember calculating when Huddersfield went down that through parachute payments and TV money, they stood to bring in €90m more than the equivalent team in La liga (might have been Getafe, not sure), all because the likes of Real and Barca are allowed and indeed encouraged to negotiate directly with broadcasters and take the lion's share of proceeds. The trickle down effect of the PL's approach is both profound and obvious. It enabled Leeds and Villa to rise from obscurity. It gives the likes of Blackpool, Huddersfield and Bournemouth the chance to reach the promised land.

 

BBC News - European Super League: Uefa and Premier League condemn 12 major clubs signing up to breakaway plans
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56794673

Agree with Neville at the end of this

 

Ultimately UEFA is now reaping the blight that they've sowed for so many years. They pushed and pushed for larger and lengthier european competitions that pose little more than a waste of time and energy for the biggest clubs. Talk of expanding the CL to 36 entrants and the new Europa Conference League creating yet another tier of international club football were probably the final nails in the coffin.

UEFA were driven by money in their decision making process but for the vast majority of Europe's biggest clubs, the EL is pointless in terms of standard of competition until as late as the QF while financial gain for everyone bar the outright winners is negligible compared to what could be gained by sacking off the competition entirely, sparing players fatigue and injuries and finishing a few places higher in the PL.

With the CL expansion seeing more qualifying rounds and 10 'group stage' matches against average opposition, is it any wonder that the big clubs have no interest in playing 60 games a season when 12 of them are irrelevant?

UEFA took the rubber band, stretched and stretched, and now it has snapped.

 

https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/ne...-clubs-announce-new-super-league-competition/

As far as I’m concerned this is a complete betrayal of the club’s fan base, ethos as a community club, and everything that we as Spurs have thought we stood for as a traditional English club. They’re saying that they will continue to compete in domestic competitions but I cannot see that being allowed by the PL and I imagine other leagues will be just as stringent in banning the founding clubs and probably other participants too. On a practical level and on principle I am utterly, utterly against this.

Even if this gets walked back I don’t think I want to give another cent to ENIC after they’ve pulled this stunt. And if it actually ends up happening then I’m done with this club.

I hope this board survives if it does come to pass and we can all find other things to talk about. If I was in the UK I would be fully supportive of any efforts to build a ‘phoenix club’ and maybe that’s where the discussions will flow.

There used to be a football club over there. One that believed in doing things the right way. I hope this isn’t the death of the club we all love, but I fear it is.

 

"Solidarity payments"

 

For those who don’t know (I didn’t until about 10 mins ago), the ECA is the only industry body representing European football clubs that is recognised by UEFA. I assume that splitting from this is a fairly major step.

 

****s. ****ing ****s.

 

Same here. I was already close to being done with the club as it was, but this'll probably be the final straw.

And it's a good time for a clean break too. The football under Poch was the best I've seen in my lifetime and leaves me with endless happy memories. Despite the disaster of a season we've had, it has been a pleasure watching Kane hit yet another level and Bale (briefly) rolling back the years. The new stadium is truly magnificent and attending the opening match will forever remain in my fondest memories.

But all good things come to an end.

Maybe Levy appointing Maureen was actually a masterstroke in softening this latest blow for Spurs fans in that we already couldn't give a ****e about most of the players or the club hierarchy.

 

Not a chance in hell I’m going to any of these games. Honestly never thought I could hate my own football club, it’s pissed me off and annoyed me god knows how many times and there are particular players I hate/ despise for their attitude and lack of effort but I’ve never hated the club as a whole, until now.

Absolute ****ing ****ers.

 

Also worth noting that Andrea Agnelli, Juve chairman, was also (I assume it’s a ‘was’ now) chairman of the ECA and was (again, probably ‘was’ now) part of the UEFA Executive Committee, is slated to be Vice Chairman of the new Super League.

 

I generally don’t like the THST but good on them for this.

 

I think it’s generally a thankless task they have but I agree with every word they’ve written.