It's saturated already so the idea of "new money" clubs like Newcastle and potentially Spurs doing what Chelsea and City did a couple of decades ago by buying the best players for obscene amounts is not going to happen because they've got other clubs with obscene amounts of money doing the same. They're the most likely to be fcked. Where I disagree is that clubs like LFC or United would go bankrupt due to a lack of success. Firstly, we wouldn't just be relying on our obscene money to buy players, it's the stature of the clubs that would be the primary bargaining chip. Secondly, as we've seen with the Glazers and with Henry, they'll still turn a tidy profit whether we win trophies or not bcos of our various revenue streams. Yeh there's only so many trophies that can be won and we can't win one every year but tbh I don't see the Qatari or Saudi's doing it for the love of the sport. That's just a driver, the cherry on top. Some crown princes being the ones who sit in the Bernabeu as Livpl or United lift the CL Trophy, that's all.
My fear is, if you have six oil money clubs trying to buy glory, the spending gets ever sillier until it pops. Can any club afford a starting XI on a million a week wages?..that's where wages might cycling up to if everyone is trying to out buy each other. First to fall will be Chelsea because their owner just isn't rich enough to keep up with the oil money.
It's just beyond ridiculous with the wages. How the fck can they sustain what they're paying out already? Cos it sure as **** aint from the season tickets.
I thought it was obscene over a decade ago - but it's gotten steadily worse. I don't know how people can justify it. Even if I disapprove, I can sort of see how the mega-rich live their lives oblivious to anything outside of their circle, but football is a people's game and those inside it have just become increasingly remote from those that sustain it. I get disheartened when I see football fans clamouring for more and more dirty money to be shovelled in.
I KNEW folk liked lists. you've also admitted there's pros. this is of anything even more ego boosting.
Not sure that’s right. The pros of you not being here aren’t much of an ego boost… surely that’s the cons? Also, don’t ask what the cons were…
Yeh I agree. I remember the whole furore around Rooney wanting £140k a week back in 2010 iirc. And that was directly as a result of the wages City were paying their players. At the time I remember thinking, how the fck are we going to afford that?! And now we have players on 400k a week. The thing is, I think had there not been a City or Chelsea then players right now would be happy to be getting under £100k pw. Players back in the late 90's and early 00's were earning £50k pw and becoming multi millionaires and absolutely made for life. I doubt anyone would be crying about £80k - £90k right now. Even though that's more than what any fan earns, the point is they'd be less corrupted by the obscenity of the amounts nowadays.
I can't help but pine for the days when the owners of clubs normally had a connection with them though the improved facilities are very welcome as someone who regularly used to be carried to a seat and if i was in our end had no chance of seeing a goal and even the buildup was unlikely
the fact that without even asking you've admitted there were pros or cons just means yez all love me really.
I've heard lots about the Saudi's investing in, and regenerating the area around SJP as well as investing in community projects. If true I'm not sure what the motives are - genuine interest in the local community or PR exercise.
