and so it begins. Vincent Komany (burnely boss) seems to be in city's pocket and is unimpressed by charges. Of course dressed up as oh he's not got time to think baout such things but It'd be interesting to know what journalist ask the quesiton and how it was asked as its likley a plant. Kompany uses the classic deflection, everyone's done something wrong. its is all righteousness etc
I'll watch and support Liverpool wherever they end up playing. I'm not as opposed as many, but I do think we'd end up just another team in the ESL rather than a big fish in the PL.
he'll be paid under the table the tax man will be at his door wondering where did he get all the rolexes and diamonds.
I don't even think of it that way. We're an English team and have played all my life in a league that we are part of. European football wasn't even that big a deal when I started watching and even now it's the icing on the cake for me. I don't think it's a big fish-small pond mentality, this is where we belong - this is our home, with the occasional foray abroad.
I see from the poll above most people think a small fine with close second, no punishment at all. If the choice of punishment was exclusion from the league or stripping of titles, what would be the preference?
I agree, fundamentally this is the difference between the club mentality and the franchise mentality. To some owners they see themselves as a brand owner and not in anyway linked to communities. They bought a brand and like...... i dunno, Heinz baked beans or Doritos or whatever and they can make it anywhere they like and consumers will consume. Examples in recent USA. Oakland raiders moving to las Vegas. Rams moving to Los Angeles or back to st louis or whatever. (done twice?) the only example i recall recently about a club moving is MK dons. Some clubs like brighton merged say, brighton and hove albion. What we are talking about with super leagues is a repeat of the premier league change (which was seismic) but with no route for clubs to get in and then the logical next step is take a major brand like City or Utd (in same city) and moving them to a move suitable location. Say move to dubai and be done with it! football clubs WERE part of their community and run by local businessmen as a old boys club for cigars and brandy etc. they are very far away from the community now, the fans are not even that important any more.
I understand that sentiment, I guess I'm just less sentimental than most about who we play against. I don't care if we're playing Germans and Italians every week, or other English teams. I know the history has been against English teams. I'll follow the team whichever way the wind blows whether it is a cold rainy night in Stoke, or a cold rainy night in Malmö.. I don't care about the money aspect. I don't prefer permanent European fixtures. I have to watch all my games on TV anyway, so it's not going to newly prevent me going to away games. Sure we'll, be richer in European Super League, but so will everyone else, so it won't be a benefit for the fans... The owners maybe. So in terms of what league we're in... It's one thing I'm neutral on.
its all about the fights you can have a good honest long term fight between local teams. Brighton v palace has been going on since what? 1970s? you can't buy that level of rivalry?
Maybe it's different when you're not local, though I suppose that is down to the individual - I'm not anti-plastic, so I don't want to be unfair to those who came to support the club for whatever reason, and may be just as fervent. I haven't lived in Liverpool for over 30 years, and for a variety of reasons I get to see few live games now - but those childhood and young man memories of crossing the park to all the home games and trying to get to as many away ones as possible stick with you for life. European footie is great, but it's on top of the English league for me, it can never replace it. It's like going abroad on holiday, it might be sunnier and more exotic, but your family, friends and everything you do are back home, so ultimately that's where you belong. Liverpool Football Club belongs in the English league, whatever form that happens to take.
I'm sure it makes a big difference. I really don't know that many people here that watch football so, it's not like there are rivals in the office to banter with. It's funny, when you watch a "minority sport", people in real life you meet who support your rival teams become your allies. The difference in team colours is put aside for commonality in sport. So, I'm never going to meet a Bolton fan in real life. I never was from Liverpool, I'm from mid Cheshire. Only reason I started supporting Liverpool is because in primary school in the 80's everyone used to ask "red or blue", and as I liked red more I joined the Liverpool fans (dodged a bullet there). That's literally the reason I became a Liverpool fan, not for glory, not for hometown pride, I was 5 years old and asked to pick between two colours. I have steadfastly stuck with my choice though. I have a friend who picked blue but then switched to Spurs because he liked Gary Linekar but then later became a United fan... Haven't seen him since I left England but wouldn't be surprised if he's a City fan now. But yeah, for me, isolated half way across the world, I don't care who we play, as long as it's on TV and I can watch. I don't particularly have a burning desire to rip up tradition and not play other English teams each week... But I would hate it if a European Super League appeared and we weren't part of it. I want us to be part of the peak, whatever the peak is.
I found his comments very interesting. Defection type of contents aren't they? Like he's know there's something to hide (and obviously, he would know)
This is a chance for the PL to show it has some integrity as opposed to the FA, UEFA and FIFA - all of whom have shown in the past that they can be easily cowed or paid off. Not holding my breath though. I'd love to see them severely punished, not only to take away their ill-gotten gains, but also to warn others against it in the future. This includes us, because who knows what sort of unscrupulous owners we might end up with.
