Why should football fans of League One teams and below care? We do not get any share of the obscenely big honeypot that is ruining English football so let the greedy suffer!
City do get a small share of the EPL crumbs. Mr Lansdown does care as he has voted in favour of increasing parachute payments to relegated clubs and for the EPPP for instance. Neither are for the greater good and only strengthen the EPL hold on the game. Mr Lansdown also has repeatedly referred to discussions he has with Richard Scudamore when replying to fans questions at Q&A's.
I can understand the obsession with wanting to be part of the Premier League especially when people believe they will be seeing the likes of Man Utd and Liverpool playing at their stadium. The future dreams of Barcelona and Real Madrid coming to call also whets the appetite, but the actuality of those dreams comes with potential minefields of major proportions and sometimes it probably better to stay on your comfortable side of the fence. Parachute payments are essentially rewards for failure and give those clubs who have tasted their version of success a leg up the season following relegation which presumably is designed to give them a better chance of rejoining the elite. The whole setup of the League system id designed for those who already have and forgets those that could be a part of better things. Has anything really changed since the old system of "re-election" to the league for the worst team in the league that was voted on by owners who probably received back-handers for their vote? The money bandied around the upper echelons of the Football League are obscene and yet the governing powers turn a blind eye to those who create the problems and come down hard on the teams that are struggling to survive in the over-inflated world that is football today. Sharing the wealth has disappeared from the earth and the greedy continue to fill their own bags, and those of their employees, with a total disregard for the roots of the game that pays them their blood money. Surely there is a better way, but trying to get the wealthy to understand and become part of the solution rather than being the source of the problem will never happen because they will just pick up their ball and run home to mummy.
As I put on another post a week or so ago, unless you're challenging at the top of the Prem (so not us, ever!) or fighting a relegation battle, being mid table in the top division is absolutely pointless and bland.
A rather negative if realistic view on success I wonder though if, for instance, Swansea's fans would agree with your hypothosis I wonder if supporters of Norwich, returning from the Sam Siro or Munchen back in the 80s would have subscribed to your point of view. There have been clubs that have survived in the top division for a decade who have benefited from their stay, building a local football culture and a national profile, something we have not managed since our last little sojourn upstairs. Not in Coventry, Southampton or Leicester the songs of other clubs sung by the youth of those areas, those clubs have the whole town on their side Sorry but I would LOVE to see Bristol City running out on match day one against Liverpool or Arsenal. God, people on here will be saying next that they wished 1976-80 hadn't happened because of the **** that occurred afterwards
I'd say the view is pretty much cock on. Too much money at the top that mainly goes to players, and not enough at the bottom. The Prem's a league of paranoia because most clubs are hanging by a thread. The top ones need the Euro money so fear not getting in, the bottom ones tend to have gone all in to get promotion, so relegation becomes dangerous. Money and paranoia aren't a healthy mix.
So would you really rather be in the Championship ? If you like we can swop places and you can have our spot mid-Div 1, while we inhabit the last third of the Prem for a while. If you're really lucky your team might nose dive like ours nearly did, and then you will really hit the pleasure patch. I would love to see us going toe to toe with the Manchester and Liverpool clubs, Hazard, Suarez and Aguero decorating our pitch with their brilliance, us responding like in a bygone time...
That's not what my comments were meant to infer brightred, but I know nearly all of us would like to see the top teams coming to Ashton Gate as indeed do the fans over the bridge but sometimes you need to be careful what you wish for. My point was that the wealthiest clubs pay very little, if any, attention to the likes of Bristol City and to be brutal whether we survive and prosper is of no importance to the likes of those clubs. It's a shame that "share the wealth" didn't become the motto of the Football League but then dreaming is my speciality.
Tricky question. The football experience for people that go to games is, in my opinion, far superior in the Championship. Wins mean more and losses hurt more. Football's a day out with mates. Fixture changes, prices and opposition fans make that a very different experience. Maybe I'm just not used to it. I've got to say, the prospect of Europa league and going to the arse end of Europe has crept in and appeals to me. The global coverage in the Prem is hard to take in at times and it certainly brings value to the region, which is ironic given the lack of investment from them previously. We're also in more debt than we've ever been in. So vulnerable to the whims of owners. As a football fan, I want success and I want the best for the club, that's not always the same thing. I can understand why you ask the question, and no, all things considered I wouldn't swap, but I wouldn't see relegation as the end of the world.
The point I was trying to make with this thread using Scudamore's phrase "Premier Brand", is that football should be a contest between two teams from different cities/towns/villages/countries for local pride and the joy of winning. It is not a product like a packet of corn flakes or a type of soap powder. Scudamore is not concerned about Man U having a rough season on the pitch but solely concerned with revenue dropping for TV rights.
Fundamentally football needs to reduce the "money gap" between the Premiership and the Championship (and ultimately League 1/2) to stop people spending silly money to get there. The amount spent by some Championship clubs is obscene - but (obviously) only 3 go up FFP was supposed to help, but some are already finding ways around it
I work with a Cardiff season ticket holder. He says pretty much what you have said. It's great seeing the players from the top 7-8 clubs as they are in a league of their own. Which leaves a 12-13 clubs playing who's going to get relegated. He believes the championship is more competitive and you need to be wary of teams from all parts of the championship. Sure I would love to get up there who wouldn't, seeing the clubs going toe to toe with some of them, but I do believe it will take years and years of hard work just to stay in that league. As for Europe apart from Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal Everton, Liverpool and possibly Newcastle. The only chance of Europe is the same realistic chance as we have now either winning or losing to one of the top four in the FA Cup to League Cup. Because no matter how hard people try now removing those lot from Europe is just going to be getting harder and harder.
At least our cup competitions are open to an extent still,( after the 2nd rounds.) and I hope this is never interfered with. Tennis has to be the worst example of this where the No1 and No2 seeds cannot meet unless its in the final. Its better now, but they played someone ranked about 500 in the world in the first round. This is down to money. Go to a quarter final, and the ground is half empty- The tickets have been sold, but no one is watching. If this is branding, its boring and possibly why I pay little attention to the Premier and Champions league. It really doesn't motivate me.
Why? I doubt these are going to break into the top 7, Southampton are looking good this season but will they maintain it?
