Good post Queens...... In addition to Sky we should also look at UEFA as well because they have effectively created a cartel in all the major European Leagues where the same sides win the League and the same 3 or 4 sides qualify for the Champions League (with the odd exception) thereby ensuring that these preferred sides have so much more money than the rest that the best that can be hoped for is Mid Table Mediocrity. Look at Arsenal for instance they have qualified for Champions League 12 seasons running without once coming close to winning the League title, how is that good for the game? The only thing these organisations have done is ensure that the rich clubs have got richer and the rest have fallen into debt trying to either keep up or join the elite. As Sky's marketing says they show "all the games that matter" in other words all the top 4 clashes, games like Hull v QPR don't really interest them, they would only show such game due to contractual obligations, plus in the build up to such games they would discuss what is happening at City, Chelsea, Utd, Liverpool etc. We are incidental to what happens at their preferred clubs.
Also Swords...for all that is wrong with football now-a-days...please see: Adel tarrabt SWP Winston Bogarde Boswanka....etc.....How much have these players sucked out of the game a clubs Pre Sky they would have been f-d off without a penny for being t**ssers. Now because of the high profile, **** players can hold clubs to ranson...There is an endless list of almost rans and has-beens to add to this list...!
I always thought football was the game of the people. Sky/The premier league have ttaken that away by flushing the game with greed. That attracted the other scurge of the game, agents. Mind you greed has been responsible for much away from football too, but lets not open that can of worms on here.
That's very harsh Tramo. I think Sky's coverage of our games is exemplary. Naturally the huge Clubs going for the title are going to get more but we're amply covered. We get a load of televised games now that we wouldn't have before. I find it hard to believe that a guy living in far flung Tramore isn't glad he can get to watch the Rangers a few times a season at home/down the pub whereas before you'd not get to see them at all, save for travelling over once or twice a season. Queens knows the value of having replays for example. All the contentious issues are dealt with by the various camera angles at HT and FT. Its a great night/afternoon out as far as I'm concerned. Beer and football. Brilliant!
That's the Club's fault mate. We signed those wasters. We should never have gone near them. And any money they sucked out of the Club is money that was pumped in by TV in the first place.
In a way I think you are slightly missing the point Swordsie, sure it's great that Sky/BT Sport show our games live, we've had 8 televised games so far 4 home & 4 away out of 20 games, but we are the only club in the Prem that will not be shown live during January and February.There is probably a contractual obligation to show each team so many times per season and that is being achieved. It is still rediculous to think that someone at Sky decided to move the Everton away game to a Monday night the week before Christmas and then the club get slatted for only a couple of hundred fans travel to the game. As i said earlier the fans are not considered by the TV companies it is now the armchair fan who is considered important and that in my book is wrong.
No its sky money we never wanted nor needed. there are a dozen of these pricks at every club, nit just us. Without sky we'd never have been able. Facts are..Sky are getting richer and our fns are getting poorer..not a good long term prosect ?
So we're not on in Jan or Feb but if you had your way we'd never be on! I can't see how a guy out in wind-swept Tramore is complaining that he can get to see his beloved Rangers on TV up to 15 times a season. Exactly. And isn't it great? I'm overjoyed by it. How could you complain about that down in Waterford man?!!! Who's slating the Club? Besides, those who didn't go presumably sat down and watched it on TV because it was more convenient for them. Its unfortunate that there are some casualties and I understand their frustration but progress always leaves some people behind I'm afraid. They've got to reduce the prices, that's what they have to do. But rescheduling games for TV is very necessary, if very frustrating for the match goers. The overall outcome of the game compared to the pre PL era is incomparable IMO. We, for example, have followers right across the World where we'd never have had before. Its a global game now. If you don't embrace it you'll be left behind.
Sorry Swords, but I don't think its progress to let you watch any game you want on telly at the cost of changing the economic structure of the game to such an extent that the league is uncompetitive, relegated teams are at huge risk of financial implosion so that the main objective of at least 12 out of the 20 PL teams is to avoid relegation, devaluing the cup competitions because of their panic to 'rest' players for the league. This is the core of why the game has been 'ruined'. The economics of it, always dodgy, have been warped hugely, and everybody - fans, players, owners seem to believe it will go on forever, more and more billions being thrown at it by TV, just like the idiots who gave us the recession by believing stockmarkets always grow exponentially. I think there will be a crash, eventually, just like the stockmarkets. And I will welcome it. If they shared the PL TV cash amongst all the league clubs rather than just the PL ones it woud immediately mean some sense would have to return to transfers and salaries, and teams lower down the pyramid could achieve some stability and even develop. And you would still get to watch everything you want. But it won't happen because the greedy bastards who make the decisions will never relinquish their sweaty grip on the cash.
Good points again Stan but how is the league uncompetitive? At the moment we have the two best teams in the Country separated by alphabetical order. We have another great tussle down a bit for the Champions League spots (another by-product of Sky), another 4 or 5 going for the Europa and then another 8 or so in a fascinating mini-league trying to avoid the trapdoor. I can't see anything wrong with that either. I find it enthralling. If the Clubs run themselves properly there's no chance of them imploding. Its their own fault if they do. With no TV money, what would we have? The Cup competitions need not be devalued if Clubs don't want them to be. Clubs make the choice to devalue them. I don't see anything inherently wrong with the Cups being reduced in stature. Its a by-product of the free market in football terms. Natural selection if you like. We can attempt to go on a Cup run tomorrow if we so wish. Hull did it last year and very nearly won it. I'd choose league position if I had to though. As would most Chairmen. Again, I don't think there's anything wrong with that either. Things change and evolve. Some folk might mourn the loss of the FA Cup as it once was but the younger generation won't give a fiddlers. Nor should they. Will there be a crash? Only if the owners and shareholders overreach themselves. Arsenal haven't got dragged into a spending frenzy and they're doing alright. Yes there's big concerns over the likes of City and Chelsea purely because of the player's contract sizes. I'm not saying its perfect but its entertainment on a ferocious level, unprecedented in international sporting history. And the people can't get enough of it. Its a legal high practically everyone is doped up on. And I think its great
Ironically, I think that now football fans (and by football fans I mean not just those who support a particular club) can, thanks to Sky and BT, watch more live games more cheaply than ever. Bottom line is that most supporters can't afford / don't have the time / don't have the inclination to go to all of their own club's games, and televised football is a very welcome substitute for many We should not forget that for many supporters the cost of a matchday ticket is only a minority of the cost of the matchday itself. For example, our trip to Burnley next weekend - £25 for an adult ticket but, for me, twice that for the rail fare, plus food etc. In all probably the cost of a 2 month Sky subscription I don't have Sky, and never will so long as I can keep going to matches, but I do think that Sky's involvement is far from the straight negative that many fans believe
I think we are at risk of repeating ourselves endlessly now.......I'm not arguing for NO TV money, or less football on TV (though I personally could live without it. I have BT Sport because it comes with my expensive fibre optic broadband but rarely watch the English games, usually Italian or German when I remember. No way would I get Sky, the hype is too offputting). I'd be happy with much less TV money, or a much more equitable sharing of it, becuse I think this would change the economics. But I don't see why it should cost the English more than twice as much to watch live football either on TV or at the ground than any other major European league. We are being ripped off. It's an affront. The crash will come through over saturation of the market (or some kind of crisis at Sky). But I'm not holding my breath. I think its uncompetitive in that its almost unthinkable than any one other than one of 3 clubs can win the league, and every year the economics of the game reinforce this. To be fair, its similar, or even worse, elsewhere in Europe. The way the TV cash is shared in Spain is even more unfair than here. But at least the cost to the fans is more reasonable.
After reading his Sky promo on this thread I've had a 'Eureka moment', Swords is actually Rupert Murdoch!...
That's coffee spat all over my desk again!!!! Pa ha ha. Edit: Just wanted to add I'm not agreeing that Swords is he, but the concept cracked me up.
Thanks lads Some fantastic posts from all I( by default ) have to go with Swords because our coverage is brilliant, but, some very good points made both for and against..... And not an Adel in sight Thanks... Wod be interested to hear from others esp Col, Yorke, Danish , nines..........
