Falling out of love

What I meant was that avid home supporters, as such, will become increasingly unimportant, so my point isn't really moving away from allegiance at all. Fans used to be absolutely vital, nowadays not so much. There's a trend there. I believe it will undoubtedly bottom out but it's there all the same. The Serie A official was looking far into the future when he made his cynical point.

 

Football could get too greedy....Sky have to pay more and more...there must be a breaking point. The PL could go over to another media outlet who will be less reliable than their relationship with Sky.

 

Most of us on this board, with a few honourable exceptions, have been Saints fans since our childhoods, when we were dragged by our dads/brothers/uncles/mates to see the club we then fell in love with for life. We didn't do that by watching matches on TV, we had to go to the match and see the colours, hear the crowds, and smell the toilets. Clubs can do all the community work they like, and fair play to them for doing it, but unless they get new generations of bums on seats, the lifeblood of the club will dwindle away. If ordinary fans on average wages are priced out of going to Premier League matches, the Premier League will become something you watch on TV, like most of us watch the Champions League, without any real allegiance to whoever is playing. The people who actually do attend the games, unless they are very well-off, will do so as an occasional treat, not as something they budget for on a weekly basis. Maybe clubs in the lower leagues below will be spared this, I don't know, but it will take chairmen and directors with vision to make it happen, and the more Oystons and Ashleys there are in the game, the less likely it looks.

Sorry for the doom and gloom!

 

With all the Sky money slooshing about, clubs in the PL could afford to let us in for nothing. But better to give it all to the players and their agents, eh?

The more you think about this stuff, the harder it is not to be cynical.

 

Don't think clubs give it all away - but to progress you have to pay to get better players. And we as fans, want progression as much as the clubs do. Unfortunately it seems that instead of keeping ticket prices the same or lowering them, clubs are content with hitting the fans wallets to pay for the players' bigger wages and agents' cuts, even with all the extra money they get year on year

 

That Freud, eh? Gets you every time with one of his slips.

For many years I worked for a trade union. If watching trade unions negotiating with employers over T&C had become a spectator sport, and SKY had decided to put it on telly (stay with me) and given vast sums to the TUC, trade union negotiators would have wanted more money. Now if, say, Unite (the union world's Man Utd) had liked the cut of my gib, they might have offered me £100,000 a week to work for them rather than the £2.49 a week I got from my union. Would I have declined on the grounds of loyalty? I think not, even though I enjoyed working for my employer and supported the values of that organisation.

Even St Michael was tempted away to City. as you say. Interestingly, in '76 Saints made him the highest paid footballer in England. Didn't make him more loyal - and he is a Saints fan, for goodness sake. (Of course, this raises an interesting point about growing inequality. Can you imagine a Championship team making one of their stars the highest paid player in the country? I digress, sorry.) Channon wanted away to improve his chances of silverware - yes, I know he shouldn't have gone to City but you get the point. There are often reasons as well as money why people change jobs. Money will be a motivator, but Morgan may go to Spurs simply because he likes working with MP more than he does RK. Clyne may go to United because he'd like to sit next to Luke Shaw during matches and reminisce.

Us? We're just the mugs who buy the tickets and bloody teddy bears. But that's what we've signed up for. As long as my club conducts itself decently I'll support it. Nick Hornby said that when he became famous he had the chance to meet Arsenal players and often declined. He knew they had nothing in common - he is a fan; they are paid employees.

 

I have said for a long time that the fans are unpaid extras in a TV extravaganza.

Do the audience pay to attend live TV and radio shows and programmes?

 

Perfect summary.

 

Not at the BBC they don't. I know because I've attended the odd show and they've all been free. These were Radio 4 programmes [what else]

 

Sorry for late reply and I know the discussion has moved on but....
What I meant as others have said, is that the ever increasing money from tv rights has to reach a point where it is not economical for the broadcasters, to pay it. Football on tv becomes like boxing with huge pay-walls which leads to much smaller audiences, which leads to less money from sponsors/advertisement which leads to clubs having less money which puts a downward pressure on player wages/transfer fees and trying to attract more fans to watch live. Just speculation but quite possible.

 

Been my favourite for nearly 20 years; still dearly loved, the peat water makes it so unique!

 

If you like peaty malts, try Lagavulin, or my favourite, Caol Ila.

 

That's a wee bit silly, FLT. How on earth can a flavour of whisky be considered as important in terms of being trendy..? Either I like Laphroaig or I don't. I don't bend to a trend. As it happens, I think it is there or thereabouts in the top three Islay malt whiskies there is - according to my palate, of course.

All that Marmite and Peanut Butter on toast must set your tastebuds up nicely..!

 

its just not working out
its not what I expected
its not you it's me
I'm setting you free
you'd look better with somebody else

I'm really sorry

 

I've always thought that Mick left because his England place was under increased jeopardy the longer he played in the 2nd Div. (That in itself highlights the different attitudes in football then and now -can you imagine a England international:
a) staying for several seasons in a non-Premier League club?
b) being picked regularly for the international side whilst at a non-Premier League club?)

 

Why is it silly? It's not silly at all. I believe that due to good marketing, Laphroaig became trendy. You may not, but some people actually do get affected by these things.

By your logic, nothing can be considered trendy.

My opinion may not be the same as yours, but that doesn't make it a wee bit silly.

 

**** trends and advertising campaigns. I drink what I enjoy. I've even acquired a taste for Bourbon which goes down great when you're listening to the Blues or Jazz. It just seems right.

 

Of course Godders and that is fine And I'm not saying you or TSS are following a trend. My point was that this can happen and some people do. Of course people drink what they like too, but it doesn't stop me thinking some products are over rated.

TSS doesn't agree and so decide to belittle my opinion with "a wee bit silly" as if this never happens in life.

 

Not everyone makes a study of different products...you could see a whisky advertised, try it, like it and drink it for life. For others, it's an enjoyable hobby. Horses for courses.

 

Of course Fran, but it could also work the way I said. I have not said that is what everyone does, I simply made an observation based on an opinion. I don't think it's silly, it's an observation. By all means people can disagree, but it's certainly not a silly observation as that is how marketing forces often work.