We always talk about plastic fans, but football in this country has many well supported teams even in leagues outside the PL. This is more likely to appeal in countries with big clubs that swamp the rest. The operative bit in that article is near the bottom where they reveal it is money driven....and if EUFA don't do it, someone else will.
It'll be interesting when he comes back to SKY what he has to say about La Liga as a whole. It's very common in this country for people to belittle the competition due to Barca/Real/Atletico's dominance, however people who actually watch the league will find that the lower clubs make these teams work extremely hard for their points more often than not. It always made me laugh when PL fans would point and laugh at clubs such as Eibar, Las Palmas, Gijon etc citing a lack of quality, when in reality we have had such dross was Wigan, QPR, Villa, Fulham, Sunderland, Burnley etc lighting up THE MOST AMAZING LEAGUE IN THE WORLD!! in recent years. The sooner the myth of La Liga being a weak/boring/uncompetitive league dies, the happier I'll be.
I think you may be waiting a fair while then. No less than Gary Lineker said that the reason why the Spanish League is uncompetitive is that everyone plays pretty much exactly the same way, and because Barcelona, Real Madrid, etc. have the pick of the players they always win in the end. That's other teams trying hard, not being competitive. In the UK, the PL hasn't been competitive. Nowhere near. However it has been more competitive than La Liga and in the last few seasons has grown far more competitive. Even this remarkable season we're still not talking UK Championship levels of competition here, where almost anybody could win the thing, but it's getting a lot better.
The sense of entitlement from the 'big' clubs is beyond arrogant. This comes up every few seasons, usualy when one or more of those clubs look like losing out in Europe. If the money men (Sky/Fifa) get behind it then it will happen one day. Football fans will lose interest but be replaced by 'tourists', who's money will be just as welcome, though the atmosphere at a game may be strange. But then am I being arrogant, who defines what a fan is? Those lifelong supporters (well many, not all) from the likes of Celtic, Rangers, Leeds, Newcastle etc seem to belive they should be involved because they're 'big' clubs compared to Leicester, Southampton or Watford. The last game I attended at St Marys I experienced an odd exchange between some supporters. A couple were requesting one gentleman take his seat as they could not see with him standing up. I'm usually a standing supporter but found myself feeling a lot of sympathy for the couple who were polite but insistant about this. The chap who wouldn't sit down actually had a seat several rows behind us but had joined his mates in front of them, he was also a little drunk or socially inept anyway. It was in an area of the Kingsland where sitting/standing seems to fluctuate game by game, and as it was a sell out little choice elsewhere was open to the couple as they pointed out. It was resolved by another couple swopping a few rows in front, the stewards had of course helpfully wandered off somewhere. I think that now people are paying £30-40 for a ticket expectations have changed. With the majority of clubs funding through tv deals that will eventually call the tune.
I'm of the opinion that should the "big clubs" form their own European League, then let them, but by doing so they should forfeit the right to participate in the home cup competitions as well. And then, were the European League, for any reason, to go Pete Tong, only allow them to rejoin the home leagues at the lowest level and work their way back up to the top. The Premier League would become as competitive as the Championship, without the "big guns", which might make it more enjoyable as a spectacle and competition.
I don't think that's going to happen now. Certainly not for a long time. There's so much money in the PL now and there's little point in sharing it out with the rest of Europe. Or so I should think the biggest PL clubs would think. If you're talking about clubs like Celtic, who have absolutely nowhere to go but backwards, then a European league would make sense to them, I would imagine.
What the deuce is going on? Tennis balls at a football match!! It was the reaction of Borussia Dortmund fans protesting against some of the ticketing prices for their game at Stuggart!!! It ended game, set and match to Dortmund.
Incidentally, I read on the BBC Sport website about recently deceased Phil Gartside's contribution to football governance, and one of the things he proposed was getting Celtic and Rangers into the English leagues in 2009, but it was vetoed by PL clubs. So that's twice, to my knowledge that the Old Firm has been turned away. The other time was in 2001, I believe.
Is the England squad get together so that Roy can tell the players, from "small" clubs, which of the "big" clubs they should move to, in order to stay in his squad? I'm already anticipating the media rumours "Liverpool want Forster and Bertrand", despite them being behind us in the table.
Lavezzi joining Hebei Fortune. He will earn €13m for his first season going up to €15m per season for the next two.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z9j9j6f Yuk!! It is nice to see there are three clubs in Europe Manchester United will never surpass. And if Manchester United have over 600m fans worldwide, Barca must surely have double that with their stunning line-up of players.
Ahh shame, Trifan Ivanov, hero of Bulgaria's run to the '94 semi finals has died aged 50 of a heart attack. Also the man who looked most like a werewolf mid change of anyone ever... http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35568893
