Off Topic Political Debate

Oh yeah i get that but don't non EU players have to fulfill certain rules in order to get permits? I'm sure at one point players had to be internationals or similar.

 

Work permits will only be issued to international football players of the highest calibre who will be able to make a significant contribution to the development of the game of football in the United Kingdom at the highest level.
In order to establish on an initial application that the player is an international player of the highest calibre the following criteria must be met:

• A player must have player for his country in at least 75% of its competitive A team matches of which he was available for selection, during the two years preceding the date of the application
  
  
• The player’s country must be at or above 70th place in the official FIFA world rankings when averaged over the two years preceding the date of the application
  

 

I haven't got involved in this discussion because I don't believe that it is my place to comment on your domestic politics. However, I cant help wondering how the Pozzos will respond if the UK leaves the EU. Will it make it harder for them to manage the three clubs in the way that they can now?

 

I don't think it would just be Watford that would be in some difficulties, but probably half the PL teams. Looking at the Arsenal team tonight some of them would not have qualified for work permits from the UK government yet could play tonight because of their EU status. Quite what effect this would have on Sky and BT contracts when they are renewed can only be guessed at, but I would be surprised if they would offer so much money again. I suspect it would have the effect of the richest clubs obtaining the international players who do qualify, and making the PL even more uneven than it is at present.

 

The UK will issue a new rule that any EU person that has lived and worked in the UK from say AUG 2015 will have the right to work permit . unless UKIP get in.In which case even the scots have to go home back over the wall

 

More scare nonsense, The UK government would make decisions that would enhance the chance of success including retaining the EPL as the best league in the world.

 

What makes it the best league in the world? This is a genuine question. In terms of excitement it isn't as good as the Championship. In terms of teams, none match the best in Spain or Germany.

 

Not sure if the British government could influence this - if the UK. actually left then would the Bosman ruling still be in force ? The Bosman ruling only exists because of the EU. outside of it we may have restrictions imposed. As an extra I'm not sure how you come to the certainty that the EPL is the best in the World - how many British clubs have been going through to the last 8 of the Champions League in recent years ?

 

It's more Little Englander nonsense fuelled by Sky advertising...

 

I would echo the sentiments of our recent players arriving from Spain /Italy etc who consider the EPL to be the most exciting due the competitiveness and the fans /stadiums etc. In many other leagues there is domination by only 2 or 3 teams. In contrast, especially recently, the rewards from the tv deals enjoyed by the EPL are shared more equally between clubs. This season has proved that.

On Brexit the UK would be included within many European agreements, no reason not to as it benefits all.

 

I'm sure a lot of the overseas players come here only for the money . Bournemouth , Watford and Swansea have far from impressive stadiums when compared to the huge grounds elsewhere .
..and as for the fans , we could not even fill the Vic last Saturday when Leeds bought down 4100 ...Things have greatly improved at the Vic , but I see little passion from the watching the majority of fans attending premier league games at the Vic and elsewhere ... Only an ever ageing audience of the comfortably well off . Lower league games are often played out in front of half empty grounds .
Vastly overpaid players , agents and hangers on are slowly bleeding the game dry in this country .
Despite the huge amount of money coming into football , the beautiful game is in decline in Britain . Future / current threats include the rise of China ( I think the Pozzos and Watford could do well here ) and the import of America Football .

 

For all you accuse us of scare stories you're simply crystal ball gazing. There are no precedents for a lot of what you are predicting. That's not to say it won't happen - it is just possible that having just told our closest neighbours to bugger off the world will be beating down a path to our door to do business with us - but it's very far from certain.

 

The Bosman ruling whilst confirms that footballers are included in the free movement of workers within the EU, it also confirmed that FIFA regulations concerning the ownership of a players contract at the end of a contract did not comply with standard contract law with the EU. At the end of the contract term the "owning" club had no further "ownership" of the player and that player was free to undertake a new contract with a new club. This would equally apply in a Britain outside of the EU. Why is there an assumption that any laws or rulings that had been made during Britain's membership of the EU will be no longer valid - why would a Britain outside of the EU tear them up? The European arrest warrant is enshrined in British Law, the European Convention of European Rights is enshrined in British Law. It's another scare story being trotted out.
Isn't the question "Is the EPL the best league in the world" - assuming it is, the next question is how to you measure best and what factors do you include in best? If you measure it in terms of competitiveness, overall excitement, attendance - then it would be up there. Spanish league is dominated by 2 teams, German & French leagues by 1 team. At the recent Granada v Real Madrid match, there were more RM players than supporters at the game! But in terms of skill and success in the Champions League then it is lacking. I don't have much experience of football in South America or the fast growing Chinese league, so could not compare these either. But I would say that overall, the English football leagues are very far ahead of most countries in Europe. You just do not see the same level of support and passion in Europe as you would in a Exeter v Carlisle match.

 

There were more Real Madrid players than RM fans at the recent Granada v RM match - apart from the big clubs, the support in Europe is very poor

 

W_Y the average attendances in the 1 Bundesliga are 8-10,000 higher than in the Premier League. Try going to Schalke, Borussia Dortmund, Cologne, HSV, Hertha Berlin etc. with all of their standing terraces and then tell me that European support is very poor.

 

Yes the averages in the Bundesliga are higher, but as you say they have standing terraces so their stadiums hold more and the averages are skewed by a smaller number of top clubs with very large home crowds. What about their 2nd & 3rd divisions? How many do Borussia Monchengladach get at home? What about the Spanish & French leagues - if you are claiming that European Support is not poor, you probably need to look outside of Germany.

 

I think the Championship has the fourth highest average attendance of any league in Europe - though may be fifth. It's all subjective but clearly we like our football - doesn't really matter whether it's best or not as far as I am concerned!

 

German crowds are 8,000-10,000 up in the 1 Bundesliga and are about the same at the 2nd level, but this depends a lot on who is there - Cologne, Hertha Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt (all, big well supported clubs, have been there). At the 3rd and 4th levels German support falls away sharply (No German equivalent of Portsmouth). German crowds are helped, as you say, by standing areas (also many stadiums were updated at no cost for the clubs themselves - because of the 2006 World Cup). There are also very few city derbies in Germany, no equivalent of Liverpool v Everton or United v City and so a club like Borussia Dortmund gets the entire footballing support from the whole city (as opposed to sharing it). As a rough guide FC. Cologne are in the 1st tier and get around 48,000 average, Fortuna Cologne (3rd level - 5,000) and Victoria Cologne are at the regional level with crowds only just over 2,000. Hamburg, Berlin and Munich all have shared support within the city but it is nothing like the eye to eye relationship between some local English clubs.

 

Interesting to see a group of Army generals in the Telegraph making a strong statement on the need to stay in the EU

 

The Queen’s corgis, which have been described as a “moving carpet” preceding her as she walks round her royal residences, have become almost as emblematic of the British crown as their famous owner.

So few will be surprised to learn that Her Majesty likes to treat them like royalty, dispensing succulent dishes of steak, rabbit or chicken from individual menus and served from silver and porcelain borne by a liveried servant.

A stickler for protocol, she employs a rigid pecking order, with each receiving their dishes in order of seniority.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/22/queen-makes-dogs-dinner-of-corgi-hierarchy