Other European European Super League one step closer?

[ttg17]

It`s almost like signing up to a free trade agreement with lots of countries and then finding out you don`t like what it has become....

I know this is tongue in cheek but the whole situation is remarkably similar to Brexit. Clubs with delusions of grandeur, but who are in fact extremely reliant on trade with and membership of a pan-European body, decide to go it alone in the (almost certainly mistaken) belief that they can get better deals with consumers on the other side of the world. Very astute!

 

[werthersoriginal]

I know this is tongue in cheek but the whole situation is remarkably similar to Brexit. Clubs with delusions of grandeur, but who are in fact extremely reliant on trade with and membership of a pan-European body, decide to go it alone in the (almost certainly mistaken) belief that they can get better deals with consumers on the other side of the world. Very astute!

Ha ha, don't let's start (you know they've got a weak heart)!

 

[LeftSideBoy]

 

[ttg17]

I think it really depends on what happens next, because this does set up a gigantic game of chicken.

The next move is going to be on the FIFA/UEFA/Major European Leagues. Will they have the balls - as they should - to kick these 12/15 teams out of their competitions, and ban participating players from the international scene?

If they do, then it's on the 12/15 clubs. Will they be willing to see this through and set up a closed shop, NFL-style league which will be beloved by billions of armchair TV viewers across the world but absolutely hated by the vast majority of fans in their own countries? Completely alienate basically all your real fans in pursuit of the almight dollar?

If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then this will be a big change. I don't know if Sky will be able to get out of their current TV deal if the 'Big 6' are gone, but even if they can't then the next Premier League TV deal will look more like the Championship deal than the current one i.e. broadcast revenues will be about an order of magnitude lower.

They won't then be able to pay player salaries without most of the remaining clubs going bust, so the players union will be forced to the table to discuss an across-the-board salary reduction - which will presumably have to be coupled with any player that wants to being able to walk away from their deals.

So we'll end up with a weird two tier structure. An NFL-style European Super League hoovering up all the money, and an old school-style English football pyramid with clubs and players earning about a tenth of what they do today - and probably disappearing to the ESL to rake in the big cash as soon as they show some ability. Will obviously impact the other 14 Premier League sides the most, then the Championship, and the impact will be less the further down the pyramid you go.


But I suspect that FIFA/UEFA/Major European Leagues will be so terrified of that prospect that they'll make a lot of noise and then cave - meaning that all we have is a slightly more codified version of the tiered system that already exists......

Cheers.

My instinct is that the clubs and the leagues are too symbiotic for either one to actually sever ties, so I imagine it is all just an elaborate bluff and your final point is probably what will come to pass. Alarming times though.

 

[Coffin dodger]

Listening to the headlines on BBC news headlines 'disgusting, sleazy greedy etc' I wasnt sure if they were talking about ESL or the latest Tory scandal

 

[LeftSideBoy]

Listening to the headlines on BBC news headlines 'disgusting, sleazy greedy etc' I wasnt sure if they were talking about ESL or the latest Tory scandal

Probably both..

 

[Mad Dog]

Yes but I won’t subscribe, others may but I’m not sure if there will be enough drama for most. I guess they hope people in far off lands will be thrilled by the spectacle

Unfortunately, there are enough idiots around who will buy into all the bullshit, and will subscribe

 

[werthersoriginal]

Unfortunately, there are enough idiots around who will buy into all the bullshit, and will subscribe

I haven't seen any favourable comments at all so far. I guess there are a lot of uncritical kids around who will want to see 'the big teams', but I can't imagine people being keener on this than they are on the current competitions. They must be relying on millions in Africa and Asia lapping it up

 

[RyanioBirdio]

They must be relying on millions in Africa and Asia lapping it up

Which they will.

The kicker is that the money men could have been satisfied by now had the Premier League not continually relied on SKY for easy lump sums and rolling deals, and had instead moved with the times and pursued a Netflix style platform to monetise their own commercial value globally. A bunch of idiots in suits have sat there for nearly 30 years doing the same deals with the same people, and eventually a bunch of them have gone, “Sod this, we can do our own thing.” The ESL will either create its own platform or it will sign an absolutely incredible deal with someone like DAZN, which is probably more likely and will dwarf anything SKY could ever offer because it’s not only global, but completely digitised. That’s the main reason SKY and BT etc are so utterly incredulous about this - the party is over. Nobody needs to invite them.

If it does go south (I really don’t think it will to the extent that those clubs don’t play in the PL anymore) then this could be what finally makes the Premier League 2 happen. What do you do if you lose your biggest clubs? Replace them with an extra division. Even if you don’t lose them, why not finally get it done and increase the overall value of the PL brand, leaving League One and League Two floating on their own? The fact that it’s even come this close means that things will start happening now. People will be very reactionary. And as we saw with the salary cap shenanigans last year, people will vote for anything - quickly - if they’re rattled or see a chance to improve their own situation.

 

[Mad Dog]

If they have signed the letter then expel them from the Premier League with immediate effect

Agree 100%

I'd end their seasons now, relegate them with immediate effect, down into league 2, replace them with 6 Championship clubs, promote 6 league 1 clubs to the Championship, and 6 league 2 clubs up to league 1.

Then dock them all 30 points at the start of next season, ban them from all cup competitions, and ban them from the next 10 transfer windows.

Also, any players that are still there next season will have to be paid in line with the league 2 salary cap, which will mean major lawsuits for the clubs at huge financial expense, and an inevitable exodus of their players.

Punish them severely, with immediate effect, and then humiliate them thereafter!

Or simply let them go, never to return, but ban all their players, and any future players from future World Cups, Euros and Champions league tournaments, which would surely mean any players worth their salt, won't be interested anyway.

 

[Sarge]

Agree 100%

I'd end their seasons now, relegate them with immediate effect, down into league 2, replace them with 6 Championship clubs, promote 6 league 1 clubs to the Championship, and 6 league 2 clubs up to league 1.

Then dock them all 30 points at the start of next season, ban them from all cup competitions, and ban them from the next 10 transfer windows.

Also, any players that are still there next season will have to be paid in line with the league 2 salary cap, which will mean major lawsuits for the clubs at huge financial expense, and an inevitable exodus of their players.

Punish them severely, with immediate effect, and then humiliate them thereafter!

Or simply let them go, never to return, but ban all their players, and any future players from future World Cups, Euros and Champions league tournaments, which would surely mean any players worth their salt, won't be interested anyway.

....you forgot to mention (enforcing) the squad caps in there ^^

 

[Essexyellows]

So the bluster will last a week.......... or less.
Nothing will happen, the rules don`t leave many options.
The season will end.
Fans will come back.
The money men will start doing deals and then they`ll be off, probably in a slightly amended way.
They will lower the standards marginally and allow 1 up & 1 down, maybe 2 and all of a sudden there is something to play for.

Champions of 4 or 5 countries playing something like a play off to join the "Elite".

European Super League.

Premier League

Championship

League 1

League 2

And so on....

 

[Sarge]

So the bluster will last a week.......... or less.
Nothing will happen, the rules don`t leave many options.
The season will end.
Fans will come back.
The money men will start doing deals and then they`ll be off, probably in a slightly amended way.
They will lower the standards marginally and allow 1 up & 1 down, maybe 2 and all of a sudden there is something to play for.

Champions of 4 or 5 countries playing something like a play off to join the "Elite".

European Super League.

Premier League

Championship

League 1

League 2

And so on....

sadly I agree, thats how it'll very likely all end up, ...there or thereabouts ^^

 

[Paul Cannell]

Fear not, the government is on the case

 

[Mad Dog]

Fear not, the government is on the case

I can just hear Bozzer now...

"Do form a super league, but DON'T form a super league..."

 

[QR]

They are welcome to their greed and all that comes with it.
It isn`t a one way street when you forget where you came from.

Chuck them out of the PL & the FL.... we can`t ........but we can hope. Let them fly away to fairy land.

Many years ago some of ussaid that SKY would screw the game, they created the PL and that was the start.

Remember the first PPV game? Yep- Us vs Sunderland.

We can`t stop it, it will happen all we can hope is that the powers that be make it very uncomfortable, but the big brown envelopes will sort that out.

It`s almost like signing up to a free trade agreement with lots of countries and then finding out you don`t like what it has become....

You sound like the kind of person who leaves/turns off when we're two nil down.

 

[Sir Winston]

If they can get a wriggle on and put this through in the next few weeks it’d be much appreciated. Get rid of the so called ‘big 6’ and automatically move us up 6 places making us league one champions!!

It’d get rid of this stress of will we/won’t we make the playoffs!

It’s a no from me. On that basis the Scum stay up.

 

[Essexyellows]

You sound like the kind of person who leaves/turns off when we're two nil down.

Nope never have. Eternal optimist when it comes to OUFC.

Pragmatic realist when there is a shed load of money washing around.

I`m just eternally grateful that I was there for our dalliance in the top flight before it all went to rat s***.

Ironic that the local news were interviewing Leicester fans who were condemning the ESL move....... the same LCFC that paid the £3.1 million fine for breaking FFP rules to get out of the Championship.

 

[gingerox]

Very interesting discussion from Neville, Caragher and others on Sky at the moment - also live on YouTube

 

[Malc]

Very interesting discussion from Neville, Caragher and others on Sky at the moment - also live on YouTube

Yes, I'm watching it.