I know I’m pretty much probably on my own here but I’m just so uneasy in the current climate that Premier League Clubs are still looking to spend millions on players given we’re not at the end of this pandemic and god knows what the future holds for Clubs up and down the leagues! Just doesn’t sit right with me and I include my own Club and recent transfers. Fwiw I’m not saying City, Utd, Chelsea etc should help bail out Clubs struggling to cope but the whole situation just feels weird for me.
I'm amazed about this in the case of United especially. You're talking about a club who have relied on their academy over the years and thus grassroots football as a production line of that talent.
Arsenal have confirmed they are proposing 55 redundancies due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the club's finances.— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 5, 2020 I mean this is sort of what Im on about, people are being made redundant within football but Clubs are spending huge sums on players and wages etc. It just doesn’t sit right for me whatsoever when players earn 100k a week plus and so many people losing their jobs! Time for a more stricter salary cap or something in my opinion even though that prat Gordon Taylor will not agree! Say cap salaries at 100k a week in the top leagues, there’s absolutely no reason people can’t live in this sort of wage and Clubs can continue to provide employment to thousands of people that rely on the income.
Spot on. Club football has been disgusting for years but this is a new level of cynicism. I can't believe this tribalism between fans still exist in this situation. (I know it is but it seems more and more silly to think for example Arsenal are better than the others.)
You also had Newscastle fans last week essentially dismissing and condoning the heinous behaviour of the Saudi's all because it means they'll not be able to buy some trophies. I just don't understand how some fans lack the ability to pinch themselves and get their priorities in order. Instead, so many see their football club and football as a whole as the be all and end all, even if it comes at the cost of supporting intellectually and morally in defensible viewpoints.
To be a fan in such extent of a football club nowadays is getting more and more like being a fanatic of Shell, or Microsoft or Coca-Cola.
I think part of it may be that because a lot of fans, especially those of the big clubs, are part of the community their club is in, or will ever even visit the community. I live in a town (120k) where the football club is the hub of it and gets 20k average attendances in the 3rd tier - when the club does things wrong the whole town (and county) suffer. Do Arsenal fans, spread all over the country and the world, really care that 55 people have lost their jobs in a part of London they never go to? EDIT - With regards to Newcastle though I find it a bit harsh. If the UK Government are prepared to deal with the Saudi's, then expecting football fans to hold a higher moral standard than the Government is unfair. Obviously some go too far and pretend that they are geopolitical experts and defend them to the hilt, but the majority just see it as a chance to get rid of Ashley, and have some regeneration of the area, a la the sportswashing at Man City
Can’t wait for the same Clubs that vote against 5 subs then complain about their players getting injured, fatigued and playing too many games next season and not to mention the moaning when Internationals are due.
I beg to differ regarding your last paragraph. Whilst I agree that the government doesn't set a good example by dealing with the Saudi's, ultimately moral standards should come from within an individual. They shouldn't be dependent on watching what other people are doing. I agree with you that I don't believe Newcastle fans were necessarily condoning the Saudi's and their actions, they were looking at it from a sporting point of view. I think my point is that there is too much of a false equivalence in the eyes of football fans between football suffering and actual, real life suffering. Football has taken up too much importance in the lives of some fans, so much so that they have lost sight of and can't relate to the bigger issues being faced by people elsewhere in the world. Even worse, some fans are willing to turn a complete blind eye towards it and even condone it in some cases, just because it aligns with the ambitions of their football team. Basically, I understand Newcastle fans were disappointed with the outcome because of the sporting implications it would have for them. My point was that football fans in general need to take a step back and realise that success can't and shouldn't come at any cost. I think Newcastle are a great club and wish them well, but the Saudis weren't the answer, either for them or the league and even football in general.
I know it's not quite as simple, but the Saudi's are a regime that Government's of all colours in this country have dealt with, and I do understand the point with regards to individual morals but you can't exist in modern life without giving compliance to a terrible regime - which I appreciate is different to cheerleading for it
That was absolutely brutal! I think it’s safe to say that Barca are going to need a serious reboot! Bayern were just absolutely ruthless and are going to take some stopping this season.
I think it's safe to say they've been the best club in Europe this season. Them destroying Tottenham 7-2 in London really made a huge statement. Could you imagine if they played a second leg!?
Germany have to be taken extremely seriously as one of the favourites now for next summer if it goes ahead. I actually think if we go purely on current form then they'd likely finish ahead of France in their group. I know a lot can change and France still have tonnes of quality, but it's just hypothetical I guess. If Bayern manage to reinvigorate Sane as well then that will be even more options for them.
Regards De Jong, I agree he was ineffective last night, but think his performance was more a symptom than a cause to be honest. Barca have extremely deep rooted issues right now.
To be fair, that’s not a great benchmark against the midfield we had out that day, Rice, Barkley and Delph.
In addition to this, I guess it depends on what people define as dominance of a game. Hargreaves said that De Jong is a lovely, silky footballer, but ultimately rarely hurts his opponents. What made Xavi and Pirlo extra special was that they could dictate the tempo of a game and never give the ball away, but they were also able to play the killer pass when the time was right. Whenever I've watched De Jong, including against us, he always looks poised, neat and tidy in possession, but he rarely asks questions of his opponents whether through a run, killer pass, shot from outside the box etc, it always seems he's quite one paced.
This would be my German starting IX: GK: Neuer RB: Klosterman CB: Sule CB: Tah LB: Schultz CDM: Kimmich RCM: Havertz LCM: Goretzka RW: Sane ST: Werner LW: Gnabry Attacking front is somewhat limited, but you probably won't find a more pacey front three in Europe. The midfield is loaded with options, but once again their wingbacks are their weakness.
Before they can be considered favourties Loew needs to sort out how open they are, which has plagued them the past couple of years under him. At the moment they're extremely liable to counter attacking football. They've really struggled to get the balance right and any team who sits back to negate their pace up front and hits them on the break will cause them a lot of problems. I'd expect France in particularly would cause them massive difficulties right now given how France play, though they've really struggled with the Netherlands the past couple of years too.
Despite the Netherlands' technical skills, they do such a bad job of creating goal-scoring opportunities. Lost 1-0 to Italy tonight. They're best way of scoring is pressing and turning teams over, which is what ultimately is holding them back of being world-beaters. Even against Poland last week they were pretty limited on clear cut chances.
Well, I think I can guess at one team getting relegated straight back down to the Championship after this season.......Fulham. I don’t think they have signed any new players that will improve them.