Dreams of 1995

It's odd that Mowbray is even talking about getting a say in the hiring of a recruitment director. He wants to "see if the connection is there". I don't personally give a crap if he connects with Mowbray. If he is good for the club, can spot a player and is in it for the long-haul that's all that counts.

It’s silly season!!

I wouldn’t put Mowbray in the same league as Kean personally although I totally understand the lack of trust and respect after Brockhallgate. I apportion more of the blame to Waggott if I am honest. A real nasty piece of work. Something about him reminds me of a second hand car salesman. Mowbray won’t be remembered fondly that’s for sure. He had a lot of good credit banked but that is just about running dry now.

I don't understand the whole not buying a ticket if Mowbray starts the season as manager. Sorry. I understood the Venky boycott but if history tells us something it is that it does not matter what our game attendance is. Managers come and go in this game and depriving yourself of watching Rovers because of one man is silly. Voice your opinion in the ground. Unlike Venkys he literally has to be there to hear it. Talk of comparing him to Kean and Coyle is just overexaggerated. He's a poor manager that is covering his failings with drivel in the media. What differs him from other managers out there? Nowt. Don't think he is some special case. The only victims of you not attending are Rovers and yourselves. Mowbray, Waggott and the rest don't care one iota.

Do not let one man ruin something for you. If the last 12 months has taught us anything it is not to take anything for granted. In modern times there are no guarantees Rovers will be here in the next 10 years. Boycotting does not work with owners that are not interested in the thoughts of fans.

I cannot see how you’d be against sanctioning these people. At the end of the day they tried to destabilise football forever. They attempted to put themselves above the laws of competition. It is a no brainier in my eyes that sanctions should follow. Even if they are not club related they could be finance related. You could even make them qualify for this years Champions League as opposed to automatic - which is meaningless but will piss them off. I think the best form of punishment would be if this reform promised by so many sees a fairer method of ownership. It would also put the comments from other clubs owners on the line - do they really respect the role of fans as much as they claim? If fan ownership / board representation comes from this then it would be the ultimate punishment for 12 men who are far detached from the realities of life. I thought the Liverpool owners video apology was reticent of his ambition. He also shown a lack of understanding of what a football club is in Europe - instead focusing on the importance of “developing the company”. It was very American, and even in his apology and attempt to show he isn’t detached, he couldn’t have been any further from the everyday man if he tried. It was poor and stunk of self preservation. We are yet to hear from the rest but if they are still in football in the next 12 months then you know how sincere the promises of governments and football authorities were.

With the combined financial powers of UEFA, fifa and all respective football associations / governments such an organisational restructure should be possible. It is whether they want to put their money where their mouth is. I suspect that is where we will fall short. As said though, it the money drains from football, in the long term those ridiculous wages could not be demanded because the supply simply isn’t there. I can only say I hope you are wrong but I do think I am being an idealist

I would suspect some form of government legislation or agreement between the clubs and players would have to be sought. The issue is whether Sky can reneg on their contractural agreements. If they can and the TV rights money drops then simply those contracts will have to be torn up. I know there is more complexity to what I am saying but I don't think we will see mass bankruptcy. These football organisations have to realise their time is up. Uefa, Fifa and the FA have all contributed to this greed taking over the game. It is now up to them to put an end to it all. The current model is unsustainable, with players demanding 500k a week becoming a regular news story. It cannot be allowed to go on like this even if this ESL does not go ahead. A total reset could come of this and unfortunately the players may have to take a financial hit because their contracts are not realistic to their worth once you take away the incredible amounts of money donated by TV.

The money draining doesn't affect anyone except the players, agents and coaches. If there is £65 million in the pot to spend they will fight for all £65 million; if there is £6 million they will fight for all of that. The alternative for them is that they get proper jobs in the real world and that isn't going to happen. You'd be a footballer over a bricklayer every day of the week. If the 6 clubs can enter this Super League they cannot be allowed to compete in the Premier League. The revenue they generate from the Super League will make them financially untouchable in the Prem, and therefore the competitiveness of our domestic leagues will be called in to question. If other clubs cannot ever aspire to that level of prize money then what would be the point? The more I think about it there more I would want this "World Series of Football" to go ahead so we can get our game back. I understand the money will drain but at the end of the day we are all trying to pick up whatever crumbs this lot drops anyway. There are a lot of small clubs that would embrace the idea of these 6 dropping out of the football association. In the short term there will be a lot of change - with owners like you describe calling it a day - but over time that financial disparity will plateau and providing it is supported and regulated the fans can take some control back of their clubs. People will still want to watch football and I think our domestic game might improve. This is all idealistic though and doubt it will happen. I would feel very sorry for the fans of the big 6 but it is up to them to fight against it and show they don't want it. But the message should be clear: if they are allowed to enjoy the riches this ESL promises then they cannot be allowed to use that finance to fund a squad that is head and shoulders above everybody else in the league. The prize money has to be earned, not given each year so they can better predict their balance sheet.

Spoke at length about this in a boozy Monday night. General consensus amongst the Villa / Blues / Baggies fans I drink with all wanted the 'Big 6' to go. Villa fans think they will benefit as a result and become a much bigger club. Even if the money completely drained from the First Division (Premier League) people will still want to be footballers. If money leaves so does the demand from players / agents. Over time the business will do as business does and adapt and plateau at a level the finances determine. Everybody seemed pretty content with the idea that the 6 clubs could get kicked out, and it would allow 6 clubs to move up each league, including allowing 6 new clubs into the 4th division. I don't think anybody actually wants that because we all enjoy the games against Utd and the like but I really don't think these 6 clubs have much goodwill amongst the remaining football fans in this country. That significantly weakens their position imo. They are not helped by Perez latest conference, which he declared himself as the man "to save football". He called it the "important clubs in England, Italy and Spain" (no, really, he said that) getting together to create a more watchable tournament than what they would see "if Man Utd played a more modest Champions League team". Getting in to bed with a man like that shows you everything you need to know. He has never cared about English football, and the debt levels the European clubs have in comparison to some of the English clubs show why they are so for it. Bunch of fools.

I think this would be a great way to show support for the sport. I assume the reason the PL finances are allowed to happen as they are is because of the huge benefit HMRC receives. Assuming the ESL is headquartered in America will the taxes due on player salaries be eligible to be paid in the UK? Or could Liverpool create a Liverpool FC US and pay the taxes over there? It seems a big power grab for American business interests.

With all the things you expect to happen - do you think this is a good thing for the sport of football? And why, with all things considered, do you seem content to allow this ESL to happen?

The refusal to police games is a good point although I think currently clubs contribute to the cost of policing. In this instance it probably wouldn’t be any different for the local authority. Man Utd have the technical right to play in any league they would like so rescinding safety certificates is a bit draconian. I think expulsion from the league, relinquish titles and ban players from cross-competition registration should suffice. Almost all will stick with the ESL clubs but there’s plenty of other footballers ready to step up, and plenty of other big clubs ready to play in the Premier League. 6 could go up from the Championship this year and everyone else could get given a chance. The money might dry up but the remaining clubs could use it as a Kickstarter to regulate the sports finances and develop a fairer pyramid for all. It is the fans of the super league clubs I feel sorry for.

I agree with Jim in that the current format of the sport benefits the rich clubs. What is different though is that in theory you can still now reach them heights with good management (rich takeover) and by winning games. In this E$L they have effectively ended any ambition for other clubs and ensured they will forever be the clubs bank rolled by the bankers to the tunes of billions and billions of pounds. At the moment Man Utd could effectively still lose out on a Champions League space and lose the prize money. Leicester could qualify and earn that prize money. Under the E$L Leicester could finish above Arsenal and Tottenham and still not qualify! It makes no sense. Yes, the current state of football needs to change, but by dismissing the pure greed on show by the E$L with whataboutery about UEFA, it only plays into their hands. This saga has shown greed in its true form. Time to stamp it out.

Ever the well mannered gentleman. You must be such a delight to be around. I would let them footballers go. Plenty of others to take their place. If this is a Fifa decision it affects every country in the same way. If you want to play in this competition do not expect to represent your country at a World Cup. It will show them for what they are. If the $uper League does take the money out of the Prem / FL then so be it. As I say, there'll still be plenty of others lining up to play, and there will be plenty of fans ready to watch (in some cases even start watching again after falling out of love with the sport) because the alternative is they get a real job in the real world.

Fantastic

Don't hold your breath den They are probably working out how they can use this to recommence with the sale of the training ground. "Following the announcement of the Super League the Club wishes to reiterate our commitment to the Financial Fair Play. The obvious consequences of such a decision has meant that it is within our commercial interests to reduce overheads and we believe the use of two separate facilities is an unnecessary use of already limited fund...blah blah blah"

The commercial power of the domestic fan base shouldn't be under-estimated. I suspect the streaming will form part of a Super League based channel, where the user would pay a direct fee to the clubs as opposed as through Sky or BT etc. That probably helps the clubs out because they know they will receive money either way. What domestic fans can do though is boycott attendance. No doubt they will be replaced by tourist fans but I would imagine that paying £40 quid a ticket to see the 15th year running of Real vs Tottenham won't be exciting. The power has always been with the fans. If we simply elect not to watch this travesty of a tournament then the only viewership they will have is from an international audience, some of which will come from countries that do not have the spending power domestic based fans have.

Than represent your country in a World Cup? Seems alien to me but then again I don't have the opportunity to make 10-20m a season. If Fifa put in place a ban then all elite players across all international teams will face the same consequences. It will be a level playing field. Quite frankly I wouldn't want them playing for England even if it impacted our ability to win. Likewise, by using this opportunity to squash the mega wages and bring it back to a degree of reality, we won't see them all up in arms either. They have tried to force our hand so now we should force theirs. They can have the opportunity to play in the football league again, enjoy the immense privilege of representing their country at a World Cup and do so for a fair wages across the board. If you don't then enjoy your moment in the sunshine in your Super League.

Fifa have to get behind the international ban. This is an attempt to ruin the competition of football. If Fifa doesn't stand in to protect competitive integrity then what is it for? I don't think clubs will win vs international teams. If any footballer out there dreams more of playing for the Super League club than winning a World Cup for England then what does that tell you about them as a person?

I sincerely hope that this is a turning point in the sport. Even if the notion this was a "negotiating stance" regarding CL amendments is true then it points towards a serious lack of integrity amongst the owners of those clubs. Does this not make them fail the "fit and proper" test? They are essentially moving to remove competition. It is not in the spirit of sport at all. The 'football pyramid' is not at risk of collapse if the fans of the sport will it. The Supporters' trusts of each English club have come out in condemnation of the proposals. If they boycott then the clubs will listen. True, their places will be replaced with tourist fans, but the whole fun of the sport will be taken from them. A midweek re-run of Man Utd vs Real Madrid 3 times a year won't be fun for anyone, nor will watching the invitees getting trounced year in year out by the JP Morgan bank rolled 'super clubs'. Thoroughly disheartened at the proposals but it cements what we have known for a long time: the game is dying and it is now more important to see share prices rise than enjoyment for fans.

I think it is embarrassing for the clubs involved. If I was in charge of the football authorities I would elect now to take a firm stance against them. Expulsion from international tournaments and expulsion from competitive leagues should they elect to play for these clubs. If they want to make a Super League that is exempt from performance based rewards (ie no relegation) then let them do it and allow them to bathe in their own superiority. If players want to play in such a competition then they clearly do not have the integrity required to be a professional athlete. I would be even tougher and then say that if you do decide to go work for a club in the Super League you cannot then come back and work in the field of competitive of football. That would put a lot of managers off, who know their time in the big clubs is limited, and see a talent drain from the so-called "super clubs". Don't let it go un-noticed that some of these super clubs may not even qualify for the Champions League even in its current "places for the boys" format.

Does prize money get dictated by league position in the Championship? If so I'd be apoplectic at Mowbray's comments regarding not caring about the league position. We are in the midst of a pandemic that has reduced match day income to near zero; we attempted to sell our training ground to raise funds for supposedly essential work to our facilities and a matter of weeks later the boss does not care one bit about our league standing. He's digging himself a hole with every interview. Last year it was all about progress regarding the league position - I bought it - and now he simply does not care when we regress. The same goes for results based vs performance based - it changes depending on the performance and result!!!!!!! I want this bloke gone and believe me when I am next in the ground I will voice that very opinion. He's got thin skin, as told by how many jobs he has walked from, and the only reason he is still around is because we are not there imo. Mowbray Out.

In fairness Tyrone Gally got 17 goals for us playing up top in a shite Coyle squad. He hasn’t had a decent spell up top with traditional wingers under Mowbray. As for Brereton well I don’t think he’s a striker but he’s not a winger either is he. Unsure what he’s bringing at the moment but he’s shown glimpses of a player earlier in the season. A better manager might get a tune out of him.

That’s a turn up for the books. Something must have come up to do such an about turn. It’s not like him to listen to the fans so I reckon some sort of opposition has come from somewhere with regards the sale / development of the land.