PL meet today to discuss Old Firm and Two-Tier Premiership

[Fedayn]

It will happen, not because of football but because SKY et al want it to because of the money. Celtic have the 2nd biggest ave crowd in Britain 58,000 ave home gate, 2nd only to man United. Rangers have 50,000 ave pw. The travelling support to London, Pompey etc wobn't be too high but SKY will get more boxes sold etc etc.... Money will drive it through eventually.

 

[butchersapron]

It's the european cup which has opened the gap up further. The revenue sharing in the premier league is pretty bloody evenly spread for a massive business.

 

[Fedayn]

It's the european cup which has opened the gap up further. The revenue sharing in the premier league is pretty bloody evenly spread for a massive business.

Whi9ch partly explains why the non Cl teams are those supporting this idea, extra revenue for them as they cannot 'rely' on the increasing CL trough.

 

[skyscraper101]

Its a bad idea all round for English football. We don't need it, and I don't see why anyone would want it. It would hardly make the game any more exciting.

Is no good having two more mediocre teams shunted into a Premiership just because they are considered too good for their domestic leagues. It would disenfranchise the Championship for one. It would also add weight to the notion that we should have a Great Britain football team. Not to mention pushing Scottish football even further into the doldrums. When Scotland cant produce a team worthy of being in the Euro tournament every four years, it tells me that the domestic league needs all the help it can get.

Celtic and Rangers being part of an expanded 'EPL' is just a bollocks money spinning idea to generate more TV revenue. I wonder how much B Sky B and ESPN are behind this?

 

[butchersapron]

True fed.

 

[ericjarvis]

First thing that occurs to me is that any attempt to separate a set of clubs permanently from the rest of the "pyramid" will be a complete disaster for English football. Part of the glory of how the game works is that teams come and go from the top level. There is currently no barrier to Accrington Stanley winning the Premiership within 5 years. It almost certainly won't happen. However anything that means it can't ever happen takes away the dreams of smaller clubs and their supporters.

The problem is that what the TV companies want, and what the leading clubs want, is a Hollywood style predictably "exciting" competition. Where there are endlessly repetitive games between the same bloody teams and absolutely nothing at risk. My view is that it would tear the heart out of the game.

The perfect examples are Hull City, Leeds United, Burnley and Preston. All four have a long history. Hull and Leeds have attempted to buy success by short term big spending that they can't afford. It's been a disaster for Leeds, and quite rightly so. It's becoming a problem for Hull. Burnley and Preston have worked hard roughly within their budgets and have worked their way from the bottom to the top, and striking distance of the top. As it stands Hull could well self destruct in the way Leeds did, whereas Preston might well soon manage a return to the top level. The proposal of splitting the league permanently is intended to give an advantage to clubs such as Leeds and Hull that overspend, and a disadvantage to teams that live within their means. I don't see that as being at all sensible.

I don't want long term predictability in football. I don't want to know which will be the top clubs in ten years time. I don't want to know who will be playing who next season. Until it happens. Predictability is boring.

Bringing Celtic and Rangers into the Premier League would destroy Scottish football. The problems of Scottish football lie in the sectarian support for the Old Firm across the country, which gives them a permanent support base nobody else can challenge. The answer lies in the hands of the Scottish people. When they start to support a team because of geography rather than religion then there's a chance for Scottish football. Otherwise nothing will make a difference.

Fans of "proper" football teams need to protest at this continuing "Disneyfication" of football. Clearly the objective is to concentrate as many of the resources as possible in a permanent "major league" that relies primarily on TV revenue, and pretty much dismissing everything else. Something that actually only suits the largest and wealthiest clubs, and those clubs who have currently borrowed their way to the top and who hope not to face the consequences of their overspending. It takes the soul out of the game. It shouldn't happen.

 

[holteman]

there all crap...

would be funny to see the old firm in the prem though, they would struggle around mid table.. maybe even flirt with relegation...

the idea of no promotion or relegation makes my blood boil... destroy the concept of british football.. that any team may one day grace the top flight. just a ploy to make more fucking money for the top clubs...if that happened it would be the final straw for me..... id retire from international football

 

[Lo Siento.]

Celtic and Rangers being part of an expanded 'EPL' is just a bollocks money spinning idea to generate more TV revenue. I wonder how much B Sky B and ESPN are behind this?

would it really generate that much more TV revenue? Are there lots of OF fans who would suddenly take out subs because their team is playing Man U and not Motherwell? Or United fans who would shell out to watch Rangers having not bothered when they were only playing english teams?

 

[holteman]

Probably sees his side as candidates for the Prem 2 title.

like we would be in a second tier of 18 teams....

 

[butchersapron]

Just read that Moyes also support this idiocy.

 

[Fedayn]

Celtic and Rangers being part of an expanded 'EPL' is just a bollocks money spinning idea to generate more TV revenue. I wonder how much B Sky B and ESPN are behind this?

Massively Who will make real decision......?

But now ESPN has joined the fray. The American broadcasters have signed up for 46 Premier League matches but will not be satisfied with such a puny bite of the market. Publicly, ESPN executives say they are just glad to have a part in broadcasting British football and that they will honour and protect the contracts that they have.

But an EPL2 would offer overseas rights. Celtic and Rangers would then be leading players if any broadcaster wanted to bring such a league into homes in the USA and Canada. There is also an insatiable, growing appetite for football, or soccer, in the USA. ESPN have four channels regularly on stream in the US. They are a sports news channel, two mainstream channels, and a “classic” channel showing footage from the past and featuring excellent documentaries. It has the scope and the expertise to expand further.

 

[Fedayn]

Just read that Moyes also support this idiocy.

The Herald article link above gives a few good explanations for the support among middle level EPL teams.

A cynic might also add Moyes desire to manage either Celtic or Rangers and the money he would have to spend if this was brought in.....

 

[Lo Siento.]

Massively Who will make real decision......?

from that article. Last season Man U earned 52.3m in TV money, West Brom 31. 6m

 

[Lo Siento.]

the constituency for this idea appears to be longstanding members of the premier league that historically hover around lower-mid-table.

 

[kained&able]

Also from clubs with Scottish managers or managers with a connection to celtic.


dave

 

[skyscraper101]

would it really generate that much more TV revenue? Are there lots of OF fans who would suddenly take out subs because their team is playing Man U and not Motherwell? Or United fans who would shell out to watch Rangers having not bothered when they were only playing english teams?

That's what I'm saying though. The idea is to make money but I really don't buy it. I wouldn't be subscribing to Sky or ESPN any more knowing that Rangers or Celtic would be playing. I suspect I'm in the majority.

 

[SpookyFrank]

from that article. Last season Man U earned 52.3m in TV money, West Brom 31. 6m

The difference being because Manure play in the champion's league surely?

 

[Lo Siento.]

The difference being because Manure play in the champion's league surely?

says excluding the extra 20-30m CL money.

 

[Lo Siento.]

That's what I'm saying though. The idea is to make money but I really don't buy it. I wouldn't be subscribing to Sky or ESPN any more knowing that Rangers or Celtic would be playing. I suspect I'm in the majority.

me too. I´m not currently subscribing, but at best Celtic v Liverpool or Rangers v Man U might provoke me to go down the pub and watch. Certainly wouldn´t get me reaching for a subs form.

 

[holteman]

old firm join the prem.... thats any chance of them ever appearing in the champions league out the window...

 

[FunkyUK]

I'd like Divisons 1 to 4 back too please. - I mean... League One? Wtf? it's' fucking Division 3. The old firm can fuck right off too. While we're at it, can we give Swansea, Wrexham and Cardiff back to the welsh leagues ? please? And how about some fucking terracing again?

etc

 

[holteman]

i wish it was the 80's again

 

[twistedAM]

I don't want anything to do with these hysterical little nation sectarian oafs.

this

 

[Stoat Boy]

It's fair to point out that Cardiff and Swansea play in the 'English' league and that Wrexham, Newport County, Merthyr Tydfil and Colwyn Bay also play in the lower 'English' leagues.

We should kick them out at the same time as banning Celtic and Rangers.

 

[T & P]

The very existence of the PL is an affront to football anyway. A textbook example of greed and wankiness at its worst.


Their laughable proposals last year to add an extra game to the competition so PL games can be exported to those poor Asians, Africans and South Americans who've clearly never seen a decent football game before and would be jumping at the chance to watch Wigan vs. Bolton live are too fucking ludicrous for words.

Top flight football is becoming a soulless capitalist circus abut which it is difficult to get excited about.

 

[Fedayn]

Premier League rejects Old Firm

 

[butchersapron]

Been rejected anyway.

 

[Refused as fuck]

We should kick them out at the same time as banning Celtic and Rangers.

Banning Celtic and Rangers from existing is harsh, but I can behind it.

 

[RaverDrew]

They'll both get the kick up the arse they need anyway when Hibs win the title this year.

 

[bromley]

let them join, English and Welsh clubs both play in the same league so why not Scottish clubs too? Why not combine the whole thing and let all the UK teams play together. A proper UK league would be good.

That would lead to a team UK though!

The Old Firm will never play in England, which is a good thing for supports of English & Scottish clubs & the SFA.