As the SPL season prepares to kick off this weekend, six games staggered over three days, the hype for the Premiership is only just beginning.
Public squabbles over Cesc Fabregas, Luka Modric, Wesley Sneijder and Carlos Tevez have dominated the headlines will little thought given to the old business of putting the ball in the net.
Three quarters of ‘the greatest league in the world’ will be planning how to scratch their way to the magical 40 point mark to avoid the final day misery suffered by Birmingham City, Blackpool and West Ham as the gravy train came to a halt.
David Clinton of Football Fancast looks beyond the hype to preview ‘the big kick-off’ for the clubs hanging onto the coat-tails of those trying to find a way around UEFA’s Financial Fair Play Policy.
“Determination, passion, drive and honour are words I would use to describe what I saw on that pitch on a cold, wet Saturday afternoon, week in week out many years ago.
Now the game that millions of people love seems to have been savaged by greedy, egotistical, selfish footballers who instead are just chasing a wage packet rather than gracefully going through their career making a positive impact on and off the pitch! Why did it all go so wrong?
Agents, Billionaire owners, the massive influx of foreign players and managers, or is it a case of if someone is going to offer me the money why should I turn it down?
I think it is a massive clutter of all these elements which are all so rife in the beautiful game that millions of people spend their hard earned money to watch.
With the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea throwing money around like it’s going out of fashion, this trend does not seem to be hitting a wall anytime soon.
I like many others thought with UEFA’s financial fair play policy that they have been working hard on for years things were about to change! Then we all got a reality check when Manchester City slap that ruling in the face with their newest sponsorship deal with Eithad Airways who is part owned by the club’s owners.
In a deal worth 400 million over the next ten years. This allows the club to carry on with their astronomical transfer deals and contract offers which gives them a clear advantage. But UEFA seem to feel this is in order with their “financial fair play policy”
The Premier League has lost of grip of what is the most important thing and that is the football, football is the colossal worldwide brand. And if agents, managers, owners, board members and most of all players, keep acting in a selfish manner, this can only be the start of a swinging wrecking ball that will reduce to rubble the game that is much part of the culture in many people’s lives.
Is there a way back? Yes. A salary cap is a probable scenario. The scrutinizing debt that clubs manage to conger up through wages from top to bottom of their club is not a realistic business model to be running a football club from.
So it is inevitable that more and more clubs will go into administration putting more strain on the reputation of people involved in football and football itself. Investment in youth is also something that would benefit clubs and equally important the national team.
Will the Premier League change? No. The amount of money involved seems to be a good enough motivation for everyone to carry on with their seemingly unmoral behaviour.
We can only hope as true fans that our clubs that we take pride in, that we talk about on a daily basis, that we all have an opinion on and that we give a part of our short lives to, will not drag themselves into a pit of debt and desperation and that they are able to keep their heads held high and breath through the fundamentals of what started our club many years ago.”
What do you think of David’s depressing view on the Premiership?
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Hey guys, would you be complaining if the SPL had anything like the same “cache” or viewer appeal as the EPL?? We are just a side show on the big stage until somebody wakes up to the fact we need big change! Scotish football is never going to be big enough on it’s own..so what’s the best way forward?? Over to the suits!!
European league involving the top 2-3 from Scotland, Holland, Belgium, Portugal, France etc is our only way forward imo.
UEFA = Blatter = Ethics ??… ..Eh NAW…..
MP’s expenses…..News of the World Hacking….
all in the pursuit of money……that’s the way the world is..unless you live in Ethiopia…
no point in blaming the players…I’d jump ( well limp) at the chance of some of that dosh……
Where will it end…??….
Not sure I care any more…sad but true…
250 grand a week and all you can get is a dodgy hair weave, think back to the early 70’s u had top class players leaving for the sake of 5, 10 pound a week. Most players are only interested in the money specially EPL this day and age, as we see with the amount of players wanting moves for more money.
I don’t think it has much to do with money. If anything it has helped. Chelsea and Man City would never be were they are without it. Man U have always been a big team and players wanted to play for them before the money was introduced. I think the only way to help it is to limit squad sizes. United have close to 70 players in reserves and first team.
Cut that to 24, that means 46 decent players have to find new clubs. Rather than wasting away on big club benches they will be playing regular for a rival team, like Everton or Sunderland, hence improving them and making the game more competitive.
The reason MoN left Aston Villa is because theri best players were being sold to their direct rivals. Barry and Milner would rather be bit part players at City rather than keeping Villa strong.
Now Bent, Downing and Young have gone. That is 5 high quality players who Bent aside are not first teamers. Villa could still be challenging.
This would also have a knock on effect all the way down the leagues, the whole standard would improve, us included.