The Football.....

[Andrew_P]

So Palace have effectively swapped places with Chelsea and are now in the race to the bottom. Still Wickham is starting to look worth the 9m

 

[ianrauk]

This is very much a personal thing and not intended as a dig.

Which Utd?

Cambridge? Newcastle? Boston? Dundee? Peterborough? (Etc)

The idea that there's only one "United" (as portrayed by the media) annoys me. Greatly.

</poor.rant>

Not a poor rant.. a quite good one imo. 100% agree.

 

[Stephenite]

This is very much a personal thing and not intended as a dig.

Which Utd?

Cambridge? Newcastle? Boston? Dundee? Peterborough? (Etc)

The idea that there's only one "United" (as portrayed by the media) annoys me. Greatly.

</poor.rant>

Point taken.
Where I come from when there is talk of 'united' in a football context there can't be any mistake as to what I'm talking about.

The media do things that annoy me too. Such as using the term 'america' when they mean USA. Or use 'chelsea' without stipulating the women's or men's team. It happens all the time.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Brighten up your Friday with this mind boggling sh!te -

http://www.theguardian.com/football...-leicester-relevent-sports-charlie-stillitano

 

[Crackle]

Brighten up your Friday with this mind boggling sh!te -

http://www.theguardian.com/football...-leicester-relevent-sports-charlie-stillitano

He can, to use the vernacular, fark right off.

 

[swee'pea99]

Brighten up your Friday with this mind boggling sh!te -

http://www.theguardian.com/football...-leicester-relevent-sports-charlie-stillitano

"says US sports executive"

And now Sam Allardyce will share his expertise on the NFL. Sam?...

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Brighten up your Friday with this mind boggling sh!te -

http://www.theguardian.com/football...-leicester-relevent-sports-charlie-stillitano

Well, that opens up a whole can of worms and is probably indicative of football clubs now being big businesses with fans being termed customers etc.

It's a subject that I really haven't got my head around tbh.

For all the euphoria that surrounds eg the Thai takeover of Leicester or the Iranian buyout of Everton the fans of those clubs will eventually have to come to terms with the fact that their club is now a globalised marketing machine set up to achieve a decent ROI. Subtle changes take place and the club you love, and will continue to love, will no longer feel quite the same again.

To an extent I can see the argument re the Euro 'big clubs' (assuming the reporting is factually correct) in-as-much as the CL exists in its current form simply because some clubs have poured huge amounts of money into their businesses over a long period of time and have created a large global audience that is the bedrock of the CL. And they want a continued slice of the action and will fight tooth and nail to get it too.

From a CL perspective who do they want in the competition from England each year? It'll be the two Manc's, Chelsea, Arsenal for sure and possibly LFC/Spurs - purely based on global reach.

Whilst Leicester winning the EPL is romantic the proposition of them playing in the CL probably doesn't float the boat of those responsible for the commercial success of the CL. I don't mean that to be in any way derogatory to The Foxes it's just what I see as a basic fact of life in top tier football.

I think the article just raises the spectre of what is really the unseemly side of football ie 'the money'. Even the mighty Barcelona are making a pre-emptive strike to ensure that they are not marginalised from the CL riches - their 'wild card' proposal whereby 'big clubs' get automatic entry into the CL is merely a way of ensuring that they do not dip out of the money trough if they do not qualify by the current rules at some future date.

I am not saying I think any of this is right and as I said I haven't got my head straight on it all tbh.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I really like this alternative table.

http://www.croydonguardian.co.uk/sp..._Crystal_Palace_bottom_and_Arsenal_mid_table/

 

[AndyRM]

Point taken.
Where I come from when there is talk of 'united' in a football context there can't be any mistake as to what I'm talking about.

The media do things that annoy me too. Such as using the term 'america' when they mean USA. Or use 'chelsea' without stipulating the women's or men's team. It happens all the time.

I share those frustrations.

Being more positive about the game, it's good to see Middlesborough pushing on for promotion. I have enjoyed watching them visit Newcastle in the past, particularly when it's claimed as a derby.

 

[martint235]

Watching the Burnley v Blackburn match. The fans don't seem to try to kill each other anymore.

 

[TVC]

Glad to see Leicester won the North London derby.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Holey Moley!!!!!!!!!!!!

West Ham, 0-2 down to Everton with fifteen minutes to go so I stop bothering to keep up to date on the Guardian website thinking that's that. Just have a peek to see what the final score was and they've only bloody well turned it round and won 3-2, all the goals in the last 12 minutes. Everton are our bogey team too.

Match of the day tonight!!!!!!!!!!

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Lukaku missed a penalty to make it 3-0 and then we go and score three goals in the last twelve minutes.

It just gets better and better joe.

 

[User482]

Holey Moley!!!!!!!!!!!!

West Ham, 0-2 down to Everton with fifteen minutes to go so I stop bothering to keep up to date on the Guardian website thinking that's that. Just have a peek to see what the final score was and they've only bloody well turned it round and won 3-2, all the goals in the last 12 minutes. Everton are our bogey team too.

Match of the day tonight!!!!!!!!!!

I'd written it off too. This must be our best team since 1985.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I'd written it off too. This must be our best team since 1985.

Easily.