EPL 2020/2021
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@antipodean said in EPL 2020/2021:
@canefan I guess an expanded Champions League is preferable to playing perennial cellar dwellers in domestic comps?
Maybe for the big teams and the neutral...but those mismatches are games the smaller teams live for and the odd upset is one for the great things that’s great about football
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Not Champions League but some of those European mismatches create legendary moments for the smaller clubs.
Take Fulham in 2010-11 Europa League. Our journey started in the 3rd qualifying round in July against some team from Lithuania or Latvia, probably the only round we were favourites for.
We qualified second from a group that included Roma, CSKA and Basel, then in the knockout rounds defeated holders Shakhatar, Juventus after losing the away leg 3-1, Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg and Hamburg in the semi before going back to Hamburg only to lose in extra time to Athletico.
Now the point of this is actually to relive the glory days of a decade ago, but it also illustrates for me everything that is wrong about the cosy, closed shop ESL. Leicester winning the EPL was such a fantastic story and highlighted everything good about the current system. Also highlighted the BS around the ESL. In a meritocracy Leicester would be there. I hope they and West Ham make the top 4 this year. Everyone likes a battler and to see the underdog do well. This self satisfied arrangement was designed to make money for some US investor owners who understand nothing about footballers, to save the two Spanish giants from financial bankruptcy brought about by spending way beyond their means and to give relevance to some increasingly irrelevant Italian clubs.
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@dogmeat said in EPL 2020/2021:
Leicester winning the EPL was such a fantastic story and highlighted everything good about the current system.
And the following year they made the quarter-finals of the UCL - the only English team to make it that far.
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@mariner4life said in EPL 2020/2021:
haha what a fucking joke
i am astounded at the stupidity of people in charge of that much money. Now they all look fucking idiotic. And weak, so weak.
As a casual Liverpool supporter, who already had his interest reduced by the move to Optus Sports, this is pretty much the final straw. The owners were willing to chuck everyone aside given the opportunity. So fuck 'em.
Not that they care, i didn't spend a dime on the club or their product anyway.
I've been feeling a bit ambivalent about all this, TBH.
Clearly UEFA are as corrupt and incompetent as fuck and something needed to change in that regard. Obviously, the ESL was clearly not the way to do it, even if it was just for the sake of brinkmanship and forcing UEFA's hand (which I personally think it was).
But, having gone down that path, I'm actually disappointed they pussied out so quickly - now UEFA will be emboldened and will be seen to have been on the fans' side / right side of history and nothing will change until the next act of brinkmanship (or the change will come at a glacial pace).
Moreover, we will now 100% be stuck with UEFA's latest terrible idea for an expended CL, which calls for an extra 100 games a season - in an already ridiculously congested calendar, where teams of 16 year olds are regularly trotted out to play in historically significant competitions, but which have now been completely de-valued.
And, at the end of the day, it's the fans who will still suffer - the product will become even more diluted and will just be shit to watch (as it has already this year), but they'll all be charged an extra 10 quid a month on their Sky or BT subscription to watch an ever worsening product.
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@mariner4life said in EPL 2020/2021:
fuck football fans are fucking funny
I just watched a suck up video message from the Liverpool owner. It's total garbage PR
But i was interested in the comments. Some "thanks boss" some "get out!"
and then the inevitable "i'll forgive you if you buy Mbappe or Haaland" fucking LOL! we hate you for trying to make more money so you can spend money on the players we demand you buy!
I find Liverpool fans to be absolutely hilarious when it comes to FSG. I watched the video - which was the right thing to do and hit all the right notes - and read the same comments as you with some amusement.
The FSG out crowd really baffle me though - the Club was an absolute shit-show when they bought it 11 years and now they've managed to turn it around to get arguably the world's best manager and some of the world's best players, to become a billion dollar business and - even more importantly - become English and European champions. Sure, there's been a few cockups along that (including this one), but on balance there's no denying that they've done great things for the club.
And yet, there's sizeable body of people who want them to sell up and get out...?! Who on earth are they going to sell to? A Russian oligarch? An Arab sheikh? Wouldn't that be ironic after all the bleating about Chelski and Citeh...?
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Breakaway leagues are nothing new and nor are the negative reactions | Simon Burnton
Accusations of deceit and avarice have always been thrown at bigger clubs who want to improve and capitalise on their status
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@mofitzy_ said in EPL 2020/2021:
Chris Wood on a first half hat-trick against Wolves.
4 consecutive seasons of 10+ goals in the EPL playing for a side that don't create all that many chances. He's had a really good career and has developed from a battering ram into a good all-round centre forward.
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@kiwipie said in EPL 2020/2021:
@mofitzy_ said in EPL 2020/2021:
Chris Wood on a first half hat-trick against Wolves.
4 consecutive seasons of 10+ goals in the EPL playing for a side that don't create all that many chances. He's had a really good career and has developed from a battering ram into a good all-round centre forward.
What he's achieved is pretty remarkable and he must be close to being one of our most underrated sportsmen at the moment. At least he'll probably be being paid pretty well. I'm really interested to see whether he has another big move left in his career or whether this spell at Burnley is his peak. It's interesting to compare to Nelsen who was brilliant at Rovers and kind of faded away when he moved to spurs.
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Seems there is a story floating around that Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patty Viera are partnering up with the dude who started Spotify to buy Arsenal
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@dogmeat said in EPL 2020/2021:
@kiwipie according to spotrac woods is on £2.6 mill or 50K a week. Poor buggers only the (wait for it) 239th highest paid in the EPL
He could be a useful second striker at a bigger club. But at his age I think he wants to play. Of course is they offered to double his wages......
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@dogmeat said in EPL 2020/2021:
@kiwipie according to spotrac woods is on £2.6 mill or 50K a week. Poor buggers only the (wait for it) 239th highest paid in the EPL
Which shows how squad players at the top teams earn more than the stars at the lower teams.
Looks like Fulham are goneburger and you get to enjoy the rough and tumble of Division 2 next season. 4 wins in 5 could well be enough but 5 wins in 33 doesn't make that a statistical probability.
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@kiwipie I think we will be stuck in the Championship for a while. The team ran out of juice and froze when they got destiny in their own hands. I can't see them bouncing straight back up again.
Too many of this team will go as will Parker in all likelihood. Disappointed about the first, mixed feelings about the Manager though. Too conservative. Set the team up to not lose, even when we needed wins. I think his inexperience has been shown up and talk of him being right for Spurs etc is laughable.
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@kiwipie said in EPL 2020/2021:
@mofitzy_ said in EPL 2020/2021:
Chris Wood on a first half hat-trick against Wolves.
4 consecutive seasons of 10+ goals in the EPL playing for a side that don't create all that many chances. He's had a really good career and has developed from a battering ram into a good all-round centre forward.
I've heard Spurs are keen on Wood as a replacement for Harry Kane if he leaves.
