European Super League.

[Michael W]

I can't see them being launched out the leagues either, unfortunately. But in time the damage will be done anyway. Why are broadcasters going to continue chucking money at the EPL when their coveted Liverpool v Man Utd fixture features line ups that all these "fans of the future" have never heard of? Similarly, even fat Phil the Scouser might eventually realise he's being mugged off too and disengage. 

Over time, they'll have separate squads due to the demands of the Super League. Maybe they'll call them Liverpool Liverbirds or some nonsensical Americanised shit. 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Michael W

[Jambomo]

Just now, Michael W said:

I can't see them being launched out the leagues either, unfortunately. But in time the damage will be done anyway. Why are broadcasters going to continue chucking money at the EPL when their converted Liverpool v Man Utd fixture features line ups that all these "fans of the future" have never heard of? Similarly, even fat Phil the Scouser might eventually realise he's being mugged off too and disengage. 

Over time, they'll have separate squads due to the demands of the Super League. Maybe they'll call them Liverpool Liverbirds or some nonsensical Americanised shit. 

I can see them being kicked out to be honest, because as you say the damage will be done anyway if they don’t. If they give in to what they want now then they’ll be open to this blackmail for years because for these super teams, they’ll never have enough. The Premier League is fucked if they Go and fucked if they stay.

[djchapsticks]

39 minutes ago, dirty dingus said:

Both the cheeks would bite your hand off to go into the various diddy teams left to make up the Atlantic League, Super League 2. Where they would be regularly pumped by Slavia, Legia, Basel and Dundalk.

If their fans are anything to go by when we took Jamie McGrath off them, I fully expect Dundalk to be one of the remaining invited teams to the Super League

[Monkey Tennis]

6 hours ago, Dylangt7 said:

I'm in now way an apologist for UEFA / FIFA in terms of how they run football at their level. The European Tournaments are shit from a sporting perspective and should just go back to a straight knock out tournament being European Cup and Cup Winners Cup. That's not just nostalgia speaking - its the essence of cup football.

BUT most of the changes that have got us to this stage in those tournaments have been made through pressure from these "big clubs" (and at times that probably included our own clubs Rangers and to a lesser extent Celtic - simply due to timings of success). Granted individuals at UEFA have benefited personally from weekly group games BUT it was the big clubs pushing for all those changes and have threatened to walk every couple of years  to get a bigger share of the pie.  UEFA mistake was to open the door to this type of pressure and we now have the natural end game of that greed.  

Correct.

I don't have much sympathy here for UEFA at all, but I do have a shred of it.

That's because of the reasons you provide.  I think they did alter their competitions horribly, which has not only damaged these competitions, but gutted domestic ones in many countries.  I agree, however, that this was in response to pressure from the big clubs.  

A policy of appeasement has reached the place where appeasement often winds up.

[Iminavest]

[Jacksgranda]

1 minute ago, Monkey Tennis said:

Correct.

I don't have much sympathy here for UEFA at all, but I do have a shred of it.

That's because of the reasons you provide.  I think they did alter their competitions horribly, which has not only damaged these competitions, but gutted domestic ones in many countries.  I agree, however, that this was in response to pressure from the big clubs.  

A policy of appeasement has reached the place where appeasement often winds up.

We're going to annex the Sudetenland and invade Poland?

[Monkey Tennis]

1 minute ago, Jacksgranda said:

We're going to annex the Sudetenland and invade Poland?

Nobody even has a piece of paper to say they won't.

[Karpaty Lviv]

22 minutes ago, dysartrovers said:

I think the league will happen. They have obviously gone far further with it than they ever have. I honestly don't give much of a shit but its interesting to see how it will pan out. Will be massively surprised if the leagues kick the teams out completely though. The champions league will continue and it will give smaller teams a chance in that but money will be severely reduced

I think so as well. There have been rumours and murmurings for something like this for years but for them to actually come out and make the first move is quite telling. They must have had a lot of legal advice that strengthens their bid.

[Jambomo]

 

WTF?

[San Starko Rover]

 
WTF?

It’s like going for 55 when it’s actually 1

[Lofarl]

 

Check out the monitor on the bottom left.  Just mentioning for the Hibs lads.

[Dylangt7]

5 minutes ago, Jambomo said:

 

WTF?

I'm presuming this is in relation the changes that are lined up in the CL already. A portion of the money to be paid out based on prior history rather than performance.

So if you are the Madrid Whites or Merseyside Reds (after full move to Franchise model) you are still guaranteed $100m each year.

[Jambomo]

5 minutes ago, Lofarl said:

 

Check out the monitor on the bottom left.  Just mentioning for the Hibs lads.

f**k sake

[SANTAN]

 

[Ludo*1]

Leeds are kicking the arse out of calling Liverpool, Merseyside Reds and I absolutely love the shithousery of it.

It's kind of went under the radar due to this Super League stuff, but the new Champions League format that's been proposed is fucking chronic an all.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

It would be pretty funny if UEFA and FIFA follow through with their threats to ban players from World Cups etc and JP Morgan end up shelling billions for 20 teams rammed full of journeymen and 35 year old former internationals at the arse end of their careers.

[D TOTAL]

6 minutes ago, Stormzy said:

 

#Earnit

[Lex]

I don't think that many people really disagree with that. You can't fix it though,  by taking the things that have made football bad, and multiplying them.
These kinds of arguments are being made online and are true but at the same time are just being used to justify or deflect away from the fact that doing this isn't that bad because they have made stupid and awful decisions in the past and ended up with a worse game already. Making the same mistakes again isn't any better.

I agree. The way to ‘fix it’ is to scrap the ludicrous and elongated Champions League format and go back a to one champion from each country two legged knock out competition. Make it unseeded with the prize money based on how far you get.
However, we all know there’s zero chance of that happening.
The European Cup was being won by teams like Red Star Belgrade, PSV and Steau Bucharest in the run up to it being scrapped.
That would simply never happen now, the goal of the Champions League was to consolidate wealth in the biggest nations and it’s largely been achieved.
This century we’ve only had one winner from outside the big four leagues, and that was that freak Mourinho Porto team. It’s hard to even imagine that happening again. The wealth imbalance means that any elite player playing outside the top four leagues is quickly hoovered up by a team within them and the compounding effect means the gap between the haves and have nots increases every year.
That seed that was planted in 1992 is now bearing fruit. It’s made European football a two tier structure, the big four leagues and a state funded PSG side in one tier and the rest in another.
Because of this disparity the Champions League is no longer viable. A structure that allows the self appointed ‘elite’ to play each other consistently and predictably is inevitable. If it’s not in this form it will be another.

[Left Back]

Neville could be going heads gone again here.

[Jambomo]

Impressed that Milner and Klopp have said they don’t like it or don’t want it. They are in a position where it can cause them a lot of trouble to not follow the club line here.