Football (Soccer) Thread

[FunkMonk]

As a garbage American Arsenal fan who is responsible for what is transpiring, someone tell me what club I should support now that my horribly-run, has-been club has finally jumped the shark.

This time next year we'll be discussing Arsenal's chances of whether they can beat Barcelona away to get the 3 points necessary for the ESL playoffs.

Relax bro, just joking. I'm an Arsenal man through and through. This time next year Arsenal will be smashing Chelsea 10-0 in the FA Cup and I'll be hooting and hollering while my wife wonders whether I've gone mad.

[Grey Fox]

If we are really thinking about changing the sport. I suggest adding referees on the pitch.

[FunkMonk]

Other clubs are already having fun with a Premier League where these teams are expelled

Southampton FC
@SouthamptonFC
On behalf of the 2014/15 champions, we would like to extend our congratulations to you 🤝

Wolves
@Wolves
It's probably too late for a parade

The Big Six are laughing stocks and should be roundly mocked forever. Never let them forget this.

[The Larch]

Btw, another thing that Florentino mentioned during last night's interview that was not covered in the article I quoted was the possibility of making games shorter, as he thinks that modern audiences are not keen to watch 90 minutes games. He even said that he himself can't really stand many matches.

This kind of stuff sort of reinforces my belief that the guy doesn't really like football at all to begin with, he just wants a tool to be rich and powerful.

I've heard this a lot from Agnelli as well and that football executives in general are panicked about younger viewers not watching (perhaps because they can't afford subscriptions to sporting channels ) and instead preferring to watch clips etc. I think Agnelli suggested a different package where you could just watch the last 15 minutes of a game

A radical thought might be not putting competitions behind a paywall, or making tickets affordable, but no, the fault is on videogames and social media...

Meanwhile David Squires is every bit as good as I'd hoped:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/apr/20/david-squires-on-the-plans-for-a-european-super-league

"Glory be, rampant free market economics!" 

[FunkMonk]

I'm enjoying the fact that some in the media are referring to these clubs as 'rebels' who have formed a 'rebel alliance.' 

[Sheilbh]

A radical thought might be not putting competitions behind a paywall, or making tickets affordable, but no, the fault is on videogames and social media...

Or even just a clips show on free TV. The reason my generation of English fans have a very soft spot for Serie A is partly because it was in its pomp when we were growing up, but also there was a Sunday morning magazine show on Channel 4 called Football Italia which was just highlights of Serie A games, plus James Richardson running through the latest stories from the Italian sports press with a coffee and doing interviews with Baggio or Ravanelli or whatever. Similarly there used to be a Champions League Goals show on ITV which had great viewing figures which was just highlights. They talk about kids not watching football games like they used - I barely ever watched a football game because we didn't have Sky and lived 500 miles away from Liverpool, but I saw a lot of highlights.

I understand the big reason that type of show doesn't exist is because the leagues have chosen to focus on the higher fees for selling whole matches and not even allowing clips to be used. Which I basically get if for the domestic league and the Champions League - but I think if they're worried about people's attention span and you're wanting to build your market share you could do a lot worse than getting back into the free highlights business.

"Glory be, rampant free market economics!" 

I also love Emo Mourinho's return

[Richard Hakluyt]

Meanwhile Johnson is planning some sort of populist authoritarianism :

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/20/uk-government-may-legislate-to-stop-european-super-league-says-minister

[HVC]

Compare the quick action of the UK government over this with Brexit

[Grey Fox]

Bunch of chokers. Get a chance to change European soccer for the better & choke on the start line.

If you think that'd be a change for the better... 

Yes. I am always amazed how FIFA lets the top of Association Football be so diluted.

[Tamas]

Compare the quick action of the UK government over this with Brexit

Or the pandemic.

[Tamas]

It's less of an issue nowadays but if they want some drastic changes they might want to look at reducing team sizes to 10 or even 9. Less chance to park the bus.

[The Larch]

Bunch of chokers. Get a chance to change European soccer for the better & choke on the start line.

If you think that'd be a change for the better... 

Yes. I am always amazed how FIFA lets the top of Association Football be so diluted.

Others would consider that to be something favourable rather than a handicap.

[Grey Fox]

Bunch of chokers. Get a chance to change European soccer for the better & choke on the start line.

If you think that'd be a change for the better... 

Yes. I am always amazed how FIFA lets the top of Association Football be so diluted.

Others would consider that to be something favourable rather than a handicap.

If so, I better never hear anything bad about the MLS level of play ever again.

[The Larch]

Bunch of chokers. Get a chance to change European soccer for the better & choke on the start line.

If you think that'd be a change for the better... 

Yes. I am always amazed how FIFA lets the top of Association Football be so diluted.

Others would consider that to be something favourable rather than a handicap.

If so, I better never hear anything bad about the MLS level of play ever again.

What does that have to do with anything?

[Sheilbh]

If so, I better never hear anything bad about the MLS level of play ever again.

I think the MLS is pretty good now, no?