Football (Soccer) Thread

[HVC]

I would like it noted for the record that Ryan Reynolds is Canadian in case things go to shit at Wrexham. 

two rich Americans

 

Dual citizen

[Admiral Yi]

Dual citizen

I know, I googled (which incidentally is the finest search engine on the market and I encourage each and every one of you to enjoy its power and speed) and saw that he naturalized in 2018.  Still a little ironic that Beeb, a True Blue Frostback, calls Reynolds, born in BC, an American.

[Jacob]

Ryan Reynolds is British Columbian first and foremost.

[HVC]

Most of our actors turn dark side. Probably easier to work.

[Admiral Yi]

Most of our actors turn dark side. Probably easier to work.

Avoiding the Canadian film and TV corvee is probably a pull too. 

[Josquius]

I'm quite into non-league football and have not come across this. There's some jealousy sure but nothing more than that. Not heard any issues with FGR either.

It's absolutely there.
FGR even get it from people with minimal interest in football as part of the whole anti woke thing.
They've also the tiny village team aspect which peeves many.

With Wrexham there are aspects of jealousy. Also a fair bit of gatekeeping and annoyance at new fans.

But for both there is a huge undercurrent of such money having no place in the league and being totally against the spirit.
Really peeves many that whilst other teams are outright going under as they can't afford to get to games you've others playing league one wages.

Oh no

What's bad about them? I thought they were all vegan burgers and trying to build a wooden stadium etc. Asking becaue I feel semi-invested since they've hired Duncan Ferguson as their manager

I recall reading a big article about it recently but can't find it again.
One big thing that stands out in my mind is their claiming to be super environmental yet building a new stadium less than 2 decades after they built a new stadium. A stadium in the middle of nowhere which can only be reached by car. Really puts the greenyness into question.

A fair bit about dale vince too. Huge self promoter (when I used it I  often got sponsored ads on Facebook to follow him...) and not so green and hippyish as he presents.

[Syt]

I get that the effects of a rich owner pumping money into a club leads to more extreme imbalances in lower leagues, but don't many clubs in "serious" competition, from higher to lower leagues, stand and fall with the willingness of their patrons to invest? Whether it's Wrexham, Chelsea under Abramovic, Hoffenheim, PSG's ... Even eternal fan favorite FC St. Pauli fell into that when "Papa" Weisinger was keeping the club afloat into the early 00s - until he didn't and the club finances completely collapsed (and watching Sunderland 'til I die, half-way into first season/series, they seem to have a similar issue with the owner no longer wanting to put money into the club).

And obviously the line between enthusiastic hobbyist who puts money in because they love the club and the investor who does it as PR project or primarily to win all the things is muddy at best.

[Tamas]

Plus the whole "against the spirit thing": is the team an amateur outfit? If not, then the spirit of the team is to make a profit, or at very least a living for its owners and those employed by it. It's a professional sports organisation for crying out loud.

The world would be a far better place if people stopped attributing divine or moral supremacy to their own hobbies and interests.

[HVC]

Or if you want to return to the idyllic, but not factual, past of English football without money buying titles implement a salary cap... and watch the gnashing of teeth as the big teams tumble down the standings

[Syt]

I watched a documentary from 2013 on the weekend, about the introduction of the modern Bundesliga in 1963 (which also allowed higher pay for the players) - there was a strong "money ruins the sport" sentiment even then (most players were semi-pros, having a main job on the side; a few even resigned over the change, because they didn't like this commercialization). Raising ticket prices to finance higher player salaries probably didn't help, either.

Still, stadiums were sold out, and even TV recognized that there was a demand for covering matches at least in highlight reels in a weekly sports show. I also found some of the comments at the time interesting how the switch to the Bundesliga and paying more to players was necessary to stay relevant in international competitions.

[Josephus]

If Ryan Reynolds pulls it off, then, yes, he's Canadian.
But if, in a year or two, he gets bored or cheap, and pulls away and Wrexham disappears once again, then, yes, his American.

Reminds me, (and some of you won't know what I'm talking about) about Ben Johnson. The Canadian sprinter, by way of Jamaica,  broke the 100m sprinting record at the 88 Olympics, winning the gold medal for Canada. All Canadians were raving about him. He was a bona fide Canadian hero.

then it turned out he failed his pee test, he had a banned substance in his blood and was stripped off his medal. From that point on, he became the Jamaican who tarnished Canada's image.

[Duque de Bragança]

World infamous back then, don't worry. 

On a smaller scale, it happened to other athletes, not necessarily due to doping, when they started losing.

[FunkMonk]

If my club wins trophies because the owner pumps money into the club then it is football heritage. If other clubs do that then it is ruining the game.

[Gups]

I'm quite into non-league football and have not come across this. There's some jealousy sure but nothing more than that. Not heard any issues with FGR either.

It's absolutely there.
FGR even get it from people with minimal interest in football as part of the whole anti woke thing.
They've also the tiny village team aspect which peeves many.

With Wrexham there are aspects of jealousy. Also a fair bit of gatekeeping and annoyance at new fans.

But for both there is a huge undercurrent of such money having no place in the league and being totally against the spirit.
Really peeves many that whilst other teams are outright going under as they can't afford to get to games you've others playing league one wages.

Bit weird of them complaining about FGR having a League 1 budget when they are actually in League 1 (albeit about to get relegated partly because in reality they have League 2 budget) and got out of non-league in 2017. I think Wrexham get a pass from most non-league fans. They're a big club for non-league and have had more than a decade of misery as well as an activist fanbase who put their hands in their pockets to save the club when it was about to be liquidated. Any resentment towards Wrexham is mainly directed against their hoolie element (covered in the programme).

[Gups]

I get that the effects of a rich owner pumping money into a club leads to more extreme imbalances in lower leagues, but don't many clubs in "serious" competition, from higher to lower leagues, stand and fall with the willingness of their patrons to invest? Whether it's Wrexham, Chelsea under Abramovic, Hoffenheim, PSG's ... Even eternal fan favorite FC St. Pauli fell into that when "Papa" Weisinger was keeping the club afloat into the early 00s - until he didn't and the club finances completely collapsed (and watching Sunderland 'til I die, half-way into first season/series, they seem to have a similar issue with the owner no longer wanting to put money into the club).

And obviously the line between enthusiastic hobbyist who puts money in because they love the club and the investor who does it as PR project or primarily to win all the things is muddy at best.

I personally like the programme and think Reynolds and the other bloke are charming but I'm not buying the saviour narrative wholescale. They bought a football club in order to make a programme and they've got  lucky with two pretty compelling seasons. I have absolutely no doubt that they have made a substantial profit on the deal as well as raising their profile - it was a gamble that has paid of pretty handsomely (and obviously benefitted Wrexham massively). Great to see worldwide interest in non-league football though, it's a unique British thing and its refreshing that people worldwide are rooting for a small club rather than the usual suspects.