Reading some of the recent threads on here, it’s put me in mind to express my feelings about so-called professional elite football today.
Most owners of said football clubs view the club as an investment/tax-loss vehicle. They have little or no interest in the club itself, alongside most players, managers and back-room staff other than as a source of personal income. They do whatever they can get away with to maximise their return on investment/personal wealth.
The concept of a loyal football club fan is becoming an anachronism, much to the delight of aforesaid owners and their cohorts. What’s the difference in paying £100 to see ‘your’ club in the Champions League and paying £100 to see a theatre production, live gig, theme park admission etc? Football club owners want, indeed, need tourist fans to visit their productions - and of course to maximise income by televising the production wherever possible.
I’ve written on here in previous threads that football is heading towards a type of ‘Harlem Globetrotters’ show that competes for excursion expenditure alongside everything else in the entertainment industry. If said owners can own several different entertainment hubs, all the better, because they increasingly rely on the concept that, for example, fans of music band (A) will also be quite happy to go and see music bands (B) and (C) etc in concert and purchase the respective merchandise from the various bands.
Anyway, for me, I’ll just continue supporting the club I’ve always done since I was a lad and yes, I’ll enjoy our successes and complain bitterly when we get things wrong. However, as time passes, voices like mine will dwindle further and the owners will increasingly get what they always wanted - a non-competitive travelling show attended by tourists.
😁
Anachronistic Loyal Football Fans
posted 1 week, 3 days ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by Striketeam7 - staying humble (U18109)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 19 minutes ago
comment by Striketeam7 - staying humble (U18109)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 1 hour, 1 minute ago
comment by Striketeam7 - staying humble (U18109)
posted 10 minutes ago
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
any club trying to claim that EPL teams need to charge these prices for tickets cos they need the revenue is laughable. that league blows every other league in the world out the water with the finances clubs are given.
If Bayern can afford to pay their high wages with ticket prices for some fans at 19 euros for CL games then it shouldnt be difficult for EPL to avoid charging mor than 5 times that.
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There's the issue of intra-league competition to consider too, though.
PL clubs compete against each other on signings and wages, and every new season brings increased spending that can only be met by constantly increasing income.
The latest figures put match day receipts at roughly 15% of total PL revenue. It might not be the lion's share, but it's still a considerable amount.
And stadiums are continuing to fill up, and as long as that keeps happening, then the clubs have no incentive at all to freeze or lower prices.
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This goes over Who’s head. He looks at Scotland and thinks well Celtic and Rangers can do it for a bag of crisps and a jammy donut so why not the Premier league.
Of course, you ask why Motherwell have never played CL and how much they would have to spend to get there and his argument falls down. If Motherwell did spend that money would Celtic/Rangers lie down and accept it or would they increase spending to compete?
The Bayern example is laughable - Bayern can outspend everyone in Germany already so don’t can sell tickets at 10 euros. What about Mainz though - how much would they have to spend to be CL regs?
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Dortmund are cheaper, Leverkusen are cheaper, Leipzig are all cheaper than Bayern. the reason I chose Bayern is cos they are one of the most expensive !
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But if they put their tickets up, spent a bit more as a result then they might be more successful.
It’s a double edged sword - Villa went from a Championship club to a CL club in about 5 seasons, they have had to spend crazy money to do that and now need to comply with PSR. They have 2 choices - raise commercial revenues or trade away players in the hope that the cheaper players coming in can fill the void - they ended up doing a bit of both.
Without that spending they probably finish between 8-15th.
Newcastle exactly the same, they’ve just had a summer where they bought nobody of note - if they miss out again this year it’s going to cause big issues for them because the only way they can compete for those spots again is by potentially overspending.
The Prem at best has 5 CL spots, but these days you have 8 clubs properly competing for those spots and West Ham’s spending this summer suggests to me they want to join that party also and you have Brighton attempting it via the player data route
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what your describing is literally clubs spending outwith their means and as a result need to increase the prices!
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It’s that or finishing 10th
On the one hand Villa fans were desperate for CL, well this is the price of it
Would Villa fans prefer not having the option of paying for CL football - my guess is no, as they can do one CL game rather than all 4 home games
Everybody has to pay the piper though
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then they should have raised the money first through tickets if thats what the fans really wanted, not the other way around, not spend all the money first then force the fans to bail them out essentially.
And if other clubs can live within their means within enviroments far less financially lucrative than EPL teams then so should Villa.
Like I said your quick enough to jump down Citys throats for what they have apparently done when I would argue its far less ethical to spend money you dont have and then expect the fans to pay through nose for it afterwards.
If Villa had raised their prices in order to spend more to become a top 4 team and the fans agreed and were on board then fine, but they have done it the other way around and put the club and the fans in a position that they now must pay way over the odds. But judging by the backlash from the fans they are not happy with this and wouldnt have backed that intial idea.
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First off - please find where I have been critical of City? I am not one who criticises them beyond winding up Boris and usually I just stick to the Emptyhad jokes.
Secondly - your charge them before they are in the CL suggestion is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard in football, it’s up there with the 39th game
Picture the scene:
Aston Villa football club: tickets for the home game against Southampton will go on sale on Wednesday, starting price £100
Villa Fans: £100?
Villa: yep
Villa fans: why?
Villa: we want to be in the CL and the only way we can do that is by upping ticket prices to increase commercials
Villa fans: no thanks
Now picture the second scenario:
Villa: tickets for the home game against Bayern in the CL go on sale on Wednesday, starting at £100
Villa fans: will I have enough Loyalty points to buy one
Villa: couldn’t give a faaaack mate, we could charge £200 a ticket and still sell out this fixture
Moral Villa fan: I must protest these prices
Villa: faaaack off you oik
Immoral Villa fan: 2 tickets together please
posted 1 week, 3 days ago
comment by Striketeam7 - staying humble (U18109)
posted 31 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by Striketeam7 - staying humble (U18109)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 19 minutes ago
comment by Striketeam7 - staying humble (U18109)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 1 hour, 1 minute ago
comment by Striketeam7 - staying humble (U18109)
posted 10 minutes ago
comment by it'sonlyagame (U6426)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by whodunnit (U22710)
posted 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
any club trying to claim that EPL teams need to charge these prices for tickets cos they need the revenue is laughable. that league blows every other league in the world out the water with the finances clubs are given.
If Bayern can afford to pay their high wages with ticket prices for some fans at 19 euros for CL games then it shouldnt be difficult for EPL to avoid charging mor than 5 times that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There's the issue of intra-league competition to consider too, though.
PL clubs compete against each other on signings and wages, and every new season brings increased spending that can only be met by constantly increasing income.
The latest figures put match day receipts at roughly 15% of total PL revenue. It might not be the lion's share, but it's still a considerable amount.
And stadiums are continuing to fill up, and as long as that keeps happening, then the clubs have no incentive at all to freeze or lower prices.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This goes over Who’s head. He looks at Scotland and thinks well Celtic and Rangers can do it for a bag of crisps and a jammy donut so why not the Premier league.
Of course, you ask why Motherwell have never played CL and how much they would have to spend to get there and his argument falls down. If Motherwell did spend that money would Celtic/Rangers lie down and accept it or would they increase spending to compete?
The Bayern example is laughable - Bayern can outspend everyone in Germany already so don’t can sell tickets at 10 euros. What about Mainz though - how much would they have to spend to be CL regs?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dortmund are cheaper, Leverkusen are cheaper, Leipzig are all cheaper than Bayern. the reason I chose Bayern is cos they are one of the most expensive !
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But if they put their tickets up, spent a bit more as a result then they might be more successful.
It’s a double edged sword - Villa went from a Championship club to a CL club in about 5 seasons, they have had to spend crazy money to do that and now need to comply with PSR. They have 2 choices - raise commercial revenues or trade away players in the hope that the cheaper players coming in can fill the void - they ended up doing a bit of both.
Without that spending they probably finish between 8-15th.
Newcastle exactly the same, they’ve just had a summer where they bought nobody of note - if they miss out again this year it’s going to cause big issues for them because the only way they can compete for those spots again is by potentially overspending.
The Prem at best has 5 CL spots, but these days you have 8 clubs properly competing for those spots and West Ham’s spending this summer suggests to me they want to join that party also and you have Brighton attempting it via the player data route
----------------------------------------------------------------------
what your describing is literally clubs spending outwith their means and as a result need to increase the prices!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s that or finishing 10th
On the one hand Villa fans were desperate for CL, well this is the price of it
Would Villa fans prefer not having the option of paying for CL football - my guess is no, as they can do one CL game rather than all 4 home games
Everybody has to pay the piper though
----------------------------------------------------------------------
then they should have raised the money first through tickets if thats what the fans really wanted, not the other way around, not spend all the money first then force the fans to bail them out essentially.
And if other clubs can live within their means within enviroments far less financially lucrative than EPL teams then so should Villa.
Like I said your quick enough to jump down Citys throats for what they have apparently done when I would argue its far less ethical to spend money you dont have and then expect the fans to pay through nose for it afterwards.
If Villa had raised their prices in order to spend more to become a top 4 team and the fans agreed and were on board then fine, but they have done it the other way around and put the club and the fans in a position that they now must pay way over the odds. But judging by the backlash from the fans they are not happy with this and wouldnt have backed that intial idea.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
First off - please find where I have been critical of City? I am not one who criticises them beyond winding up Boris and usually I just stick to the Emptyhad jokes.
Secondly - your charge them before they are in the CL suggestion is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard in football, it’s up there with the 39th game
Picture the scene:
Aston Villa football club: tickets for the home game against Southampton will go on sale on Wednesday, starting price £100
Villa Fans: £100?
Villa: yep
Villa fans: why?
Villa: we want to be in the CL and the only way we can do that is by upping ticket prices to increase commercials
Villa fans: no thanks
Now picture the second scenario:
Villa: tickets for the home game against Bayern in the CL go on sale on Wednesday, starting at £100
Villa fans: will I have enough Loyalty points to buy one
Villa: couldn’t give a faaaack mate, we could charge £200 a ticket and still sell out this fixture
Moral Villa fan: I must protest these prices
Villa: faaaack off you oik
Immoral Villa fan: 2 tickets together please
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ur not v smart r u?
posted 1 week, 3 days ago
If Bayern can afford to pay their high wages with ticket prices for some fans at 19 euros for CL games then it shouldnt be difficult for EPL to avoid charging mor than 5 times that.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
There's the issue of intra-league competition to consider too, though.
PL clubs compete against each other on signings and wages, and every new season brings increased spending that can only be met by constantly increasing income.
There’s nothing except greed causing that. It’s the same old, this is what happens when people continue to pay for snake oil through their teeth because greedy clubs keep choosing money over fans. Fair play to bayern, a proper club unlike the rip off caants on the corrupt, greedy PL.
posted 1 week, 3 days ago
comment by Igòr; Told ya, Power to the people, Cit... (U22200)
posted 2 hours, 20 minutes ago
This is a copy and paste article for sure.
This thicko hasn’t the know how to articulate this himself.
Lapping up the credit though, shameful even for JA.
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Thank you Igor, I’m quite flattered by that😁.
(now off you go to play with the other knuckle-draggers and let the grown ups discuss this in peace).
posted 1 week, 3 days ago
Striketeam, forza & whodunnit, grown ups
posted 1 week, 2 days ago
Morning all - some good points made by all, well most, so thanks for that👍. I can’t see how the effective cartel that has been created by the top 5/6 in the EPL (top 2/3 in every other European league) will ever be broken now. It would take some freak of nature (some team to do a ‘Leicester’ many seasons in a row) for any different team to ever join the elite now. This is what so-called professional, elite football has become and for me, I think it stinks.
Oh well, time for another cuppa and to see what the day brings😁. Go well all👍.
posted 1 week, 2 days ago
It will be broken sooner or later. Nothing lasts forever.
Right now, though, the most likely path for that seems to be massive investment that flouts financial controls. Newcastle could probably do that in relatively little time if the Saudis ever set their minds to it. The outcome of the case against Man City will probably be a major factor in whether others decide to go down the same path or not.
posted 1 week, 2 days ago
Well ,we know where we're going,
but we don't know where we've been,
and we know what we're knowing
and we're not little children .............
We're on the road to nowhere !
posted 1 week, 2 days ago
That's what you get for burning down the house
posted 1 week, 2 days ago
yup
itsa wild why?led life