[Archived] This Will Stop Jordans Plan

[broadsword]

PS: You forgot Alan Ball's white boots.

[Alan75]

Interesting.

Could you elaborate? I'm intrigued to know how we wouldn't benefit financially if the money was spread equally across the 20 teams.

For the record, I was against this idea until I read Richard Scuadmore's comments. He said the big clubs will go off and do this themselves if they have to (but obviously not for league points). This would mean they'd get more money and the gap would get even bigger.

Then why does he not let the big clubs go off and do their own thing. however ban them from playing in the premiership.

Maybe we would then get a more competative league.

How much interest would there be in watching the big 4 or 5 clubs when they arent involved in the domestic league. There would be no way for them to qualify for europe and would end up playing each other 4 times a season in what would basically be non competative games, where there was no relegation or worthwhile trophy.

[Alan75]

philipl, you missed the art of tackling. and the banning of physical contact.

[tony gale's mic]

Interesting.

Could you elaborate? I'm intrigued to know how we wouldn't benefit financially if the money was spread equally across the 20 teams.

For the record, I was against this idea until I read Richard Scuadmore's comments. He said the big clubs will go off and do this themselves if they have to (but obviously not for league points). This would mean they'd get more money and the gap would get even bigger.

i feel like posting in this thread is slowly but surely becoming like a certain billy murray film which shall remain nameless.

if the money is spread equally among the twenty teams, this will only serve to inflate premier league wages, wage bills including ours would increase and we'd be in pretty much exactly the same position we are now. or at least i and a few others have explained why various times in this thread,( feel free to find them, theyre no more than a few pages back). turnover would increase but so would expenses.

[philipl]

substitutes GOOD

multiple substitutes GOOD

coloured players GOOD (and the increase in overseas players is largely positive)

no back passes VERY GOOD

goal keepers' steps GOOD

banning donkey kicks QUESTIONABLE

offside law interpretation changes BAD

formalised injury time GOOD

penalty shoot outs GOOD

extra time GOOD

golden goals (came and went) GLAD THEY WERE GOT RID OF

short shorts NOW LOOK OBSCENE

long shorts LOOKED RIDICULOUS INITIALLY

plastic footballs GOOD

red and yellow cards GOOD

three up three down GOOD

play-offs GOOD

three points for a win GOOD (Liverpool would be having a good season if it were still 2 pts for a win)

points penalty for administration ON BALANCE JUSTIFIED

adverts on shirts DON'T LIKE IT

badges on shirts GOOD

players' names on shirts SHOULDN'T BE NECESSARY BUT HELPS

squad numbers DEBATABLE

all seater stadiums GOOD ON BALANCE

premiership GOOD

champions league I LIKE IT

intertoto BIT OF A JOKE BUT WE WILL MISS IT

end of the cup winners cup SAD

full members cup DID ITS JOB

all that change has happened in my time following the Rovers MY VIEWS OF WHETHER GOOD OR BAD

On balance, looks like most changes have improved the game.

[broadsword]

You assign everything equal weighting, long shorts looked ridiculoous initially but they're OK, so it's alright for premiership teams to play an extra game abroad.

Funny, I thought it was the thin end of the wedge in football being taken away from its traditional constituency. But nay, I was wrong, it's the "no, long shorts are OK really" factor, plus as fans of Blackburn Rovers we have to keep our traps shut if the traditions of the game are prostituted for money because at the moment we are beneficiaries and are desperate for it to stay that way. Even if, in the end, football isn't a game worth playing because money has ruined it.

Sometimes I wonder: "Is it just me?" Am I being a crotchety old git?" Someone take me down to football's knckers yard, I'm not playing the game any more.

[Sydney Rovers]

As one of the people who would possibly benefit from this as it would be a chance to see Rovers in my home town I'm dead set against this idea and would prefer seeing my team play a game in pre-season here instead of the middle of the season. Just imagine the poor teams that ends up here in Australia in the middle of January, the jet lag, the temperature difference (probably a 20°C difference between here and the UK at that time of year), the increase in humidity (especially if the game was in Brisbane), and other factors could mess about with a team's season.

All this talk of the extra 5M quid is great but as rightly pointed out it will just end up inflating the cost of players or end up in the pockets of team directors and as a dividend to shareholders

Also with my Sydney FC/Australia football fan hat on it's a terrible idea as we already have enough problems trying to convince people who consider themselves football fans to go to local games here because they'd rather wake up at 2am to watch a Premier League game than see a game 10 minutes away from their house.

Anyway all this talk of making team “global brands” is false, you only have to look at the amount of Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool kits in this part of the World to see that your typical “football fan” here doesn't really care about any club outside the usual suspects and this would be reflected in the crowd number at games because a game featuring Man Utd would fill this stadium while Reading v Derby would fill this ground

Anyway knowing the FFA here they would love this idea (as they are a bunch of morons and can't see the big picture) and the State Governments will spend millions of dollars of taxpayers money trying to get these games thinking that this will pump money into the local economy which it won't.

[Dunnfc]

Imo we need to ban all this oversees frendly games which your joker clubs like Man Utd play in, its just not football its a 5-0 thrashing of a secondrate chinese team and whats to benefit from this apart from money?. We have all this prem money why dont we play premiership clubs in frendlies and earn that money properly?

Get rid of all the oversees marketing stuff like frendlies in saudi arabia. The is just no need for it its just pure greed from clubs who want to exploit commercial fans.

Set a limit of 4 frendlies before the season starts and play no other friendlies throught the season. If you want play a mini cup with all the prem clubs seeded together in preseason or the carling cup if you want excitment.

Make every team have a change of strip every 2 years and not every 6 mths also ban all euro kits and just have a home and a away kit. This way dosent screw the fans even more.

Bring back terracing even if its just in one stand. This will bring many fans of clubs more together and will create more of an atmosphere at grounds.

bring a salary cap rule in and have a rule where you can only have 4 non eus in your squad.

[Jan]

Imo we need to ban all this oversees frendly games which your joker clubs like Man Utd play in, its just not football its a 5-0 thrashing of a secondrate chinese team and whats to benefit from this apart from money?. We have all this prem money why dont we play premiership clubs in frendlies and earn that money properly?

Get rid of all the oversees marketing stuff like frendlies in saudi arabia. The is just no need for it its just pure greed from clubs who want to exploit commercial fans.

Set a limit of 4 frendlies before the season starts and play no other friendlies throught the season. If you want play a mini cup with all the prem clubs seeded together in preseason or the carling cup if you want excitment.

Make every team have a change of strip every 2 years and not every 6 mths also ban all euro kits and just have a home and a away kit. This way dosent screw the fans even more.

Bring back terracing even if its just in one stand. This will bring many fans of clubs more together and will create more of an atmosphere at grounds.

bring a salary cap rule in and have a rule where you can only have 4 non eus in your squad.

Bring back the day when 't only people watching football were working men on their day off from the pits and factories

Bring back TV in black and white only

Bring back the penny farthing

All about as sensible as the nonsense spouted above. Life moves on- deal with it. (and you couldn't implement the bob-EU part as it's against EU- and therefore our)-law)

[Paul Mellelieu]

On balance, looks like most changes have improved the game.

Obscene wages BAD

Agents BAD

Playing on Sundays/Mondays BAD

Foreign owners BAD

Cost of tickets BAD

Average age of football fan being 43 BAD

Rip off replica shirts BAD

The big four BAD

Progress Phil? Don't think so.

[CAPT KAYOS]

I think we should fight tooth and nail to preserve our status and preserve Jack's legacy - and that applies to particularly to the his Trustees.

once again thanks for the reply Rev and I can understand your thinking here and I am replaying after reading the other replies after this.

As Mum has posted she would rather we remain in the P/L , which I know full well all Rovers Fans would sign up to but this idea is just not right and as others have mentioned and I did straight away - it will not stop there.

I understand the logic in trying to 'broaden the Premier League' image but why does it have to affect our Football Season? Its our game, our season, our teams and I for one don't give a flying fiddle about whether other countries see us or not and regardless of what is done will still not broaden the Rovers appeal (as would be the same for the likes of Boro/Fulham/Notlob etc) as the glamour would not be attributed to clubs of our 'stature' - much of like it is now - do you see Super Sunday or whatever advertised when we play Everton on a Sunday at 2pm and Fulham v Newcastle is the 4pm game as that is what it would be like.

Do you really want to be part of something that is 'fixed' to an extent without tradition?

This is not Football and going the way it is going I do not want to be part of it - its taking the ethics of Sport out of the game completely and as I have already posted would just make a mockery of the whole set up of the league.

Fine for whoever thinks its OK - but the majority from what I have seen and heard is those with any concern for the game itself can see that this will just kill it.

Does the thought of itself being played in the middle of our Season not tell enough to suggest where this is heading - and your response as well as others is just blinded to the fact of this 'extra' money' is really going to benefit Rovers ( which in fairness it might) however I just can't see it.

If its for the broadening the image - then play it pre- season or at the end of it .... but they won't will they - and that to me tells its own story of exactly why this has to be stopped now.

[Paul]

Interesting.

Could you elaborate? I'm intrigued to know how we wouldn't benefit financially if the money was spread equally across the 20 teams.

For the record, I was against this idea until I read Richard Scuadmore's comments. He said the big clubs will go off and do this themselves if they have to (but obviously not for league points). This would mean they'd get more money and the gap would get even bigger.

We know 85% of Rovers turnover goes on wages. We know the recent improved TV deal has seen our wage bill escalate from + / - £33m to an estimated £40m (chairman's estimate) in two seasons. Ergo of the additional £5m the club will benefit from £0.75m and the players by £4.25m. Why bother it doesn't begin to buy a left foot let alone a whole footballer.

[Paul]

Then why does he not let the big clubs go off and do their own thing. however ban them from playing in the premiership.

Maybe we would then get a more competative league.

How much interest would there be in watching the big 4 or 5 clubs when they arent involved in the domestic league. There would be no way for them to qualify for europe and would end up playing each other 4 times a season in what would basically be non competative games, where there was no relegation or worthwhile trophy.

Agreed, let them go. Arsenal, Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, can bugger off and play in a world super league against another bunch from South America, Spain or wherever. Simply ban all clubs who wish to do this from the PL, FA Cup and League Cup. Without real domestic competition they will rapidly become nothing.

Meanwhile the rest of us can get on with watching real football played in a domestic and COMPETITIVE league.

[Fife Rover]

Then why does he not let the big clubs go off and do their own thing. however ban them from playing in the premiership.

Maybe we would then get a more competative league.

How much interest would there be in watching the big 4 or 5 clubs when they arent involved in the domestic league. There would be no way for them to qualify for europe and would end up playing each other 4 times a season in what would basically be non competative games, where there was no relegation or worthwhile trophy.

This would of course be the ideal solution, but unfortunately the big clubs are not daft and they too know it would be a dead end, unless they had got a super-league pre-arranged and a good selection of other "big clubs" from around the world all primed and ready to join them from day one. It could still be an ideal solution for the rest of us though, if it can be agreed and with just a limited number of clubs in the super league; (say 20 or so).

There would still always be the risk that as time went by, other clubs in the EPL would see themselves as "big clubs" and want to join the super league. Newcastle are obvious candidates for this, along with West Ham, Villa and eventually all the city clubs. The likes of Rovers, Wigan and all the other town clubs are never going to get an invite. Lancashire Utd anyone?

[waggy]

i still think the only way this idea will be accepted, is that the games played abroad will be one of the original 38 games.there is no way it is fair for a bottom 3 team to play arse/manu/chelski 3 times in a season.happen scudamore and his cronies reliase this and sweetners will be arranged.football is in the hands off the premier league and tv,what they want is what will happen

[joey_big_nose]

I can't believe anyone is interested in this happening who is a Rovers fan. This is the first step towards globalising the league and the logical conclusion of it is that Rovers have no place in the future of the Premiership. We just are not big enough. The next step will be inviting other clubs from abroad to take part in the league> It is an absolute stick on certainty. There is far more long term marketabilty in a Dubai club playing Manchester United in Dubai than Man Utd playing Rovers there.

We are in the utterly bizarre situation of the English game actually depending more on revenue from outside the Uk than within it. That has to be a world first in any sport. It's literally pulling the game out of the country!

I am all for embracing change but the future in this sense does not involve clubs like ourselves, Wigan, Bolton. We wil be voting ourselves out of the equation if we go for this.

ps- The one way this could work is if there is a tournament at the end of the season involving some Premiership clubs abroad. But not the core league games. That is ridiculous as well as patently impossible to make into a fair format.

[BuckyRover]

I saw Lee Dixon and Martin Keown on Football Focus basically saying that this proposal had made our league the laughing stock of the world in just 24 hours.

Says a lot really.

When the bubble burst (which it will) what we will have left.

Maybe they will then implement "multiball"

[SouthAussieRover]

To paraphrase Gordon Gekko:

"Greed is good".

[Fife Rover]

To paraphrase Gordon Gekko:

"Greed is good".

Ah! But not when the victims of the proposed scam have it sussed before it even gets going, and therfore know how to avoid being taken in by it.

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

The link below is an excellent article from the BBC's football commentator Jonathan Pearce. It's well worth reading and probably should be printed off and sent to each of the 20 Premiership chairmen who are considering this proposal.

As Pearce says of the clubs: "They will sell the very soul of our national sport."

Link: It's pure greed

[OscarRaven]

Seems like someones e-mail address is missing?

EDIT: Page has been updated with Rovers contact details

[brightonrover]

I've written to John Williams to express my dismay at his support for the 39th game idea and to ask him to reconsider his position. I've also signed the online petition with FSF and I urge the rest of you to do the same.

I've been heartened by the coverage that the plan has been given by the media over the last few days but also surprised that most of this has centred on it being a game abroad rather than spoiling the integrity of the 120 year home and away basis of the league.

I've seen suggestions in the media that perhaps the PL have thrown an outrageous suggestion to us in order to slip something else (something less controversial) by us when the fuss has died down - which makes some kind of sense.

[joey_big_nose]

I've seen suggestions in the media that perhaps the PL have thrown an outrageous suggestion to us in order to slip something else (something less controversial) by us when the fuss has died down - which makes some kind of sense.

I would lay money on that. Probably the realistic goal is to scrap the League cup and instead play a cup tournament at the end of the season abroad involving all 20 of the league clubs. It would be a money spinner and keep people happy.

If this is a way to make a foreign tournament more acceptable its quite an audacious move. Or perhaps the (less machivallian) thinking is float Plan A (the 39 game thing) see if it gets panned - as it obviously has - then move to plan B (a touranment). Either way we will see Rovers, if we are still in the division - playing in sandy climes I reckon.

What a bitch for all the Championship teams (which could if things go badly include us) whenever this comes into effect. The gap between Prem and Championship financially is going to become even more mind bogglingly massive.

[RevidgeBlue]

I think it's fair to say the proposal has had an almost universally negative reaction so we might see something else put forward in a modified form in due course.

To summarise my reaction to the proposal as it currently stands I would say it was flawed due to the inherent unfairness which might be brought about by a semi random draw for one game, however in Rovers particular case, the financial upside probably far outweighs the potential unfairness which might arise due to "luck of the draw".

[Scotty]

To summarise my reaction to the proposal as it currently stands I would say it was flawed due to the inherent unfairness which might be brought about by a semi random draw for one game, however in Rovers particular case, the financial upside probably far outweighs the potential unfairness which might arise due to "luck of the draw".

That's an interesting stance that surely opens a huge can of worms. I mean, what other circumstances are there where the financial upside probably far outweighs the potential unfairness? Being paid money by another club to throw a game? Throwing the ref a bit of a bung?

Seriously, how much unfairness can be outweighed by how much finance? Could you maybe knock up a table of unfair circumstances and how much you'd accept before you consider it ok?