[Archived] This Will Stop Jordans Plan

[AggyBlue]

however in Rovers particular case, the financial upside probably far outweighs the potential unfairness which might arise due to "luck of the draw".

Would you still feel the same if Rovers got relegated due to the '39th Game'?

[Alan75]

I suspect this is as good as anywhere to put these quotes from an Interesting Article.

It just shows how money is killing the game.

I said to my client at half time, that "at Highbury I saw fans, here I only see customers or consumers". He didn't know what I meant. The game’s attendance was announced approximately four minutes before the end - about 60,500 - probably a minute later 10,000 fans upped and left missing the final goal!!!!

I can't see these types of fans coming back if Arsenal ever slip up and fall outside of the Top three or aren't challenging as there was a complete lack of affinity with the club. Even as an "outsider" I felt gutted for some of my mates who have been priced out of going to games and now there is the prospect of it happening to Liverpool too.

[AlanK]

Any money made will just end up in the players pockets.

As for the big 4,5,6 buggering off, they will just be replaced by the next big 4,5,6. It will take a few years but it will happen. The king is dead, long live the king etc etc.

[philipl]

I suspect the agreement to disband the G14 indicates the big 4 will be with us some what longer. The G14 is bound to have looked at the feasibility of a G14 franchise style league for the 18 clubs in it and must have concluded it was a non-runner for many reasons.

The certainty of economic success probably wasn't there but politically it was dead in the water.

FIFA probably told them players in their competition would be ineligible for international games and the EU that they would withdraw official recognition as both a representative and a sports organisation.

[roversmum]

another view from the Telegraph

[philipl]

For good or for ill, John Inverdale is probably right about everything except a US style-franchised European league.

[RevidgeBlue]

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?

I know you're being facetious, but the examples you use aren't comparable because they're illegal.

Clearly this would be a calculated gamble on Rovers part. Is it worth increasing our income by 10% for very little effort, in exchange for the fairly slight risk that the 39th game might throw up some unfairness and put our status in jeapordy? After all you have thirty eight other games to get all the points you need, and there would only be something like a one in five chance of drawing one of the big four.

To use a hypothetical example, if the guaranteed amount were 50m rather than 5m would people still be saying it wasn't worth the risk or was unfair or was against the games traditions? Then it becomes far less of a gamble in comparative terms and in Rovers case you'd have to be certifiable to turn it down.

Clearly John Williams and the other 19 Premier League Chairman think it's worth it for the money on offer now or they wouldn't have voted to examine the proposal further.

Make the overseas weekend part of a normal 38 game season and I can't see any objection at all to it. In practice that will never happen as the likes of Arsenal and Man Ure would be at risk of losing out on the revenue from a home game, and losing out comparatively speaking.

Good article by Inverdale imo.

[RevidgeBlue]

Would you still feel the same if Rovers got relegated due to the '39th Game'?

I'd be gutted we'd gone down but would realise it was 97.5% down to our efforts over the normal thirty eight games and 2.5% down to the result in the extra game - that's if we lost it that is.

[CAPT KAYOS]

I know you're being facetious, but the examples you use aren't comparable because they're illegal.

Clearly this would be a calculated gamble on Rovers part. Is it worth increasing our income by 10% for very little effort, in exchange for the fairly slight risk that the 39th game might throw up some unfairness and put our status in jeapordy? After all you have thirty eight other games to get all the points you need, and there would only be something like a one in five chance of drawing one of the big four.

To use a hypothetical example, if the guaranteed amount were 50m rather than 5m would people still be saying it wasn't worth the risk or was unfair or was against the games traditions? Then it becomes far less of a gamble in comparative terms and in Rovers case you'd have to be certifiable to turn it down.

Clearly John Williams and the other 19 Premier League Chairman think it's worth it for the money on offer now or they wouldn't have voted to examine the proposal further.

Make the overseas weekend part of a normal 38 game season and I can't see any objection at all to it. In practice that will never happen as the likes of Arsenal and Man Ure would be at risk of losing out on the revenue from a home game, and losing out comparatively speaking.

Good article by Inverdale imo.

Oh come on Rev . ..here you go again all about the money aspect of it £5 , 5m or £50 million its still wrong and is all about the money which is the very reason why as most are saying it should not happen.

Its about the domestic game and the set up and I'll say it again in England ... and nowhere else.

If people want to see it from elsewhere - let them see it on the Box or travel to England to watch the games ... and if they want to broaden the P/L image - do it out of season with a travelling Football Circus.

[OscarRaven]

Got to agree, the fundamental issues here for me are: Taking the English game away from England and the removal of everyone plays everyone else home and away. Money is the driver but not the reason I object.

It's cheating.

Cheating fans and cheating the fairness that’s been in the game for over 100 years.

[OscarRaven]

Anyone see the day when a Bernie Ecclestone type comes on the box and announces that the England round of the premier league is in jepoardy because Singapore want in and are prepared to pay more?

[RevidgeBlue]

Anyone see the day when a Bernie Ecclestone type comes on the box and announces that the England round of the premier league is in jepoardy because Singapore want in and are prepared to pay more?

To be fair, there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm so far from some of the proposed host countries who claim they want to develop their own Leagues first.

[Sydney Rovers]

Well the Premier League might have to find somewhere else to do this as the FFA (Football Federation of Australia), and our Confederation (Asian Football Confederation), have said no to this and the AFC are saying that their member nations should say no also;

"I always welcome the exchange of knowledge and expertise between foreign football associations and clubs, and support matches organised between AFC and other Confederations which benefit the development of our clubs here in Asia, but at the present time I can't see the wisdom in the proposed plans.

"With relation to the overall principle, it is my belief that it is not a good idea to organise domestic leagues in other territories other than their own. If this principle is accepted, then the FA Premier League must accept reciprocal arrangements within their own territory".

"Saying that, my recommendation to the AFC Executive Committee would be to reject any initiatives of this nature. We would urge the AFC member associations to protect their own national leagues and clubs within their territories. This is our position."

[Jordan]

I'd be gutted we'd gone down but would realise it was 97.5% down to our efforts over the normal thirty eight games and 2.5% down to the result in the extra game - that's if we lost it that is.

Yes but we could also stay up as a result of the added 39th game. Its all swings and roundabouts which would not really affect the end table.

[broadsword]

To be fair, there doesn't seem to be much enthusiasm so far from some of the proposed host countries who claim they want to develop their own Leagues first.

Yep, it seems to be going down like a chocolate willy eating contest in a nunnery for ex-anorexic models.

First the US says they want to develop their own game first, now we have these comments:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/e...rem/7243949.stm

Seems that the Premier League's attempts to park their balls on other people's lawns has not gone down well. The problem with parking your balls on othe rpeople's lawns is that you can get them mowed over.

Also, the problem with bean-counting is that you end up seeing every problem from a bean angle.

[Sydney Rovers]

Exactly, why the hell would someone let another competing organisation come in and undo all their hard work. Here in Australia we have enough problems trying to get our three year old national competition going because so called football fans would rather watch a game at 2am against two teams they couldn't locate on a map then going to a game 15 minutes away.

[Fife Rover]

Got to agree, the fundamental issues here for me are: Taking the English game away from England and the removal of everyone plays everyone else home and away. Money is the driver but not the reason I object.

It's cheating.

Cheating fans and cheating the fairness that’s been in the game for over 100 years.

There's not enough money in fairness! At least not quickly enough for the greedy barstewards whos'e very reason for existence is to get rich at somone elses expense.

[brightonrover]

Well no Jordan, what happens in the 39th game will not be "all swings and roundabouts". If things happen within the 38 games, it will have 37 other games to even itself out but what happens in the extra game (whenever it's played) will be an extra blip that can't be rectified during the course of the season, it will be a random 3rd game played against one of the other teams, outside the perameters of a 'normal' football season.

[joey_big_nose]

To use a hypothetical example, if the guaranteed amount were 50m rather than 5m would people still be saying it wasn't worth the risk or was unfair or was against the games traditions? Then it becomes far less of a gamble in comparative terms and in Rovers case you'd have to be certifiable to turn it down.

Clearly John Williams and the other 19 Premier League Chairman think it's worth it for the money on offer now or they wouldn't have voted to examine the proposal further.

Make the overseas weekend part of a normal 38 game season and I can't see any objection at all to it. In practice that will never happen as the likes of Arsenal and Man Ure would be at risk of losing out on the revenue from a home game, and losing out comparatively speaking.

Good article by Inverdale imo.

I oppose the overseas weekend on principle but even if I did accept that it made snes to play league games abroad what is the point of the extra cash?

It would just be swollowed up by the players. The only net advantage in terms of the quality of teams like ourselves would be that we might get enough extra cash to nick a player from, say, Seville (quality foreign side who will generate a lot less cash than us). But you can bet your bottom dollar Seville would then look to play abroad too so they can again compete. So interms of relative access to players we will be back at square one suddenly playing games abroad too. What is there in this for the fans? Not a lot. Maybe a couple of decent players for a while but thats it.

What will happen sure as the sun rising is more games will be played abroad if it generates more money as that is the defniing factor. And then at some point the logical step of combining all the travelling European leagues into one super league as that will generate even more cash for the few clubs contained within it.

Rovers will not be one of those clubs courted to be in a European or world wide super league which is the way it will. Neither will at least 14 of the current Premiership.

Lets not be the birds who vote for Christmas.

[brightonrover]

I've received a response from John Williams + Tom Finn (prob a standard letter) saying that they will take into consideration the fans opinion. This of course could be the usual cobblers but I think it's probably worth taking on face value so I would urge people to write to the club to express your opinion.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Qatar says it would love to stage a game in Doha while Saudi Arabia says it would be interested if the matches involved BIG TEAMS such as Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool.

Rovers v Bolton in down town Beirut then!

Sadly after initial enthusiasm from me it does appear to be an ill thought out p1ss take with comments like the above.

[laughatthedingles]

I have many issues with all this:

1. It's a slippery slope and for now it's only 1 game, how long before it's only 5, or only half?

2. What difference will it make in terms of finance if we're all recieving the same?

3. Aren't these the same chairman, clubs, managers and players that are always moaning we play too much and need a break?

4. The fans are clearly bottom of the priorities here!!

our game is being taken away from us piece by piece -

A: First we had the premier league making a big gap between clubs now massive

B: Then there's the champions league - increasing gaps within top leagues

C: Richard Scudamore clearly wants to turn Football into American Football - i.e. More subs (how long before they're unlimited as in world cups), playing games away from England.

D: Is this all to keep the G14 happy?????

[LeftWinger]

The next step will be games played in quarters - so they get more chance to advertise while the games are on TV.

If Leyland Motors started playing again - I'd go and watch them instead of Rovers. That's how fed up with it I am.

[Ronin]

Maybe that ol Bud ad is looking a bit prophetic these days. We'll be having multi-ball next!!!

[cletus]

If it does go ahead, i think the BBC should retire the old Match of the Day theme tune & bring it a bit more up to date with Depeche Mode`s Everything Counts.

Can you imagine how apt it would be, cue the title sequences overdubbed with the chorus-line;-

"The grabbing hands, grab all they can,

all for themselves after all.....it`s a competative world"