Banter RDT 158 - Beers at Badgers

[Dazzler9]

Was driving home with the family down the freeway from a holiday in Pemberton and went past a sign saying "thanks for visiting the PEEL region, please come back soon!"

My immediate thought was "I'd rather not, thank you sir."

No sh!t, I was driving home from Pemberton yesterday as well. I would've been the a-hole towing a trailer, holding up traffic on Vasse Hwy.

 

[Bender_]

No sh!t, I was driving home from Pemberton yesterday as well. I would've been the a-hole towing a trailer, holding up traffic on Vasse Hwy.

You campaigner.

 

[Mr Eagle]

Soccer just got a bomb dropped on it.

Now, what does this mean for Leeds?

 

[RookiePick]

Soccer just got a bomb dropped on it.

Now, what does this mean for Leeds?

The WorLOLd game!

 

[Carbine Chaos]

Seems like elitist rubbish to me.

But that's the problem with soccer, isn't it? There can't be a sport in the world which divides the 'haves' and 'have nots' more than it. And I find it incredibly boring that the same few clubs dominate every league year after year. The Leicester story should be a lot more frequent. The AFL has the right idea with equalisation measures, yet it still rewards the more professional and well run clubs in the long run (which is great).

 

[Dazzler9]

What's happened?

 

[Ochre]

What's happened?

One of the smallest clubs in the Premier League, AFC Richmond, has just hired a college football coach from Kansas City as manager despite him never having played or coached soccer before. It's making a mockery of the sport.

 

[Dazzler9]

One of the smallest clubs in the Premier League, AFC Richmond, has just hired a college football coach from Kansas City as manager despite him never having played or coached soccer before. It's making a mockery of the sport.

Dude looks a lot like Jason Sudeikis!

 

[Ochre]

Dude looks a lot like Jason Sudeikis!

But the real question is can he get this ragtag bunch of misfits to play like a team and do the unthinkable?

 

[Bender_]

But the real question is can he get this ragtag bunch of misfits to play like a team and do the unthinkable?

You've already bought the film rights, haven't you?

 

[Ochre]

You've already bought the film rights, haven't you?

I see it more as a TV show for some reason

 

[Bender_]

I see it more as a TV show for some reason

Was it any good?

 

[Ochre]

Was it any good?

It's actually really good even though it has no right to be.

 

[kane249]

My imagination or is this the worst smoke haze Perth has ever had?

 

[Bender_]

My imagination or is this the worst smoke haze Perth has ever had?

Pretty terrible. Tried to get a photo of the sun just before 7 this morning, was bright pink and separated by lines like some 80s Miami graphic throw-back. Didn't translate well to my phone unfortunately.

 

[kane249]

Pretty terrible. Tried to get a photo of the sun just before 7 this morning, was bright pink and separated by lines like some 80s Miami graphic throw-back. Didn't translate well to my phone unfortunately.

Sitting in the office at work and you can still taste in the air

 

[DanWCE]

I am indoors in Fremantle and entirely unaffected by the smoke. But I am indoors. In Fremantle.

 

[ashley12]

RE: The soccer stuff.

The Premier League fans complaining of breakaway leagues/clubs who want a higher % of revenues so move away from controlling bodies with no sense of irony is making my day (The Premier League itself was formed in the exact same way in 1992, and eventually as a bargaining tool included a pathway to reach the Premier League from the lower divisions). I would expect this Super League to do something similar.

Basically when this is said and done I would expect UEFA to not own the Champions League anymore, and instead have that tournament run by an organisation founded by the clubs (in the same way the English Premier League is run by its own organisation, and not the Football Association).

The main difference between AFL/NBA/NFL etc... and most soccer leagues is relegation, which makes heavy equalisation such as drafts and salary caps impossible. It isn't necessarily bad, just different.

 

[Dazzler9]

I just read up on it. Just break away from your domestic leagues altogether and be done with it, geez!

 

[FKASC]

$5 billion to the founding clubs just for joining. Insane money

 

[HoneyBadger35]

What's happened?

12 of the worlds richest clubs have banded together to announce a so called Super League to replace/avoid having to qualify for the Champions League.

Backed by JP Morgan, no relegation or threat of any penalty for bad performance. The founding clubs get $350m per season for participating. No matter how badly they perform in their domestic league or in the Super League, they get their fat cheque every year.

Oh but don’t worry, five worldwide clubs outside of the founding clubs still get earn their way in per year. And if they somehow pull off the impossible by not only joining but somehow winning the whole league despite all the disadvantages in the world, “new” clubs can only get maximum prize money of half that which a foundation club would receive from finishing last.

It’s a closed shop cash grab breakaway league involving such heavy hitters as Arsenal (ninth), Spurs (seventh - haven’t won a Premier League title) and Liverpool (laughing stock for the last 20 years before getting their act together in 2019). Clubs like Leicester (title five years ago, currently third) are not invited.

It makes the domestic comps irrelevant, as Champions League places aren’t needed to be chased. Arsenal can just finish 10th again and still play in the ‘Super’ league. Leicester, West Ham, Everton, Villa, Leeds all have a shot at going past various ‘Super’ league teams this season, but they’d get nothing for that and the richest six would maintain membership no matter what.

All the federations have said that if clubs go through with this they’ll be banned from competing in their existing leagues and players would be banned from the World Cup. The board behind the super league have said they’ll make their own World Cup if they’re sanctioned. It’s a pathetic elitist franchising cash grab mainly by Americans who don’t understand the promotion/relegation system and want to protect their investments with no sporting merit required.

It also comes on the heels of the same six English clubs that are involved trying to take control of English football, by buying increased voting power, removing the risk of relegation for themselves while disguising it as a donation to support football through the pandemic.

In short, it’s scared billionaires disappointed that their investments have to earn respect through sporting merit trying to buy that respect instead.

 

[Dazzler9]

12 of the worlds richest clubs have banded together to announce a so called Super League to replace/avoid having to qualify for the Champions League.

Backed by JP Morgan, no relegation or threat of any penalty for bad performance. The founding clubs get $350m per season for participating. No matter how badly they perform in their domestic league or in the Super League, they get their fat cheque every year.

Oh but don’t worry, five worldwide clubs outside of the founding clubs still get earn their way in per year. And if they somehow pull off the impossible by not only joining but somehow winning the whole league despite all the disadvantages in the world, “new” clubs can only get maximum prize money of half that which a foundation club would receive from finishing last.

It’s a closed shop cash grab breakaway league involving such heavy hitters as Arsenal (ninth), Spurs (seventh - haven’t won a Premier League title) and Liverpool (laughing stock for the last 20 years before getting their act together in 2019). Clubs like Leicester (title five years ago, currently third) are not invited.

It makes the domestic comps irrelevant, as Champions League places aren’t needed to be chased. Arsenal can just finish 10th again and still play in the ‘Super’ league. Leicester, West Ham, Everton, Villa, Leeds all have a shot at going past various ‘Super’ league teams this season, but they’d get nothing for that and the richest six would maintain membership no matter what.

All the federations have said that if clubs go through with this they’ll be banned from competing in their existing leagues and players would be banned from the World Cup. The board behind the super league have said they’ll make their own World Cup if they’re sanctioned. It’s a pathetic elitist franchising cash grab mainly by Americans who don’t understand the promotion/relegation system and want to protect their investments with no sporting merit required.

It also comes on the heels of the same six English clubs that are involved trying to take control of English football, by buying increased voting power, removing the risk of relegation for themselves while disguising it as a donation to support football through the pandemic.

In short, it’s scared billionaires disappointed that their investments have to earn respect through sporting merit trying to buy that respect instead.

If I'm not mistaken, the UCL will still exist, but those 12-20 teams just won't participate. So domestic comps are still relevant (just not for the 12 founders of this new league).

Anyway, I'm breaking out the popcorn and watching how this plays out. Hoping for a trainwreck.

 

[HoneyBadger35]

RE: The soccer stuff.

The Premier League fans complaining of breakaway leagues/clubs who want a higher % of revenues so move away from controlling bodies with no sense of irony is making my day (The Premier League itself was formed in the exact same way in 1992, and eventually as a bargaining tool included a pathway to reach the Premier League from the lower divisions). I would expect this Super League to do something similar.

Basically when this is said and done I would expect UEFA to not own the Champions League anymore, and instead have that tournament run by an organisation founded by the clubs (in the same way the English Premier League is run by its own organisation, and not the Football Association).

The main difference between AFL/NBA/NFL etc... and most soccer leagues is relegation, which makes heavy equalisation such as drafts and salary caps impossible. It isn't necessarily bad, just different.

The difference is, the Premier League still sits in the football pyramid. If you win the Championship, you get to be promoted. If you fail dismally in the Premier League, you get relegated. If you pull off a miracle like Leicester, you get the rewards for it. West Ham, Leicester, Everton, even newly promoted Sheffield Utd last year, have something to compete for with the European places. All 20 clubs in the Premier League have equal voting rights on league issues.

In the Super League, founding members exist risk free. They have imposed a ceiling on any plucky underdogs, because it’s better to be Liverpool and finish last than it is to be Leicester and win the whole thing. The 12 founding members run the whole comp. The domestic leagues they’re in are ruined, because Juventus (4th) no longer need to care about finishing top four. Arsenal (9th) are clearly not going to win the title, so their season is months of dead rubbers given their European spot is already secure.

The EPL’s relationship with the EFL isn’t perfect, but there is a functional relationship still. This is 12 rich clubs deciding that being exceedingly wealthy isn’t enough - they want all the money, all the spotlight and have no interest in sporting merit playing any factor in the sports competition they voluntarily joined.

 

[Dazzler9]

The difference is, the Premier League still sits in the football pyramid. If you win the Championship, you get to be promoted. If you fail dismally in the Premier League, you get relegated. If you pull off a miracle like Leicester, you get the rewards for it. West Ham, Leicester, Everton, even newly promoted Sheffield Utd last year, have something to compete for with the European places. All 20 clubs in the Premier League have equal voting rights on league issues.

In the Super League, founding members exist risk free. They have imposed a ceiling on any plucky underdogs, because it’s better to be Liverpool and finish last than it is to be Leicester and win the whole thing. The 12 founding members run the whole comp. The domestic leagues they’re in are ruined, because Juventus (4th) no longer need to care about finishing top four. Arsenal (9th) are clearly not going to win the title, so their season is months of dead rubbers given their European spot is already secure.

The EPL’s relationship with the EFL isn’t perfect, but there is a functional relationship still. This is 12 rich clubs deciding that being exceedingly wealthy isn’t enough - they want all the money, all the spotlight and have no interest in sporting merit playing any factor in the sports competition they voluntarily joined.

If this thing goes ahead, I can see other clubs who qualify each season for this new league bypassing it in favour of the established UCL.

However, I don't think it will go ahead. Maybe, if it becomes a fully-fledged standalone comp (all breakaway clubs participate solely in the European League, adrift from their domestic leagues).

 

[HoneyBadger35]

If I'm not mistaken, the UCL will still exist, but those 12-20 teams just won't participate. So domestic comps are still relevant (just not for the 12 founders of this new league).

Anyway, I'm breaking out the popcorn and watching how this plays out. Hoping for a trainwreck.

Sure but it all exists on a sliding scale. Nobody is pretending that the Liverpool or Man United’s don’t carry a huge fan base and interest. Is the Champions League still seen as the pinnacle when there’s this Super League?

They’ll only get richer, only be able to vulture talent away from the other teams even more, all the while the drawbridge to the Super League is pulled up with none of the “have nots” being realistically able to ever close the gap.

Isn’t it also damaging knowing full well that the back half of the season is a dead rubber for six of your 20 clubs. A season like this or last year, where City/Liverpool have run away with the title, we’re going to pretend the Super League teams will stay invested with nothing to gain?

Spurs sitting seventh have Norwich on Saturday then Barcelona on Tuesday, and we’re pretending they’ll give a * about their domestic games?

It’s the most shameless self serving power grab since these same clubs launched Project Big Picture in...October.

Have a read of the responses to Liverpool/Spurs/Chelsea/Arsenal’s tweets announcing it. City and Man U haven’t even tweeted about it because they know how bad a PR disaster it is. Biggest competition announcement in decades and they’ve just forgotten to tweet about it? Unlikely.