2011/2012 English Premier League thread

[united]

Liverpool threaten breakaway from Premier League's TV rights deal

The deal that shares television's billions equally between Premier League clubs is facing its biggest threat to date after Liverpool announced they would lead a challenge for overseas TV rights to be sold on a club-by-club basis.

Liverpool's managing director, Ian Ayre, has insisted the break-up of the established broadcasting deal, worth £3.2bn in total to all Premier League clubs for 2010‑13, is "a debate that has to happen", with the Anfield club in favour of the Spanish model that allows Barcelona and Real Madrid to negotiate individual contracts that dwarf their domestic and European rivals.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/11/liverpool-breakaway-tv-deal?CMP=twt_gu

The rich get richer.

[d_phaneuf]

Premier League won't let it happen, I know why they are pushing for it now (Financial Fair Play) but I don't think the league has any interest in allowing this

no one wants the PL to turn in to Scotland, or Scotland south (La Liga)

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by united

Liverpool threaten breakaway from Premier League's TV rights deal


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/11/liverpool-breakaway-tv-deal?CMP=twt_gu

The rich get richer.

I don't think I like this. The premier league is great because of how competitive it is. If the top clubs make even more money then the gap between the other teams will be even larger.

[Addick]

Would they call it the Slightly Sunnier SPL?

[d_phaneuf]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...way?CMP=twt_gu

Manchester United and Chelsea are among several clubs who have moved to distance themselves from Liverpool's proposal to break from the Premier League's model of collecting television rights revenue.

It is understood that Manchester United, who claim to have 333m fans globally and have targeted overseas sponsorship revenue as a route to increase income, will oppose any moves to challenge the status quo under which the Premier League sells television rights overseas on behalf of all 20 elite clubs.

A spokesman for Chelsea said: "We are supportive of the Premier League on this and want to continue with the way they sell [TV rights] collectively."

The public stance of other big clubs will come as a disappointment to Liverpool, who were understood to believe that others would support them.

United not going with it ends any hope of it actually happening for Liverpool, they need 13 clubs to agree and the only hope of it going through was basically the top 13 clubs agreeing because it wouldn't work out better for lower clubs

Arsenal, Man City, and Spurs also said they want nothing to do with it


Liverpool just end up looking really greedy here

[d_phaneuf]

@DarrenCanalPlus Darren Tulett
Patrice Evra accuses Luis Suarez of making racist remarks 'to try to wind me up' during #lfc-#mufc. Tonight on #CanalPlus, 22.35.

DarrenCanalPlus Darren Tulett
Evra on Suarez: 'There are cameras, you can see him say a certain word to me at least 10 times. No place for that in 2011.' #lfc #mufc

DarrenCanalPlus Darren Tulett
Evra expects action to be taken regarding his Suarez racist comments accusation: 'The referee is aware of what was said.' #lfc #mufc

[d_phaneuf]

supposedly he got the go ahead from SAF to bring it up in the media, but if the ref heard it (as Evra implies he did) than Suarez should have been sent off the field

[united]

I doubt Suarez said anything, he was too busy rolling around in pain after this malicious challenge from Evra

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by united

I doubt Suarez said anything, he was too busy rolling around in pain after this malicious challenge from Evra

That's Downing.


Evra had a world class dive this morning too, so I wouldn't point fingers.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by Nuje

That's Downing.


Evra had a world class dive this morning too, so I wouldn't point fingers.

So did young. And Giggs dove out of the way of the ball.

[d_phaneuf]

Was refreshing to see the way Pardew talks to his players yesterday, there was a mic real close and you could hear him yelling at the back line and Tiote especially "F$&$ing Superb" all the time

That's a solid team too, I dono if the Strikers keep up their scoring pace but the back line (which will only get better with Santon) and the midfield led by Tiote and Cabaye is very solid. I think they can contend for top 8-9 finish

[Locke]

Abolition of Relegation rears its ugly head, again....

League Managers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan has warned some foreign owners of Premier League clubs want to scrap relegation from the top flight.

With the number of foreign owners increasing in recent years, Bevan is concerned their growing numbers could see them succeed in forcing through a vote to abolish relegation and promotion.

Relegation does not exist in some other sports and in some other nations. For instance, none of the major American sporting leagues use relegation, with fixed membership in Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and the minor leagues that serve as their feeder teams.

With the increasing number of American owners in the Premier League, it should come as no surprise that promotion and relegation could be under discussion.

Four of the five American ownership groups in the Premier League - those at Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa - also own sports teams competing in the American major leagues, and they are not used to the threat of relegation, and the huge financial losses that can follow.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...gation?cc=5901

More commentary which I particularly agree with:

Such a concept would suck the competitive element out of the game, ridding sides out of contention for honours of motivation. Those heart palpations surrounding survival would evaporate. If a side accepts they cannot achieve the title but yet there is no penalty for sitting in the lower reaches of the division, then what is one playing for? Of graver concern would be the removal of promotion.

Imagine a sudden lockdown of divisions, the bolting of the gates on the Premier League, Championship, League One, etc. These sides, who fight to write new chapters of history, or, for some, look to return to the heady days of the 'big time' would be left abandoned, their fates frozen in time and their supporters left decidedly numb. Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson recognises this.

Ferguson, who won promotion from the Scottish First Division with St Mirren in 1977, said: "There are at least eight teams in the Championship at the moment with great history. What do you say to those eight teams, they can never play in the Premier League? You may as well lock the doors. It would be absolute suicide for the rest of the teams in the country, particularly the Championship."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns...s-soul?cc=5901

I like the relegation and promotion, its an incentive for teams in the Championship and Premier League teams to play their best.

Some of best times of the Premier League are the last two weeks when teams are desperately fighting to avoid the drop.

[d_phaneuf]

0%

[d_phaneuf]

the football league was effectively told to lube up today by the big clubs in England

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...252955,00.html

Basically any lower league youth system are obsolete now, the top clubs in the premier league can just hoard the young talent

saw something that Chelsea signed a few 16 year old players in the last few weeks for about 3.5m, now they would only have to pay about 150k

massive source of income for lower league clubs just got crushed

[mac_82]

Trash your Tevez jersey:

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/trash-...58796-Oct2011/

[Locke]

When more people dislike you than Mario Balotelli you're doing something very, very wrong.

[d_phaneuf]

how can anybody hate Mario?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...fire-fireworks

Mario Balotelli's remarkable capacity for self-inflicted problems resurfaced on the eve of the Manchester derby when he had to escape from his burning house after a fire caused by letting off fireworks in the bathroom in the early hours of Saturday morning.

[d_phaneuf]

Suarez has easily surpassed Ronaldo for antics to draw fouls

he flops around like a fish out of water every time someone breathes around him

[Jimmy Stang]

I could almost sense that Suarez would cause a game winning penalty or free kick today against Norwich. Luckily the ref wasn't having any of it, which of course led to all sort of whining.

Truth be told, however, Norwich were extremely lucky to take the point at Anfield. Three times off of the woodwork, a narrow miss from Carrol late, and a huge game-saving stop in time added on. I actually think that Norwich played better against Man Utd and Chelsea but lost.

Ah well. I'll take it.

[Mightyfire89]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

Suarez has easily surpassed Ronaldo for antics to draw fouls

he flops around like a fish out of water every time someone breathes around him

It's true and I hate it with a passion. The guy is supremely talented, but his character is......lacking, to say the least. His obnoxious jawing to the officials pisses me off to no end. I roll my eyes 8 to 10 times a game because of him. I honestly have a hard time cheering for him to score.

Also, Andy Carroll has about 3/4 of a season left to prove that he isn't a complete waste of 35 million pounds and a total bust. It's not looking good.