The Football Topic (Page 2 of 52)

So sad that Sir Bobby has left us.

As many have said, he was a true gentleman of the footballing world.

Ian

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Dinamo Moscow 0 Celtic 2 - I'm a happy man - one large step towards the champions league!

Ian,

Its great to see Wolves back, hopefully to stay. Back where they belong if you are any kind of fan.

I've always liked the club. I was attracted to 'old gold' for my very first plastic subbuteo team purchase. Now, there was a game!

Seriously though, Wolves were our first home game after the death of Bobby Moore. I shall always remember 2 wolves fans walking into the centre circle from the away end with a Wolves shirt on a cross. It was very moving and such a mark of respect from opposing fans for a player who had transcended normal club rivalry.

It goes without saying I would have done the same for someone like Derek Dougan.

Best wishes for the season. It won't be easy but the rest of us are only playing for 6th place and a cup win so what does it really matter?

Well Brack, you know how Joe sticks up for the underdog, and champions the working class hero - not the prawn sandwich brigade.   (ouch!)

I jest - of course.........all's fair in love and football (when it comes to winding up rival supporters).

Rest assured that if the "big four" were the only teams in the land I would be on your side Brack.
Good luck for the new season.

Ian

Ian, I take no pleasure in the victory today but the three points are priceless. I nearly answered Brack when I read his comments about '4 in a row'. Of course, he shouldn't have to apologise for supporting a club that is SO sucessful now. Nevertheless, as I have said here before, the predictability of the Premiership will ultimately polarize support.

Your club and mine will be playing for survival this year. After the top 4 (plus City - eventually), then maybe its Everton, Villa, Spurs, and possibly even Sunderland this year, I think Bruce is an excellent manager, so that leaves the rest of us scrabbling for 10th.

We are all just makeweights and given how expensive its becoming, unless the wealth is spread around more evenly the makeweights will make way. Lets face it, the Top 4 could just play each other and decide the Premiership over a couple of weeks. Trouble is they couldn't milk that for all the money they need to sustain the cartel they've got going.

I'm not jealous, I support West Ham and we are not made that way. I want to see a fair shake thats all. For Wolves, Stoke, West Ham, Bolton, you name them.

I live in Germany for the moment. I don't hold up the Bundesliga as the template for football everywhere. Even so, Wolfsburg won it last year after being 10th at the half way stage. Despite Bayern Munich's advantages the league is so unpredictable just now no one knows who can win it. Wolfsburg are not a big club. But under shrewd management in a topsy turvy league they came through for an unlikely triumph.

Yeah, I'm damn sure United and L'pool and the others don't want that kind of insecurity, but thats what the true fans want.

One of the most successful sports in the world is NASCAR. Love it or hate it you can't deny its success.  A couple of years ago, to avoid one driver running away with championship at an early stage they introduce 'The Chase'. At a predetermined point in the season the top dozen or so drivers in the standings go for the title over the remaining races. They all start from zero again. Is it sport? Dunno, but its definately entertainment. NASCAR saw that single driver domination was a turn off. So they changed the rules to stop it.

You can understand the logic. I guess a Manchester United fan could never grasp the concept now of being just a makeweight. My team either survives in mediocrity or goes down and goes bust probably. Its not much of a prospect to be honest.

As I have said before, if a sport like F1 can honestly believe it can operate to a predetermined budget in the future to save itself, then football should and could do the same. Change the rules, save the game. If the loadsofmoney clubs don't like it they should start their own breakaway league. But they don't have to, as they will still have advantages other clubs don't. The best will still be the best probably, BUT NOT ALL THE TIME.

Football needs a revolution. Cap on salaries, cap on foreign players, cap on transfers. Forget free market rubbish. This is a regulated sport. The administrators could do what they want, if they so wanted. But will they? Hmm, too often they have got their noses in the same trough. Vested interests, as ever, manipulate the sport. Look how clubs that fall out of the Champions league are parachuted into the old UEFA cup or whatever its called now. The makeweights play 10 games qualifying only to find themselves against some top side that couldn't cut it with the cream of Europe this year. Complete joke devised to provide a revenue stream in a bad year for the elite.

Well,I'll bring this rant to an end. Football. It just gets to you it really does - and my team won today and I'm still not happy! 4 in a row Brack? Enjoy it while you can. There's gonna be a reckoning. What was it Peter Finch said in 'Network'

something like "Open your windows and just shout out - We're not going to take it anymore!"

OK nurse, I promise I'll take the medication as prescribed. No excitement as well? OK then I'll become a Newastle fan....:(

Guys, what can I say? I was totally off it yesterday evening. I only wanted to offer Ian some commiserations for the result and my thinking took a complete left turn.

Just goes to show what a bottle of rustic cider can do for you

Bracks right of course, I tried to hint at it as well. The cream will always rise to the top, but if it stays there 'ad infinitum' it will curdle everything.

I agree with all you said too Ian, and as a supporter of my local boyhood club we probably share a similar outlook. Far away fans of the 'Big Four' should take a leaf out of Nick Hornbys book (literally). I mean. the bloke is a rabid Gooner, but when he was at Uni he religously supported Cambridge United. Ultimately, he supports football which I find a wholesome trait.

As a teen and in my 20's, when West Ham were away and we couldn't or didn't want to go we would always go to Orient, as did many hundreds of other WH fans. In those days Orient were so cash strapped they would have people bringing buckets round collecting cash to keep them going. In my group we used to call it "going deep sea diving". It was a deep sea diver (fiver) to get in and a deep sea diver in the bucket.

In some way I would welcome Premiership clubs affiliating with lower division clubs. I know there are complications, but I'm sure they could be addressed. Would do the wealthy good to share a little around. Maybe the players should be levied some of their cash, after all, at the top they are getting soooo much from the game.

Anyway, no more rants - 'til the next time. I shall be looking for Wolves results regularly and hoping for the best for them. I like Mick McCarthy. Top bloke in my book. Not the best start to have, but like Stoke last year, you need to make Molyneux a fortress. Don't lose at home! You are allowed one, so thanks very much for that!

Mike

PS - yes, you are right about the one song - but it is ours - and will only ever be associated with us. Fits us perfectly which is why we can laugh at ourselves. We fade and die regularly. It used to be why we would always have to get our points before Christmas, because West Ham always come down with Xmas lights! Twas ever thus.........

Finally, someone with a voice in the British game is stating what will have to happen.

Arsene Wenger publicly commented this week that a Euro 'Super League' is inevitable. He maintains though that this league should also be subject to relegation and promotion. Where he differs from my view is that this league would have to run a longside clubs national league committments. As he said himself 'this would effectively mean having 2 sides'.

That I can't see. Playing national games at weekends and then super league games midweek. Sorry but that would kill the game. Fans couldn't justify the outlay. Maybe Wenger fears that losing the Big 4 would kill the English game. It wouldn't. As long as there is something to play for and aspire to the game here would survive and thrive.

I would love to have the lure of my club playing for a Championship title and then a season in the EuroSuperLiga. We couldn't compete with the established mega rich clubs but we can't now anyway. But a season of playing Real, Barca, AC & Inter, Ajax and Bayern. Now that would be something to tell the grandkids..........