The surprising thing about the whole affair is the silence on the subject of any member of any league being dismissed brutally for the crime of attacking the togetherness and solidity of a famous and successful league while continuing to suck the money and the life blood out of it. This is some crime, nothing less than the obliteration of the league which nurtured them. Their problem is pretty obvious. With all the money, and wanting the rest to take a cut so that they can get more, with threats and insults! They find that they are twenty plus points off the pace, an unbridgable gap, and widening. Football has always brought to book any club that thought it could abolish the rise and fall of fortune, not possible! and if they are foolish enough to play in a friendly league, they will wither on the vine. Just in case they are trying a bit of pressure, it might be wise to ask for their resignation.
I have just had delivered another meal by a member of Boro’s backroom staff, but not only that but three books ‘Ayresome Angels’ by the late Alastair Brownlee and Gordon Cox, ‘Eric Paylor - Life with the Boro’ volume one, and ‘Boro Masterpieces’ - 51 pen pictures of the careers of recent Boro players from Ayala to Ziege. I don’t know why I’ve been singled out for these books if indeed I’m the only person to receive them, unless it’s through Redcar Age Concern’s knowledge of my history of the club, but gratefully received nonetheless. The courier resplendent in his Boro shirt hadn’t heard of Diasboro.Club but will no doubt be checking us up on the website in future. I knew another meal was forthcoming, but this is a delightful bonus and demonstrates that Middlesbrough FC do care about the community. Well done!
That’s brilliant, Ken. It really shows Boro’s excellent work supporting the local community. I’m so pleased for you. You absolutely deserve the books, given your encyclopaedic knowledge of Boro’s history.
It's nice to be optimistic but I don't see it. I think it might fail because it still looks premature. It was meant to start with 15 clubs but only 12 have signed up and 6 of those are English. If they don't get PSG and Bayern Munich signed up, it's dead at birth. Right now that depends on politics and money but launching without those two clubs onboard means that the 12 breakaways are trying to bounce them. ...
For what it's worth, I think it will fail. The key will be whether any of the founding 12 start wobbling and whether PSG or Bayern Munich starting showing interest.
Relieved to see that it has indeed failed. I would like to think that this near death experience for traditional club football will lead to something better but I'm not going to hold my breath. At least it shows that the venture capitalists and oligarchs who hold the game in their death grip do have different priorities and can be divided; that's something.
At least the thieves seem to have begun to fall out pretty quickly, but things could change. AS you say I hope, not pray, that there is a 'Road to Damascus' experience for Uk football in there too. the trouble is the status quo is just to comfortable.
Utb,
John
In one sense I am disappointed it was the famous 6 that didnt have the balls to see it through, rather than us finding out if the authorities had the balls to expel them.
We have to hope now that the authorities have the courage to introduce some effective rebalancing of power in the game.
In one sense I am disappointed it was the famous 6 that didnt have the balls to see it through, rather than us finding out if the authorities had the balls to expel them.
We have to hope now that the authorities have the courage to introduce some effective rebalancing of power in the game.
I can see your point.
I stll hope the clubs will get a sanction as they made their wish public - the commitment was there. They took a risk.
The PL should give them a six-point reduction for unsportmanship behaviour. And the UEFA should ban the clubs from Champion's League for a season. Of course it could take a few years for Arsenal and Spurs to suffer this punishment as they must wait when they will be eligable for the Champion's League.
I think the clubs deserve a punisment. It was worse than not fielding a team at Blackburn as that was done under wrong advice from the authorities. Hence the corporation clubs need six points reduction for next season.
Up the Boro!
There's an interesting question - at least I think that it's interesting - as to when the twelve rebels would have actually been in breach of anything. One could argue that nothing would have happened until they actually refused to play in next year's Champions League. Up until that point they would have been following the normal pattern of fixtures.
I appreciate that they had declared an intention to act in a manner that was not in agreement with their signed agreements but I don't know whether they can be sanctioned for the intent or just for the act. Maybe 'bringing the game into disrepute' could have been stretched to cover it but then.....what sanction would be reasonable. Automatic relegation would probably reinstate the Super League plans and antagonise the fans of those clubs.
Even more odd will be the new Champions League format. Will the rebels still get their status recognised?
That is an I interesting angle Jarkko and one I would find hard to disagree with.
However, I will be amazed if any effective sanction gets applied
In one sense I am disappointed it was the famous 6 that didnt have the balls to see it through, rather than us finding out if the authorities had the balls to expel them.
We have to hope now that the authorities have the courage to introduce some effective rebalancing of power in the game.
The PL should give them a six-point reduction for unsportmanship behaviour. And the UEFA should ban the clubs from Champion's League for a season. Of course it could take a few years for Arsenal and Spurs to suffer this punishment as they must wait when they will be eligable for the Champion's League.
I think the clubs deserve a punisment. It was worse than not fielding a team at Blackburn as that was done under wrong advice from the authorities. Hence the corporation clubs need six points reduction for next season.
Up the Boro!
I don't think this will happen and, to be honest, don't think it should happen. Punishing the clubs with a points deduction punishes the fans, players, coaching team, manager the match day staff: everyone involved with the club. It's also the perfect way to set fans against each other. Let's face it, if in alternate universe the Boro were one of the Big 6 who signed up we would be rightly outraged by it but if the club were then docked points and we failed to qualify for Europe we would be even more outraged about that and we would be suing pretty much the entire football world because it.
The people who need to be punished are the owners and those who organised this attempt. For me that means finding some way to strip them of ownership.
Also, it's not as if the status quo isn't 95% of the way to a super league already. The cliff edges between leagues and European qualification grow steeper each year as does the financial imbalance.
I don't know what the answer is but I think it has to start with purging the oligarchs, hedge funds and venture capitalists from the game. There has never been a level playing field in football; never can be in a capitalist world because capitalism needs inequality to work. However the amount of inequality can be reduced.
I suppose had we played a handful of sixteen year year olds against Blackburn and effectively turned up and put out some sort of side after we said we couldn't we would probably have escaped punishment. There again being from a dirty unfashionable northern town I very much doubt it. Now had we illegally played a few players whose registrations we didn't really hold, that would have been an altogether different story.
If we are expecting fairness from the FA, EFL, UEFA, FIFA etc then I am afraid that ship has sailed. The very Premiership itself was just an earlier incarnation of the ESL so pot calling kettle black comes to mind from all these indignant celebrity footballing types (and fans even).
In one sense I am disappointed it was the famous 6 that didnt have the balls to see it through, rather than us finding out if the authorities had the balls to expel them.
We have to hope now that the authorities have the courage to introduce some effective rebalancing of power in the game.
The PL should give them a six-point reduction for unsportmanship behaviour. And the UEFA should ban the clubs from Champion's League for a season. Of course it could take a few years for Arsenal and Spurs to suffer this punishment as they must wait when they will be eligable for the Champion's League.
I think the clubs deserve a punisment. It was worse than not fielding a team at Blackburn as that was done under wrong advice from the authorities. Hence the corporation clubs need six points reduction for next season.
Up the Boro!
I don't think this will happen and, to be honest, don't think it should happen. Punishing the clubs with a points deduction punishes the fans, players, coaching team, manager the match day staff: everyone involved with the club. It's also the perfect way to set fans against each other. Let's face it, if in alternate universe the Boro were one of the Big 6 who signed up we would be rightly outraged by it but if the club were then docked points and we failed to qualify for Europe we would be even more outraged about that and we would be suing pretty much the entire football world because it.
The people who need to be punished are the owners and those who organised this attempt. For me that means finding some way to strip them of ownership.
Also, it's not as if the status quo isn't 95% of the way to a super league already. The cliff edges between leagues and European qualification grow steeper each year as does the financial imbalance.
I don't know what the answer is but I think it has to start with purging the oligarchs, hedge funds and venture capitalists from the game. There has never been a level playing field in football; never can be in a capitalist world because capitalism needs inequality to work. However the amount of inequality can be reduced.
There was a very good interview with John Barnes on the BBC this morning which is well worth watching if it can be found somewhere online. He mentioned the types of owners coming into football nowadays and fans wanting them to spend, spend, spend and the types of old fashioned owners who genuinely care for the club becoming a rare specimen.
'bringing the game into disrepute'
If this is not bringing the game into disrepute, I do not know anything more like it, really. Clubs - or corporates - cannot do this now or in the future. You are in football or not.
There must be a warning for the future, too. Up the Boro!
It's been heartening to see the fans of the 'bigger' clubs unanimously revolting against the terrifying prospect of their not having the occasional opportunity see the Boro.
Good to know there's a cause we can all unite around.
The whole concept of the Champions League is flawed. Let’s get back to qualification be for League Champions only as it used to be. I believe Belgium and Holland have end of season playoffs for qualification to the UEFA Cup which sounds more sensible to me. Who wants to see an all English final in either of these competitions anyway? I don’t. I’d also like to see a salary cap introduced in the Premier League. A pipedream I know, you don’t see turkeys voting for Christmas. Nevertheless I’m tired of hearing about “such and such a club or player breaking records for this or that” as if football only started in 1992. It makes me wonder what I had been watching for the best years of my life! There have only been 4 clubs who have won more than one Premier League title yet 18 who have won more than one First Division title, in fact 23 clubs who have won the First Division title at least once (sadly Boro aren’t one of them). I’m bored with the same 4 clubs winning the title every season, that’s why Leicester were a breath of fresh air five years ago. I wouldn’t mind Everton winning it next season, or even Newcastle come to that (have I just written that?), but you get my drift.
As for Boro, next season looks like being a much more difficult season than perhaps most of us envisage with Neil Warnock hoping a handshake will suffice in signing new players or even agreeing the intentions of his current squad. The old saying that a verbal agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on comes to mind.
I suppose the real difference between the stalled EPL and the existing PL was that there was promotion and relegation which is the most exciting or nerve wracking experience that fans can endure.
The closed shop of no promotion or relegation with a fixed number of clubs didn’t allow for a club like Leicester to win the Premiership or a club like Middlesbrough to win the League Cup.
The Premiership has its faults mainly generated by overseas ownership and faceless behind the scenes activity.
We all wish we had more money to spend but Steve Gibson has spent a lot of money, some unwisely on players whom we could not recoup a sizeable fee for.
The model of the junior MFC sides is still strong and if we can develop players like Fry and others then hopefully we can get back to the Premiership.
Local leagues are starting to open up again after lockdown and I watched my youngest grandson play last night for the first time in over a year!
On another personal note my eldest grandson who plays for Billingham Town u21 is now training with the first team and I hope to see him make his Northern League debut soon.
So to all the foreign owners Football isn’t dead and if we can sustain the grass roots of football we will always have a team to watch.
UP THE BORO
⚽️⚽️
Eyeball tonight !
OFB
Great post Ken but really it’s all the Boro’s fault isn’t it ?
They started it by paying Sunderland a £1000 for Alf Common all those years ago and look what it started!
OFB
@original-fat-bob Yes, we will get six point reduction for next season. And if we sell the ground to Mr. Gibson, it will be just a three-point deduction, perhaps.
Up the Boro!
Schalke players and staff have been attacked with eggs by their own fans following their first relegation from the Bundesliga in 33 years.
The 2018 Bundesliga runners-up are one of the most well supported clubs in Germany, typically drawing more than 60,000 fans to home games.
i hope this happens to one of the big corporatios in the PL. At least there must be a chance for that happening.
Loved the Leicester comment by Ken. That was a season that everybody remembers. The dream came true. Well, that is real football. Up the Boro!
Our little town in Europe is now becoming a big town in the World. After the World Cup in 1966 when Ayresome Park played host to North Korea against Russia, Chile and Italy we had to wait 37 years before England hosted another World Cup match, this time at the Riverside against Slovakia. Then Great Britain’s ladies welcomed Brazil during the 2012 Olympics, and then this year we have Scotland using Rockliffe as their base for the Euro Championships although they won’t be actually playing there. Does that mean we’ll be supporting the Scots then? Well hardly as we’ll be meeting them at Wembley as we’re in the same group. Nevertheless England are scheduled to play Austria on the 2nd June and Romania four days later in friendly matches, followed on the 7th November with a group match in the Rugby League World Cup wih a match between Tonga and the Cook Islands, appropriate enough as the latter islands were discovered by our very own Captain Cook. Well that schedule should certainly put Middlesbrough on the map as a large town to any sneering Southerners.
@ken It’ll be interesting to hear what the Cook Islanders think of Capt Cook. He’s not exactly popular amongst the indigenous population of Australia.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/05/world/australia/cook-islands-name-change.amp.html