The (Un) Official Football thread

[Skippy]

Its not as bad as it looks, you have 5 clubs there with no manager, and 3 of those have just had long term managers walk out on them. There are only really 5 or 6 clubs who aren't willing to give managers a chance (Chelsea being the most obvious), but it also says a lot about managers wanting to leave for more money.

[Cthulhu]

When the Premier League first threatened to break away in the late 80s/early 90s the six big clubs that led it were Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. They were the teams that were seen at the time as the giants. Even Nottingham Forest who were still a successful team at the time wasn't seen to be a big club. Chelsea came into it when they started being consistent both in league position and trophies. That actually happened before Abramovich appeared, Matthew Harding had already started the process.

I still think that the big four is Man United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. I think City has got a way to go yet to break into in properly (it'll probably happen). If you look at what it say on Wiki about the Big Four, that probably sums it up best.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League

If you go by foreign support, have you seen the amount of foreigners walking around Liverpool city centre on match days? You can't even get a ticket nowdays for them. One of the reasons we need a much bigger stadium, as you could fill the current one at least twice. Everton though are very much a local club. Most of their support comes from the local area (Walton), but they have little support in other areas of the city. I live in the south of the city and you hardly ever see anyone walking around with Everton tops on.

Good post, a very interesting read, i don't think we're the biggest club in England or anything of the like but i think it's clear in the last 5 years we're one of the bigger threats in the country and that alone is worth mentioning. Talking about overarching history then Liverpool, United, Arsenal and Chelsea are obviously the biggest clubs here and in foreign support that remains true...our foreign support seems to consist of a number of Ivorian or Eastern European fans who follow certain players rather than the club. Profile in foreign countries is interesting i think, in Egypt and Poland when i visited there lately i got the chance to walk among the city centre and you could buy merch for United, Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham but the rest including Arsenal were not to be seen.

As amusing as i do sometimes find it it's a shame what happened to Liverpool really, there was a lot of glory to be had at Anfield if your team could get a win there and the more teams who can compete for the title the more interesting the league i think, i mean Scotland and Spain have leagues as dull as paint because you know it'll be either one team or the other (well before Madrid declined and Rangers got relegated anyway).

[Tet]

Back on topic though I think it depends how you rate a big club, ticket sales? foreign fan base? recent titles? history of the club? squad strength?

Some combination of all of those. I'd agree with Gandalf. There are still really only 4 big clubs; Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. There are a few others that are at the next level down and I'd put City, Spurs, Everton and Villa in that group. The dominance of the big 4 has mostly been broken now and both City and Spurs have been making serious inroads into joining that group. Give it a few more years and maybe I'll agree with you about City. Spurs will take a little longer, although if we ever get our new stadium that will help.

[Skippy]

If your looking at history you could say there are loads of "big" teams though. At one time Preston and Accrinton were the biggest in the league or even the world, same with Leeds, West Ham, Bradford, Forest etc. At the moment I'd say Liverpool are a mid-table team, or at best in the second bracket on par with the likes of Everton, Spurs and Arsenal, and have been for some seasons. Its looking like only the two Manchester clubs will compete for a while, with maybe Chelsea there too. Let's face it, football is a results based business, driven by season-by-season results - past successes and international fanbases mean pretty much nothing if you aren't competing, and don't look like you will for many seasons yet.

[Moonburp]

ANYBODY READY FOR A NIGHT OF NATIONAL PESSIMISM AND GOD-AWFUL HORNS?

[mikeftw]

Suarez has asked to leave Liverpool

[CerealDave]

it looks like Falcao is deciding to waste his career there rather than coming to us...i mean if he turned us down for Chelsea or Madrid i'd have been annoyed but i'd understand it...but...Monaco? Fucking hell, the retard had a chance to move forwards to promised champions league football and titles at any of the three clubs i mentioned and instead takes a huge step back to a club who have just been promoted and who have managed to piss off all the teams around them.

Falcao did not have a say on the matter

[Cthulhu]

Suarez has asked to leave Liverpool

Source?

[mikeftw]

http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2013/05/29/ ... 91498.html

and

https://twitter.com/RorySmithTimes

[kaosweaver20]

Yeovil are the best team in the South West now, but they're going to be in big trouble next year I think. If I recall correctly they're about the same size as Exeter City were before everyone in Exeter suddenly decided they loved Rugby.

The only thing we have going for us is out spirit. We have a bunch of players who love the team and play for the shirt, but we have no finances or any real clout. We're going to be the underdogs so we're in a win/win situation.

It'll be an adventure. I have my season ticket, so I'll just enjoy it come rain or shine!

[Cthulhu]

http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2013/05/29/primera/1369854073_091498.html

and

https://twitter.com/RorySmithTimes

Hmm seems far too speculative to be definite to be honest, all i've heard of him was him saying he was flattered by Madrid interest.

it looks like Falcao is deciding to waste his career there rather than coming to us...i mean if he turned us down for Chelsea or Madrid i'd have been annoyed but i'd understand it...but...Monaco? Fucking hell, the retard had a chance to move forwards to promised champions league football and titles at any of the three clubs i mentioned and instead takes a huge step back to a club who have just been promoted and who have managed to piss off all the teams around them.

Falcao did not have a say on the matter

The most interesting part of that article is in the comments. I didn't know about this story.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/wor ... 04175.html

Ah that's nuts i had no idea he'd have no say in the matter although i did know that Jorge Mendes is a third party owner, didn't realise he'd have that much control.

[kaosweaver20]

As Everton are my other team due to the other side of family, I'm interested to see how Roberto Martinez handles the team. That is assuming he IS to be appointed as the new King Toffee.

[Cthulhu]

As Everton are my other team due to the other side of family, I'm interested to see how Roberto Martinez handles the team. That is assuming he IS to be appointed as the new King Toffee.

Brilliantly:
- Experience of fuck all in the way of transfer budget
- Experience of losing key players to bigger teams
- Experience of being limp and useless at the start of a season
- Experience of finding some mysterious vein of form towards the end of the same season
- An almost A-team like ability to turn seemingly useless objects into something functional and entirely different.

Martinez has some characteristics of the next David Moyes...just about whether he handles the jump in expectations as well as Moyes did when he went to Everton.

[kaosweaver20]

As Everton are my other team due to the other side of family, I'm interested to see how Roberto Martinez handles the team. That is assuming he IS to be appointed as the new King Toffee.

Brilliantly:
- Experience of fuck all in the way of transfer budget
- Experience of losing key players to bigger teams
- Experience of being limp and useless at the start of a season
- Experience of finding some mysterious vein of form towards the end of the same season
- An almost A-team like ability to turn seemingly useless objects into something functional and entirely different.

Martinez has some characteristics of the next David Moyes...just about whether he handles the jump in expectations as well as Moyes did when he went to Everton.

He has the right experience, but his reputation with Everton fans doesn't seem to be that high. I for one would welcome him when I consider his ability to handle a low budget. His defensive blunders bother me, but at least he's inheriting a team with a working defence. As long as he doesn't go on playing three at the back cos where does Baines fit into that system?

[Turbo]

Turns out we have another potential buyer. Carson Jeungs carbon copy by the looks of things. Buy the club for a buck ninety and hope its a profitable business without any form of financial aid.