The (Un) Official Football thread

[cthulhu]

Happy with the title. Thought Liverpool played admirably this season and deserve to be in contention right up until the last. City have played wonderfully this season the manager deserves credit despite the shaky start to the season.

My facebook news feed is a mixed bag right now, lots of Facebook posts from Liverpool fans half of them are whinging about money, UEFA not deducting points or referee bias...the other half are being good sports about it. To be fair though most of the ones bitching and moaning are equally bad winners.

[cthulhu]

I'm a little irritated about the overwhelming number of United supporters trying to share our glory though.

[Tet]

I've never seen [...] Spurs, Everton, etc. fans do that.

Yes, but it's been an eternity since we last had any reason to do so! FWIW, I tend to agree with you that it shows a certain lack of class. But I suspect it'll become more and more common.

lots of Facebook posts from Liverpool fans half of them are whinging about money, UEFA not deducting points or referee bias.

To be fair, I think you should have been deducted points and/or prevented from playing in European competition next year. FFP is the single most important thing in the European game right now, and for it to have any effect, it needs to have teeth. Teams like City and PSG are making a mockery of it. Yes, you're only doing what Chelsea et al did a few years earlier, but we need to be putting a stop to it, not allowing more teams to do the same. Yes, you played well this season and accumulated more points than anyone else. On the pitch, you deserved to win the title. But that will always be something of a hollow victory, and I'm disappointed that UEFA haven't taken a tougher stance on it.

[Bearstock]

The FFP is an interesting issue.

Yes something needs to be done about the money in football however, when the FA, Football League etc are gifting millions to clubs how is anyone else supposed to compete financially?


Take us next season.

Promoted to the Championship, where 11 teams are receiving anything between 6 and 23 million pounds in parachute payments before you factor in TV money and then the self generated income.

We have another year or two before getting our new ground so we also have one of the lowest capacities in the division, meaning that the FFP rules are basically saying that financially we aren't allowed to compete with much of the division?

[mikeftw]

FIFA will never have the bollocks to ban a big club from a competition

[Aerosol_Kid]

Don't get me wrong I hate the Villa, but I also hate Man City #deathoffootball #deathofsport #moneymoneymoney.

Classy, and to think I wanted BCFC to stay up. Really got a problem with Brum after a statement like this.

[Jobdone]

No ruling with ever stick on a big club because money.

Look at Barcelona malarky.

They'll get a slap on the wrist, a fine, and a maaaaaaaybe a transfer ban on players under 21 or something stupid like that.


Because money.

[kanet666]

Don't get me wrong I hate the Villa, but I also hate Man City #deathoffootball #deathofsport #moneymoneymoney.

Classy, and to think I wanted BCFC to stay up. Really got a problem with Brum after a statement like this.

You now dislike a club because one fan doesn't like the fact you've outspent every other club to win titles? You'll have to dislike pretty much every club then.

I'd love to jump on the bandwagon, but I can't really say a lot, although we didn't outspend the other clubs by anywhere near the amount City have.

[Aerosol_Kid]

Don't get me wrong I hate the Villa, but I also hate Man City #deathoffootball #deathofsport #moneymoneymoney.

Classy, and to think I wanted BCFC to stay up. Really got a problem with Brum after a statement like this.

You now dislike a club because one fan doesn't like the fact you've outspent every other club to win titles? You'll have to dislike pretty much every club then.

I'd love to jump on the bandwagon, but I can't really say a lot, although we didn't outspend the other clubs by anywhere near the amount City have.

So as a Blackburn fan, Jack Walkers money never helped? Grow up, the comment outspent by anywhere as City is ridiculous outspent means outspent.

PS supported City for 40 years.

[kanet666]

You now dislike a club because one fan doesn't like the fact you've outspent every other club to win titles? You'll have to dislike pretty much every club then.

I'd love to jump on the bandwagon, but I can't really say a lot, although we didn't outspend the other clubs by anywhere near the amount City have.

So as a Blackburn fan, Jack Walkers money never helped? Grow up, the comment outspent by anywhere as City is ridiculous outspent means outspent.

PS supported City for 40 years.

Of course it did, but put it this way - United's squad cost more than ours, Newcastle, Leeds and Liverpool all bought players that cost way more than we spent on anyone apart from Shearer and Sutton. We had to spend money to build a squad that could compete a division above where we were, spending small sums on key players such as Berg, Atkins, Ripley, Wilkins etc. rather than just buying everyone who happened to be on the market and letting them rot in the reserves (see Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell as examples).

[Turbo]

Don't get me wrong I hate the Villa, but I also hate Man City #deathoffootball #deathofsport #moneymoneymoney.

Classy, and to think I wanted BCFC to stay up. Really got a problem with Brum after a statement like this.

You shouldn't, we have a really nice Selfridges, the Rotunda, a few shops to have a poke around. Spaghetti Junction, now that's something special. We even have a brand new library now.

[Moonburp]

Don't believe the lies, Birmingham's a shithole. Although Manchestr isn't that much better.

[Moonburp]

What? So going onto a pitch is acceptable? Normally that would be a night in the cells, but a few retards want to run on to the pitch "celebrating" and it's alright?

I've never seen Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Everton, etc. fans do that. It's usually only lower division teams.

To be fair, I'd say its perfectly acceptable to want to celebrate with players after winning a hard fought trophy. Also, when you think about it, Man City had been a lower league club for such a long time, there's a very good reason why they have a lower club mentality.

Let's not get sour grapes now.

[Bearstock]

I'm sorry, but after witnessing three disasters in my lifetime, one in the flesh, then I don't think that anyone should be on the pitch unless it's necessary. I also remember all the hooliganism problems caused by pitch invasions.

So as far as I'm concerned if you go on the pitch you're a cunt.

It could be argued that due to heightened emotions and eurphoria at winning if a few don't spill onto the pitch after the game then there'd be a danger of crushing?

Not a big fan of pitch invasions myself but can understand them when it's sporadic joy at winning something etc.

Invasions for the sake of it piss me off though.

Speaking of football disasters though, not a single premiership game did anything to mark 29 years since the Bradford fire apparently.

Derby had a minutes applause on the 56th minute.

[Skippy]

The whole Man City financial fair play being ignored is stupid, but I don't think they should be deducted points for it. Losing a title solely based on off-pitch bollocks is stupid, and would be a kick in the teeth for both City fans and players. Plus, it's a UEFA thing, rather than an FA one, it shouldn't really apply to the Premier League at all. It does need to have more teeth though - Man City and PSG (and whoever else) should be kicked out of Europe until they sort it out.

As for them winning, I don't think they really deserved it, they got lucky. If Gerrard hadn't had that one slip, it would have been Liverpool's - and perhaps, even before then, if Ramsey hadn't got injured for Arsenal, it would have been theres. I guess City had the stronger team though, and were the most even team throughout. Buying the title isn't really worth commenting on in this day and age though, it's a fact of life - it up to the governing bodies to do something about it, and they really aren't.