Premier League - victory of marketing hype

[David Johnson]

Once again this season we have seen the Premier League sell rights to live broadcast of games for squillions to the likes of Sky and BT Sport. The rationale given is that the Premier League is the best league in the world.

Now maybe the Premier League has the most strength in depth but other than that?

I've watched a fair bit of Champions League and Europa League footie this season. Liverpool were humiliated by Real Madrid; Chelsea couldn't get past PSG even though PSG played with 10 men for 90 minutes in the return leg; Arsenal threw their tie with Monaco away in the first leg with comedy defending; Man City, champions of England, were humiliated by Barcelona where they could have easily conceded 6 or 7 goals; Everton are currently playing Kiev, they've shipped three goals in the first half hour or so with defending that would not be out of place in a pub team.

Now you can't put this failure down to shortage of dosh or lack of quality foreign players. So is it down to British football in which we turn skilful players from all over the world into less skilful, but willing workhorses, running all over the pitch at top speed?

What doe esteemed forumites reckon?

[bernard72]

Chelsea and Arsenal went out on away goals, so the ties were very close. Liverpool apart (just not very good in the group stages) a bit of luck was
missing.
And remember 2005 -2009 the premier probably had the highest percentage of semi finalists. Maybe because the German teams, French and Spanish have
very few tough games in their own leagues they are fresher for the knock out stages of the Champion and Europa leagues.
I don't think it's as bad a situation as some in the media are making out.

[David Johnson]

Maybe it is something to do with too many games.

However I think your examples are highly selective. I did a quick look and the Premier League has been going since 1992. During that period, Liverpool and Chelsea, once each, are the only teams to win the Europa League in those 23 seasons. Now if the Premier League is supposed to have that strength in depth which people go on about, you would have expected more English victories.

And in the Champions League, in the 23 seasons, English teams have won it 4 times. Spain and Italy have won it more times.

[Essex Lad]

Yes, it could be something to do with the number of games and also the fact that the continentals have a winter break.

[Arginald Valleywater]

I personally think it has peaked and SKY have been duped into paying waaaaay too much for what is a mediocre product. If you picked a World Eleven today how many PL players would get in? I watch PL and Spanish games on SKY and there are far more touches of brilliance in Spain than the PL. If you notice some smaller strip makers are getting a foothold. Macron and New Balance (who are the parent company of Warrior). You would expect Nike, Adidas, Puma and the rapidly growing Under Armor to fight like chuff to dominate but not so.....

[Milk Tray Man]

Greed and rampant commercialisation have ruined football and sucked out its soul. The worst things to happen to the game (in my very humble opinion) were the creation of the Premiership and the Champions League, qualification for which is now regarded by most clubs as more important than winning the FA Cup, for no other reason than because it's more "lucrative".

I would love to see the bubble burst but I doubt that it will any time soon, not as long as broadcasters are willing to keep throwing daft money at the game.

I saw the other day that the renaming of Hull City as "Hull City Tigers" is apparently back on the cards, despite the fans being overwhelmingly against it. Supporters were carrying banners in protest saying "We Are A Club, Not A Brand". Says it all about the state of the game these days. As does more and more clubs becoming the playthings of foreign billionnaires, and moving into big new shiny stadiums named after companies.

[David Johnson]

Couldn't agree more. What's worse is that many of the fans seem to have bought in to this brand nonsense.

For example, you see many Premier League teams where the sides get much lower attendances for FA Cup games, for the reason you state i.e. there is a lot more money in the Premier League position or qualification for the Champions League than in the FA Cup and therefore, by definition, the FA Cup must be much inferior.

[number 6]

I blame Sky , they have ruined football for me. And will do the same for golf.

[Sam Slater]

A winter break wouldn't help that much. The players talk it up because they get to spend the holidays with their families. Personally, football around xmas and new year is traditional and I love it.

The English game's problem is the intensity it's played at. It burns players out. British fans, for the most part, appreciate a sliding tackle as much as a bit of skill. That needs to change.

[Milk Tray Man]

number 6 wrote:

> I blame Sky , they have ruined football for me. And will do the
> same for golf.


I subscribed to Sky Sports in its early days, but I cancelled it about 15 years ago and I would never go back to it out of principle. Sky have got a LOT to answer for in terms of how the game has gone. Time was that the broadcasters would arrange their programming around the football fixtures. Now it's the other way round, with fixture lists being arranged and scheduled to suit the broadcasters.

As for the Champions League, that was created for the broadcasters, what with all that 'group stages' nonsense and of course seeding to ensure that only the big "glamour" clubs make it through to the latter stages (and thus make the whole thing more commercially attractive to advertisers etc.). Hence very few genuine shocks any more to fire the imagination. Commercial interests, "branding" and revenue-generation trump sport now, every single time. That vexes me.