Random footie

[Alviro Patterson]

The National League season is now at risk because the £11 Million that the government promised will consist loans instead of grants. As a result, clubs are planning to meet on Wednesday whether to prematurely end the season (again).

A complete shambles when non league clubs were promised that the season would initially begin in October with crowds, followed by the prospect of crowds returning in the new year. It makes no sense to issue £11 Million in loans, but clubs are allowed to furlough their staff if they take a hiatus or wind up the season. Pure incompetence from the government.

Some semi-pro National League North/South teams don't have large attendances, whilst professional clubs were able to demonstrate they can host matches in front of 2000 people. If anything let fans back in at non league grounds as soon as tier restrictions come into play.

[yuppie]

11 million is hardly a large sum for this government either. I guess with out kick backs to friends and family they think that a loan is better value......

[Alviro Patterson]

Turns out the £11 Million loan is distributed via Sport England and has a 10 year repayable period against future income.

Semi Professional clubs in the North/South region won't fancy taking debt on in case if they end up getting relegated to the Evostik Divisions in the short/medium term. A number of them are better off winding the season up when players are paid by the game. There's no brodcasting revenue in the North/South Divisons, so I can't see Weymouth, Barnet and Dover taking on a loan so they can effectively get relegated to National League South.

If the government are not going to compensate, there needs to be a cast iron date for fans to be allowed into grounds, no u-turns, so clubs and leagues can make informed decisions.

[Durhamfootman]

I knew Man Utd were going to score that winner after the big Uruguayan "used his experience" to win the free kick on the edge of the box. 'Used his experience' being the current euphemism for cheating, of course

[sussexpob]

Turns out the £11 Million loan is distributed via Sport England and has a 10 year repayable period against future income

Wonder how many cubs will be left next season

[sussexpob]

The Rangers v Slavia Praha match last night will have to go down as one of the low points of European Football in the past few years, after the second half of a tie that promised to be an exciting battle between two evenly matched teams descended into a farce.

The first incident is Kemar Roofe Bruce Lee crane kick that left Slavia's keeper with a horrendous gash to his head and requiring to be stretched off. Some might say he was looking at the ball, but there is no mitigation for a challenge like that. It is quite simply, as bad and dangerous an incident that you will see on a football pitch, and in many ways the horrific injury the Prague keeper was left with was in many ways lucky, with that force to the head Kemar could have killed or very seriously injured him.

After that, Rangers sort of lost their heads as the red card left them well behind and a goal down, they just turned in a brutal series of bad challenges, ending in another red card and both teams losing their rag.

Right at the end, Kamara of Rangers accused a Slavia player of racial abusing him; this ended in the Praha player being attacked in the tunnel by his accusor and apparently being "punched in the face with a fist several times". Praha claim the police were needed to allow them to get into the dressing room and leave the ground safely. Meanwhile outside, Gerrard was busy in a heated exchange with his opposite numbers.

To add more crap to the heap, Kemar Roofe then posted instagram photos of racial abuse he received after his red card.

A giant mess. UEFA will have a tough job deciding what has happened here. The Czech lad does cover his mouth and say something, which instantly sends both Rangers in ear shot crazy (both incidentally black players)... I doubt both would react if, as he claims, he called Kamara a f*****. But then can Kamara be excused for responding by viciously attacking him in the tunnel? And if the mouth is covered and its one word v another, how do UEFA respond to this?

A terrible advert for football on all levels. Gerrard's team were a disgrace, and if sadly Praha sunk down to that level with racial abuse, they are too.

[Durhamfootman]

I'm pleased I didn't watch it, SP

[Durhamfootman]

*modded* hits the fan

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56794673

[yuppie]

Do exactly what Gary Neville says to do.

[sussexpob]

Do exactly what Gary Neville says to do.

Sorry, but Neville's suggestions do not even come close to be enough in my view.

All clubs breaking away should have their registration to the English football pyramid terminated and be immediately kicked out of all UEFA, FA, PL and FIFA competitions for an unlimited period. If subsequent re-registration is requested, the club will be treated as a totally new entity, and added to the lowest available tier of non-league football. All players registered to an ESL club should have their contracts deemed voidable on the basis the implied terms of their employment contracts being applicable only to clubs in officially sanctioned competitions, and would be allowed to sign another deal for free elsewhere. All players who subsequently choose to stay in the ESL are banned for life from all other officially sanctioned football, and banned from holding any position at a football club such as manager/coach/etc for life also. Players and owners are forced to sell any interests they hold in other registered clubs, and a re debarred from investing or ownership in the future.

All trophies won by the club are stripped from record. All badges, crests, club names, nicknames or anything else that identifies the club based on a historical developement by fan groups is barred from use under cultural heritage laws, and is taken over temporarily by the public domain, to later be passed on to new entities setup by fan groups.

All teams whose grounds are in anyway minutely owned by the public or fans is debarred from hosting games at said ground, until full ownership is negotiated by the club. All teams who fully owned their grounds, but who have subsequently required public money for infrastructure in the surrounding area must pay back these costs in full. All legal status that exploit the status of a football club as a non-profit making provident society are removed. All associated costs for policing or other public financing impacs are to be 100% born by the club in the future.

All prize money and money negotiated under the current TV deal is to be paid back, the money going back to the fans . All season tickets are paid back to fans on the basis of a reduction in games.

Football clubs have exploited the public and fans for too long. If they want to break away and be independent, they do so leaving everything behind, and with the view that they no longer have any benefit to the community in general.

[sussexpob]

I guess you could say that's extreme, but its now very clear that football is leading itself to self-destruction. UEFAs CL extension proposals were absolutely rejected recently by fans, in fact only this weekend as leaks suggested the UEFA super clubs would meet on Monday to confirm the unpopular measures, every single club in the ECA had their fan groups speak out to say this is not what we want. And what flamming happened? They not only got something they had rejected in totality, they got an even more extreme version of it to what was ever suggested.

Football has literally just been hijacked by 12 people. The whole world game, supported by billions of people, now gets put through the washer just so a handful of robbing b*stard's can exploit their position to rob us fans dry. The message is clear from everyone; you can go to hell. We will not put up with ticket prices increasing, with being fleeced to pay more and more to watch at home, to see our league's that have existed for over 100 years being devalued and torn apart.

All for the benefit of 12 already super rich planks who probably couldnt care less about football. Most of them bought their clubs by using the football clubs to borrow the money, not putting a single penny themselves into it. And now they have the cheek to think they own the world game????

The fans are speaking! lets hope they continue to do so..... because it would be lovely to see each of these 12 clubs playing in empty stadiums, kicked out their leagues, and collapsing. Maybe if that happens we might go back to free to air football, reasonable ticket pricings and transfer fees that arent ridiculous.

Of course the proof is in the pudding. I guess some fans, maybe even a lot, will ditch their principles the minute a super league kicks off. We can only win if we reject it together.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Seems to be like the 100, universally unpopular among those who are expected to watch it.

[Durhamfootman]

Football has literally just been hijacked by 12 people.

15 seemingly, with 3 clubs presumably keeping their heads below the parapet until they see which way the wind is blowing, then space for an extra 5 after that

If I was a betting man I'd put money on this blowing over. It feels like the owners are 'testing the water'.

The very fact that Spurs are there, tells me that this isn't a league for the best clubs in Europe.

Eventually it might happen, because inevitably players always end up following the money, but I'm not sure that that time is now

[yuppie]

These clubs have huge debts and they need to pay for their success which has been built on a debt mountain, and now they want to destroy grass roots football. I don't understand how Arsenal, City and Spurs are European superpowers. Combined they have won less champions leagues than Aston villa who in fairness have less European success than Forest.

Crap even Derby have won the league more recently than spurs. What a joke.

[Arthur Crabtree]

All for the benefit of 12 already super rich planks who probably couldnt care less about football. Most of them bought their clubs by using the football clubs to borrow the money, not putting a single penny themselves into it. And now they have the cheek to think they own the world game

That' was the final insult that turned off my interest in the game. How could anyone tolerate that? The point where the obscenity of the greed and moral emptiness in control of football outweighed the actual game on the pitch.