Hobsons Choice

Barca Coach on ESL Ronald Koeman banging on about UEFA being money driven and that they are not listening to teams about how many games are being played. What the hell are these people on about. 'we're playing too many games'. What, so it's the league that is the problem. Have to play all of the little scummy clubs so that the players are too tired to play a new 18+ game league in Europe. Just **** the **** off you **** ****.

Does anyone doubt that this has been the reason these plans have been executed now? They assumed less PR damage with no fans around. They thought wrong.

Steve Bruce would be wishing like hell that Newcastle were part of the break away.

I think UEFA are just playing politics here. They understand that their revenue is based largely from European competitions, and are wary of where the PR backlash will go next. From their perspective they are thinking 'lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater'. As a fan, I want them to realise that there is an opportunity here to force reforms which would benefit everyone (including themselves) at the expense of owners who have contributed nothing to the institutions of football but short term financial gain by exploiting those that put them in that position. Usually whilst issuing press releases about how they are for grass roots and community.

That is an absolutely brilliant point.

£8M? That can't be right surely. No wonder it folded so quickly. That's less than the cost of Grealish's toenails.

Not sure I agree with all of the goals, but signed up anyway.

If West Ham get involved in financing the league, all the players would be paid in dildos.

Vomit emoji.

I expect that the higher up's will consider a short term ban from European competition to be a suitable reaction to this, as it hits at the whole point of the ESL. That's what I expect to happen. Then I expect everyone to walk away whistling.

If there is one positive to come from this it is to highlight the urgent need for financial reform of the whole league structure. There needs to be fair and equitable distribution of broadcast rights, a rethink of the broadcast system itself, and player salary caps.

That was my feeling as well. Works when clubs are small enough to afford.

Great post. I personally think that salary caps might be the only way to stop the runaway inflation that has meant the top clubs becoming cash fed titans. They clearly cannot manage themselves. A little judicious regulation seems fair. I work in an industry that deals with the legacy of industry getting away with whatever it wants unchecked for decades. We only stopped it through regulation.

Must admit I kind of thought this about the Chelsea fans proclaiming they had saved football earlier. Chelsea fans saved us from the damage Chelsea were doing. That’s like BP saving us from Climate Change.

Who is Oliver Dowden?

He’ll come in with a £10M bid for Grealish next week and tell us WE SHOULD BE GRATEFUL!!!!!

“Don’t you see Grimsby fans, we did this to save you!!”

If the first Gulf War taught us anything, it’s that as fans we should go after those elite exception clauses in the CL reforms now, while we are all motivated. Burn it all.

In fairness Purslow was one of the first out of the blocks yesterday.

I think the website designer just got a cheque from JP Morgan for £350 billion

ESL members meeting now with a view to disband the new league. Woo-Hoo!!!

You got it.

Was it from an uppercut by Ceferin?