England v Iceland 8pm

[Simster]

I can't find it now - but someone asked earlier why the Germans can consistently produce good teams - this is the reason.

Bundesliga clubs are required to be majority-owned by German club members (known as the 50+1 rule (de) to discourage control by a single entity) and operate under tight restrictions on the use of debt for acquisitions (a team only receives an operating license if it has solid financials).

Bundesliga clubs paid less than 50% of revenue in players wages, the lowest percentage out of the European leagues. The Bundesliga has the lowest ticket prices and the highest average attendance out of Europe's five major leagues.

The Germans operate an unofficial salary cap and strict financial rules and invest major resources into the development of their youth programme. In other countries you have the likes of Abramovich who doesn't care about fostering a culture of football, doesn't care about young players and doesn't care how much it costs because he can just go out an buy any player he wants.

The Premier League and other European leagues are actually facing a major challenge in the future despite all the money Sky, the oligarchs and the sheikhs are tossing around. The new money billionaires in China are going to throw even more money at players. Sven Goran Eriksson (remember him - another spoofer) - well he is now a manager in Shanghai and has just paid close to £50million for Hulk who is going to be paid £20million a year / £400,000 a week (and you can be sure he is paying shag-all tax on that).

No it isn't. That's actually the reason German professional football is in far better financial health than pretty much anywhere else. Nothing to do with quality.

The reason they produce winning teams and we don't is because we don't coach our players properly from grass roots level:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/18680785

Number of qualified Uefa A, B and Pro Licence coaches:

Germany 35,000
Spain 25,000
Italy 30,000
England <6,000

We don't appear to value doing this properly over the long term. Look at Iceland - investment in infrastructure and coaching over the past ten years now paying full dividends. Who'd have thought it?

 

[Biscuit]

I just ordered 'Bonnie Tyler's 101 Goalkeeping blunders' on DVD.


It's just totally clips of Joe Hart.

 

[skipper734]

Bobby Charlton was asked how he thought the England team of '66 would have fared against Iceland. " I think we'd have won 1-0 " he replied. "Only 1-0?" Retorted the reporter. "Yes," said Bobby. "Most of us are in our 70's now!"

 

[AmexRuislip]

Says it all really