Sepp Blatter

[SNOOBS]

Is this guy a total moron

BBC SPORT | Football | Blatter has Premier League doubts

Just realised have you mate? The problem started in 1992 when the PL formed, f***ing over the football league, and 17 years later hes a bit worried. Bit late now...

He also says things like "In a competition where two-thirds or three-quarters of the participants in the league play not to be first, but not to be relegated, there is something wrong,"

Look at all the top leagues in Europe ffs. How is he in charge of World football.

 

[Horsham Gull]

Is this guy a total moron

yep

 

[Ninja Elephant]

You can't expect him to understand English football, the man doesn't have a clue.

It's a league format, just how it is. If Rochdale are in league 1 next season, it will be their greatest achievement to stay in this league. Whereas Charlton will be needing to win it. Different teams are in different circumstances, it's the same in all leagues. Man Utd are there to challenge for the title. Bolton are not, that's just how it is.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

This very well paid individual is now stating what many thousands (millions?) have been saying for donkeys years.

 

[Beach Hut]

What is so strong about a Premier League where some teams ignore all other competitions to finish 4th ?

Where other newcomers only want to survive and not get relegated ?

Where only 3 teams have won it in god knows how many years ?

I find it boring.

 

[clapham_gull]

You can't expect him to understand English football, the man doesn't have a clue.

It's a league format, just how it is. If Rochdale are in league 1 next season, it will be their greatest achievement to stay in this league. Whereas Charlton will be needing to win it. Different teams are in different circumstances, it's the same in all leagues. Man Utd are there to challenge for the title. Bolton are not, that's just how it is.

I can only presume you are quite young or have a very short memory.

Blatter is absolutely spot on. Sorry to be patronising but the younger members on here probably think well, that's just the way it is.

Well it isn't and it doesn't have to be.

What has happened is only a relatively recent thing.

The champions league riches and the Sky money has created perpetual success, where qualification and television rights gives you an an advantage in qualifying or staying in the league over time.

If the same thing happened in athletics, the winner of the hundred metres at the Olympics would get a 10 metre start at the next.

 

[Giraffe]

f***, I saw the thread title and thought he was being linked with the Manager job?!

 

[Kukev31]

I don't understand how he is wrong with what he is saying here?

 

[clapham_gull]

I don't understand how he is wrong with what he is saying here?

He's absolutely spot on isn't he ?

What's the point in having a league if the systems in place ensure only three or four teams can win it.

Madness.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I can only presume you are quite young or have a very short memory.

Blatter is absolutely spot on.

What has happened is only a relatively recent thing. It doesn't really have anything to do with the leagues below.

The champions league riches and the Sky money has created perpetual success, where qualification ensures money than puts you an an advantage in qualifying for the next.

If the same thing happened in athletics, the winner of the hundred metres at the Olympics would get a 10 metre start at the next.

I am both those things. And I don't disagree with that, it's fact. The big 4 will be the big 4 until another team can assemble a good enough squad through other financial means, Aston Villa for example. And only then will the monopoly be broken. I haven't actually read the entire article with Sepp Blatter, I won't pretend I have. But I've read alot of it, and what he's saying isn't anything new. Lyon always win the French league, Real Madrd or Barcelona win the Spanish. AZ have done well in Holland and Twente are second, so that league is an exception. But in general, the top leagues are battled out between a few clubs, that's just how it is. The Premier League is cash rich, that's a fact and we know that. But you can't do anything about it, and Sepp Blatter moaning about it (again) isn't going to change anything. I agree with him that it's worrying though, don't get me wrong. I just don't see the point of debating something which isn't going to change.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Does Blatter not realise how rotten the whole game is?

John Terry earns more in three weeks than the sum that is threatening to ruin Weymouth. The new TV deal from Sky Sports is worth £1.8bn. That is enough to feed the whole of Ethiopia for the next few decades. Thousands upon thousans of fans have deserted the live game in favour of watching football from the safety of there armchair. An average Championship player earns more annually than the leader of our country.

The Champions League is not the greatest tournament in the world, it has created a monopoly that makes the rich even richer. All seater stadiums, thanks to Sky and the authorities, are squeezing the fun out of football. Fans are a secondary source of income. Billions upon billions have been generated, but there are still many communities across the world playing football with a collection of plastic bags and string to masquerade as a football.

The authorities are so wrapped up with the whole commercial promise that they have alluded to forget the whole meaning of the game. You now need an extremely rich chairman or follish investor to even think about breaking into the top flight, let alone staying there.

Players do not want to risk injury in an international friendly for fear of facing the wrath of their manager, or the country is fearsome of a lawsuit, internationals have become a sideline.

One of the oldest (the oldest?) competition in the World, The FA Cup, has become an inconvenience to the larger clubs as they have to compete in 20+ cup games due to commercial endorsements and spin offs.

It must be great to be at the top, Sepp, but it sure as hell stinks down here. Most fans are paying £20 a piece plus and each club is still hemorrhaging money.

 

[clapham_gull]

I am both those things. And I don't disagree with that, it's fact. The big 4 will be the big 4 until another team can assemble a good enough squad through other financial means, Aston Villa for example. And only then will the monopoly be broken. I haven't actually read the entire article with Sepp Blatter, I won't pretend I have. But I've read alot of it, and what he's saying isn't anything new. Lyon always win the French league, Real Madrd or Barcelona win the Spanish. AZ have done well in Holland and Twente are second, so that league is an exception. But in general, the top leagues are battled out between a few clubs, that's just how it is. The Premier League is cash rich, that's a fact and we know that. But you can't do anything about it, and Sepp Blatter moaning about it (again) isn't going to change anything. I agree with him that it's worrying though, don't get me wrong. I just don't see the point of debating something which isn't going to change.

There is a number of things that can be done about it. Exactly the same thing has faced other sports in other leagues.

Blatter should moan about it, and moan and moan again. Shame the authorities here aren't moaning about the lack of competition in our top league.

Personally - I'd dump the parachute payments for a start, because all that does is echo the problems of the premiership into the championship.

Secondly, I dump the league portion of the champions league and make it straight knock out like a proper cup competition should be.

Games should be played over two legs, but I'd do away with this away goals nonsense.

Lastly - I'd introduce a play off system into the Premiership.

The real champions qualify automatically, but teams below go into a play off for the remaining UEFA cup and champions league places.

 

[SNOOBS]

I just can't believe Blatter is still only having a little moan about it 17 years after it begun. Do something man.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

There is a number of things that can be done about it. Exactly the same thing has faced other sports in other leagues.

Blatter should moan about it, and moan and moan again. Shame the authorities here aren't moaning about the lack of competition in our top league.

Personally - I'd dump the parachute payments for a start, because all that does is echo the problems of the premiership into the championship.

Secondly, I dump the league portion of the champions league and make it straight knock out like a proper cup competition should be.

Lastly - I'd introduce a play off system into the Premiership.

The real champions qualify automatically, but teams below go into a play off for the remaining UEFA cup and champions league places.

But you can't change anything, because the rich will always be the rich. There will always be that inbalance between clubs, and that is only natural and normal. You can try and break up the monotony of the same teams being in the top 4 every season, but you can't actually make a dent. Believe me, I want to see a change. The Premier League format has become stale now in my opinion, it's so money orientated, it's tainted. I hate that John Terry earns £130,000 a week basic. I hate that he's only one of dozens on such money. I hate that people are bought and sold for £30million.

It's so out of touch with where clubs like Brighton are. People often say to me that I would love my club to be a Manchester United or a Chelsea. But you know what, I wouldn't. Because they're so out of touch with reality it's unbelievable. I support a club which is relying as much on its means as is possible, with outside investment from the Blooms of course, but we're not completely out of touch at our level.

I'd like to see something done, but in reality, it's going to get worse and the gulf will get bigger. Unless something radical is done. Radical like the schemes FIFA (or maybe UEFA) want, the number of home grown players in each team. I want an English Premier League, maybe that's racist? But I think having a match day squad of 18 players and only having 6 foreign players (a third) wouldn't be unrealistic. But at the same time, if you start enforcing that, how good will leagues 1 and 2 be? Because all the good or semi decent English players will be in the Premier League, for they need the numbers. So, who's the real winner? Not the football league, that's for sure.

 

[clapham_gull]

But you can't change anything, because the rich will always be the rich. There will always be that inbalance between clubs, and that is only natural and normal. You can try and break up the monotony of the same teams being in the top 4 every season, but you can't actually make a dent. Believe me, I want to see a change. The Premier League format has become stale now in my opinion, it's so money orientated, it's tainted. I hate that John Terry earns £130,000 a week basic. I hate that he's only one of dozens on such money. I hate that people are bought and sold for £30million.

It's so out of touch with where clubs like Brighton are. People often say to me that I would love my club to be a Manchester United or a Chelsea. But you know what, I wouldn't. Because they're so out of touch with reality it's unbelievable. I support a club which is relying as much on its means as is possible, with outside investment from the Blooms of course, but we're not completely out of touch at our level.

I'd like to see something done, but in reality, it's going to get worse and the gulf will get bigger. Unless something radical is done. Radical like the schemes FIFA (or maybe UEFA) want, the number of home grown players in each team. I want an English Premier League, maybe that's racist? But I think having a match day squad of 18 players and only having 6 foreign players (a third) wouldn't be unrealistic. But at the same time, if you start enforcing that, how good will leagues 1 and 2 be? Because all the good or semi decent English players will be in the Premier League, for they need the numbers. So, who's the real winner? Not the football league, that's for sure.

A play off system would help. Look at the teams it has helped get into the Premiership.

Problem is at the moment is there are a few teams who are essentially guaranteed a place. What has also been shown is that you can go and spend a lot of money (like Chelsea) and almost guarantee yourself a place.

F*ck that - put a play off system in place and give the teams a bit of uncertainty and those just outside the chance to earn a few quid.

It has been proven to work for every other league, no-one complains about coming third and not getting promoted any more.

We now view it as qualification for a mini end of season cup competition.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

A play off system would help. Look at the teams it has helped get into the Premiership.

Problem is at the moment is there are a few teams who are essentially guaranteed a place. What has also been shown is that you can go and spend a lot of money (like Chelsea) and almost guarantee yourself a place.

F*ck that - put a play off system in place and give the teams a bit of uncertainty and those just outside the chance to earn a few quid.

It has been proven to work for every other league, no-one complains about coming third and not getting promoted any more.

We now view it as qualification for a mini end of season cup competition.

As a fan, I like the suggestion because it would be dramatic and they would be good matches to watch. It's a good suggestion, but I'm not sure where the change is? The same teams will be qualifying for the play offs, it's just a matter of who will win it.

The problem comes with the club ownership, because a bad season will just result in massive spending to make sure the same doesn't happen again. And clubs won't blink an eye lid, because they all have a major backer. For me, that's the problem. And that's what you can't change, football is a business and always will be. That, is the problem as I see it.

 

[Kukev31]

The problem is the top clubs just have so much more money. Nothing will change until salary caps are brought in.

 

[Paxton Dazo]

Snoobs, I thought you was very FOR the Premiership?

 

[Billy the Fish]

Looking back at the past winners of the top division, it has always been dominated by just a few clubs. Man U have dominated the last 15 years, liverpool dominated before that. You have to go back to the 70s to see a different team win each year, and even then it's the usual suspects.

If afraid there is is nothing that can be done to change this, the clubs are too powerful. It is the system that is broken, it is all based on how much revenue a club can generate and the revenue is self perpetuating for those that have it. The only way to change things is to adopt an american type system where revenue flows into the governing body and is distributed more evenly amongst the clubs. Also a draft system where the lower teams get to choose the best players is a good way of evening things out.
That will never happen as the current system is too engrained in our way of thinking, and even if the governing bodies did try and change things, all the top clubs would just piss off and form their own league. I sometimes wish they would.

 

[clapham_gull]

As a fan, I like the suggestion because it would be dramatic and they would be good matches to watch. It's a good suggestion, but I'm not sure where the change is? The same teams will be qualifying for the play offs, it's just a matter of who will win it.

The problem comes with the club ownership, because a bad season will just result in massive spending to make sure the same doesn't happen again. And clubs won't blink an eye lid, because they all have a major backer. For me, that's the problem. And that's what you can't change, football is a business and always will be. That, is the problem as I see it.

The same clubs won't qualify and that's the point. What you will see is a gentle easing out at the top and it's a start.

The important thing is who doesn't qualify. If it goes to a play off there is always the chance one of the big four will miss out.

Their champions league income will end up in another teams pocket and this will affect their ability in the transfer window the next season.

The way to break the cycle is to introduce more doubt about automatic qualification.