Promotion watch (now with Poll)

Just had a look on their forum, understandably a lot of very emotional posters. In reality they were the better side in what was a low quality game, a bit unlucky with the disallowed 'goal' and the keeper pulls off two blinders before Sunderland ever looked like scoring then beaten with two great finishes, one courtesy of a howler from Kieffer Moore, should really have had the game sewn up.I guess that sums up football, it was same in the semis where Coventry were the better side over the two legs, just didn't put the game to bed.
Good luck to Sunderland, time their fans had a bit of success after seeing their neighbours lift a trophy.

 

Just the way it rolls int it? Not checked if its true, but seen online that Sunderland had the lowest xG of a play off final winner.

I'm glad it was Sunderland. Tbf to Sheff, they are offering sod all to the PL. We've seen it all before, they sign nobody and happily get dicked most weeks and take their earning back down with them. Sunderland feels like a fanbase that won't let the club coast like that. They'll want a right good go of it.

 

They'll come straight back down, probably with Burnley. Leeds have the best chance of staying up but hard to work out at the expense of?

 

At least they scored. Town didn’t even score to get promoted

 

I dont think any will to be honest. The gulf between PL and CH is huge and it's not shrinking.

Ipswich had the idea of buying the CHs best under 24s, but spending £160m and assembling a new team was their downfall and now their best youths will be sold on. They should habe probably signed a better spine. But PL standard players know they'd rather not risk signing for these teams, because theres a very good chance in 12 months the contract they sign will drop by 30% or more when they likely go down.

The mini league the PL and CH has created now means theres a level of player who'd rather wait for an Everton/Brentford/Fulham to bid than sign for a Leeds/Burnley/Leicester.

 

The teams you'd historically look on as weak targets are so well run to a point where they have established themselves as premier league regulars who play decent football. As you allude to i think we are getting to the point where its almost impossible to stay up after promotion.

 

As indicated a week ago, the three promoted sides are PREVENTED by existing Premiership rules from spending the same amount as the existing sides for THREE SEASONS .

If a club ignores it then they potentially get points deducted which is cheaper than breaking the rules just in the hope they keep out of the bottom three. Then string it out in the courts looking for loopholes ….Forest and Leicester two examples .Its becoming a closed shop and eventually a “ Franchise” .

 

Kieran Maguire was saying this week that the PL are keeping a very very close eye on the Italian Super Cup match, as it's now taking place in Saudi. There's whispers that Serie A have been approached to have league games there too and this is a trial run, but they want the Milan Derby as a showpiece eventually.

He said the PL are very keen to see how this does, in terms of ticketing and public perceptions as the PL want to do something similar. It might well be the Charity Sheild or something like that goes to the middle east as a test event. But they Saudis 100% want to host a Liverpool vs Man Utd or Arsenal vs Spurs. Might not be "franchising", but in say 10 years time id be amazed if the PL doesn't have a spell of games in Saudi.

 

It does have that feel about it, the odd club like Luton buck the trend. But even 'little' Ipswich as some would have people believe spent a small fortune getting to the premiership, then the best part of £150 million in the premiership just to come back down. As Man Utd have shown, just spending a fortune means nothing without a serious thought out game plan and business strategy as that is what football essentially is if you want to sit at the top table, infact any top table in any league. Just the scales of economics are different.
Bets example are Brentford and Brighton, the latter even signing very young players from ourselves and Bloom now buying into Hearts football club in Scotland. That even extends to us, now promotedbecause of money invested in people who actually know what they are doing like David Sharpe and larger backroom staff for Graham Alexander.
Going back to the premiership its getting harder to see a weak link bar clubs like United and Spurs (i find it hard to include the luckiest trophy win i've ever seen from a poor side) and these two will never go down. The only club i can see making a long term fist of it is Leeds and possibly Birmingham due to their grandiose stadium plans which allows them greater leeway when it comes to spending.

 

Money buys you anything you want, only have to look at Liv golf. Saudi will eventually end up with representation in an extended champions league as they keep shaking the magic money tree.

 

Sportswashing at its finest. How or why we engage with these corrupt, murdering regimes is beyond my comprehension . Oh £$£$£$£$ ?

 

100%. I reckon the option they'll take in the end, is every November/December ish, every team goes over for a week/10 days. The PL seasons is extended to either 39 or 40 games and that extra one of two games are played in Saudi and it's made into an event every winter.

Owners will sign up instantly for it, they'll make an absolute fortune for a game or two out there. Kicks the old PSR worries a few million down the worry lane too.

 

It’s all sports.

All the big boxing is there due to Turki al Sheikh waving the blank cheques.

Their snooker offers the most prize money and whatever Hearn says about the Crucible being the home of snooker,he wants to move it to Saudi.

Money talks

 

Money helps every morale type worry eventually go away. When it becomes "the norm", the sport washing element is soon forgotten. This generation of boxing fans are aware every big fight is now in Saudi rather than Vegas, and the next generation will know the same but as it's "the norm" the sport washing tag slowly dissappears. Golf won't be any different with LIV and the next sports won't be either.

 

As much as its painful we have to accept football isn't the sport that was originally set over 100 years ago, you could say even as far back as the 80s. Nowadays extortionate ticket prices that betray its working class roots, best part of £100 for a premier league football shirt, extended European leagues that see the back of domestic replays, world wide money spinning pre season tours despite club whinging about 'too many games being played'.
And we wonder why so many people choose the 'firestick' option to watch football on TV rather than bona fide media outlets.

 

Turki is missing a trick not buying us, shwarma shops aplenty for his post match scran.

 

All the anti Newcastle stuff lasted about 5 minutes when PIF took over.

They are even touting themselves as the good guys now they upset the apple cart by winning the league cup.

 

Careful what you say.

This post might be Nixon’s “exclusive” next week.

 

It's not the working man's game anymore and owners dont want them.

Liverpool as an example, today they'll raise the trophy at Anfield. There will be 60,000 fans there today, but their season ticket holders are capped at 27,500. About half the stadium these days are either corporate/sponsorship tickets or available to global supporters groups, who pay thousands per seat. But the sign up is closed too for STs, so continuing that family legacy of grandad, dad, kids going to games can't carry on. Kids can't get season tickets with their parents anymore at top clubs and the prices are ridiculous.

Man Utd, 60,000 ST holders but again they aren't on offer or have a waiting list anymore. And if you dont go to at least 15 PL games, your ST is taken off you for the following season. And it goes on sale for way more than a 19th of the ST is. Man City, again 30,000 ST holders, and about a third of the allocation are for sponsors/corporate. Theirs is 14 PL games needed if you go to any less you lose your ST and Man City ban your account from buying one again.

Big clubs dont want the working man and their family anymore, they want the US/Aussie/Asian touring family of 5 to pay out their minds for one game.

 

I'll have to check if he's still has me blocked on twitter. 'Any news on <insert club name> Alan?' Not exactly Fabrizio Romano....