This ridiculous idea completely underestimates the power and the input from proper English fans to their clubs. For years we support our teams and now Richard Scudamore turns around and does a big "F*** You!" and says we are going to play somewhere you cant afford to watch. If it happens, they don't get another penny of my money, I'll cancel my season ticket as protest untill they scrap the idea. I suggest everyone else does the same. A boycott of this kind means that the money grabbers who suggested the idea in the first place will lose out in the end, and eventually will have no choice but to give in. Everyone who reads this, please sign the petition at http://www.fsf.org.uk. It already has over 10,000 signatures but pathetically that is not even half the average Premier League capacity.
The idea is to create a 39th step in which all teams in the Premier League will play abroad for one game, which will count towards the title or relegation at the end of the season. The suggested places where the games should be played include Asia, Australia and the USA - all of whom have publicly rejected the idea. Supposing Japan ends up with Wigan v Reading, possibly a crunch relegation fixture which all die hard fans will want to attend, and all who turn up are 2000 weird Japanese football fanatics? Have we made money? No, have we lost money? Quite probably. This proposal will almost certainly not be profitable for clubs like these because, quite frankly, who is going to turn up and/or pay money to see this if they are not fans. I for one would not pay lots of money to see Murcia v Getafe if the Spanish League decided to come over here. Granted, I would love to see Real Madrid v Barcelona, but I do not expect them to come over to England just for us to watch. I will go over to Spain to watch that game when I have the time or the money. This should be the same for anyone else as regarding the English game.
In 2018, England hope to hold the World Cup, and to do this we need the support of the rest of the World's Football Associations. The Asian FA, having rejected the proposal from Scudamore, are not likely to do us any favours in terms of the World Cup bid, should we go ahead and ignore everything they have to say. Does Scudamore really want to pass up this big money spinning opportunity to bring most of the World to spend their money on our shores? I'm not sure he does. My advice is, scrap the idea, apologise to all football fans all over the country (of whom the majority now hate him) and forget all about it, because if anything can be objected to on such a large scale, it is never going to work.
Wednesday 13 February 2008
Thursday 7 February 2008
ENGLAND EXPECTS, CAPELLO DELIVERS...JUST!
Shawn Wright-Phillips, last night, saved Fabio Capello's blushes as he sent England to a 2-1 victory over Switzerland in a game which went some way to repairing the hurt caused by England's exit in Euro 2008 qualifying.
Capello looked concerned with only half an hour gone and the "boo boys" had already got started. The particularly fickle section of the crowd involved in this were probably the same type of people that got Sam Allardyce kicked out of Newcastle a few weeks ago. Lucky then, that Joe Cole quickly silenced them with first a good run and a decent effort, followed by a dazzling run and a pull-back from the by-line for Jermaine Jenas to tap in. Not the best half from England but it was OK and they were in front, that, surely is the most important thing. After all, Italy were nowhere near the best team at the world cup, but they managed to win it. They should have been knocked out by Australia of all teams.
The second half started much better, with some slick passing moves mostly created by Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole. However, when Eren Derdiyok flashed a shot past David James. Lucky the two didn't let that faze them and they continued their good play and finally, after a long goal kick, knocked down by substitute Peter Crouch, followed by Wayne Rooney into Gerrard's path, who then slotted across the box for the other substitute Wright-Phillips for the second tap in of the game. A game in which Rooney had his moments, and David Bentley did well, England showed they have already progressed under Capello and have something to build on and now, instead of going backwards as under Steve McClaren from a confident start against Greece, we need to take this forward, only then will we have a good chance of not only qualifying for, but winning the World Cup in 2010.
Speaking with some fans who attended the game last night, the message was mixed in terms of the performance, but all agreed that with a win, it lays down the foundations, and it is now up to the players and the manager to build upon them.
Fabio Capello said via an interpreter "We played some good football in places and created a lot of goal scoring chances which unfortunately we didn't take and defensively we have played solidly. The last ten minutes again we didn't play football as we were concerned about the result."
Capello has yet to speak English to the media but insists that the players have no problem understanding him. He added "I speak English to my players, I know my football terms and I can speak the football I know to them" and joked that her doesn't trust the media enough to speak to them in English. He seems to think they might try to twist his words. As if!
Capello looked concerned with only half an hour gone and the "boo boys" had already got started. The particularly fickle section of the crowd involved in this were probably the same type of people that got Sam Allardyce kicked out of Newcastle a few weeks ago. Lucky then, that Joe Cole quickly silenced them with first a good run and a decent effort, followed by a dazzling run and a pull-back from the by-line for Jermaine Jenas to tap in. Not the best half from England but it was OK and they were in front, that, surely is the most important thing. After all, Italy were nowhere near the best team at the world cup, but they managed to win it. They should have been knocked out by Australia of all teams.
The second half started much better, with some slick passing moves mostly created by Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole. However, when Eren Derdiyok flashed a shot past David James. Lucky the two didn't let that faze them and they continued their good play and finally, after a long goal kick, knocked down by substitute Peter Crouch, followed by Wayne Rooney into Gerrard's path, who then slotted across the box for the other substitute Wright-Phillips for the second tap in of the game. A game in which Rooney had his moments, and David Bentley did well, England showed they have already progressed under Capello and have something to build on and now, instead of going backwards as under Steve McClaren from a confident start against Greece, we need to take this forward, only then will we have a good chance of not only qualifying for, but winning the World Cup in 2010.
Speaking with some fans who attended the game last night, the message was mixed in terms of the performance, but all agreed that with a win, it lays down the foundations, and it is now up to the players and the manager to build upon them.
Fabio Capello said via an interpreter "We played some good football in places and created a lot of goal scoring chances which unfortunately we didn't take and defensively we have played solidly. The last ten minutes again we didn't play football as we were concerned about the result."
Capello has yet to speak English to the media but insists that the players have no problem understanding him. He added "I speak English to my players, I know my football terms and I can speak the football I know to them" and joked that her doesn't trust the media enough to speak to them in English. He seems to think they might try to twist his words. As if!
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