The Guardian today carries a piece emphasising the Government's plans to exert greater pressure on the footballing authorities regarding financial regulation of clubs.
This issue has become an increasingly hot topic in recent years, with questions of debt overshadowing clubs great and small. If Portsmouth are allowed to slip into administration, surely the debate will only intensify. Before long the authorities will be forced into action, and they will surely realise that they have left it too late. There has been talk but no action on this issue for years, with the football beauracracy suffering from muscular atrophy due to years of passive bystanding.
Click on the this link to read what The Guardian have to say on the matter. Join the debate by leaving a comment below. What can the footballing authorities do to tackle the issue of debt before it becomes too late?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Would a Champions League playoff do more harm than good for Premier League clubs?
The Premier League has drawn up proposals for an end of season playoff to determine the fourth English Champions League spot, which could potentially come into force as early as next season.
UEFA has given their backing to the proposal, which initially received strong support from all but the "big four" Champions League stalwart clubs of the Premier League. Of course a change of format such as this could blow the race for the Champions League wide open and it makes sense that clubs such as Tottenham, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton would be keen to see the proposals pushed through.
However, there are also risks attached, and some have argued that the idea has not been properly thought through. For too long now, fourth place in the Premier League has been talked about almost more than winning the title, with a series of clubs pushing hard to finish in this illustrious spot. A playoff for this position would only increase the clamour surrounding the last Champions League and hype would go into overdrive. If you're going to make such a big thing about finishing fourth, why not extend the playoff to third place as well and run a mini-league, with the top two qualifying for the Champions League? Third is after all, just as arbitrary a position as fourth to reward with such high prestige and acclaim.
The obvious question of fixture conmgestion also comes into play here. Unless the Premier League is to be cut by at least two (and perhaps four) teams, I see no way that these proposals could possibly work. The English fixture list is already the most packed in European football, and time and again we've seen our best players burnt out by the time a summer tournament comes round. Surely this format would only increase the problem?
Finally, problems have been cited regarding the possible financial pressure it might put on the game at a time when just the opposite is required. With the carrot of Champions League football dangling ever closer for an increasign number of clubs, would the playoff format force more clubs to spend beyond their means in the hope of crashing the Champions League party? Could it lead to more Portsmouth situations with clubs sensing that one hard financial push could propel them into the big time forever?
The Premier League is trying to inject a greater element of competition into the Premier League, and a commend them for this approach. However, any restructuring of the league may have to be more comprehensive and perhaps more radical to address the fundamental problems facing the English game right now. I hope they think long and hard before pushing these proposals any further.
To read a Guardian article on the potential pitfalls of the proposals, click here.
UEFA has given their backing to the proposal, which initially received strong support from all but the "big four" Champions League stalwart clubs of the Premier League. Of course a change of format such as this could blow the race for the Champions League wide open and it makes sense that clubs such as Tottenham, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton would be keen to see the proposals pushed through.
However, there are also risks attached, and some have argued that the idea has not been properly thought through. For too long now, fourth place in the Premier League has been talked about almost more than winning the title, with a series of clubs pushing hard to finish in this illustrious spot. A playoff for this position would only increase the clamour surrounding the last Champions League and hype would go into overdrive. If you're going to make such a big thing about finishing fourth, why not extend the playoff to third place as well and run a mini-league, with the top two qualifying for the Champions League? Third is after all, just as arbitrary a position as fourth to reward with such high prestige and acclaim.
The obvious question of fixture conmgestion also comes into play here. Unless the Premier League is to be cut by at least two (and perhaps four) teams, I see no way that these proposals could possibly work. The English fixture list is already the most packed in European football, and time and again we've seen our best players burnt out by the time a summer tournament comes round. Surely this format would only increase the problem?
Finally, problems have been cited regarding the possible financial pressure it might put on the game at a time when just the opposite is required. With the carrot of Champions League football dangling ever closer for an increasign number of clubs, would the playoff format force more clubs to spend beyond their means in the hope of crashing the Champions League party? Could it lead to more Portsmouth situations with clubs sensing that one hard financial push could propel them into the big time forever?
The Premier League is trying to inject a greater element of competition into the Premier League, and a commend them for this approach. However, any restructuring of the league may have to be more comprehensive and perhaps more radical to address the fundamental problems facing the English game right now. I hope they think long and hard before pushing these proposals any further.
To read a Guardian article on the potential pitfalls of the proposals, click here.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
How do you define "good" football?
Gabriele Marcotti writes a very thought-provoking piece in his blog for The Times about the argument between Wenger and O'Niell over whether Aston Villa play "good football", and the wider debate in the game of football:
Click here to read the article.
The question of what makes good football is almost as old as the game itself. Ever since some semblance of tactics emerged in the game there have been opposing camps as to how the game "should be played" and many have tried to quantify the best way to play the game.
So how do we define "good" football? If you have any ideas, leave a comment below!
Click here to read the article.
The question of what makes good football is almost as old as the game itself. Ever since some semblance of tactics emerged in the game there have been opposing camps as to how the game "should be played" and many have tried to quantify the best way to play the game.
So how do we define "good" football? If you have any ideas, leave a comment below!
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