Are the Alarm Bells of football ringing?

[old sage]

Well the events of the last few days involving Payet and now Costa should be making the big boys in the Premier quake to their toes because the greedy bloated over inflated egos of our beautiful game are now well and truly 'running the madhouse' which the Premiership's misguided chairmen have largely created.

 

Now perhaps they are beginning to realise the anguish that we fans and owners of clubs lower down the football pyramid have suffered for over two decades. These Chairman who made it very simple to steal our brightest stars for often a pittance or under the guised excuse of the Bosman ruling. Boy didn't that minnow cause some trouble for the game. OK he did have a genuine point but now the unfairness has tilted big time in favour of the greediest players.

 

I have said for a long time that football is dying. The trouble was the Chelski's and Manure's of the Premier weren't in the least bit bothered. Perhaps now they will wake up and smell both the coffee and the long term folly of their decisions.

 

If reports are correct and the Chinese are prepared to pay Costa £30,00000 million a year the world has gone absolutely mad. I would ask if that money was used far more wisely by using it to feed the needy for example there would soon be no more starving to death and I ask just how much of it does the player really need to live for the rest of his life? Honestly if I were offered that sort of cash I would be wracked with guilt. Now I fully understand the quotation in the Bible saying that 'It is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter into heaven'. If that is true then Costa would be wise to take his shovel with him when he 'pops his diamond encrusted clogs' if he accepts this latest obscene offer.

 

What can be done? Well for starters the whole system in the world of football needs to be totally revamped and make the game beneficial at all levels. The money from Sky etc would be fantastic if it was used wisely and spread fairly from the top to the bottom of the UK's football pyramid.

 

Of course it won't happen but I ask you what is the point of a contract when the likes of Payet who recently signed a 5 year deal and in September accepted a million pound loyalty bonus!! (What a joke that has proved to be hasn't it?)

 

The FA, and FIFA should outlaw any player who breaks his contract and ban both him and his agent if it is proved that he encouraged the player to break his contract. The ban should stop the player from earning a living within football until after the contract period has expired.

 

Of course it won't happen but I feel better for getting it off my chest. Yes we certainly have come a long,long way since the days of Roy Sproson but not for the better in my opinion.

[valiant steve]

Good post. Sums up the problems in football well.

If football fans everywhere boycotted all Sky services and products then Sky would go bust and most of the big clubs getting ridiculous amounts of money from Sky would also fold. This is never going to happen due to all the armchair Man U, Chelsea, etc armchair "fans" sitting on their Arsenals happily paying their subscriptions. It happened with ITV DIGITAL as we all know. The greedy powers in the game don't understand how a food chain works and clearly don't realise that if you damage the bottom it's the top that ultimately suffers. Our embarrassing top flight is garbage. Lots of grossly overpaid players who don't care about the supporters and happily take the dosh until their next pay rise presents itself. Soulless. Most clubs only thought is premier survival with no interest in winning a trophy like the FA or League Cup.

[Class personified]

At some point the Premiership gravy train has to come to an end. I have mixed views on it. I am anti the greed prevalent within football at the higher echelons. I hate the fact that the gap between the haves and the have nots have grown stratospherically since Sky's involvement. Yes Leicester won the league last year but the reality is that is a major shock nowadays. The likes of Watford, Nottingham Forest and Derby County competing at the very top highly unlikely due to the financial gap. Small clubs like the Vale have been left behind without a care by the big clubs. The positive aspect of what has happened is that the quality of lower league football has improved from the days of Dave Harris and Kevin Steggles because of the influx of foreign players at the top end resulting in the good home grown players permeating down the leagues. Overall I don't care about the Premiership especially because they have done no favours for my club. It's only Port Vale for me.

[onestepatatime]

Excellently put old sage. Life has a habit of getting what you deserve, but in the case of the "minnows" such as Vale we will probably never see the correct and proper share of Football money down the line.

 

We plod on and I am honestly proud to admit that my life to a great extent revolves around little old Vale and I have no time at all for the Premiership and World greedy buggers who have ruined the beautiful game.

[For Us All]

£30m a year tax free is enough to turn anybody's head and once a few more top stars decide to go for a Chinese the PL will start to panic.

[Valiant in Brum]

Well the events of the last few days involving Payet and now Costa should be making the big boys in the Premier quake to their toes because the greedy bloated over inflated egos of our beautiful game are now well and truly 'running the madhouse' which the Premiership's misguided chairmen have largely created.

 

Now perhaps they are beginning to realise the anguish that we fans and owners of clubs lower down the football pyramid have suffered for over two decades. These Chairman who made it very simple to steal our brightest stars for often a pittance or under the guised excuse of the Bosman ruling. Boy didn't that minnow cause some trouble for the game. OK he did have a genuine point but now the unfairness has tilted big time in favour of the greediest players.

 

I have said for a long time that football is dying. The trouble was the Chelski's and Manure's of the Premier weren't in the least bit bothered. Perhaps now they will wake up and smell both the coffee and the long term folly of their decisions.

 

If reports are correct and the Chinese are prepared to pay Costa £30,00000 million a year the world has gone absolutely mad. I would ask if that money was used far more wisely by using it to feed the needy for example there would soon be no more starving to death and I ask just how much of it does the player really need to live for the rest of his life? Honestly if I were offered that sort of cash I would be wracked with guilt. Now I fully understand the quotation in the Bible saying that 'It is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter into heaven'. If that is true then Costa would be wise to take his shovel with him when he 'pops his diamond encrusted clogs' if he accepts this latest obscene offer.

 

What can be done? Well for starters the whole system in the world of football needs to be totally revamped and make the game beneficial at all levels. The money from Sky etc would be fantastic if it was used wisely and spread fairly from the top to the bottom of the UK's football pyramid.

 

Of course it won't happen but I ask you what is the point of a contract when the likes of Payet who recently signed a 5 year deal and in September accepted a million pound loyalty bonus!! (What a joke that has proved to be hasn't it?)

 

The FA, and FIFA should outlaw any player who breaks his contract and ban both him and his agent if it is proved that he encouraged the player to break his contract. The ban should stop the player from earning a living within football until after the contract period has expired.

 

Of course it won't happen but I feel better for getting it off my chest. Yes we certainly have come a long,long way since the days of Roy Sproson but not for the better in my opinion.

 

This is why I find myself losing interest in football. I love Port Vale and dream of seeing them on a level playing fielf with Stoke again, but you only have to look how things are. Greed is running the game. This is not a dig at Stoke however they are proof that money talks.

 

When I was growing up Vale and Stoke were matched sometimes Vale the better side. Yes historically Stoke were bigger. However, we went on to go into admin, Stoke eventually got brought out by Coates and Bet 365. They are light years ahead of us, we had a second admin and really just accepting were are currently an average League One team at best.

 

The greed of footballers has created this gulf where it can only be competitive if some billionaire comes in and throws his money at the club.

[geosname]

I think the bell of HMS Lutine has already tolled...

[Rampant Zebra]

I am going to see Stafford Rangers play Rushall instead. Friendly atmosphere, end to end football and a fraction of the price of top flight games. Sorted.

[onestepatatime]

I am going to see Stafford Rangers play Rushall instead. Friendly atmosphere, end to end football and a fraction of the price of top flight games. Sorted.

 

 

Pitch inspection mate at 11:00am. My mater, a massive Rangers fan says that Rushall's pitch is a disgrace to start with, let alone if it's subject to frost etc so you may have a wasted day. Good luck though, nice to see Stafford starting to put together good ways after a few really awful years.

[Loggerheads Sage]

Great post Old Sage, and a lot of sense spoken, i will laugh my t##s off if it does go pear shaped at the top! I rarely watch footy on the TV these days, never had Sky, got BT broardband though. Somehow its not REAL football, more acting.

[Rampant Zebra]

Pitch inspection mate at 11:00am. My mater, a massive Rangers fan says that Rushall's pitch is a disgrace to start with, let alone if it's subject to frost etc so you may have a wasted day. Good luck though, nice to see Stafford starting to put together good ways after a few really awful years.

 

I am going on the coach so I will know soon enough to do something else if it is off!

[blackdog]

Well the events of the last few days involving Payet and now Costa should be making the big boys in the Premier quake to their toes because the greedy bloated over inflated egos of our beautiful game are now well and truly 'running the madhouse' which the Premiership's misguided chairmen have largely created.

 

Now perhaps they are beginning to realise the anguish that we fans and owners of clubs lower down the football pyramid have suffered for over two decades. These Chairman who made it very simple to steal our brightest stars for often a pittance or under the guised excuse of the Bosman ruling. Boy didn't that minnow cause some trouble for the game. OK he did have a genuine point but now the unfairness has tilted big time in favour of the greediest players.

 

I have said for a long time that football is dying. The trouble was the Chelski's and Manure's of the Premier weren't in the least bit bothered. Perhaps now they will wake up and smell both the coffee and the long term folly of their decisions.

 

If reports are correct and the Chinese are prepared to pay Costa £30,00000 million a year the world has gone absolutely mad. I would ask if that money was used far more wisely by using it to feed the needy for example there would soon be no more starving to death and I ask just how much of it does the player really need to live for the rest of his life? Honestly if I were offered that sort of cash I would be wracked with guilt. Now I fully understand the quotation in the Bible saying that 'It is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter into heaven'. If that is true then Costa would be wise to take his shovel with him when he 'pops his diamond encrusted clogs' if he accepts this latest obscene offer.

 

What can be done? Well for starters the whole system in the world of football needs to be totally revamped and make the game beneficial at all levels. The money from Sky etc would be fantastic if it was used wisely and spread fairly from the top to the bottom of the UK's football pyramid.

 

Of course it won't happen but I ask you what is the point of a contract when the likes of Payet who recently signed a 5 year deal and in September accepted a million pound loyalty bonus!! (What a joke that has proved to be hasn't it?)

 

The FA, and FIFA should outlaw any player who breaks his contract and ban both him and his agent if it is proved that he encouraged the player to break his contract. The ban should stop the player from earning a living within football until after the contract period has expired.

 

Of course it won't happen but I feel better for getting it off my chest. Yes we certainly have come a long,long way since the days of Roy Sproson but not for the better in my opinion.

 

Excellent post sums up the situation very well, Jamie Redknapp has just said something has got to be done its not right.........Well me old fruit The premier league has raped football for long enough, what goes round comes round suck it up.

[Essex Vale]

Like others I agree with the content and tone of the original post. I do not think that football is dying though, I think at the top levels people have fallen out of love with the game. I watch a lot of non league football when I cannot get to a Vale game. Generally the non league scene is doing well, gates are increasing, sponsorship seems to be relatively buoyant, admission prices are realistic, the entertainment is pretty good and the catering is often far superior to that at league grounds.

 

I am largely ambivalent towards the Premier League. I think Alan Sugar's famous comment from many years ago about "Carlos kick a ball" was a wonderfully accurate description and prediction.

 

The ascendancy of the Premier League has coincided with the further decline of the English national team.

 

What is the answer..........well enforcing the financial fair play rules would be one way, and there is no point fining a club that exceeds them, deduct points instead. When we leave the EU we will be able to impose a cap on the number of foreign players, there will be huge opposition to this but the Government could do it, let's start some kind of conversation now shall we. If not an outright restriction on numbers then at least raise the criteria significantly to earn a work permit. We also need to allow the Chinese to do what they are doing, this will force the Premier league clubs to look at a different model.

 

There is no point expecting mercenary footballers to show loyalty to a club, those days have gone so if China is their calling let them go.

[bookworm]

I have always considered foreign ownership of English clubs as money laundering at it's worst.

[Robbie Earle's Perm]

To be honest I'm quite enjoying the Chinese giving the PL a bit of their own medicine. Listening to all these so called experts like that plank Danny Mills asking why would players leave for the money when ours is the 'best league in the world'. They really do believe the muck they peddle. I bet somewhere there are Italian versions of him 25 years ago saying the same thing about the EPL.