European Super League

[Blood on the Tracks]

Holy.

The legacy and history of this football club.

Kroenke and whoever else in the higher echelons at the club were involved in this should hang their heads in shame!

 

[Bloodbather]

ESL is the last nail in the coffin for the death of the European footballing tradition through Americanization. We call football clubs "clubs" because they were originally set up as local associations, the majority ownership model paved the way for the conversion of football clubs into franchises, at which point the only thing enabling clubs to maintain their status as clubs was their historical context. With this breakaway, that historical context is also thrown away, completing the process of transforming football clubs into football franchises. This is a slap in the face of club supporters, because it completely detaches them from their association with the club and makes them into mere consumers. This is the end result of the mindset of Chicago School-style laissez-faire capitalism, everything is a business, everything is run for profit, and profit motive always wins out against whatever other motives there may be in relation to the running of the business.

If these owners so badly want an exclusive league of franchises, they should found their own franchises and start that league, like it was the case in the United States, not turn clubs into franchises and take them out of their historical context. These clubs are as valuable as they are because of their club-status and their historical context, these factors are not irrelevant.

Also, credit to the Germans for seeing this coming all the way through and preventing the transformation by not enabling the majority ownership model to begin with. It's not surprising that German clubs aren't involved in the ESL, they are rightfully more conservative about it all. This really is related to their own vision of capitalism, the social market economy, and how they view regulation as necessary for fruitful competition in opposition to American-style capitalism, but I'll refrain from going deep into economics.

 

[dashsnow17]

 

[Highbury_2006]

who is 'we'?

I have a bit of grass from the pitch at Highbury in my wallet.
Picked from the spot where TH14 kissed the turf on that final day.
Laminated and preserved for ever by an old friend of this forum, and gifted to me.
R.I.P The Arsenal FC, 6 September, 1913 to 7 May, 2006

Kroenke, the 'Emirates', a cartoon badge?
Who are 'we'?

Arsenal fans? I assumed that was obvious.

 

[Vicki]

Clearly this cartel has been running for a while. Remember this?
Project Big Picture

This cartel has been running for a lot longer than that

Dein had plans for 'us'

David Dein, talking in 1992...

"I have a dream of a European League which I think would appeal to the players, the fans and to the England team Manager"

 

[Vicki]

Arsenal fans? I assumed that was obvious.

Well, I had a European Super League in mind.
I thought it would be a fantastic idea.
I am an Arsenal fan.

So is David Dein
He also had the same idea.

 

[Highbury_2006]

This cartel has been running for a lot longer than that

Dein had plans for 'us'

David Dein, talking in 1992...

"I have a dream of a European League which I think would appeal to the players, the fans and to the England team Manager"

He wanted to redevelope the existing Europa cup.

 

[dashsnow17]

I'm also VERY interested to see how the PR plays out with this. Yesterday near total condemnation of it, from pundits etc. How do these clubs come out and talk about it, how do the players talk about it?

 

[Highbury_2006]

Well, I had a European Super League in mind.
I thought it would be a fantastic idea.
I am an Arsenal fan.

So is David Dein
He also had the same idea.

A partially closed league with inspiration from the american sports? Yeah, im sure thats what you dreamed about.

 

[roz]

I’m Arsenal through and through pal. We have been the poster child for FFP and UEFA and we got nothing out of it. Now we’re joining Europe’s elite despite being shamefully midtable. I’m enjoying the hate that we’re getting but most of all I like the hypocrisy. Arsenal fans long complaining that we don’t behave like a big club and yet here we are being a big club.

I like this take actually.

If UEFA hadn’t been so corrupt and desperate for their chosen clubs to succeed then this might not have happened

 

[<<reed>>]

I'm also VERY interested to see how the PR plays out with this. Yesterday near total condemnation of it, from pundits etc. How do these clubs come out and talk about it, how do the players talk about it?

Did the player know about this at all?

 

[razörist]

Its just based on the American system. Closed league, expansion possible, if a franchise is not performing well (economically) it can be moved. Revenue sharing, guaranteed money each year. Maybe football has become too big for the top clubs, too much money, too much risk.

 

[BobP]

Why Freiburg?

Grassroots club which trusts its manager.

Nothing but good vibes.

 

[albakos]

The worst part is, this will probably kill the rivalry between Arsenal and Sp**s for future generations.

Both clubs will be getting beaten every week in this, plus destroyed on social media even more...that they will probably form some weird bond over it, sickening tbh!

But they will put heavy marketing on it:

- A message from our advertiser - Budweiser (45 sec long)
We have a great match of soccer to show you at Super Sunday
- A message from our sponsor - McDonalds (45 sec long)
A thrilling encounter between Arsenal and Tottenham will decide the race for 11-th spot
- A message from our sponsor - NRA (2m30s long)
Coming to you live on ESPN 1 live from the LA Rams Arena, 9 PM Eastern (PPV at 50% discount for only $49.99)

 

[Vicki]

They're not allowed to play in the domestic leagues anymore if this goes through.

Good.
Sheff. Utd, Fulham, Burnley, West Brom.

Who's going to miss games against them.
I mean really!

 

[glitchform]

If I was Arsenal or Sp**s (maybe even Liverpool) I'd be wary of this. If any club in the ESL was uncompetitive long term then it would hurt the "product" - no-one wants to see **** teams getting beaten 8-0 all the time.

Guaranteed down the track the biggest clubs will get together and put us up for relegation back to the EPL or whatever, we'll get replaced with Everton or someone in a heartbeat.

We can't be relegated. That's the point, and that's why Kroenke loves it so much. We'll just be battling in the bottom 3. Lord knows how they are going to rank this, but also how are Euefa going to rank the new CL with 36 teams and 10 games per team. Don't pretend euefa and the PL are shining of roses here.

The only way I can see this working is we play something daft like 16 games per season which ensures we can never be ranked below 15th.

 

[Blood on the Tracks]

Surely they'll end up being an Arsenal phoenix club formed from this within the English structure, like the Wimbledon one?

If so It will 100% have my full support. **** the corporate money grabbing shell this current Arsenal has become.

This Arsenal may have the money etc but it's hollow. The new phoenix club if it's formed will have Arsenal's heart as long as it's owned by the fans and for the fans.

Dial Square sounds a good name to me.

 

[Penn_]

People acting like the group stages of the current European competitions aren’t already bland and a mere formality.

 

[Vicki]

Grassroots club which trusts its manager.

Nothing but good vibes.

apart from that whole anabolics scandal, but let's sweep that under the carpet

 

[mirrorstare]

What a wake up for football fans, still processing this stuff can actually ruin the international tournaments too.