Overseas Games Back On?
Years after the "39th" game idea was rejected the issue of having a game or two abroad has come up again.
Of course its all about the money and little thought for the fans here but surely this will happen at some point?
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/oct/07/premier-league-38th-game-overseas-fixtures
Of course its all about the money and little thought for the fans here but surely this will happen at some point?
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/oct/07/premier-league-38th-game-overseas-fixtures
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Comments
That must be how NFL fans feel, just replace "Japan" with "London" or "England"!
It just all about the money, with no thought about anything else.
I could see the odd game being played abroad, but if it's for the Premier League's benefit, then I'd expect it to feature United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea.
The added danger with the NFL is that they're also using it as fuel to the fire of taking most likely Jacksonville and making them a London franchise. That doesn't sound like something that could happen here, but with the 39th game bullshit I wouldn't put it past the suits to consider it.
I think you're underestimating how big the PL is all over the world. Even a game like Hull v Swansea would attract good crowds if they are played somewhere in far east Asia for example.
Obviously this is still a terrible idea though. If they want more games overseas then they can just play an extra cup tournament for example and play that where they want. That's pretty much already being done in pre-season, as long as they leave the existing competions alone...
Yes, perhaps you're right about the pull of the Premier League.
I'd also hate to see this happening, but if you have Premier League club chairmen announcing that it's 'inevitable', then it's hard to see how it can be stopped, bar a mass boycott of games played in this country.
To be fair i'm not sure there is a PL equivalent of Jacksonville. None of them are that bad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6JAJVAGC9M
Oh dear.
QPR come to mind, maybe they could move to Florida
No, they're not nearly bad enough. Jacksonville are like the Keystone Cops.
It's a shit idea, hopefully it never sees the light of day.
It's absolute nonsense and utter contempt for the supporters.
Football - pissing on it's roots since 1992.
I don't think those in charge of the league or the clubs really get this at all.
If they do, they all close ranks like in cabinet government and few if any would speak out individually against it.
I find it so irritating when, as we've had today', they all start saying, 'it's inevitable' as if they have no say in the matter.
Wonder if the powers that be in Germany with their more domestic fan oriented and social policy driven agenda do this? Buyern v Padeborn in Kuala Lumpa?
Thing is that although bit by bit, the top level is shifting away from its' roots, the business model which drives the game now will not be able to resist catering to the overseas fan in priority over the domestic fan as in the case of the top 6-8 clubs, they probably have more fans in places like China and the US than they do at home either around their location of across the UK.
Unlike the Bundesliga which has an over-riding policy based on being part of community social integration and socialisation of its' younger fans as an integral part of it's modus operandi, our clubs and Scudamore will just take the money and book the flights.
Increasingly, I can't stomach the Premier League and everything that goes with it, especially all the media hype, 'Best League in the World' claims and those that talk about how competitive it is, when we can pretty much tell what the league table will be at the end of the season even before it starts at the beginning.
I now look forward to the Bundesliga highlights how on ITV4 every Monday and follow lower division football ( I go past Oldham's ground every day) non league (the club I used to play for, Burgess Hill Town are top of Ryman 1 South).
She may mix up her English but I'd rather listen to Isabella Reinhardt-Muller than Gary Lineker any day of the week, although he's become more bearable since he started to cut out all his excrutiating little jokes and asides.
See you in Jakarta Gary!
Football is a business nowadays and the clubs are only in it for the money. A few disgruntled fans is hardly going to get this ridiculous idea kicked into the long grass.
You can bet Barcelona and Real Madrid would be looking at doing a competitive match in the USA and as they already have their own TV deals it would give them even more cash.
The EPL should also look at playing a game in China
So long as they now disregard it for the daft idea that it is, then no harm done.
If they absolutely have to persist with an overseas league match, then the 39th match was actually a better idea than it being one of the 38 games, as at least you play everyone home and away, but neither are worth pursuing.
Furthermore, whoever a team got selected to play in this game would see some teams have an advantage over others. If a relegation threatened team end up not having to visit Stamford Bridge, but play Chelsea in a neutral venue then it's probably not going to change much, they'll likely get beat anyway. If on the same weekend another relegation threatened team has their home game against a mid-table club moved and is denied the chance to play them on their own patch at all that season where they might fancy themselves to get a win I don't see how that's fair at all.
There's Sky Sports' new tagline!