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'Just Let The Clubs Go Bust'
The whole financial debate over football seems a bit misguided to me. Platini is arguing that borrowing money gives an unfair competitive advantage to clubs. That's not really true - it gives them a short-term advantage, but at the cost of substantial risk of bankruptcy in subsequent years. That's a valid strategy - there's nothing inherently wrong with risk, as long as you know what risks you're taking and those risks don't spill over beyond that company (just one reason why banks are inherently different to football clubs).
If all the English clubs survive and prosper through the next few years, then it will be shown to have been a very successful strategy. One that the other European countries can just copy - nothing is stopping them taking on more debt. If they fail, then the risks involved in that strategy will be very clear. It's not the place of UEFA to make that decision for the clubs - they just need to accept that some clubs may end up bankrupt (and certainly the most debt-ridden clubs will now find themselves needing to cut costs and spend less).
Fans deserve no protection here, either - all fan pressure has been for the board to spend more on players rather than less, so they are getting what they deserve.
Tim Colyer, London, Chelsea fan
Bothered
This thing about salary caps is really bothering me. First of all most fans want it because it seems they all have some weird grudge against footballers earning the money they do. If you want that money become a footballer. Why begrudge them for making this much money. Everytime a player moves clubs or the national team plays badly, we 'fans' constantly lament them for being 'overpaid, pampered, prima-donas' etc etc. It also seems this is John Nics favourite pastime. When JT pisses that penalty and he cried, it wasn't that he was hurt or that he was a pansy, it was because he was an 'overpaid, pampered, prima-dona who had to get his own way.
Now, I know that the debate about salary caps are about clubs overstretching themselves and all that. Firstly, how do you impose a salary cap, surely u cant ban a club from paying a player what they want in one form or another? It may not be straight to the account but accountants can work magic in this respect. Secondly, why are we so caught up on clubs running up debts? If they go bust and fail, so fucking what? If you run your business that way, you reap what you sow. Football has made the shed loads of money precisely because football has been run like a business. If Man U/Liverpool go bust, whats the problem? I really don't understand. I know it wont only be them but so what. They end up having to sell their players and we und up with new clubs in the top 4. Maybe even spurs!
I also think its hypocritical of FIFA/UEFA to citicise clubs for being un this way and they should not have let it happen in the first place. Someone on yesterdays mailbox quoted some figures for various sponsorship deals with FIFA. They should take a good hard look at themselves before they start talking the shit that they do.
Ahmer (nah, spurs still wouldn't make top 4) Tirmizi
Change The Record
Why on Earth are we still reading about the "ongoing discussions" over the 39th game? Fans don't want it, players don't want it, clubs don't want it but the premier league fat cats want to pull in more money to stuff in their pockets so the ridiculous plan is still in the pipeline!
If people in Asia are so desperate to watch our football live then they can f*cking well get on a plane and fly over here. Or they can wait until one of our clubs goes on a preseason tour. I mean, if I wanted to watch sumo wrestling I wouldn't ask that the porkers come to Manchester.
I'd just hop on a train and go up to Newcastle.
Jelly
Cornflakes
I coughed my cornflakes out this morning at the headline.
"Last chance for Stevie Me and Fat Frank to prove they can play together".
This is against Kazakhstan, a team who Russia destroyed pre the European championships in a warm-up game 6-0. A team who has won only 1 of their last 9 games, be it qualifiers or friendlies.
I imagine even Stephen Hawking and Jo Brand could do a job in the middle of the park against the Kazakhs. Jo could do the holding roll and Stephen orchestrate the tactics.
Karl "Yeskemesh", Dublin
Hatin' Ain't Easy
Hating Michel Platini seems to be an easy thing to do. However, if we go by is most recent comments, and those alone, it would seem to me there is a bit of sense coming through.
Let's look at the issue of the "39th" game:
We have a man in Richard Scudamore who is proposing a "39th" game in the face of fan opposition. Yet I would think that this would be all the more likely as foreign ownership increases, as these owners would want "their" clubs playing in front of the likes of Russians, Americans, and Arabs. Would not Liverpool players, at least the Spanish contingent, enjoy playing in Spain? And what about Arsenal...wouldn't their players love a match in France? And then we have the managers...
If Man United can play a match during the season in Saudi Arabia, why would they object to a "39th" game that could possibly bring in greater revenue and increase their fanbase? Because Alex Ferguson says it's a bad idea?
In reality, the game in England no longer reflects local ties of a community and anyone who argues otherwise would have a tough case to sell! These comments of Platini's show that he is concerned about the smaller clubs of Europe, and that list includes Wigan, Stoke, Everton and the like.
In the end, whether it is the result of the current finiancial crisis or some other future issue, the Premiership will not be the biggest boy in the school yard anymore. And it will be a direct result of mismanagement.
Mark Bono
Racist, Not Racist...Can't We All Just Get Along?
In response to those responding to Anonymous I kind of have to take issue about the Sol Campbell chant being racist. While I personally think that this chant is very distasteful and refuse to sing it (in fact I refuse to sing any song about Sol Campbell - come fellow Spurs fans just let it go now, it's been seven years)- I don't think it's necessarily racist.
Let's deal with the homophobic side of it first. The reference to HIV is the part where it may be construed as being homophobic. I think as a stand alone chant it certainly isn't homophobic, however we all know the history and other chants directed at Campbell and in that sense it does have homophobic connotations and the person or people who invented this chant must certainly have known this.
Perhaps I'm being a bit naïve here but I don't believe for one minute that this chant is racist, like I said it is very distasteful and bang out of order but racist it isn't. It seems that the 'hanging from a tree' line is the one which this accusation has been levelled at and I think people have missed the point. GP, London actually no the first thing I thought of when I heard that line was not a black man being lynched. Sol Campbell was branded a Judas for the way he left the club to join Arsenal and that is what this part of the chant refers to in my opinion. Judas hanged from a tree in the biblical story and even his name is mentioned in the chant. People have certainly misconstrued this and have referenced that part of the chant with the disgusting practices of the KKK but I'm really unsure that this is what is being referred to.
I also have to take issue with all these rival fans having a go at ALL Spurs fans. Unless your fellow supporters of whichever club you follow have never sung a song that's distasteful such as the Munich song to Man Utd fans, terrorism songs directed at Mido, homophobic songs towards Ashley Cole or making gas tap noises to Spurs fans then please concentrate your efforts on sorting your own clubs problems painting us Spurs fans all with the same brush.
Johnny G, London
...I'm not a Spurs fans and I don't particularly have any feelings either positive or negative towards Sol Campbell but in response to the mails from yesterday afternoon's mailbox, surely the bit "about hanging from a tree" is related to Judas rather than any skin colour...
"After Jesus died, Judas went back to the temple and told the priests he didn't want the money any more and tossed it back in the temple. Judas then went and hanged himself and died."
How many who have emailed in have heard the song and know the lyrics??? Or is it just a case of hearing that particular line and then deciding to jump on the bandwagon??? That said there is no excuse for the bit about HIV and anyone who argues otherwise is just ignorant.. Spurs fans have questioned his sexuality since before he left (as did fans of other teams while he still played for Spurs) and this is just an extension of that...
Shane (in no way religious) LFC
Quite
With regards Huw, S.Wales's email regarding the trend of clubs adopting the "Rory Delap role", the concept isn't exactly a new one. Having a player in the side who can throw the ball half the width of the pitch has been around for a while, but has it has come back in to the public/media eye after Stoke's success in the game against Everton. Stoke are a tall team and so the ability to use Delap's long throw ins adds an additional threat as they've got more chance of winning the ball in the air, but I'm sure Southampton and Derby fans will tell you he's been throwing the ball a long way for most of his career.
And going back further, I can remember Dave Challinor becoming well known for his long throws into the box when Tranmere got to the league cup final in 2000, and I'm sure Gary Neville used to have a pretty long throw on him too back in the day.
Will, "still enjoying stuffing the Wolves at Molineux", Birmingham, RFC
No Thanks Luv
So Ezequiel Lavezzi has 'snubbed' Chelsea,eh? Oblivious to the fact that he's actually crap and can only dream of playing for Chelsea.
I hereby snub Jessica Alba and Salma Hayek and inform them that I am perfectly happy living with my mom.
Nikhil N , CFC
Settle In With A Cold One Fella
Excellent news, it means that my rule of never watching an England game all the time that "Captain Fantastic/Marvel/Unbreakable" is wearing the armband doesn't apply tomorrow - woohoo!
Graham
Fish
Moz from Manchester amusingly changed Shola "Ameobi" to Shola "Amoeba" to fit in with his fish related punnery.
A couple of Questions for you
1 - since when is an "Amoeba" a fish?
2 - surely "Shoala" Ameobi would have been better?
Pricey, Preston
...Further to Moz's fish footballer puns in today's mailbox, I offer the following aquatic players:
Whale Clichy
Geoff Seahorsfield
Shark Ji-Sung
Didier Lobster
Kind regards,
Sir Nicholas Hare
