Liverpool’s title march bad for football? Well…

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In defence of super clubs
I have just finished reading Miguel Delaney’s thought-provoking piece about Liverpool and the rise of super clubs in the Independent that Mediawatch recommended. To those who haven’t read it, the author argues that the dominance of the European super clubs provides concern for the future of the game. He complains that the financial firepower of Juventus, PSG, Man City, etc. allows them to win their league nearly every year and dominate the last 16 of the Champions League. In addition, it is leading to the death of clubs like Bury. Miguel seems to look back fondly upon football of the 70’s and 80’s as some glorious past where club wealth was less important and the game still belonged to the “people”. This argument is not unique to the Independent, I have heard the hosts of The Guardian’s Football Weekly make similar arguments over the last few weeks.

Personally I think that they are all dead wrong. Football has never been better. Player skill levels are unprecedented. Now when I turn on the TV, I get to watch Trent Alexander-Arnold ping five inch-perfect cross-field passes to Robertson instead of Robbie Savage maul another innocent victim down. When I go to a game, I’m no longer worried about getting beaten up by some 80’s football hooligan. If I can’t make a game, I can turn on the TV where I can watch tons of Premier League games and have the option to watch any number of fascinating domestic European games.

Yes, this year’s Premier League is turning into a bit of procession for Liverpool, but that would happen every now and then regardless of the financial power of the super clubs. You can’t have a competitive title race each year without introducing play-offs, which I don’t think anybody would find appealing.

Should we worry about the domestic hegemony of Bayern, PSG and Juventus? Yes, but if it results in the creation of a European Super League I would be quite excited. The quality of football that we are currently seeing in the knock-out stages of the Champions League is the highest level of football every played. The entertainment is fantastic. I would much rather watch Liverpool or Chelsea play against Juventus, Dortmund, PSG and Real Madrid each week than Hull or Derby.

Football has never been better. Of course, there are some issues (sports washing by Russian and Middle Eastern crime families needs to be stopped), but I’ll take the entertainment of Liverpool vs Barcelona any day of the week. And if you don’t like Super Clubs, you are welcome to join me down on the terraces of Basingstoke Town FC.
Oliver, London

…I just love reading Mediawatch. Love the way it pulls apart the drivel that is often served up as fodder for the masses. It also makes me wonder how these people keep their jobs – no, get those jobs in the first place. Truly. Wouldn’t we all love to make our living simply watching sport and commenting on it.

I usually check out the articles highlighted at the bottom (when not behind a paywall) as they are often better than most. Except I have to call out the Miguel Delaney article on Liverpool. Well, rant on the ‘globalist’ super-clubs.

Liverpool are not an example of a super-rich, super-club and an exemplar of all that is wrong with the game but an example of exactly what a club can do if well run. Bury didn’t go out of business because of Liverpool. Most of the clubs that are likely to go bust are going bust simply because they are woefully run.

Liverpool may have a large wage bill now, but that wasn’t the case when the FSG first took over and it has crept up as reward for the players who have done well at the club and in the hope of keeping predatory clubs away from them. So it is disingenuous to imply they are doing well because of these wages.

So things like, hiring the right manager who will build from the ground up, create a structure and culture and playing style. Using data to find value when buying – then once success is starting to come, protecting the top players by re-signing to better contracts. Using the funds from winning to buy the one or two pieces needed to take the next step. Extending a ground rather than spending huge sums to build brand new stadiums that would absorb too much of the budget. No. None of these things were identified by Miguel. Just that Liverpool have been a historical, globalist super-club and is the equivalent of the footballing anti-christ.

In any case, this article should have been pulled apart by Mediawatch for ALL the things it blatantly got wrong and not highlighted as one to read!
Paul McDevitt

VAR debate should remain sensible
I am an active proponent of VAR, mainly because I used to get really annoyed at my team losing a game through a bad decision. In fact, nothing enraged me more, and it would hang over me like a dark cloud all weekend. I would daydream about the end of the season and the points dropped costing us the title. My thoughts towards the referee of assistant who made the error were unpleasant in the extreme. It was over-the-top, letting a game of football ruin my entire weekend, as my girlfriend pointed out to me regularly, but nevertheless that’s how it played out.

So, the introduction of VAR is I hope a step toward a reduction in those kind of mistakes. Yes, there are some pretty significant downsides, greatest of those the subdued celebrations while fans and players wait for their goal to be ratified, as well as watching Firmino have a goal ruled out for a stray armpit (although I accept the definition of the rule and thus accept he is offside), and no it hasn’t eradicated mistakes, as some decisions will still be open to interpretation, as well as the fact that 95% of the game is still exclusively adjudicated by the referee/linesman, but ultimately I’ll take a step forward in fairness over a shuffle backward in spectacle. And let’s not forget it’s early days, hopefully the system and procedure will improve with time.

I can completely understand those people who don’t like VAR, although I do get frustrated with people complaining about VAR for the decisions it gets right, as that’s patently illogical, but as said, there are plenty of justifiable grievances that might simply outweigh the benefits for some people.

That said, Toby Sprigings’ piece is part of a growing trend on F365 whereby factual, sensible, and possibly a touch dry, assessment of the state of play is cast aside for the whimsy and literary license of ethereal or pseudo-scientific assertions without merit of credibility. It took Toby 11 paragraphs of his 13 paragraph piece before he mentioned VAR. The previous 10 paragraphs were a wandering narrative of human endeavour around inventing football, some nonsense about parents deciding infant mortality is sad so obviously choosing to invent the vaccination, and some very vague talk of the game ‘softening’. I could point out that rugby has had video assistance, increased professionalism and significant increases in money for a number of years and its ferocity and aggression has certainly not subsided, but that would be giving credence to a waspish idea plucked from thin air with some semblance of credibility.

I also have issue with conflating a general reduction in violence and increased professionalism (more synthetic was the term used which has connotations of artificiality) with the adoption of VAR. This is not going to help a sensible discussion around the merits and drawbacks of this new technology. Instead, it paints VAR as part of a political/societal movement towards pacifying the game. It makes it a PFM argument. Are you a liberal loving, metrosexual, VAR proponent or a hard man, old school, use-your-bloody-eyes kind of bloke?

I understand F365 enjoys its place as a ‘thinking persons’ platform for football discussion. It also takes on societal issues and their impact on the beautiful game, which is right and proper, however, VAR is a big issue at the moment, and it is in its infancy. I would argue what we need right now is some pragmatic, factual reporting of exactly what we wanted VAR for, how effective it is at doing the job, what the reasonable downsides are and what remedies or decisions should we be discussing going forward. This is actually what I like about F365, its sensible and intelligent approach to the game. A romanticised, rose-tinted view of the pre-VAR days can be saved for when, or if, the technology survives long enough for it to become fully accepted. Then do a fluff piece about how much more fun it was when Gary Neville could scythe down Matthew Etherington and not receive a second yellow, which I am still not bitter about at all…
Ed Ern

Still not paying for football…
I wrote to you back in August (which you published, thanks).

I’m just checking back in to affirm my sports package remains cancelled, I’m not heading to the pub to watch games anymore and I’m signed up to play ball with my local 11-a-side.

VAR made the beautiful game turn from a positive to a net negative (without the joy of being able to celebrate a goal anymore). I still watch highlights and read your site and with each passing game week, I feel further vindicated.
CJ, Dublin (getting time back, 90 mins at a time)

Jerking knees is dangerous
One game. Arsenal were due a good game, and everybody was looking to impress the manager. United were due a bad game based on recent trends. Clearly, the media circus have decided that every data point must be seen as an immutable trend. Come on F365, you’re better than that!

And to Phejoc (Dublin) – I can only assume you support a club that wants to win and will pay for it. Good luck with that. You feel like my numbers are wrong? Gosh, that is such a compelling argument I barely know how to respond! Have you heard of Google? But most of all I see your sadness and raise you. I’m distressed, bottom of the pit sobbing that you were saddened by another club’s fan’s attempt to see the bright side in an average season. You must be a ray of sunshine to be around!

Happy 2020, if you can manage it!
Ved (this too, shall pass) Sen

Is Ake any good?
Is it just me or does anyone else think Nathan Ake is overrated. I just don’t think he is a good defender. I see he is being linked with Arsenal, which would make sense, as that is just what Arsenal need, another centre-half who can’t defend.
Ken, Cork, Ireland

Has Trump nixed the Qatar World Cup?
Did Donald Trump just put an end to the World Cup being held in Qatar?

Can’t see many football fans looking forward to heading there now, especially U-S-A fans!
Eoin (Two wrongs make a right?!!) Ireland (Neutral)