2021/22 Soccer Thread: It's Euro 2020 until it becomes 2021

bbk1980 wrote:

Can I ask fans of the clubs that have taken massive cash injections (Chelsea, Man City, Newcastle PSG et al) How you really feel about it? The success and trophies must be great but does it in anyway feel tainted? I dont judge and really understand to compete at that level these days requires someone with silly money but is there any part that yearns for times before that? In totally unrelated things Queens Park drew 1-1 in the first leg of the play off last night and it was a very tense game. Onto the away leg in Airdrie with hope to spare.

Cash injections or Red Bull style investment I don't mind at all. It sucks that you need that investment or a Leicester style miracle to compete for the league title these days, but without that it would be the already rich clubs dominating things.

Saudi Arabia buying Newcastle I'm still struggling with, as a fan of Newcastle. It feels gross, even if there's something to cheer for on the pitch for the first time since Rafa managed (and some ambition in the way the club is run for the first time since 2012).

Leaks of Newcastle's away kit seem to point to it being the same colours for next season as the Saudi national team, including the club badge. I think it looks pretty good, but it's also undeniably gross.

Although I'm a Liverpool supporter and have been for many many years, I live in Newcastle Upon Tyne and pretty much all the friends I have made here are Toon fans.

For all the jubilation they are still currently feeling, I would say to almost all of that isn't because of who's bought them - although clearly having that amount of money behind your club certainly doesn't hurt! - it's because Mike Ashley is gone. And my God, people here absolutely loathed Mike Ashley. That Eddie Howe has come in and done such a good job in keeping them up as also certainly helped as well, and right now, compared to the previous 14 years, they have a lot of reasons to be very happy indeed that don't really have a lot to do with their Owners per se.

However, when the issue of Ownership is breached almost all of them will admit some disquiet about the source of that money, but then engage in a massive game of "whataboutery" and compare themselves to the other White Elephant in the room, Manchester City.

Now considering some of the claptrap I've heard about the club since the buyout, I do actually have some sympathy with them here. Manchester City, like it or not, are the successful image of Sportswashing in the modern Sports as a business arena, especially in the UK. They have a superb squad of players, playing some exceptionally attractive football, with a very charismatic and very good manager. Yes they've spent an almighty amount of money in some very questionable ways to get there but by and large the source of that money isn't really discussed when people talk about Manchester City these days. It's all mostly about how good a squad they've got, and how much Pep keeps getting the Champions League wrong - which is about him and not the Club or it's owners. PSG barely gets mentioned unless its "Newcastle couldn't dominate in the PL like that because of City and the other clubs who get nearly as much backing". Becoming a serious challenger to the "traditional" big 6 is also seen as a good thing as well.

But it is "whataboutery". There's a lot of grumbling that if restrictions are bought in then they should target City first, given that how they get the money into the squad has probably not been all that legitimate over the years (I'm extemporizing a little there!) and Newcastle really shouldn't be targetted until they've spent as much as City. Some of that is tongue in cheek I think, but not all of it.

All they really want is a chance to compete - not win the league year in year out, just be able to compete for something other than premier league survival. To be bluntly honest, it doesn't matter where the money comes from, so long as it allows them to do that. Which wouldn't really be any different to any other club in the same situation.

Mixolyde wrote:

All billionaires' money is covered in blood, some are just more obvious.

This is just not true. I know it's currently hip to say it, but it's so obviously untrue. And the discussion about it is probably more suited for P&C.

For example, I can't stand Mark Zuckerberg, but his money isn't covered in blood. Nor Steve Wozniak's. Sure there are shady oligarchs, but there's also tons of people who created something new that has enriched millions of lives.

Fedaykin98 wrote:
Mixolyde wrote:

All billionaires' money is covered in blood, some are just more obvious.

This is just not true. I know it's currently hip to say it, but it's so obviously untrue. And the discussion about it is probably more suited for P&C.

For example, I can't stand Mark Zuckerberg, but his money isn't covered in blood. Nor Steve Wozniak's. Sure there are shady oligarchs, but there's also tons of people who created something new that has enriched millions of lives.

Zuckerberg it's easier to do the connections to the blood (Google Zuckerberg Myanmar). But ya P&C discussion to unpack there.

Yeah, we certainly can get into some of the moral squigglies of sportswashing and what happens when football clubs are being used as soft-power tools by nation-states (My take: Not great! But they're also just leveraging capitalism), but that debate I'd happily leave for D&D.

Roke wrote:

Leaks of Newcastle's away kit seem to point to it being the same colours for next season as the Saudi national team, including the club badge. I think it looks pretty good, but it's also undeniably gross.

oooooooooof

EDIT:

IMAGE(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/50df451affc861a079ddc05f32b9acba27eb016f/0_0_3024_1814/master/3024.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=806b808e9fba83bfaa44a5f50741da66)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.

This is at best, tangentially related to footy, but I have just heard about/read up on "Wagnarok" and may I simply say LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

Siri show me what happens when you have disposable millions and time with which to escalate personal arguments to one of the highest courts in the land.

Prederick wrote:

This is at best, tangentially related to footy, but I have just heard about/read up on "Wagnarok" and may I simply say LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL.

I've been wanting to read a decent summary of the trial but been too lazy to seek one out. That'll do. Thanks.

Prederick wrote:

IMAGE(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/50df451affc861a079ddc05f32b9acba27eb016f/0_0_3024_1814/master/3024.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=806b808e9fba83bfaa44a5f50741da66)

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOF.

This was the topic of conversation in the pub last night. It is not popular among the Toon fans - they aren’t stupid and it’s pretty crass.

However there is also a fair amount of speculation that this is just a ‘concept’ and possibly even fake. The manufacturer is - apparently - heavily linked to Mike Ashley and the owners want out of the contract. There is some thinking that this is a bit of a ‘f*ck you’ to them.

If that is genuine the owners have a lot to learn about successfully sport washing your image.

It's early in the final, but Liverpool are making Chelsea look like a Steve Bruce coached side.

Mo Salah injury not the story Liverpool wanted out of this cup final.

These Liverpool v Chelsea finals are murder on my finger nails

I feel like I can safely say Jurgen really would've preferred this game to have only gone 90 minutes.

Prederick wrote:

I feel like I can safely say Jurgen really would've preferred this game to have only gone 90 minutes.

Not just Jurgen!

As a neutral here I do love a penalty shootout.

LOL, I feel like Ross Barkley would've been entirely within his rights to shank that one, seeing as he's only made one more appearance for Chelsea this year than I have.

Mostly really good penalties though.

Penalty taking is one of the parts of football that has vastly improved in the last decade.

I’m too mentally exhausted to celebrate properly. Still. Job done. Thank god!

Heh, quite pleased for Tsimikas. That was a total "I don't get to play that often but hey, I just won us the Cup" celebration.

EDIT: Oh wow, Chelsea have lost THREE STRAIGHT FA Cup finals? Yeeowch.

Pretty good Cup final, that.

So, even though I broadly despise "RINGZZZ" culture and sportstalk hot-takes... if Liverpool don't win the PL or the CL, is this a successful season?

Also, hey! That completes the set for Klopp at Liverpool. He's won every piece of silverware available now.

Chelsea make history by losing 3 finals in a row, this is a great piece of history

Prederick wrote:

So, even though I broadly despise "RINGZZZ" culture and sportstalk hot-takes... if Liverpool don't win the PL or the CL, is this a successful season?

Also, hey! That completes the set for Klopp at Liverpool. He's won every piece of silverware available now.

Winning the two main domestic trophies ranks pretty high in terms of a successful season I reckon.

IMAGE(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/d2eeb408cca46bc70922f4d39e6417c80458037c/0_115_2663_1598/master/2663.jpg?width=860&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=00816e19e6b4aad470656cf6bcb665d3)

Love that this is what the moment of supreme athletic glory looks like.

Fun watch, but primarily for the beginning where I'm reminded that Derby were borderline PL team as recently as 2019. Sheeeesh.

Happy for Scott, I never bore him any ill will. That Fulham team wasn't good enough to stay up, but he had a LOT to learn as a manager too, and I'm actually glad he's gotten a second chance and taken it so well.

That said, I'm taking Marco Silva over him 100/100 right now.

For those that can access it The second leg of Queens Park's game against Airdrie will be on BBC Alba today which you can watch on Iplayer. Its well balanced at 1-1 and should be an exciting game, All support should of course go to the team in Black and White!