Your team v Nottingham Forest

[Steveo]

Go watch the US NFL - that's what we are going to become. Watch it - and than talk about Sporting Merit.

[jozza800]

Anyone can sign anyone. FSG can sign anyone - they CHOOSE to hide behind their model. And that model ONLY benefits THEM! Their bottom line. The benefit comes now as they buy more and more sporting franchises with our club as collateral.

The entire FFP framework is BOLLOX. It is the sole reason behind the US domination of clubs in the league. PROFIT. FFP is not about anything moral. That's the BS disguise for the minions - like foreign aid. It's bullshit.

FSG will walk when they sell LFC with far more dosh than Roman ever invested! FACT

FFP is an absolute con.

What Chelsea and City did was before FFP. FFP just keeps them where they are.

[jozza800]

Go watch the US NFL - that's what we are going to become. Watch it - and than talk about Sporting Merit.

I do watch the NFL, I watch all the US sports. It's competititve, the same teams dont dominate for decades and the lower clubs all have the opportnuity to win.

Even the MLB, which doesnt have the same salary restictions the other 3 leagues have different winners every season.

[Steveo]

Condolences. i cannot fathom what on earth you see in it.

It’s a closed shop. it’s truly awful. Sorry but that level of Americana is totally alien to what our Sport once was.

yuck

[Steveo]

And so - let’s have a completely open league. No super successful Liverpool or United dominating,

US Sports is about MARKETING

[Steveo]

The most democratised league in Europe - The one which is most heavily subsidised - the Bundesliga is the least competitive according to who won it almost exclusively for more than a decade.

But that IS sport

[jozza800]

Condolences. i cannot fathom what on earth you see in it.

It’s a closed shop. it’s truly awful. Sorry but that level of Americana is totally alien to what our Sport once was.

yuck

I'm very much a traditionlist, I would go back to the old European Cup, FA Cup semis at Villa park, 3pm KOs, affordable tickets, black boots and most imprtantly a smaller diiference between those at the top and those at the bottom, in heartbeat.

The Premier League, Sky TV, The Champion's League, Chelsea and City have stretched the league so much that it is hardly competitive, and sport at the end of the day is competion.

There lots of elements from US sports that I would hate to have introduced into our game, but competitveness is certainly not one of them.

[Steveo]

Wasn’t the old first division competitive? Felt like it to me - even when we were winning it year in year out.

[BOBPAISLEYFAN]

I just don't see the sporting merit in any of it when you can literally sign anyone you want without consequences.

I just don't see the sporting merit in any of it when you can literally sign anyone you want without consequences.

The key words here are “ Sporting Merit “ or maybe Sporting Integrity is a better descriptor.

In my honest opinion, Liverpool FC have demonstrated the correct Sporting Integrity model that should be adopted as the template for all clubs to follow.

My argument is based on the timeline of Liverpool FC FSG ownership, when FSG. purchased Liverpool back in 2010 we were about to go into administration and the future looked as bleak as it ever has for Liverpool FC.

FSG with clever Financial management, Superb planning, Excellent recruitment on and off the pitch and World class coaching Liverpool FC, have gone from teetering on the brink 14 years ago to being back on our perch at the Top of the table and having achieved great memorable successes along the way, all achieved with resources that are well within the reach financial reach all Premier League Clubs.

Unfortunately these financial resources pale into insignificance to the financial power that Chelsea have enjoyed in the past and Man City currently enjoy.

This level of financial disparity, will always adversely affect the Sporting Merit / Integrity of any league, because it is clearly not a level playing field, and so as such, it is in principal not Sporting.


I often hear people refer to the success of Man Utd, but tbf their achievement was similar to ours under FSG.

The reason Liverpool, Utd, Arsenal, Everton, Villa, Spurs are as big as they are after 120 years of history, is that all of these Clubs have had periods of success based on the same template, as I have attributed to FSG’s successful ownership.

The fact that Liverpool, Arsenal and Utd are so big Worldwide is because of great Ownership / Management over a longer sustained period than all of the rest, Utd’s success in the 90 and 00’s is because they just monetised that success, at the perfect time, better than everyone else ….

This level of success was achieved from the very same starting point of every other Football Club in England, just like any successful business.

What we have witnessed with Chelsea and recently more so with Man City has been driven by envy and their notable success has been achieved by virtually State funded finances… the like of which no other Club have ever had access too….

Friends Reunited was a fantastic concept and was leading the way, but then Facebook came along, totally improved the concept did it better and the market spoke… and the rest is history.

Nobody saw anything wrong with that, but if Facebook had been financed by the American Govt and unlimited funds were made available to achieve success, I think everyone would agree that that success would not be deemed acceptable on any level.

Rant over…

[jozza800]

Wasn’t the old first division competitive? Felt like it to me - even when we were winning it year in year out.

Yes, obsolutely. This is the point. The difference between a Derby County / Notts Forest wasn't as big as the difference between say City and Spurs. The difference between the top and bottom now, is far, FAR bigger than it was pre 'Money'.

Even when were dominating and the same when United were, we had to balance the books. We couldn't just keep fooking off full back, after full back for £50m a time...