[Football] Now the spending bubble has finally bust of sorts.

[Sunday8pm]

How do you feel your Nations football League's have come out of it?

Has the level of competition between sides become closer/better? Are you finding yourself more excited by the unpredictability of results compared to the influx of big flamboyant names that may or may not produce?

I know that now Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen don't have to be concerned anymore long term about trying to find someway to match Rangers and Celtic for spending they are certainly seeming to come more into their own as clubs again.

I know while it seems like a two horse race for the title as always for the SPL, I no longer feel that we are poorly represented league wise for strength, Hearts have impressed in Europe, Aberdeen are now under a manager who can really do things, Hibernian are possibly going to live upto the potential that a side based in Edinburgh with that sort of support could achieve... Factor in Motherwell and Kilmarnock constantly surprising with young ability and I think the SPL will be going places once again.

With each passing season it becomes more and more reasonable imo to forecast the other sides eventually competing with the Old Firm which is vital for the survival of the game up north and is the true bread and butter for the Old Firm. The love affair with the Foreign Legions seems to be over and things seem to be reaching a much more pleasent equilibrium, if slightly more uncomfortable to live with due to the uncertainty it brings, the game is becomming much more about who you have in charge once again.

We'll see for sure imo more managers from Scotland being exported to England and leading the line with regards to success in the EPL again, Craig Levein is the start of a good crop I think that's developing their game up north and finding that grit and determination you need to be helluva successful for someone who's ambitious, I think MON will leave Scotland a much better Manager than he arrived, Jimmy Calderwood looks like a diamond in the rough who's severely underrated and we have the young and high potential bosses in Tony Mowbray and John Robertson fighting for results week in week out.

I'm more impressed with the scottish game this season than I have been for years, it's no longer as easy as seeing what the teams look like written on paper and deciding from that, the game has become much more fluid up north and the credit lies with the searching out for good management and coaches.



On a another note I'm pleased with how much closer the EPL and the Championship is down south, Arsenal's Miracle Run was a blip that coincided with so many clubs feeling so financially insecure and spending the 12 months or so putting their houses in order, now so many of those clubs have their books in order they've been able to concentrate 100% on the effort on the field and the result is much better much more competitive football (though when I say better I don't mean genuine quality, just less of the one sided drabness), I'm left in admiration for what Moyes and Allardyce have done with their time in charge, being allowed to shape the squad, I'm pleased to see that the Bottom three are not last seasons chamionships top three, it's Gratifying to know that capped players or those who are overhyped respectively by their agents does not genuinely mean you will get results by just playing them in your team (sup SAF and Steve Bruce), I'm heartened by the quality of character in the Championship, from Blackwells determination to make a hardworking team out of Leeds, Holloway's comedy interviews which he pulls off purely because he backs his words up with more wins than losses and is a welcome replacement for the vacuum that Strachan left, McCarthy's charm while he lives up to massive North East expectations while they don't even have a pot to piss in compared to their rivals, Low-key Paul Jewell just bringing out some classic attacking football in Wigan that doesn't Self-Destruct like KK's.

Just when I felt my affinity to football was waning due to media and merchandising and Sepp Blatter interference, my love with keeping obsessive track on club football is alive again.

There just had to outpour that somewhere guys, ignore if you want or feel welcome to contribute.

[lokken]

Being the last really good team that came out of the 'football league' I'd say the football's prob got worse (our first division team would prob beat most teams in that league with ease), but clubs are probably run a lot better now than they were.

The Premier League is a joke though. Overpriced, shit fans with 60% of the clubs are overrated (us included). If you go to an average club, say Villa, they're designed to be a money making machine yet are the most soulless club i've ever been to. I fear for the day the money really gets to Fratton, as then football really will be over. The biased coverage towards the top teams is sickening - if you beat them it's because they were crap, not because you played well and worked hard for it most of the time.

[Sunday8pm]

Originally Posted by lokken

Being the last really good team that came out of the 'football league' I'd say the football's prob got worse (our first division team would prob beat most teams in that league with ease), but clubs are probably run a lot better now than they were.

The Premier League is a joke though. Overpriced, shit fans with 60% of the clubs are overrated (us included). If you go to an average club, say Villa, they're designed to be a money making machine yet are the most soulless club i've ever been to. I fear for the day the money really gets to Fratton, as then football really will be over. The biased coverage towards the top teams is sickening - if you beat them it's because they were crap, not because you played well and worked hard for it most of the time.

That's rather cynical though I'd be inclined to say I'm the kinda guy that enjoyed Dream Team etc... perhaps like Music, football has moved on, not everyone likes it's new style, but I'm taken by it now especially now it's had a few seasons to find it's groove.

[Stew]

Good post

Although you missed the bit about Burley turning round the Mighty Rams

[Sunday8pm]

Originally Posted by Stew

Good post

Although you missed the bit about Burley turning round the Mighty Rams

A good sign of too many directions to look in to see points of interest, the game has stopped being so one-dimensional as it was in my opinion when the premiership was birthed and the corporation took over and managers were just puppets.

[lokken]

Originally Posted by Sunday8pm

That's rather cynical though I'd be inclined to say I'm the kinda guy that enjoyed Dream Team etc... perhaps like Music, football has moved on, not everyone likes it's new style, but I'm taken by it now especially now it's had a few seasons to find it's groove.

The main thing that irritates me is all this hype and money for football, which actually most of the time, isn't that great.

Leicester still charge £26 full whack for quite a few games and they're in the fizzy league.

That's fking daylight robbery.

Admittedly, i refuse to go to their ground for personal reasons, but still, I know a shit ticket price when i see one.

A worse one is for example Brum C away (£35) or indeed Palace away on boxing day (£35) and of course the perenially quote Chelsea away (£42)

[pig]

As an Aston Villa fan and proud my views here will be slightly biased.

In my opinion the spending bubble has finnaly burst it has meant the premier league is a lot more unpredictable, arsenal 1-1 at wba, chelsea 2-2 at bolton, pompey beatin utd a couple of weeks ago, the honest truth is, whenever I watch the villa, or any other team for that matter, i genuinely have no idea what the final score is, obviosly i have some idea but hard to tell. With Villa I now more than ever believe we can win most games, I genuinely think we can make the Champions League and win the European Cup AGAIN (1982) and I feel the standard in the game is better, its an exciting league to watch and I love it.

If you go to an average club, say Villa, they're designed to be a money making machine yet are the most soulless club i've ever been to.

I am not sure what you mean by this, as an ex Holte End Season Ticket Holder (at uni atm but still make all away games in the south bar a couple and go to as many home games etc), and the same with my family, I get a good deal, you can pick up tickets at the villa for a fiver for the kids and a tenner for the adults.

Perhaps we make money, but we are tight, we dont spend over our limit, i point to chelsea pre abramovic, leeds, everton, and others. We arent in debt, we make money and the football club wont suffer. but one final thing

DOUG ELLIS OUT