Former Bolton Wanderers chairman, Phil Gartside, lost his battle with cancer yesterday. During Bolton’s 18 year Premier League tenure, Gartside wanted Celtic and Rangers in the league, as part of a reorganisation which would have seen a second tier Premier League created.
His motivation was the realisation that English football’s model was inherently dysfunctional. Teams like Bolton would over-commit to the player contracts necessary to keep them in the league, but with everyone else doing the same thing, it was only a matter of time before they finished in the bottom three. Less than 3 years since relegation Bolton face a winding-up order this month over a £2.2m debt to HMRC.
‘The Gartside Plan’ for league reorganisation found little support among his Premier League peers. Each passing TV deal poured ever-more money into the Premier League but the model remains dysfunctional. Those relegated regularly face dire consequences – and that’s before the bubble bursts.
As English and Welsh clubs who have dropped out of the Premier League continue to deal with the consequences, Europe’s mega-rich clubs are unhappy with their return from Champions League football. The relative democratisation of Champions League qualification, introduced by Michel Platini, which sees more clubs from smaller countries reach the group stage, is seen as a problem to some of Europe’s richest.
They want games against Manchester United, not Dinamo Zagreb. So do TV companies and sponsors. The football industry in Europe operates a series of EU sanctioned cartels. These sanctioned exceptions were granted on the basis that football is a sport, not a conventional business. The more top clubs act like businesses, not sporting institutions, the more reason to tear down the walls of these carters.
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*** LAST MAN STANDING ***
The picks for the Final 3 will be published in half an hour or so. If any of you are lurking and want to get your excuses in early…….
Just in sorry if already discussed.
I heard a rumour that North Lanarkshire are considering flying the Tricolour over a number of civic buildings to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.
I wonder what the reaction will be?
Clogher
BSR
of a similar ilk
easy to catch dinner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg
TONTINE TIM
Thomas Muntzer….Peasant War.
HH
WDH
Ha – you just trumped my fainting cat ☺️
TGM,
Didn’t Marx sneek out of wall St to wright his book.
Canamalar
Sounds about right.
Stopping by his local satanist shrine on the way.
Multi-tasking eh…Wonderful thing:)
HH
Clogher,
After your post last night, I decided to come up for the Swiss game.
Canamalar.
Marx’s Diary 1st May 1865
Three hour seminar on International socialism.
Then a quick hour of satanism before bed.
Job Done:)
HH
Thomthetim,
That’s great to read. Heading to GAA training. Back later.
If you get a chance send an e mail to dublin2016@mail.com and we’ll arrange to meet up.
HH
TGM,
Had to nip back to Wall St to get the book proof read, bolinger and foigras went down a treat with the human sacrifices.
CLOGHER CELT on 11TH FEBRUARY 2016 6:42 PM
Always welcome in ML5 and it flies above Cairde na hÉireann in ML5. Some how I can foresee a few objections in neighbouring ML6.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Was The man in the magic hat accusing the beast of being out of order when he reduced the width of Ibrokes pitch in European games
Suppose it is a different club he is managing right enough
Green man (enjoy your contributions by the way),
A book for your anarcho surrealist self:
The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek.
Czech satire about war, religion etc. Very amusing.
I tend to side with Paul67 on the bubble bursting theory. And I will use the NFL model in the States as to why they are so successful and the greatest league in the world days will be numbered.
The NFL is available on domestic cable and is viewed by millions. On any given Sunday you can watch or have a choice to watch about 8 or 9 different games with out going to the box to put money in, this is why they are and will remain successful. You can still buy your NFL package for the hard core but the majority of games will be on basic cable, even the Super bowl
I believe the EPL and correct me if I’m wrong is moving toward a subscription based model which would be over and above standard viewing channels. This will be to their detriment and is going to be their downfall. You may still be able to watch games that involve lower table teams or even lower division games on a basic program package but if you want the big games on cable you will pay for it. So those who would still like to watch the “premium” games will do so on a sausage or kodi type box/program.
This is where they will shoot themselves in the foot, their greed will be there end, much like a team we are all familiar with
HH
gsu
Canamalar
Good chance of a script here.
Marx in New York….Wall St or Bust.
Al Pacino:)
I can see it all now.
HH
CLOGHER CELT on 11TH FEBRUARY 2016 6:42 PM
Here is the link to the story:
http://m.heraldscotland.com/news/14271136.Scots_council_agrees_to_fly_Irish_Tricolour_for_Easter_1916_anniversary_amid_fears_of_backlash/
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Evening Timland from a wet hun free mountain valley.
Oh, time to get the pish taken me thinks.
Captain Beefheart
Saw Michael Elphick have a stab at that story…years ago.
Id like to see it done again..
Id also mention…The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov.
HH
There was a Daily Record left next to me in the barbers, there was also some golf & GQ magazine but as none of them interested me I didn’t bother trying to find something that suited my narrative….Twitter was much more interesting…
A wee mention for a very special pair of Celtic girls today.
The lady who gave me my loathing and hatred of everything hun related, who brought me, my two brothers and my sister up on her own against all the odds when my dad, her man died far too young and left her to fend. She fended and fought, never lost the faith and today she is eighty years old.
My wee sis also a birthday girl today, a girl that takes the Celtic ethos across the planet and brings joy to people in the form of dance. She never forgets where she came from and that is always expressed in her work, sometimes in a very abstract way.
Celtic wummin are different, special and I love them all. They are to be cherished.
Hail hail to my mum and my beautiful wee sister.
Celtic
ACGR
Feliz Cumpleanos to your Ma and Sis.
HH
Jobo
Certainly not mine. Only sharing.
Feel free to pass around.
As a married man I live by the what’s mine is hers and what’s is also hers law of possession.
*** LAST MAN STANDING 6 – WEEK 10 ***
The 3 remaining (ahem) Standers have made their choices for week 10.
Rather than me trying to come up with some drivel to explain (justify?) each pick I though it would be better to just let you have the reasons from each horse’s mouth (no offence lads)…….
BIG AL – “Huns….may god forgive me!”
THE EXILED TIM – “In the absence of the team I was going to pick this week, the London huns, I will have to pick the scottish huns who are away to Alloa, cos I reckon the others will pick them, so either we all fall, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, or we all progress.”
THE TOKEN TIM – “Logic and all the stats dictate that I should, indeed, would be mental not to, pick sevco, however, as far as I am concerned there is more to life than money. I have my principles (take note LennyBhoy and SFTB J) and I refuse to pick them purely for monetary gain (I’m sure Mrs Token would say differently, and more than likely give me a hefty kick to the haw maws for this too!), therefore I shall go for, hopefully, a Wayne Rooney inspired Man Utd to defeat big Sam’s Black cats. I have a feeling my principle’s will come back to haunt me, but so be it. PS – I was going to take Dundee at home on Friday instead, but bottled it…..”
Apologies in advance as I might just have to post this a few more times between now and Saturday ;-)
Good Luck to the 3 concerned and remember – if both Man Utd or that other choice both fail to win the prize fund rolls over to LMS7.
West End of East End on 11th February 2016 7:08 pm
I suppose its tempting.
One of my laughs is people who come on slating the rags & then ask any posters if they can collect tokens for concerts etc as they refuse to buy them :-))))))
2facedcfc
TGM,
I’m working on a counter to the d Vinci code,
About some upper class twits during the crusades, paying a fortune to an old Yiddish chancer for the skull of the Christ and the greatest secret in history. The idea they were buying the thousand year old skull of an ascended being is sort of lost on them and only the really really intelligent could possibly understand how it come into the hands of honest abi international traders inc.
A secret society is formed and out hero’s start their quest homeward to enlighten/illuminate and educate the world secretly :)
Sorry,
What’s her’s is also her’ s.
ACGR
Hail Hail to the Celtic Women.
A CEILER GONOF RUST on 11TH FEBRUARY 2016 7:09 PM
Hoopy Birthday to your Mum and Sister.
Another who celebrates their birthday today is our very own Cowiebhoy, Hoopy Birthday to him as well.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Canamalar
Can we cut in a scene…where St Helena finds the True Cross…and batters some unsuspecting local around the head with it.
Game of Thrones…Ha.
Amateurs:)
HH
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own soul?
I think that was this morning’s gospel.
Maybe one for the stonners? :)
ACGR-HH
AGCR,
I’m on the bell if you can stomach it, Abu Dhabi pretty much any time, Doha tomorrow, hearing your almost local.
TGM,
Thinking more like Stan and Olly carrying a ladder, it wisny her fault jist a bit clumsy
You’ve got to remember, they went there with pure hearts and the best intentions good Christ like intentions, it just broke down through farcical misunderstandings and clumsy accidents, a culmination of which got called the crusades, jeeze it was just a effin shop in trip gone wrong for crying out loud.
The Crusades the true story
By
Tom Sharp
Canamalar
Still trying to imagine Al Pacino as Marx.
Stan and Olly…Piano and stairs scene…but with the twist of a 19th century Russian Anarchist with a fizzing bomb…inside the piano:)
HH
GGH @ 7:22pm,
ahem……if ye dinnae mind my good man!
:-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token