Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Marching Into The Abyss 2012 Style

The 2012 part of the 2011-2012 season has already given plenty of opportunities for RTG to get blogging. From criminal courts to bankruptcy courts, from racist allegations to resignations, through players refusing to play and then having to play, the first two months of 2012 have certainly illuminated the issues on which RTG has been campaigning.

RTG can’t be the only ones who were astonished by the flimsy criminal case that the tax authorities brought against Harry Redknapp, basically one that rested on his word against another. But it seems RTG is amongst the very few who were even more astonished as to the ethics, accepted as normal by all in court and by most of the media (as far as we know), of managers taking a commission on player sales. Add to that ethical question the fact that this was at the time that the financial implosion at Portsmouth started, and then it should raise alarms for all true minded football supporters.

As if by divine coincidence within a few days of the trial, Portsmouth was put into administration again, ten points were deducted from them again and the administrators now say that it’s very likely that they will fold before the end of the season. Meanwhile, step forward the next England Manager…..Whatever the future holds for Portsmouth, it is clear that their problems were sown by some very ethically dubious dealings and compounded by the continuing failings at the FA in applying their so called ‘fit and proper’ rules on club ownership.

We may complain about the English FA incompetence and we could continue to bleat about the fact that most of its bigwigs are failed business men, but for once the Scottish FA seem to have outdone their southern rivals. The financial mess that Glasgow Rangers find themselves in and the reports and rumours circulating as to some of the irregularities that Rangers owner, Craig Whyte, may have perpetrated, leave even a cynical RTG astounded. How Scottish football could have allowed one of its jewels in the crown to get to this sorry state is a salutary lesson for all supporters – even those that feel they are behind an impregnable financial force field. Basically, there are just so many examples of how football’s administrators throughout the world are either financially corrupt or incompetent – or both.

All this doesn’t bode well for UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. If football administrators can’t spot “bad ‘uns”, how on earth are they going to work through the smoke and mirrors of financial accounts, offshore companies and subsidiaries to make their fair play rules work? Watch this space because RTG is planning on raising this issue many more times.

On the plus side, racism has been elevated into the football consciousness. Plus side? Well yes. The casual racism as exemplified by the Ron Atkinsons and other little Englanders of his ilk, was never really addressed by football which, as a body, seem to content itself that monkey-noises and banana throwing were a thing of the past. The Suarez case and the pending criminal case against John Terry, whilst distressing to the injured parties and the defendants, gives all involved in football, the chance to debate and address these issues.

On the downside, the Terry race row seemed to give the perfect opportunity for Fabio Capello to jump ship. Now RTG was a great advocate of Capello’s appointment. This was based on the premise of “if he can’t do it, then no one can”. Well it’s clear he couldn’t do it and that he really didn’t want to continue to do it, even for the remaining few months of his contract. Where this leaves England, RTG has written about before and will again in the future. Suffice to say that RTG is not impressed that Capello walked away with a pay-off of £1.5 million – Capello seemingly having a media gag applied, says much also.


These are just some of the issues that emerged/re-emerged since RTG last published. We haven’t even begun to address the Tevez situation and the player power issue, but suffice to say that since we last wrote, football marches ever more steadfastly away from the sport that we love and into the cold spiny embrace of corporate values, marketing plans and incompetent/corrupt football administrators.

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Thursday, 17 November 2011

E is for Elite Not Education

The beginning of next season sees the introduction of the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) which changes radically the way leading clubs scout, sign, coach and develop young players. The relative under performance of the current England team, the spiralling transfer fees and the scrutiny of coaching in the game in general means that the subject of young player development is right at the forefront of issues affecting the modern game in England. There is little doubt that the current system does not develop young players of sufficient quantity or quality to turn the England team into potential world beaters so the very fact that efforts are being made to change it is perhaps a step in the right direction. However, RTG has some severe reservations about the plan given that it seems to favour the ‘elite’ Premier League clubs and appears to ignore what RTG considers is a fundamental factor missing from current player development – education.

EPPP itself has been cooked up by the Premier League and the FA which suggests that most of the upside is going to benefit the Premier League rather than football in general. The Football League clubs did vote in favour of EPPP by 46 to 22 but that in itself does not necessarily prove they are behind it. In truth, there was a certain degree of Hobson’s choice about it as the Premier League, pending the vote, had suspended £5.4M of its annual solidarity payment to the Football League that is set aside for youth development. RTG tends to treat with cynicism, therefore, any change to the game initiated by the Premier League as it invariably tends to involve money or influence passing from the lower levels of English football into their already bloated pockets and egos respectively. And EPPP is likely no different. However, leaving cynicism aside for a moment let’s look at the positives. Firstly, it removes the rule banning clubs from recruiting from beyond a 60-minute journey radius for players under the age of 16 (or 90 minutes for over 16s). While it is easy to see the reasons behind this rule, it was never a level playing field. Physical geography and proximity to other clubs made this rule a nonsense. Secondly, EPPP presents coaches with much more face time with young players than before. Naturally this is a good thing.

Another key change is the end of the tribunal system under which disputed academy transfers are currently resolved. The Independent describes the detail extremely well here but the basic essence is that there will be in place set rules for compensating clubs when one of their academy players switches clubs where initial fees are far lower than at present but downstream earnings are potentially more depending on the success of the player.

But in RTG’s opinion education is just as important to the development of players but glaringly omitted from any plans the Premier League have made under EPPP. La Masia at Barcelona and Ajax’s academy could both be cited as shining examples of how to develop young players to a consistently high standard. Both of these place huge importance on educational development as an integral part of the make-up of a good footballer.

The brain is like any other muscle in the body. If used and exercised it works better. If ever you wanted a clear example of the educational failure of English players, look at England’s performance against a relatively inexperienced German team in the World Cup in 2010. Yes, England was unlucky not to be awarded a goal that would have evened the game up at 2-2. But even at 1-2, we were not out of it. If the England players had had the intelligence to adapt to the situation the game was in, they might have been able to weather the storm and respond. Instead we were treated to the embarrassment of watching English players mindlessly charging forward while the Germans calmly picked them off at the back. Sorry everybody if it sounds a bit harsh but the 'Golden Generation' was simply too thick to ever win anything.

RTG has long been a fan of a co-ordinated approach to coaching and development covering all aspects of the game from grass roots upward. We applauded the fact that the National Football Centre at Burton was finally being developed only to find that it is aimed at developing coaches and referees not players. Why we need a multi-million pound centre just for this is beyond our current understanding. Just like EPPP this is yet another stand-alone initiative in a totally disjointed and mismanaged process with absolutely no intelligent planning involved.

If the culture in English football continues to mistrust education – to the point where if you read a broadsheet newspaper you are considered to be gay! – then, EPPP or no EPPP, folks get used to a disappointing summer in 2012…2014...2016…


Friday, 4 November 2011

Racist or Not, Media Appoints the Captain

What a strange world that English football inhabits. On the one hand, almost uniquely amongst competitive footballing nations, the English elevate the position of captain to almost mystical levels – much to the bemusement of virtually every foreign manager who plies his trade in this country. On the other, we collectively proceed to ignore totally all the reasons we have for exalting that position to such high esteem in the first place.

Get caught racially abusing other players – more than once – no problem. Shag a team-mate’s girl – par for the course. Actually: you can also drunkenly abuse Americans the day after the 9/11 terrorist attacks; end up in court after a night club brawl where your only argument is “do you know how much money I make?”; defraud the taxman by conducting training ground tours for brown envelopes stuffed with cash; abuse the England captaincy perk of a Wembley hospitality box; publicly urinate in a night spot…RTG could go on...

No, this is not a moralising call for John Terry to be sacked for the above transgressions. As always, RTG will not make a call on something where we do not have all the information. We’ll leave you to decide whether his current performances warrant an England place and whether his captaincy has been a successful one. Interestingly, this aspect has not entered the media debate. We can only go on the information and experience that we have. Ever since the iconic images of Bobby Moore holding aloft the Jules Rimet trophy on his colleagues’ shoulders were published and documented the only good day England football has ever had, English supporters have been gagging for a similar paragon to emerge and wholly get behind. But let’s face it: most modern English footballers give the impression that they could easily figure in the criminal underworld, if they hadn’t been able to kick about a synthetic leather ball rather well. Either that or digging ditches.

The most disturbing aspect of the captaincy issue is that it highlights the hypocrisy endemic within the game, lead by the media. They plug away with their “me-too” views that promoted John Terry into a position in which he should never have been considered, let alone be - England captain - then twice sacked and re-instated him. The betting money now is that he’ll be removed yet again. A similar situation has surfaced with David Beckham’s attempts to get himself picked for the GB Olympic football team. And he’s getting plenty of support from the media and from those more interested in his wife’s shoes than football. None of which has anything to do with sport and being successful at it.

Take this quote from Terry’s statement: (I am proud to be captain of) …“ one of the most internationally diverse teams in the Premier League”. Note the use of the word ‘internationally’ and not ‘racially’ – which would have been more appropriate, but would have drawn attention to that terrible “R” word, from which he is so desperate to escape. This encapsulates it all. First, there is no way that Terry came up with those words. And second, it goes no way to explaining or apologising for his (on his own admission) disgusting words. There’s the rub. More money, more bullshit, more Public Relations offensives – and mark RTG’s words, that is all Terry and Beckham have in their locker.

Increasingly, the game is being run on the hot breath of highly paid PR people and has less and less to do with truth, actual talent and achievement. England (and GB) will win bugger all the longer this continues.

Reclaim the Game from the bullshit and money men!

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Forget Liverpool. TV Deal Not Fair On Supporters

"What is absolutely certain is that, with the greatest respect to our colleagues in the Premier League, if you’re a Bolton fan in Bolton, you subscribe to Sky because you want to watch Bolton. Everyone gets that. Likewise, if you’re a Liverpool fan from Liverpool, you subscribe. But if you’re in Kuala Lumpur there isn’t anyone subscribing to Astro or ESPN to watch Bolton, or if they are, it is a very small number."


Ian Ayre, Managing Director, Liverpool FC


In truth, Ian Ayre was not just making a case for Liverpool negotiating its own foreign broadcasting rights – although RTG admits that we are not clear as to what he is really saying. However, if you read between the lines of his statement he is saying that the entire system for sharing Premier League TV revenue is unfair be it in the UK or abroad. Yes, we understand that the deal for selling rights abroad, where all revenue is split equally, with 5% going to each club, is perhaps particularly weighted against clubs like Liverpool and Manchester United. Their following abroad is far greater than most. But if you’re against the collective approach in one arena then you are surely against it full stop. It is totally illogical to highlight it as a problem in one area and not the other.


Thankfully, for the moment, it seems that the rest of the Premier League clubs are not so keen, yet, on backing Liverpool in its stance. That may well change and become more urgent for those clubs who will fail UEFA’s new Financial Fair Play rules. For the Premier League to be viable as a viewing spectacle, and for clubs at lower levels to compete, there must be a degree of revenue sharing. In England last season, champions Manchester United picked up £60.4m in revenue as against £39.1m for lowest earners, relegated Blackpool – only around 50% more. Compare this situation to La Liga in Spain where Real Madrid and Barcelona negotiate their own TV deals. There, Madrid earned 19 times more TV revenue than teams finishing lower down the league. La Liga has reached the point where only two teams are ever likely to win the championship. The European Union has spent the best part of 50 years attempting to ensure fair and equitable trading conditions for all 27 member states, and yet, for football it totally ignores these inequities.


Just because the proposal has received such a negative response, doesn’t mean we can be complacent about it. As commercialism becomes increasingly more important than the sport of football itself, it is surely only a matter of time before the need to boost revenues in the short-term will outweigh the desire for a revenue-sharing collective that looks after the interests of the sport itself. In 2005, Chelsea first put the issue of self-negotiation of TV deals to the vote, presumably in a bid to meet Peter Kenyon’s 2010 break-even target. They were defeated 19 to one by the other clubs. It takes 14 Premier League clubs to vote in favour of any motion to change the way the Premier League operates. The greater number of rich, foreign owners we allow to take over clubs in a bid to compete financially, or even just to survive, the more the likelihood that commercial interests will eventually supersede any emotional ties that exist in preserving English football.


In RTG’s opinion, the whole issue of football on TV needs to be re-thought and given a total makeover in order to protect the interests of supporters and the game of football that we love, rather than a few wealthy owners, the Premier League and Sky TV. We don’t profess to have all the answers but we do know that our interests are not currently being looked after.


Take the present situation with Sky Sports. The current model is based on a previous time when we had precious little live football on TV. We pay a monthly fee to watch the games that Sky chooses for us to watch rather than the game we choose to watch. Those supporters who choose to attend live matches have to fit around the needs of TV scheduling – like it or lump it. We live in a time now where there is so much more live football on TV that this current model is outdated. Surely supporters should be given what they need – not what Sky wishes to push out. To add insult to injury, football supporters end up having to subsidise other minority sports such as Premier League darts, fishing and masturbation for the unemployed aka Aerobics Oz Style.


Consider this idea from RTG. At a fixed time over the weekend, every game in the Premier League is shown live and we pay to watch the game we want to watch. A recent report in the Guardian stated that there is a worldwide annual audience of 304 billion people for Premier League football. If only one pound was charged to watch these matches (ie £304,000,000,000!) this would totally dwarf the current £1.4 billion per annum deal that Richard Scudamore so proudly boasts about. The Premier League could commission its own broadcaster to show these matches on a pay per view or offer a variety of tailored packages, with occasional free to air matches, at different kick-off times to stimulate interest. The revenue would still be shared out among the clubs with home gates being a factor in how much goes to each club. Yes, it would favour clubs with bigger grounds and with more support but the onus would then be on clubs to improve their grounds, get more supporters through the turnstiles and improve the match day experience all round. With more money coming into the game rather than going into the pockets of Rupert Murdoch, Sky and the Premier League executives, clubs could afford to lower prices in order to fill up and improve their grounds. The more supporters they get into the ground, the more money they get from the TV revenue. The end result of this would be:


1. Supporters would be able to watch the match of their choice;

2. Clubs would be encouraged to fill their grounds and would have the money to improve stadia comfort and access;

3. We would not be contributing to the coffers of Murdoch and Sky but our money would go back into the game;

4. Tickets for fans to go to games would be cheaper as well as the match day experience being a lot better.


At some point in the future, it is inevitable that all games will be shown live. We should anticipate and embrace this significant change and not wait for a handful of self interested owners and administrators to dictate its terms. Let us state again, we don’t have all the answers here and this model would have to be debated thoroughly. But it gives the game back to its customers – the supporters. If we carry on down the road we are currently going, the money will increasingly be concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy people to the detriment of supporters and football itself. Sign up and help us to Reclaim the Game.

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Tevez Won’t Play – Then Don’t Pay!

We don’t know exactly the details surrounding Carlos Tevez’s refusal to come on as a substitute for Manchester City last night, nor can we predict what the fall out will be. The affair though seems to give Manchester City the opportunity to redress the iniquities that their untrammelled spending have heaped upon football. City could strike a meaningful and enduring blow against the player-club contract anarchy that has resulted from the Bosman ruling.

RTG has been among the strongest of critics of both Chelsea and Manchester City. This is not because of any inbuilt antipathy towards those clubs or their supporters. The criticism is based purely on the impact of the huge amounts of unearned income that have added unacceptable levels of inflation to both transfer fees and player wages – thus exacerbating the gulf between football’s haves and have-nots and which presents the greatest danger to fair competition in football.


“He (Tevez) is one bad apple.

He can undo all the good work that has been done (at City). He's a disgrace to football. He epitomises what most people think is wrong with modern football.

It is totally unacceptable. He's a football player and he is paid to play. He is refusing to help his team-mates. It's all about him, him, him.”

Graeme Souness, speaking on Sky Sports, 27th September 2011



Most fair minded supporters would wholly endorse and agree with Souness’ comments yesterday evening. If City decide to get shot of Tevez in the next transfer window, then he gets exactly what he wants and City will undoubtedly lose many millions in his ‘fire sale’. They could also justifiably sack him for breach of his contract but, again, this would leave him a free agent and able to prostitute his wares to the highest bidder – and with no transfer fee or transfer window restrictions, he would would presumably benefit enormously in any negotiations. Who’s to say that he hasn’t manufactured this situation deliberately anyway given his many tiresome pronouncements on the subject?

City can easily sustain any losses that arise from either of these eventualities, but they also have it within their means to tackle the player ‘tail’ wagging the club ‘dog’ issue (and therefore one of football’s current major maladies). They should sue Tevez not only for breach of contract, but also for the costs associated with acquiring a replacement and/or losses resulting from his drop in value. This surely would have a longer lasting legacy for all of football and City possess the financial clout to see it through the inevitably long winded legal process.

So come on City, do the decent thing and put something back into football. Sue his ass!

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Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Audacity of Hope Dashed by Commercial Reality

The opening Saturday of the football season was once the most eagerly awaited day of any football supporter’s calendar. At three o’clock precisely on the given Saturday, at 46 different locations around the country, all 92 clubs embarked on their own history-making venture. The paucity of any football news during the summer months, with some broadsheets literally reporting no football news for weeks, only accentuated the drama of a new season. At many clubs, the first sight supporters had of a new summer signing was when he took to the field for the first match. Compare that buzz of anticipation with the modern game where 24 hour, 365 day football coverage has led to such over-exposure that we even know now what the club cat had for its dinner that morning. The mystery and suspense has all but disappeared. Staggered season starts for each league and first games spread over two to three days, to aid TV scheduling, has not lent itself well either to the crescendo of anticipation.

Back then, most home team match programmes would fuel the mindless optimism of both home and away fans. “Every team will be equal at least until 20 to five this afternoon”, they would intone. If the last season had been successful and a trophy (any trophy) had been won, you would bask in its reflected glory for a season or two as a ‘successful’ club. If last season had been woeful, then this one would surely be better, wouldn’t it? For nearly all supporters, there was hope that your team would challenge for honours or promotion, or, at the very least not to be embroiled in another relegation battle.

That was a time when the audacity of hope was reflected in the achievements, and failings, of individual clubs. In the 1960’s and 70’s, eleven different clubs won the English title, two of which were newly promoted, and only one club managed to defend successfully its title. This also included a run of seven different clubs winning the title in seven successive years in the early 1960’s. Contrast this to the four clubs who have won the past 19 top flight titles in England. Northampton Town took five years to gain promotion from the Football League basement to the top level, a similar feat performed, but executed with more success and longevity, by the Wimbledon team of the early 1980’s; culminating in Wimbledon becoming the only team to have won both FA Open and Amateur cup competitions. ‘Smaller clubs’, in particular, were able to foster these hopes, as Derby, Ipswich, QPR and Nottingham Forest’s, among others, proved beyond doubt. Supporters’ dreams therefore were more than just fashioned from pipes.

Nowadays, most supporters are forced to be more realistic about their expectations. After all, they’ve had their team’s prospects raked over and rated for virtually the entire summer by an armada of pundits and writers, not to mention the millions ranting and rambling on the internet (ourselves included). Supporters can see a couple of billionaires spend unlimited amounts of money in attempting to buy honours. A handful of other clubs attempt a futile effort at parity but all are having to deal with the trickle down inflationary effect of these billionaires. More and more clubs are getting into debt in an attempt to maintain their competitiveness. Since the inception of the Premier League, 53 Football League clubs have gone into receivership: 13 of them following relegation from the top level.

Apart from supporters of the two clubs who benefit from their owners’ largesse and maybe a handful of others (for now), most should be worrying about whether their club will still be in existence in a few years time. Gone are the days when supporters could experience that first day of hope beyond hope unless you’re one of those fans that relies on your club finding a billionaire benefactor. No true supporter could surely harbour that dream which is as much a form of cheating as any doped up athlete pounding around a track. The inequities of first the Premier League compared to the Football League, and second, the Champions League compared to the ‘others’ in the Premier League, have created financial chasms that not even the most optimistic of supporters can ever dream of crossing.

And thus we have ended up with a competition where the inevitability of a Chelsea/Manchester City duopoly in the Premier League – not withstanding the sheer bloody mindedness of a certain knighted Scot – will prevail. Add in the possible levels of debt that newly promoted clubs must take on in any vague hope of competing and it’s easy to see why that opening day excitement has vanished, as success and glory have been replaced by more money requirements and more financial insecurities. One season you’re cheering on a cup win, the next you’re battling relegation with points deducted. One season you’re celebrating promotion, two seasons later you’ve had to sell half your team because you can’t afford the inflated wages on lower league revenues. Not much to dream about…..Help us to allow every supporter to dream again. Reclaim the Game.

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

It’s Official: Bryan Robson Agrees with Us!

“I disagree with people when they say football is a sport. Football lost its sporting thing when money started coming in and Sky TV and all that. Football’s a business”.

So said Bryan Robson as he was filmed secretly by Channel 4’s Dispatches program broadcast last month. But we don’t just need to take Robson’s word for it. This summer, without a major tournament for England to torture us supporters with, has provided further evidence of football’s interminable slide into commercialisation and, above all, the continuing shift of football’s focus from on field sporting prowess to off field business issues.

It’s been a summer that has seen legal challenges, a parliamentary investigation into football’s running, FIFA accusations and resignations, the initial phase of UEFA’s “fair play rules” implementation, and already its initial abuses, as well as further proof of the player tail wagging the club dog. Hardly surprising that you might have missed the fact that England put out teams for the European under-23 and World under-20 tournaments. Or, for that matter, that the two major tournaments for the Americas had taken place.

The season had not even ended when Swansea City were threatening a legal challenge to QPR’s promotion over their fielding of an ineligible player. The threat of action was only averted by Swansea bagging the Championship’s play-off promotion spot. Farcically, QPR’s fans were made to wait until just before kick off in their final match of the season to find out if their promotion was to go ahead. This is not the first time that legal actions between clubs have happened, as those who can recall Sheffield United’s successful compensation suit against West Ham over the Carlos Tevez affair, nor will it be the last – supporters had better get used to it as the financial stakes get higher.

Then, RTG’s favourite bête noire, FIFA, was mired in yet more corruption allegations. First Lord Triesman, giving evidence with legal immunity to a MP commons select committee, stated that England’s 2018 world cup bid was spoiled not only by desires from the usual FIFA suspects for cash bribes, but also by requests for knighthoods and UK state visits! Following that, in an astonishing mix of claims, denials and counter claims that brought to mind the phrase linking rats and sinking ships, Jack Warner resigned from FIFA, Mohammed Bin Hammam was forced to pull out of his presidential bid, Qatar’s 2022 world cup hosting was put in jeopardy and further FIFA Exco members were suspended. Out of the original 24 Exco members who were to vote on World cup bids, unbelievably, eight have now been suspended, resigned or been kicked out!

Sadly, Lord Triesman’s evidence appears to have come to nought and, worse, has illustrated the chasm that exists between the FA and the Premier League; the latter run by our other bête noire Richard Scudamore, who was quick to refuse to back up Triesman’s claims – despite being present when FIFA’s verbal “requests” were made. It also emerged that Scudamore effectively attempted to blackmail England’s World Cup bid in return for support for the Premier League’s infamous “39th game”. Proof, once more, that RTG’s assertion that the three separate governing bodies of football are all pulling in different directions. It is a subject that RTG will return to in the near future.

The reign of Blatter, therefore, continues without abatement and with the now customary smoke and mirrors of yet more lip service to “transparency”. Bizarrely, Placido Domingo, yes, that Placido Domingo, has been added as a resource to FIFA’s ethics committee, along with the octogenarian and eager recipient of FIFA freebies , Henry Kissinger. Yet again, it will be a subject to which RTG will return.

But don’t worry! UEFA’s initial phase of “football fair play rules” has kicked in this season. RTG has wholly endorsed the principles behind the rules – albeit with huge reservations given that it continues to allow highly leveraged club buy outs (à la Glazers at Manchester United) AND as RTG predicted, clubs would be bending the rules to fit.

I mean come on: Manchester City announce a $640 million, 10 year naming rights deal for the City of Manchester Stadium from City’s sister company Etihad, a ground not even owned by City. Compare that to the $300 million, 10 year deal announced at roughly the same time for the naming rights of one of the world’s most iconic venues, Madison Square Gardens. Clearly, this is a blatant case of, as Arsene Wenger put it, “financial doping”. Worryingly, the media, and Sky Sports in particular, seem to be ignoring the issue, apart from reporting the two objections raised by Arsenal and Liverpool. They’ve also ignored reports/rumours of Chelsea paying compensation to Porto over the “transfer” of Andre Boas Villas with funds drawn from outside Chelsea PLC – that is, it may not appear in Chelsea’s financial accounts. At the current moment, neither Chelsea nor Manchester City comes close to meeting the criteria for financial fair play. Yet, the majority of the media do not seem to feel this is an issue worth any significant comment. It will be interesting to see how UEFA responds to these issues.

Excuse us then, for not jumping for joy at the prospect of Sky’s claims that we are embarking (yet again!) on the most “exciting Premier League season ever” as the so-called sporting contest settles ever further into the grasping arms of financiers, lawyers and the world of cash stuffed envelopes being pocketed by fat cat administrators. It is after all your cash that is paying for all of this.

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