Premier League Thread 2015-16

I'm glad you brought that up, Chilco. As we know, their squad is so relatively threadbare, so I wonder if any PL defenders are being approached at the present time, or have been approached, to take one for the team, so to speak, and how much it might be worth their while ?

Perhaps I'm being overly cynical, but I rule very little out with the sums of money involved in the business of football these days.

 

Too cynical....can't imagine any such instruction. For a start no guarantee that the defender wouldn't finish his own career in such an 'accident.'

 

Yes, remember Paul Gascoigne in the 1991 Cup Final. Took out 2 Forest players in 2 horrific fouls and tore his own ACL in the process.

 

I think Gascoigne is a bad example of someone who could offer a timely tackle that might put a striker out for several weeks and not suffer the physical consequences.

A skilful defender could break another player's leg without suffering the slightest physical injury to himself.

However, I accept that my point is a cynical one, yet the world of sport, including football, is riddled with examples of illegal situations, which were once thought unthinkable until they actually happened.

 

Vardys goal against Liverpool being talked up as goal of the season. It was a bloody good goal yes. But it's not goal of the season.

 

Bless old Ian Dowie, who covered the match for SKY. In his euphoric praise for Vardy's goal he couldn't let his loyalty slip to Matt Le Tissier.

 

Watford 0 Chelsea 0 FT. Everton 3 Newcastle 0 FT.

We remain in 7th.

 

Anyone else getting the impression that Ashley is planning on selling up ASAP if Newcastle survive this season? Desperation or no, he doesn't strike me as the sort to create the sort of financial bomb they're building without believing that he can walk away from it.

 

Don't think anyone wants to sell except Randy Lerner, and he won't invest because he's thrown so much money at the problem and he's still odds on to own Villa in the Championship. He's going to lose a fortune. The rest want a piece of that PL gravy train. I expect owners will hold out until at least the end of next season until they put any clubs up for sale.

 

Agree for the most part, but I'm wondering if Ashley might be an exception; if Newcastle gets relegated either this year or next, his investment takes enough of a mauling that he's unlikely to remain above water on his total commitment to date. Even taking into account desperation, their transfers this year look seem so weighted toward survival at all costs that the only thing I can think of is that Ashley expects someone else to be holding the bag thereafter.

 

Ashley is Ashley. The bottom line is, he makes money. He's not afraid to spend a bit of cash to make a lot more. Admittedly, I think his perspective has changed from owning Newcastle U as a regular European qualifying club through to one that survives relegation every season. As such, that's possibly too close for comfort, and he may well sell in the future. Could be the end of this season. I just think he'll hang on.

 

Rosicky torn a thigh muscle....out for 3 months. Talk this morning that he may have played his last game for Arsenal.

 

I think that is tosh....if player prices go up because of available money, then reducing the available money by reducing ticket prices will concomitantly reduce player prices. No, I don't think that is true, but it is if you follow Wenger logic.

 

I'm bored at work and Wenger's comments have annoyed me. I'm not sure on Arsenal's ticket pricing, so I've used hypothetical prices for PL games only:

60,0000 tickets @ £20 = £120,000 x 19 = £2,280,000
60,0000 tickets @ £50 = £300,000 x 19 = £5,700,000
60,0000 tickets @ £65 = £390,000 x 19 = £7,410,000

Current TV deal works out to approximately £92m per season for each club
New TV deal works out to £138m per season for each club

Wenger is talking out of his arse, ticket revenue is irrelevant, over the course of a season each Arsenal fan could save up to £855 per season if the club was willing to take a £5m hit in ticket revenue. Not to mention I'm sure their other matchday revenue & merchandising would increase if people weren't paying so much for tickets.

 

Apparently it was mainly the big clubs who are full every match that voted against this as they have nothing to gain by more people trying to buy tickets. A spokesman for a club who wanted reduced away tickets (unnamed) said clubs are looking at other ways to reduce costs...such as reduced travel costs etc. I suppose they could pay some of the ticket costs, but that sticks in the craw as it means the greedy clubs will still get their money...just from a different source.

 

Fair play to him.

 

Completely agree! Like you've touched upon, your model is based not only on matchday revenue and merchandising staying the same but also attendances.

An article suggested that there were 170,000 empty seats at the Emirates last season with high ticket prices touted as the main reason.

Reduced ticket prices (£20) would surely result in a sell-out for every game - 170,000 x £20 = £3.4m 'extra' revenue and 170,000 people more that are liekly to spend money on food/drink/merch inside the ground.

It's madness that the Premier League hasn't stepped in yet.