2022-23 English Premier League Discussion Thread

[Baphomet]

BTW the charges against City only go through 2018-18 season.

People don't think they've been involved in financial improprieties in the last 4-5 years as well?

Some clubs are saying they should be stripped of titles and relegated, like Juventus was a few years ago.

I recently read that Pep may walk if it's proven they've committed financial wrongdoing, which looks pretty apparent at this point. He had assurances from the club that that wasn't the case. You have to think he knew though, surely?

[Shaazzam]

Fack, IIRC Man U have a home and home coming up with Leeds.

Which they need to win in order for Leicester to stay above them. After those 2 matches it's Leicester. Manu fans surely are not unhappy with a run of 3 games against relegation battlers.

double negatives throw me off my man

im worried about the usual uptick in form when a coach gets the axe

[ABucksFan]

Wow, been on Realgm for a while never knew we had a board and active for soccer/futbol lol.

[Sedale Threatt]

BTW the charges against City only go through 2018-18 season.

People don't think they've been involved in financial improprieties in the last 4-5 years as well?

Some clubs are saying they should be stripped of titles and relegated, like Juventus was a few years ago.

I recently read that Pep may walk if it's proven they've committed financial wrongdoing, which looks pretty apparent at this point. He had assurances from the club that that wasn't the case. You have to think he knew though, surely?

My thing is, how the F did the Premier League let this go on for so long? Obviously teams are going to do absolutely everything they possibly can to keep this stuff under wraps so it can't be easy to uncover. But the fact that this was a pattern of behavior that apparently started more than a decade ago speaks to a pretty gross level of incompetence on the league's part.

[wco81]

BTW the charges against City only go through 2018-18 season.

People don't think they've been involved in financial improprieties in the last 4-5 years as well?

Some clubs are saying they should be stripped of titles and relegated, like Juventus was a few years ago.

I recently read that Pep may walk if it's proven they've committed financial wrongdoing, which looks pretty apparent at this point. He had assurances from the club that that wasn't the case. You have to think he knew though, surely?

Of course, they were making significant additions every season and until the last year or two other PL clubs weren't spending nearly as much.

Problem is these FFP rules are vague. Why not have some kind of salary cap?

The clubs own by sovereign funds of nation states -- City, PSG, Newcastle -- have no need to turn profits from the clubs. If they want a level playing field, it should be some common threshold of salaries or cumulative transfer values. Instead you get the sense that each of these financial cases involve some bespoke criteria which are opaque.

In any case, managers and players can always bail to other clubs, because ultimately they didn't write the checks, no matter how much they backed the actions which led to these penalties or even pushed for them in the first place.

[wco81]

BTW the charges against City only go through 2018-18 season.

People don't think they've been involved in financial improprieties in the last 4-5 years as well?

Some clubs are saying they should be stripped of titles and relegated, like Juventus was a few years ago.

I recently read that Pep may walk if it's proven they've committed financial wrongdoing, which looks pretty apparent at this point. He had assurances from the club that that wasn't the case. You have to think he knew though, surely?

My thing is, how the F did the Premier League let this go on for so long? Obviously teams are going to do absolutely everything they possibly can to keep this stuff under wraps so it can't be easy to uncover. But the fact that this was a pattern of behavior that apparently started more than a decade ago speaks to a pretty gross level of incompetence on the league's part.

I think the heads of the PL are as impotent as Roger Goddell. Silver has more relative power but he's still employed by the NBA governors.

But at least those leagues have simple and clear salary cap rules compared to whatever it is they're doing in European football.

Big clubs probably bring in huge ratings as well as revenues so they have the power. How about the guy who runs PSG sitting on some executive board of UEFA? Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse.

[Baphomet]

Wow, been on Realgm for a while never knew we had a board and active for soccer/futbol lol.

Welcome. RealGM's best kept secret, I guess. Like the Microsoft Kin and Disco Stu before us, we don't advertise.

[Sedale Threatt]

I recently read that Pep may walk if it's proven they've committed financial wrongdoing, which looks pretty apparent at this point. He had assurances from the club that that wasn't the case. You have to think he knew though, surely?

My thing is, how the F did the Premier League let this go on for so long? Obviously teams are going to do absolutely everything they possibly can to keep this stuff under wraps so it can't be easy to uncover. But the fact that this was a pattern of behavior that apparently started more than a decade ago speaks to a pretty gross level of incompetence on the league's part.

I think the heads of the PL are as impotent as Roger Goddell. Silver has more relative power but he's still employed by the NBA governors.

But at least those leagues have simple and clear salary cap rules compared to whatever it is they're doing in European football.

Big clubs probably bring in huge ratings as well as revenues so they have the power. How about the guy who runs PSG sitting on some executive board of UEFA? Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse.

I wouldn't say it happens all the time, but it's definitely not uncommon to see NFL and NBA teams be docked draft picks and/or cap space for trying to circumvent rules. The most infamous incident being the Timberwolves getting crushed for their under-the-table deal with Joe Smith. The Cowboys lost some money a few years ago for fudging their salary cap. Owners in both leagues have been forced out for being unethical pricks in recent years. And so forth.

But yes, there's obviously some level of incompetence here. The PL just looks ridiculously bad in my eyes. I can understand within the past few years or so. But starting more than a decade ago, and going on for another decade after that ... what the F are you doing?

[wco81]

Not just the PL, all the European leagues are unbalanced, with a couple of clubs spending way more than other clubs.

So if there's such a disparity in finances between the clubs but lack of a salary cap or some kind of common control, how do you know if a big club is doing something improper? Why did Real get to outspend so many other clubs in the Galacticos period yet now they're targeting Juventus and City at times?

[HIF]

BTW the charges against City only go through 2018-18 season.

People don't think they've been involved in financial improprieties in the last 4-5 years as well?

Some clubs are saying they should be stripped of titles and relegated, like Juventus was a few years ago.

I recently read that Pep may walk if it's proven they've committed financial wrongdoing, which looks pretty apparent at this point. He had assurances from the club that that wasn't the case. You have to think he knew though, surely?

My thing is, how the F did the Premier League let this go on for so long? Obviously teams are going to do absolutely everything they possibly can to keep this stuff under wraps so it can't be easy to uncover. But the fact that this was a pattern of behavior that apparently started more than a decade ago speaks to a pretty gross level of incompetence on the league's part.

Rich people can get around anything. If the league can't prove it and then win the appeal, all it does is cost them lots of money. It's naive to think that the league is any match for teams like Man city.

[Shaazzam]

Fack, IIRC Man U have a home and home coming up with Leeds.

Which they need to win in order for Leicester to stay above them. After those 2 matches it's Leicester. Manu fans surely are not unhappy with a run of 3 games against relegation battlers.

double negatives throw me off my man

im worried about the usual uptick in form when a coach gets the axe

and it took 55 seconds for Leeds to score lol

bastards

[Baphomet]

This would be a really poor result for United, at home against managerless Leeds.

[Shaazzam]

C'mon Rashy!!!!

[Baphomet]

2-2

[Shaazzam]

SANCHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[HIF]

looks like 5 teams are going to fight for the 4 CL places and 6 in the fight for the remaining european slots.

As a little team team I have to hope that Newcastle make the CL and Pool and Chelsea fail to make 6th & 7th.

[Mamba81p]

Pep really wants to believe his owners. He knows this will go on for years, so he can kick the can down the road. No, they were not proven innocent in the UEFA case. They got away with it on a technicality, but in public court of opinion they are guilty as f***.

[Mamba81p]

Not just the PL, all the European leagues are unbalanced, with a couple of clubs spending way more than other clubs.

So if there's such a disparity in finances between the clubs but lack of a salary cap or some kind of common control, how do you know if a big club is doing something improper? Why did Real get to outspend so many other clubs in the Galacticos period yet now they're targeting Juventus and City at times?

In the Galacticos era there was no FFP. And Real Madrid is a club owned by fans, so they usually spend whatever income they have, plus what they borrow.
It is really hard to have a salary cap with so many leagues and so many teams, and without much revenue sharing system like US leagues do.

Premier League probably did the best job of sharing the revenue, but they still don't do enough, and if you impose a salary cap, where do you put the limit? If you make it too low then the big clubs cannot compete with the richer clubs in other leagues, PSG primarily. If it's too high, then the smaller clubs will struggle to reach that cap and will continue to spend beyond their means.

[Mamba81p]

What are the incentives for the league to punish City?

They bring some of the best players in the world to the league, which leads to higher TV ratings, more jersey sales. Many of these would probably be signed by other teams though.

they have to stop this massive unsustainable inflation. If City can spend whatever they want, then the other teams will try to catch up even if they can't really do it, and they will eventually end up in bankruptcy.

[MetalFingaz]

looks like 5 teams are going to fight for the 4 CL places and 6 in the fight for the remaining european slots.

As a little team team I have to hope that Newcastle make the CL and Pool and Chelsea fail to make 6th & 7th.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle, Brighton, Brentford, Fulham.