It looks like you're lowering the bar of what constitutes a star player when selecting the Saudi players. If Mitrovic, Mahrez, Saint Maximin, Neves and Otavio were playing in the PL I don't think they'd feature in your PL selection.
In the space of 1 transfer window, the Saudi League has more stars than the PL… is it a symptom of City being allowed to freely cheat?
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Saint Maximin and Mahrez were quite far from the first XI in their prem clubs. Kind of by that fact alone I would expect at the very least 11 Newcastle and Man City players to be on the star list since they had no problem displacing them. If Mitrovic and Neves are stars then at the very least Leno, Palhinha and Nunes and Cunha have to be included too.
While the rise of the league is startling, and it definitely stinks of Chelsea and Man City style of aggressive money throwing, this has been an issue in football for a long time. Started in Spain with Madrid and Barca. Unfortunately that is modern football and it's definitely made the sport less enjoyable. I'd love to see some American sport style caps and fairness rules come in to keep it competitive, but the big clubs bring in too much money for that to be of interest.
Fubo TV in Canada and the USA show the Saudi League. I haven't bothered watching it yet, but it's available.
Saudi League is everywhere? Sporttv which is a pay per view channel broadcasts a couple of matches per round so now it's everywhere? You don't know the country, people here only care about the big 3 clubs and a Lil bit of Braga. Ronaldo isn't even a unanimous figure in Portugal. You got it completely wrong but no doubt you will try to lecture me about my own country and city (you were probably in Lisbon). No one gives a shite about the Saudi league.
Neves was a player that many Utd fans wanted / would’ve been happy with THIS Summer.
He’s a player in his prime years who instead has gone to Saudi - he’s worth mentioning.
Do people actually care that another league has more "stars"? Whatever the feck counts as a star I'm not sure. But I guess this is entirely the point of marketing and buying popular players, it attracts the weirdos who are obsessed with celebrities
I think if Utd had signing ASM this Summer Utd fans would’ve been really excited.
And I think if ASM was given the 7 shirt instead of giving it to Mason Mount, Utd fans would’ve been fine with it - those are signs of a ‘star player’ imo.
Same with Mahrez.
If, say, Chelsea had signed Mitro as their starting CF, no one would’ve baulked at that - and anyone saying they would’ve is a liar.
Are they ‘star players’ to the level of Salah, Neymar, Benzema and Ronaldo? No, but they’re not PL sluggers. They were important and EXCITING players for top 10 PL teams LAST SEASON ffs.
It’s about winning over the next generations of footy fan - not about winning over us.
And if it carries on, it will do just that.
Then, in 5 - 10 years, you’ll care
I doubt the Saudi government will be willing to keep spending the way they have been in the long term and I doubt the Saudi league will ever start generating enough money in its own to keep the spending ongoing. They don't have as much money as people think. Yes they are rich but just as rich as western European countries, USA, Canada, Japan, Australia etc. All these country's governments could throw this type of money around for football if they wanted to.
I don't see Saudi leagues being attractive for players and fans in the long term even if they get CL spots.
In Saudi players have less things to do and more restrictions as it's a religious Islamic country. They can't party, date women freely, do lots of recreational activities that you can't do in the desert, mix with other famous people, have access to great sport facilities, have access to the best sport medical resources etc, have great fanbases around them, be in the spotlight of where all the fans, media and commercial opportunities are... And all that fun stuff a player in Europe gets which is part of being a footballer. You don't get this in Saudi and I don't know Saudi will ever get this.
Fans around the world also come to watch their favourite European team play to also combine it with a European holiday. I can't see fans from around the world going to Saudi for a holiday. Saudi citizens themselves have to escape to Bahrain or UAE on the weekend to have some fun.
Plus I haven't even mentioned the hot weather in Saudi and it might even get hotter.
I don't see Saudi leagues being attractive for players and fans in the long term even if they get CL spots.
In Saudi players have less things to do and more restrictions as it's a religious Islamic country. They can't party, date women freely, do lots of recreational activities that you can't do in the desert, mix with other famous people, have access to great sport facilities, have access to the best sport medical resources etc, have great fanbases around them, be in the spotlight of where all the fans, media and commercial opportunities are... And all that fun stuff a player in Europe gets which is part of being a footballer. You don't get this in Saudi and I don't know Saudi will ever get this.
Fans around the world also come to watch their favourite European team play to also combine it with a European holiday. I can't see fans from around the world going to Saudi for a holiday. Saudi citizens themselves have to escape to Bahrain or UAE on the weekend to have some fun.
Plus I haven't even mentioned the hot weather in Saudi and it might even get hotter.
So are legitimately hundreds of other players in Premier League. Dan Burn was more important last season than ASM is, and you didn't count any of their most important players in Pope, Bruno, Botman, Joelinton or Trippier.
Why? He's literally a player in a position we don't need, with a skillset that we already have in abundance in his position, with worse end product than any of players we play there and that Newcastle have already replaced.
There is much more cost involved in running a sustainable club than just transfer fees. Wages, infrastructure, stadiums also cost a lot of money which much of the £20billion will go towards.
It’s probably enough to make the league somewhat relevant but nowhere near enough to put it anywhere near Premier League. I would expect thatp
Yeah for all the talk of it "improving", will many more people watch it? Is anyone going to turn off the PL because Henderson left?
This is bollocks though particularly on ASM. I don't think anyone cared one jot he went to Saudi. And if we are saying every player that would have signed for Chelsea is a star player then bloody hell the Premier League has a shit tonne and most of them would be at Chelsea.
You're going to be wrong man. It's like you just don't get it. First, the clubs in Europe are a bigger brand. The competitions are a bigger brand. The pipeline for the next stars exist in those competitions. It doesn't exist in Saudi Arabia. You know how many players you would have to replace? You would have to buy the whole league, youth academies, and lower leagues of all those top leagues. Because that is where new stars are born.It’s about winning over the next generations of footy fan - not about winning over us.
And if it carries on, it will do just that.
Then, in 5 - 10 years, you’ll care
Follow any United youth side, and you know picking the next star is unpredictable. That's with knowing that they're in an environment of competition and coaching that allows their development to progress. They often get that development in lower leagues sometimes in dozens of European leagues, or more leagues around the world. So you can't even buy a sure fire next super star just like that.
They can't buy everyone. You buy a young player and you're dooming them to fail regardless because the standard of the league is lower over there from the non-star players. And even the star players themselves will end up deteriorating playing against lower standard players all the time. Why? Because it's obvious that the coaching is of lower standard, the speed of play is of lower standard making the first touch much easier to get away with to excel against lower caliber of players. You no longer need the sharpest mind on the pitch to excel.
What in the post you actually quoted is bollocks? Specifically.
I think you’re wrong in thinking that the Saudi League’s model will look to exactly replicate the PL - they won’t.
They’ll look to have 2 or 3 teams that are absolutely STACKED with the biggest stars in World Football and then get into - and win - the CL.
Their model will be about streaming, visibility and dominating the coming generation’s interest in football.
I’m not saying that the PL will cease to exist, as with La Liga etc. I’m saying the landscape is changing - in fact, no, I’m saying that it has already changed, dramatically, and will continue to do so.
Got to love how you’re adding in players who aren’t even signed for Saudi clubs to prove your point.
And I’m sure UEFA and the big clubs in Europe would welcome them to the CL
They’re not going to let them in and give them more credibility when it’ll hurt their earnings in the long run.
entire post mate
- United would be excited about signing Maximim.
- ASM would get the 7 shirt ahead of Mount
- United fans would be fine with the above.
- All of the same above then applied to Mahrez (I at least like Mahrez and would say he would at least start for us but doubt United fans en masse would be excited).
- If Chelsea signed Mitrovic then that in itself is a sign of a star player meaning every play Chelsea have signed is a star player.
Oh come on! If Utd had signed ASM this window Utd fans would’ve been very excited about it!
You can say whatever in hindsight but I fecking assure you that a fanbase who’s accepted last season’s Mount getting the fecking 7 shirt would’ve been more than ok with ASM coming in and getting it.
Exactly the same with Mahrez - if that happened people would be buzzing.
We’re playing Antony and Jadon Sancho ffs
You’ve convoluted the Mitro / Chelsea point and rolled it up into something that I wasn’t even saying. I’ll put it this way - Mitrovic was the star player for a team that finished ABOVE Chelsea last season. He was one of the PL’s top CF’s just last season - now he’s in the Saudi League.
Oh come on! If Utd had signed ASM this window Utd fans would’ve been very excited about it!
You can say whatever in hindsight but I fecking assure you that a fanbase who’s accepted last season’s Mount getting the fecking 7 shirt would’ve been more than ok with ASM coming in and getting it.
Exactly the same with Mahrez - if that happened people would be buzzing.
We’re playing Antony and Jadon Sancho ffs
You’ve convoluted the Mitro / Chelsea point and rolled it up into something that I wasn’t even saying. I’ll put it this way - Mitrovic was the star player for a team that finished ABOVE Chelsea last season. He was one of the PL’s top CF’s just last season - now he’s in the Saudi League.
Like I said all bollocks. Others have already pointed out that they wouldn’t be excited by ASM mostly because he plays in a position we have players in such as Rashford and Garnacho. Newcastle have just replaced him with Gordon who I wouldn’t count as a star player but I guess he would make your list if we go by Saudi definitions.
We also have the most divided fan group around and you’re saying that everyone would be onboard with a player Newcastle were content to let go and a player who is in his mid 30s in Mahrez and I agree at least he is a star player but one of the few the Saudi league has.
As good as Mitrovic did, I think people would still be surprised if Chelsea signed him. If he is counted as a star player then yeah I guess there’s slim pickings in the Saudi League.
Most of the "stars" that they purchased won't be fit to play international football within 2 years, then they have to spend 2 billion + all over again.
The landscape did change, it allowed european clubs to unload a lot of players on huge wages they didn't want anymore. That's pretty much it. They did buy a couple of good talents but these players need competent staffs and competition to grow, and it's unlikely they'll have it in SA.
And both would be much bigger "stars" than ASM obviously. I get that caf has its oddities, but using them as examples of small name players is just weird.We’re playing Antony and Jadon Sancho ffs
He would probably be one of the more reasonable Chelsea signings since the takeover, but that says much more about Boehly than about Mitrovic.
I don't care what the Saudis are doing in Saudi Arabia. That's the Asian federation issue to deal with.
I still don't understand how Newcastle and City could be onwed by a state without breaking all the rules about state subsidiaries in Europe.
I still don't understand how Newcastle and City could be onwed by a state without breaking all the rules about state subsidiaries in Europe.
Very much disagree.
They’re both duds. ASM is patchy but electric. He’d walk into this Utd team when fit and is a level above both of them two.
Stop saying this, it's not true.
Are you serious? Sancho and Antony are both higher profile players, with better careers, internationals for their respective countries. ASM was an expendable player for Newcastle. As if you don't know the caf, if you signed him the whining about buying an average player would be unbearable.
I don't really care what they do, it's the league that makes the stars, not the other way around.
Would rather watch a Championship game than a few "stars" trotting around in 40 degree heat playing in a league that means nothing to me, or them.
Would rather watch a Championship game than a few "stars" trotting around in 40 degree heat playing in a league that means nothing to me, or them.
The Saudi league is shite.
But also is the PL at this moment.
When a team is so dominant all you have to offer is money and a shite carabao cup. (Unless you buy all that top 4 trophy crap)
Well Saudi offers more money and more shite cups.
But also is the PL at this moment.
When a team is so dominant all you have to offer is money and a shite carabao cup. (Unless you buy all that top 4 trophy crap)
Well Saudi offers more money and more shite cups.
You think the PL means much to its South American / African contingent?
We’ll see.And I’m sure UEFA and the big clubs in Europe would welcome them to the CL
They’re not going to let them in and give them more credibility when it’ll hurt their earnings in the long run.
How can they let them anywhere near the CL whilst still imposing FFP?
If the Cafe had a Saudi Mega thread I wouldn't even bother going in it...realistically does anyone care about the Saudi League table, the average fan couldn't even name 3 teams in the league (I couldn't name 1)
How long can Ronaldo keep playing for? Its just a bit of very expensive social media.
Even if they pay there way into the CL it still won't mean much or generate any more interest for me than say Spartak Moscow playing the CL...no offense to Spartak Moscow fans.
I never watched an aging Ronaldo in Italy and never watched Neymar in France...so I couldn't give 2 fecks what they are now up to in the middle east.
How long can Ronaldo keep playing for? Its just a bit of very expensive social media.
Even if they pay there way into the CL it still won't mean much or generate any more interest for me than say Spartak Moscow playing the CL...no offense to Spartak Moscow fans.
I never watched an aging Ronaldo in Italy and never watched Neymar in France...so I couldn't give 2 fecks what they are now up to in the middle east.
As I said, we’ll see.
They are buying the biggest names in World football. The ages of their best players are getting younger. And they are already announcing that they want in the CL. They will get it. They will do whatever necessary to get in.
City haven’t been stopped or even halted by FFP - why should anyone else be?
People need to realise that UEFA want the biggest names in the CL and also that money talks.
Within 2 years they’ll be in the CL and will likely have the best players on Earth still in their prime.
It’s a Brave New (football) World.
Possibly, I think Jackson will be a great signing for them though.
I think it's a stretch linking the accused cheating of City with the growth of the Saudi league.
But the takeover of City has changed the game, and not for the better. The likes of Neville have argued for years that there's no issue with owners coming in and spending what they can, but changed his tune with the spending of the Saudi's during the summer.
City, PSG, Chelsea etc have let the cat out of the bag, and there's no going back now.
But the takeover of City has changed the game, and not for the better. The likes of Neville have argued for years that there's no issue with owners coming in and spending what they can, but changed his tune with the spending of the Saudi's during the summer.
City, PSG, Chelsea etc have let the cat out of the bag, and there's no going back now.
Maybe European football should have a look at itself and fix itself. Maybe this is the wake up call that's needed.
I don't support a super league but for how long are the top Euro leagues going to keep carrying on like this. Ligue 1 one horse race? Bundesliga one horse race? La liga 2.5 horse race? EPL danger of becoming one horse race? Seria A thankfully has had some competitiveness but not long ago Juve winning 9 seasons in a row?
Such a bore. That's why I'm not as bothered as the Saudi interference as others. Football was already turning shit. I don't get clubs like PSG and Bayern. The league doesn't mean much to them anymore and their entire 10 month season is dependant on whether they win a max 13 game knockout competition?
I don't support a super league but for how long are the top Euro leagues going to keep carrying on like this. Ligue 1 one horse race? Bundesliga one horse race? La liga 2.5 horse race? EPL danger of becoming one horse race? Seria A thankfully has had some competitiveness but not long ago Juve winning 9 seasons in a row?
Such a bore. That's why I'm not as bothered as the Saudi interference as others. Football was already turning shit. I don't get clubs like PSG and Bayern. The league doesn't mean much to them anymore and their entire 10 month season is dependant on whether they win a max 13 game knockout competition?
Why would anyone get excited about signing Saint Maximan? , he's an atrocious footballer. Genuinely think he has his feet on backwards, never seen a man as squinty as him when it comes to having to pass, shoot and cross.
Absolute bs.