Players & managers react to the Super League

Rightnr

Wants players fined for winning away.
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What a surprise our top players this year are the first to come out against this.

I am not one to hate on Pogba but he'll never say anything like this so soon because Mr Raiola is hoping for more money.
 

Rozay

Master of Hindsight
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Not enough is said about the anti-competition aspect of the SuperLeague and the guaranteed participation for a select group of clubs.

"Football is nothing without fans" isn't even relevant here, I tend to agree. The anti-SuperLeague messaging hasn't been as strong as it could have been.
Just makes it seem like a bit of buzzword/bandwagoning to me. Everyone is clearly under pressure to say something I guess, and Rashford in particular has a particular pressure. Even Boris Johnson today was talking about ‘if these clubs leave their communities’ - they are proposing to leave the Champions League, not their communities. As nonsense as the idea is of course. But if people are just wading in with ‘powerful’ messages and not really getting the point, just makes me sceptical.

Pep Guardiola has spoken the best about it so far. He has come out and addressed the exact problem in a matter of fact way. I’ve seen a lot of fluff pieces about how ‘I grew up watching this game’.
 

Harry190

Bobby ten Hag
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It is important though that they haven't given their support of it. Also the fact that there wasn't already agreement in place is important with regards to getting this thing stopped.
I work in that space. I've seen those non-committal releases many, many, many times. They play both sides.
 

bsCallout

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I work in that space. I've seen those non-committal releases many, many, many times. They play both sides.
Of course. My point is, they hadn't already had an agreement in place, that is great news with regards to putting a stop to it.
 

Devil may care

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Pep spoke well but I wonder if he already knew that City were pulling out.


<3
Sir Marcus of Rashford.

WOW

This was a blow as I think Perez and co were eyeing that Bezos cash for the ESL streaming rights.


That's it then, it's done. The big guns coming out against it.
Hopefully there's a brochure on the way.


He is playing it coy, I think. Big time Grimsby fan if I remember correctly - probably waiting to see if they'll get a call up.



This is at the root of it, the "big" clubs no longer having that guaranteed top 4 spot in the PL and thus the greedbag owners not getting that sweet CL money.

Luke Skywalker!
 

Renegade

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Not sure I want to hear managers and footballers coming out now after the fact. Needed to hear it last night.
 

onemanarmy

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Not sure I want to hear managers and footballers coming out now after the fact. Needed to hear it last night.
Apparently Shaw and Maguire confronted Woodward today. That's good enough for me. Most reasonable thing to do too, you don't start a fight with your employer on Twitter.
 

Tapori

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The players can go on a strike. There will be litigation and most likely it will fall flat.

I've seen a standard Premier League player contract and it stipulates that a player has a obligation to partake in any competition the club takes part in if ordered by a club official.

The contracts stipulates several points that are listed as breach of rules with list of penalties, up to and including termination of contact.

If a contract is terminated by rulebreach, the club can, and as we know with these owners, will go after the players for not the wages, but their transfer value. The players values are listed as club assets.

Chelsea did this in 2004 v Adrian Mutu after his cocaine verdict.

Players banding together vocally in an illegal protest after litigation would mean that they technically can run the risk of being in breach of contract by "putting the club in ill repute"

Now, there is literally years of litigation, arbitration and public opinion between a first complaint and a conclusion to a lawsuit, but that is the worst possible outcome.

The best outcome is that the PFA is successful in protecting the players right to not take part in a competition that will damage their domestic league, and sport in general. I'm sure that is an argument that they will make.

There have been player strikes before, and could be again. But we really need someone to be brave here.
Very interesting.
What of their collective ability to simply walk around passing it about in the ESL matches?
 

Tapori

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Apparently Shaw and Maguire confronted Woodward today. That's good enough for me. Most reasonable thing to do too, you don't start a fight with your employer on Twitter.
Now that we know Maguire's match voice sounds like an giant oaf I can imagine him screaming:
WOOODWAAAAARD
 

Tom Cato

Godt nyttår!
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Very interesting.
What of their collective ability to simply walk around passing it about in the ESL matches?
I'm not aware of anything that legitimately prohibits that.

Perhaps a section covering anything that "puts the club in ill repute". Then again they ARE fullfilling their contractual obligation of taking part in contest.

But as we've seen today, public opinion is King, and a protest like that, with the public attention as high as it is, would only be met well by the fans, leaving the owners really with no hand to play.

Owners forcing players in a hostile manner is something I can't imagine happening, since it's all about optics with clubs like this. Good luck finding a new general sponsor in a club that goes nuclear towards its own players for exercising something the public in large agree with.
 

RedPed

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I don't want to see fans coming out against it now. Jordan Henderson can stick his empty comments now that the shit's already gone down.
 

utdalltheway

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the fence sitting daglish finally comes out with something after it was announced that chelsea and man city were leaving the ESL and after woodward resignation was reported. After....
 

RedPed

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Because he wanted to here the club's thoughts on the matter first?
Ha ha yeah right. Ok. So I know how I was feeling on Sunday night and I know how I was feeling yesterday. I didn't need any additional information. Of course they're all going to start coming out now saying that they were always against it now that it's 99% certain not to go ahead.
 

RedPed

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the fence sitting daglish finally comes out with something after it was announced that chelsea and man city were leaving the ESL and after woodward resignation was reported. After....
That's what I mean...all the statements are coming out now. It's laughable.
 

MO_Football92

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Nobody else sees you as a big club anymore. Sorry to break it to you, and 4 trophies since 2005 is not regular.
:lol:

I'm sorry but that makes no sense at all. The whole world can say we're not a big club anymore that doesn't change the facts.

Also, like Guardiola and Mourinho I view the community shield as a Super Cup. Eight trophies and 13 finals in 15 years. In a period where we've built and repaid our stadium debts with our own money. Some clubs have spent millions but can't even reach a cup final in 4 seasons.

But yeah, I'm ultimately glad about all the clubs coming together to say no to this super cup. It would have been catastrophic to the footballing pyramid in this country. I don't know how but I think all clubs involved should be punished.
 

Solius

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:lol:

I'm sorry but that makes no sense at all. The whole world can say we're not a big club anymore that doesn't change the facts.

Also, like Guardiola and Mourinho I view the community shield as a Super Cup. Eight trophies and 13 finals in 15 years. In a period where we've built and repaid our stadium debts with our own money. Some clubs have spent millions but can't even reach a cup final in 4 seasons.

But yeah, I'm ultimately glad about all the clubs coming together to say no to this super cup. It would have been catastrophic to the footballing pyramid in this country. I don't know how but I think all clubs involved should be punished.
The facts are that you do not regularly win trophies and have never won a major European one.

Winning the CL is the pinnacle of the sport and you've never reached it.
 

MO_Football92

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Arsenal are a laughing stock. Every league needs it's whipping boys and that's exactly what arsenal and spurs will be in that super league.

The super league is football dictatorship and elitist mentality.

If arsenal are such a big club, they should find a fecking way back into the big boys tournament through their work on the pitch instead of trying to worm their way back inn like this.
Your laughing at Arsenal as a Luton fan who probably doesn't consider that we're the giant club in this country who've continually strived to stick with FFP rules to make it easier and fairer for the entire domestic football structure down to the lower leagues.

I agree with you though the super League business stinks of elitism and I strongly condemn it.

I completely agree the only way back for Arsenal or any club is to earn it through competing. All I was trying to say yesterday was the criteria selection for this proposed ESL is towards history and finances therefore Arsenal, from the British clubs will always be in the top three and of course be selected for such a tournament.
 

MO_Football92

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The facts are that you do not regularly win trophies and have never won a major European one.

Winning the CL is the pinnacle of the sport and you've never reached it.
We've never won the champions League but we won the Cup winners cup which was bigger than the Europa League now jn 94 and reached the final the following year. Also won the fairs cup in 79 I think and got to several finals where we lost too.

Winning CL adds immense value to a clubs pedigree I agree. But just because we've not achieved this doesn't mean we're not a massive club. But then again everyone is free to have their own interpretations I suppose.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Your laughing at Arsenal as a Luton fan who probably doesn't consider that we're the giant club in this country who've continually strived to stick with FFP rules to make it easier and fairer for the entire domestic football structure down to the lower leagues.

I agree with you though the super League business stinks of elitism and I strongly condemn it.

I completely agree the only way back for Arsenal or any club is to earn it through competing. All I was trying to say yesterday was the criteria selection for this proposed ESL is towards history and finances therefore Arsenal, from the British clubs will always be in the top three and of course be selected for such a tournament.
I'm not laughing at the size of Arsenal, I'm saying that from these elite 12 teams, Arsenal and Spurs are laughing stocks because we all know these two would get whooped in that super league. In terms of prestige etc, yes Arsenal are big club but so are Ajax, Nottingham Forrest etc.

Anyway, who cares now. It's all fallen apart thankfully.
 

saivet

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I'm not surprised they haven't said anything and I don't even expect them to say much in the future but I do wonder what Messi and Ronaldo's views are on the Super League.