Financial Fair Play / Profit & Sustainability

[The Prophet]

Originally there was an ability to veto EFL decisions.

 

There's also suggestions of clubs being to stockpile talent in B teams, but they key part is...

 

"Only 9 clubs needed to vote on key matters involving the game, and a 2/3 majority…ie six clubs effectively control football."

 

 

Edited August 14, 2025 by The Prophet

[FloydianMag]

2 minutes ago, The Prophet said:

There's also suggestions of clubs being to stockpile talent in B teams, but they key part is...

 

"Only 9 clubs needed to vote on key matters involving the game, and a 2/3 majority…ie six clubs effectively control football."

Surely the new Independent Regulator could veto all this shite driven by yank owners?

[Craig]

All a slippery slope and everyone knows what the end goal is. Less teams, less games, suddenly it's pretty much the six left only playing games against teams they can market as big events to mostly tourists or plastic fans.

 

All while killing big teams that weren't at the top as global viewing increased. Rivalries will die, muti-generational fans will disappear.

 

If the number of teams reduced before last season, we might never have seen a derby again.

 

And if you only watch your team play Chelsea, Man City etc. and not against the teams the media tell you are less important, in my eyes you aren't a fan.

 

 

[Dokko]

Just now, Craig said:

All a slippery slope and everyone knows what the end goal is. Less teams, less games, suddenly it's pretty much the six left only playing games against teams they can market as big events to mostly tourists or plastic fans.

 

All while killing big teams that weren't at the top as global viewing increased. Rivalries will die, muti-generational fans will disappear.

 

If the number of teams reduced before last season, we might never have seen a derby again.

 

And if you only watch your team play Chelsea, Man City etc. and not against the teams the media tell you are less important, in my eyes you aren't a fan.

 

 

 

I really hope so. That is certainly something I could finally walk away from and retire from being a football fan. 

 

Fingers crossed it happens soon. 

[RUHRLYASLEEVESUP]

1 minute ago, Craig said:

All a slippery slope and everyone knows what the end goal is. Less teams, less games, suddenly it's pretty much the six left only playing games against teams they can market as big events to mostly tourists or plastic fans.

 

All while killing big teams that weren't at the top as global viewing increased. Rivalries will die, muti-generational fans will disappear.

 

If the number of teams reduced before last season, we might never have seen a derby again.

 

And if you only watch your team play Chelsea, Man City etc. and not against the teams the media tell you are less important, in my eyes you aren't a fan.

 

 

Our nemesis Richard Masters was pontificating on this very subject last night, he worried about the number of games premier league players play

Sure its just a coincidence 

[The College Dropout]

1 minute ago, Craig said:

All a slippery slope and everyone knows what the end goal is. Less teams, less games, suddenly it's pretty much the six left only playing games against teams they can market as big events to mostly tourists or plastic fans.

 

All while killing big teams that weren't at the top as global viewing increased. Rivalries will die, muti-generational fans will disappear.

 

If the number of teams reduced before last season, we might never have seen a derby again.

 

And if you only watch your team play Chelsea, Man City etc. and not against the teams the media tell you are less important, in my eyes you aren't a fan.

 

 

Even more ESL games too.

 

I keep saying it - this new CL format + 38 league games is a killer and it's increasing the wage bills of the best clubs that need to compete in both every year.

 

I've called Chelsea a super team, I think Arsenal are a Eze away from a super team too. At least in terms of depth.

[madras]

1 hour ago, RUHRLYASLEEVESUP said:

Our nemesis Richard Masters was pontificating on this very subject last night, he worried about the number of games premier league players play

Sure its just a coincidence 

He used the word integrity. I frightened the dog with my reaction.

[madras]

1 hour ago, FloydianMag said:

Surely the new Independent Regulator could veto all this shite driven by yank owners?

Could.......but won't.

[TBG]

Guinness partnership officially announced. 

 

Would've preferred a partnership with Madri but who am I to source and negotiate multi million deals 

[Wolfcastle]

They reduced the Premier League from 22 to 20 in 1995. Yet clubs (their clubs) have ended up playing more games, despite cup replays being abolished.  Which is exactly what will happen again. 

Reduce the c*nt to six teams and let the rest of us get on with football.

[Stifler]

5 hours ago, The Prophet said:

Originally there was an ability to veto EFL decisions.

 

There's also suggestions of clubs being to stockpile talent in B teams, but they key part is...

 

"Only 9 clubs needed to vote on key matters involving the game, and a 2/3 majority…ie six clubs effectively control football.”

It was to take control of every aspect of football, including approving takeovers of clubs. The plan was announced right in that 17 month spell where our takeover was on the table but not being approved or rejected.

 

People keep talking about the ESL, this would have been a bigger killer blow to football.

[madras]

23 minutes ago, Wolfcastle said:

They reduced the Premier League from 22 to 20 in 1995. Yet clubs (their clubs) have ended up playing more games, despite cup replays being abolished.  Which is exactly what will happen again. 

Reduce the c*nt to six teams and let the rest of us get on with football.

Ive thought if a great way to reduce the amount of games....

 

Uefa has 55 member nations, the champions league has a round or two of qualifiers then a round of 32, then 16 etc, home and away KO, so exciting, so the bigger teams are saved from extra games, they could win the  champions league by only playing 10 games. What a saving for the clubs and fans !

 

Could call it The European Cup.

 

 

Edited August 14, 2025 by madras

[Stal]

5 hours ago, Shak said:

On the face of it, reducing the number of teams in the league and having fewer fixtures is something I would be OK with.

 

You just know though that it would come alongside some other bullshit that would mean there wouldn't actually be fewer games, we’d have a few rounds of games at neutral venues overseas and the European competitions would be expanded to have more games.

 

Wouldn't that have a knock on effect on the lower leagues that would make those teams play even more fixtures?

[NG32]

Reducing domestic games so they can gradually create a European Super League.

 

They cant complain about the players playing too many games when they keep increasing the size of the champions league and other European competitions and then creating whole new club world cup. 

 

The domestic league have been pretty steady since the 90s and everyone knows how many games they have. 

 

 

[madras]

18 minutes ago, Stal said:

 

Wouldn't that have a knock on effect on the lower leagues that would make those teams play even more fixtures?

Cartel says "so fuck.....where's our money !"

[Wolfcastle]

2 hours ago, madras said:

Ive thought if a great way to reduce the amount of games....

 

Uefa has 55 member nations, the champions league has a round or two of qualifiers then a round of 32, then 16 etc, home and away KO, so exciting, so the bigger teams are saved from extra games, they could win the  champions league by only playing 10 games. What a saving for the clubs and fans !

 

Could call it The European Cup.

 

 

 

The whole reason they changed it was to have more dreaded games (well, more money) and to avoid their favourite clubs being knocked out early and denied the ability to play more dreaded games.

 

[madras]

55 minutes ago, Wolfcastle said:

The whole reason they changed it was to have more dreaded games (well, more money) and to avoid their favourite clubs being knocked out early and denied the ability to play more dreaded games.

 

Was it ? Really ? Colour me shocked !

[GeordieDazzler]

Ryder saying we’ve had meetings with three training kit sponsors 

[Drewboy74]

On 14/08/2025 at 09:03, Shak said:

On the face of it, reducing the number of teams in the league and having fewer fixtures is something I would be OK with.

 

You just know though that it would come alongside some other bullshit that would mean there wouldn't actually be fewer games, we’d have a few rounds of games at neutral venues overseas and the European competitions would be expanded to have more games.

Surely being football fans we want to see more football? I know I do.

[PauloGeordio]

12 minutes ago, GeordieDazzler said:

Ryder saying we’ve had meetings with three training kit sponsors 

Rydog exclusive! 

[nufc4eva]

4 minutes ago, PauloGeordio said:

Rydog exclusive! 

Prefer the term Rytard

[TheBrownBottle]

On 14/08/2025 at 18:21, Craig said:

All a slippery slope and everyone knows what the end goal is. Less teams, less games, suddenly it's pretty much the six left only playing games against teams they can market as big events to mostly tourists or plastic fans.

 

All while killing big teams that weren't at the top as global viewing increased. Rivalries will die, muti-generational fans will disappear.

 

If the number of teams reduced before last season, we might never have seen a derby again.

 

And if you only watch your team play Chelsea, Man City etc. and not against the teams the media tell you are less important, in my eyes you aren't a fan.

 

 

The justification the FA gave for backing the PL breakaway* was a reduced number of clubs in the top flight to help the national team, per their ‘Blueprint for Football’, and the intent was to reduce the PL to 18 teams in line with Europe’s then top league, Serie A^.  I still think that there are too many top flight clubs and too many games - greed is the reason for a 20-club top division, not better competition. 
 

* and of course nowt to do with undermining their century-plus rivals The Football League

^ Serie A eventually ended up matching the PL’s 20 clubs

[TheBrownBottle]

9 hours ago, Drewboy74 said:

Surely being football fans we want to see more football? I know I do.

I don’t, there’s more than enough games, the quality suffers and the cups have been undermined by too demanding a fixture list.  I’d rather reduce the numbers of teams and reintroduce FA Cup replays. 

[Drewboy74]

6 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I don’t, there’s more than enough games, the quality suffers and the cups have been undermined by too demanding a fixture list.  I’d rather reduce the numbers of teams and reintroduce FA Cup replays. 

Fair do's. The FA Cup replays should definitely be reintroduced. Personally, I wouldn't mind if international football was reduced in some way, friendlies in the main. I know it would never happen, but watching England/whoever play a meaningless friendly at the expense of watching Newcastle or the Premier League in general, annoys the hell out of me.

[Optimistic Nut]

Posted it in the match thread, but two teams who finished top 6, who have the finances available to push on if they could and try and upset the top 4, have 2 new starters between them. One due to a suspension. PSR working exactly as intended.