As a non football person with an interest in the EPL … what would make you become a regular A-League watcher … given you have a passing interest in football via the EPL and I assume by and large understand football laws (rules).

Steve just as an aside in 2005 for the first time earned more media revenue from overseas than in their domestic market.

Some interesting repsonses and I’ll actually respond in more detail to them through some further pieces in coming weeks.

However, The Bear, I hope you had the chance to return fire to Con and ask him whether some of his business practices had aided in the club’s demise? Heard anything? I do know there was a strong question over whether the player’s superannuation had been paid during their championship year for one.

Enjoy your footy.

As a neutral (I follow QLd Roar), this was a vicarious bon-bon to sweet to describe. Then we now hear Joel Griffiths, practically a cannonised saint amongst Newcastle, is making noises of hitting the ejector seat button, for a Chinese super league club. He may still be playing ACL next year, but in a different coloured jersey.

btw off season news of Clive Palmer’s Gold Coast United “megaclub” launch gave many people some extra spice for their HAL expansion day dreams. Fly me to the moon…

Yes I know Blackburn did in a sense effectively buy there way to a title. But I suppose that players in that team like Sherwood, Hendry and co. were club players in a sense. Shearer and Sutton were more the stars. Still it gave a chance to other clubs like Villa, Blackburn, Norwich etc to sneak a title. This is what I loved.

I was a Man Utd fan for a long time (a little more neutral now). I used to love watching Hughes, Cantona, Giggs, Sharpe and co. do there thing at Old Trafford. It was pure theatre and Cantona for a long time was the conductor. Now you have Ronaldo who on his day can rip a team apart. It is just a little more corporate these days and I hope that these people buying these clubs have football in their hearts.

By the way I still am a fan of the three foreigner rule. Maybe a little old fashioned..

Thanks for that…the Kettering v Fulham game is on Setanta Sports here in Oz although not sure if live or delayed.

Dave, as a fan of a lower league English club, I don’t think the money particularly flows down the leagues, as exemplified by teams such as Leeds, Luton, Rotherham and Bournemouth, who have suffered administration in the last couple of years. Although the TV deal with Sky involves the football league, it isn’t enough to keep certain teams on a firm footing.

I think you’re right about the non-league, but one thing that has particularly irked me recently is the fact that the Kettering-Fulham FA cup game hasn’t been televised, which I would find as a much more interesting game than the Derby-Nottingham Forrest game, which was in truth, a pretty awful game.

ITV, who are televising the Harlepool-West Ham game stated that they are commited to supporting lower league clubs. To me, the very fact that they came out with such a statement, shows that they aren’t commited to lower league clubs. This was also shown in the last round, when the Macclesfield-Everton game wasn’t shown in the UK, which would have meant £160,000 television money for Macclesfield

I wouldn’t classify myself as a kill joy, but as an Arsenal fan the only bright spot that can come from this season is a qualifying spot for next year’s Champions League.

Sam,

The old third division is now known as Coca Cola League 1, I don’t know if that’s better or worse than the ‘First Division’. I think the ‘League’ title is used to distinguish the lower tiers from the Premiership and Championship.

The pyramid structure of football in the UK (from what l can gleem) is in a very healthy state as some money does flow down from the top leagues…also the English FA is putting tens of millions of pounds to grass roots programs…again money gleamed from the top. The non league component, just below the old 4th div, is now televised by Setanta with weekly highlights and live games. The base just appears to be getting broader and stronger.
BTW l am a foundation member of MV and have missed 2 games in 4 years and was there last night with 29,000 others to cheer them to victory (and hopefully the championship).

A lot of people also complain about the amount of money in English football, but unlike in other countries, the TV money is done as a collective rather than individually, where the likes of Barca and Real are obviously going to make more money from TV revenue than the likes of Numacia and even Villarael, as despite doing so well the last couple of years, still arean’t seen as a fashionable club.

I agree that the EPL is a league which has advertised the game to the rest of the world, and in a sense has both helped and hindered the a-league. But think of it this way the EPL is your big rock act (say U2) who everyone wants to see and will pay big money to see. Your Australian, Japanese, Dutch etc leagues are your smaller acts.

It is a bit like everyone is saying well I only want to see U2 as they are the best. They will pay $200 to go to a U2 concert, but won’t pay $10 to see the local act. Do these people really support the industry or the idea that ‘something is the best’.

In my idea there are too many commercial interests in sport and when this happens the grassroots suffers. Everyone is only concerned with financial interests, not the health of the industry. I just think this scenario is being created to an extent at the moment with the ‘big four’. I agree people should watch more a-league as it will be a league which defines football in this nation.

As much as people harp on about the Italians and their negative tactics, I still prefer the Serie A over EPL as a footbal purist. I’ve always liked the EPL for the passion of the fans and the bold adveturous attacking style of play. I also enjoyed the FA Cup rounds where say a team like Norwich City would beat Man Utd.

I hope we can get back to more of this as it seems the Man Utd second team is unbeatable now.

Note: It also bugs me how now the English Third Division has become the First division??