Welcome to this week’s Talking the Blues Podcast with Andy and George Costigan. No Everton on the pitch this week, but plenty to consider off it. We look at the regulatory position with the Premier League, the new independent regulator, catch up on 777 Partners, and a little manifesto of ideas to improve the regulation of the game.
As ever thanks for listening – or reading, the transcript is available here
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Thank you gentlemen for another hour of solid common sense. Paul, I know you are busy but it seems to me your proposals for the restructuring of the Premier League should be essential reading and forwarded to any MP who could influence the debate in parliament .
As for the 777 situation described, that’s due to the members giving no consideration to the possibilty that such situations may arise and therefore not setting up the necessary membership conditions.
I’m always checking for the next podcast/report and look forward to the next one.
Thank you all.
Thank you Spencer. My ideas are very basic and I haven’t spent any time working through them but just seemed to make sense initially
The delay in assistant officials raising the flag has been irritating me for some time now. I get not making the decision too early to let the game flow, but if it’s obvious give it. I still have issues with the offside rule as it stands. Some blame VAR for giving it because someone’s right toe was over the lines, but for me it’s the rule not the technology.
Another irritation for me with the assistant officials is when they look too the Ref at throw ins. They wait for the Refs carefully hidden discrete pointed hand and then raise their flag in his favour. They are closest to it so what’s the point in them if they are looking to the ref for a decision who is often still playing catch up and yards away?
Everton spent recklessly, but the investment in the stadium is significant. As opposed to Forest, who went to the toy shop and bought whatever they could get their hands on.
I suspect all have been at it. Leicester. Chelsea. City. There will no doubt be more. I have my eye on Villa. Even though they profited from the sale of Grealish they have spent a lot. We have made about the same. From the sale of players and reduction in wage bills from what I have seen. Newcastle with a loss of nearly £75M. It is all inconsistent and incoherent.
The Government bill is welcome and needed to regulate football and not let the Premier League self-regulate. It won’t happen in the short-term but long-term it is necessary. The governance of the Premier League needs updating, an overhaul and make them be held accountable rather than a self-appreciation society.
Something needs to change. Wipe the slate clean and start again. In the interim of a truly independent regulator, clearly define the so-called rules and consequences of breaking them rather than making it up on the fly.
I’ll stay away from the Triple 7 thing. I have no idea which way that will go.
Thank you a great listen to hear your views on the state of the EPL. Totally agree but the issues you raise are not just an English problem or just football. You only have to look at other leagues – Scotland, France, Spain, Holland, Germany (ok slightly different this year) to see that they are dominated by at most a couple of clubs. It the same in most sports. F1 being a prime example – when was the last time a car outside of Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari won a grand prix….I don’t know the answer but if its happened in the last 10 years its probably once or twice. I did take a passing interest in the Rugby World cup last year but again its the same situation there are only really 4 possibly 5 countries who could seriously win the thing the rest are just making up the numbers.
The only other sport I can think of at the moment which is competitive and where we could learn some lessons for football is Rugby League. The top 3 last year in the Super League lost 7 games each (thats 25% of the games they played which would equate to 9/10 lost games in the EPL!!!), the team finishing fourth lost 40% of their games which suggests to me a competitive league. I am not entirely certain what rules they have in Rugby League but I think its a pretty stringent and fixed salary cap.
Then there is US sports where the winning sides in basketball, ice hockey, NFL and baseball seem to be largely different every season. I guess that is down to the draft system, which to be honest I don’t know enough about but I suspect is heavily linked to their collegiate system. While the lack of Jeopardy (through relegation) probably makes owners and teams more willing to accept a system that creates a more level playing field in US sports
I don’t know what the answer is but at the end of the day sport reflects society. The rich have the power and they use that power to ensure they stay at the top.