The Roar

[davebirch]

This, in my mind is an excellent article about the difference between the AFL and the Premier League.

What the Premier League and its 'soulless embrace of capitalism' can learn from Aussie rules

In this extract from his new book Now That’s What I Call Football: What the Premier League can learn from Aussie Rules Robert Moore argues whether it’s too much to ask for professional sporting institutions to make honest endeavours to meet and beat their opponents on a level playing field and...

www.theroar.com.au

 

[davebirch]

Just had a good look at their website, found it very good, and some interesting comments after the articles.

 

[Drog]

" Perhaps if newspapers printed the wage bills of teams next to their scoreline then it would help to persuade the public how polarised and patently unfair the ‘competition’ they are watching really is. Manchester United 1, Burnley 0 would become Manchester United (£352m) 1, Burnley (£87m) 0 and suddenly the league table would make a whole lot more sense. "
Good article and very thought provoking. It's along the lines of what I've been thinking for decades. I've just moved it along a bit using that example. Perhaps it would rein in stupid spending if clubs operated under a handicapping system along the lines of golf, but based on a club's wage bill. It would also level out the parachute payments in the Championship too.
If that 1-0 score quoted equated to MU only getting (for example) 2.2 points whilst Burnley earned 0.8 for their performance of competing against such disparity with it would make good sense. Man Utd might only get the full 3 points and Burnley 0 if they won by 3 clear goals for example. Pretty sure bookies could readily provide the figures and some half decent computer programmer could write the software programme at the beggining of every season.

Two consequences which tbh might be best in the long run.
1. Most of the half a million pw players would be disposed of as club's questioned the value of a Pogba for example over a Tielemans or a Ward Prowse etc.
2. The big clubs would sod off, form their own european league and leave the English game to the dedicated and infinitely preferable grass root supporters of smaller clubs.

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

I’m afraid that points distribution proposal is the daftest thing you’ve come out with on here pal! Only my opinion of course.

 

[Drog]

Just like handicaps in golf, sailing, ten pin bowling and horseracing eh? You should try a little Blue Sky thinking yourself sometime ODB.

In the meantime explain why you think that rather than just a dismissive comment. Debating issues is what message boards like this are about.

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

What giving b**ley 0.8 points for getting beat is sensible?

 

[Drog]

Losing 0-1 (for Wilshire Blue) is a bloody good result away at OT and deserves something better than zilch. It would incentivise both teams to strive and should make for better entertainment for the fans.

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

Anyway Lancashire United…..

 

[Drog]

OK then ODB I can't draw you into a sensible discussion on handicapping football clubs (in the US American football clubs are handicapped in a different way by giving first choice of newbies in inverse order to the previous years league placings). Then let's have a sensible discussion on the best way forward in the future for the disadvantaged town teams in the North West. How about chucking in with the EFL and having a league consisting solely of Blackpool, PNE, BRFC, Wigan, Burnley, Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale, Stanley, Morecambe, Fleetwood and Carlisle? Play them all 4 times. Most people enjoy a derby so why not 44 derbies per season? Might that be the way fwd to avoid the slow march to footballing oblivion? We're founder members of both the Prem and the Old Football League (along with just Villa and Everton) so a hat trick might suit us.

You do know the old saying I presume..... 'If you want something different to happen then you have to do something different'.

 

[Old Darwen Blue]

That would be interesting and appears similar to the Scottish league with us as Rangers and pke as Celtic.

 

[Barmitzvah Boy]

Losing 0-1 (for Wilshire Blue) is a bloody good result away at OT and deserves something better than zilch. It would incentivise both teams to strive and should make for better entertainment for the fans.

It sounds like Burnley would be incentivised to spend even less money to get even more points.

 

[Drog]

Hardly BB, three teams would be relegated every season as they are now.