If it isn't the Champions League, it isn't a cup worth playing in
This past week has seen the focus move away from the league and onto the domestic cup competitions. The 'magical' FA Cup was followed by the (insert sponsor) League Cup. The FA Cup is regarded as the best domestic cup competition in world football. The cup competitions are supposed to instil fascination and splendour with the fans, players and clubs. And yet you wouldn't think so if you watched how certain sides approached their games this past week. Perhaps this is just short-termism exagerration but it was arguably the greatest insult to the competition since Manchester United opted out in favour of the Club World Championship in 2000. As this article will discuss, cup competitions mean very little in a world where money is all that matters.
Perhaps it is interesting to start with that 2000 FA Cup withdrawal. United were made to look like they had disrespected the santicty of the competition yet Ferguson states that it was from heavy influence by the FA and government in order to help England secure the 2006 World Cup. As he says, "Perhaps we should not have been too surprised to find that the men from the FA
and Government who orchestrated that pressure somehow faded into the background,
and behaved like mere bystanders once the media fastened on to the issue and it
became clear that the absence of the trophy holders from the oldest knockout
competition in football was being treated as a national scandal." If true then we can see how the FA viewed the competition and what as their superior focus; and like with modern football it was about money.
When we consider the outcry of the Qatar World Cup due to the change of season the focus is not on the sanctity of the competition, or an appreciation of other continents and nations whose league season does not fit in with the European one. It is not an outcry regarding players fatigue or overuse. In fact it isn't even to do with how the league season will workout.
The major concern is that sponsors and television companies may stand to lose out with this change. The US market may be affected because they will be in the midst of their NFL season. It isn't about anything but money.
But that's why Qatar got the World Cup anyway wasn't?! Russia should be pleased about this, because their own morality and ethics would be much more criticised if Qatar had not won the bid. Both nations and their nominations point towards corruption.
Money has become the vehicle which stands as 'progress' in modern football and those men in those high seats at FIFA and UEFA take lucrative adavantage of their position. It is near criminal for us mere fans to see such blatant corruption in front of us. Football today is about money.
Money makes the world go round, supposedly
Why are there agents in the game today? Simple. Through them players make more money, the clubs and their owners make money and there's a cut for those who make deals possible. The game has become so money driven that it seemingly cannot survive without agents.
Take Jorge Mendes, the famed 'super-agent' who has just won the presitigous award of the most successful football agent ths week. One cannot doubt what he has achieved in the past decade and it is impressive to see 'his' players (and coaches) succeed at the top level of the game. Yet when you look at the deals involving clubs like Porto, Real Madrid and Monaco and you cannot help but see what modern football has become.
So where does the FA Cup come in to this? Well it's simple really, the cup competitions such as the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League mean very little to the clubs and their owners.
For the fans winning these cups represents history, yet for the owners they are merely a distraction. And for certain coaches such as Paul Lambert, Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew these cups are a hinderance to their season. It was clear that Villa, West Ham and Newcastle would lose their ties last weekend. A draw would have been even more of a burden and hindrance for these sides as it meant another game. Yet what about the fans?
Those people who spend good money, travel and give up their time to support the clubs they adore, only to see them almost throw away a game. There is no 'magic' in the cup competitions anymore for the 'second tier' of Premier League sides because there is no monetary reward, only an added burden.
Even for the lower league sides, those genuinely cash strapped and desperate they see the FA Cup in a similar way; it is not about the 'magic' of the cup but the potential paycheck being in the third and fourth round. Yes their plight is one you can have sympathy for as they are scrounging to survive but they are still driven my money. Football comes second to finances.
Yet it's those Premier League sides, those who quite literally waste millions of pounds on players who don't deserve to earn a fraction of what they get, who show a dis-respect to their fans and the club for the manner in which they approach these games. And yet if you look at it objectively they have a valid point. The wealth and riches of the Premier League is too lucrative to forsake for a cup victory.
Cup success or 'survival'
Perhaps there are those who will argue that winning a cup is greater than staying in the league. Fans will often say this and I am sure mean it. You see for them they will support their club in whatever league they are in, yes they will cry and be disappointed by relegation but the loyal ones will remain.
Relegation may even mean the ability to reduce the wage budget, get rid of those over-paid 'stars' and bleed the youngsters. For some this may be what football has lost in its quest for money. And yet this ideal is not one shared by the owners of these clubs.
Football is a business and businesses want to make money. For the clubs we have mentioned their financial windfall comes from contiuining in the Premier League. Winning the FA Cup or league cup in the scheme of business worthless. Perhaps it is the extra revenue from ticket sales for the added games which helps but even then, and this is the argument of coaches like Lambert and Allardyce, the cup competitions are only adding more pressure on their squads.
Coming off the ridiculously busy festive period, a time of increased fatigue leading to injuries and mental degredation going into the cup is not a welcome for managers who are trying to keep their squad fit and prepared for the coming relegation battle. For West Ham they have an injury plagued squad which has played in two cup games in a week. This has taken a toll on the players bodies but also minds. An 11-0 aggregate cup defeat is not good preperation for the 'big' game of the week against Cardiff in the league.
Paul Lambert was thinking ahead to the Arsenal game as he prepared the fans for defeat against Sheff Utd. Incredible really to think of the realisitc chances of success for Villa yet the league takes precedence for these managers.
Are they right? When we consider what winning the league cup did for Birmingham City, for Wigan last season in the FA Cup and Portsmouth before them. Even Newcastle, Swansea and Stoke City in the Europa League suffered and it is not hard to see a pattern of what the extra games, travel and energy required takes on the players and how this can impact on their league performance. The fans may enjoy the 'journey' but is certainly not enjoyable for the staff, players and owners. The cups add unncessary pressure because quite frankly they offer very little return.
Only one cup competition really matters
If money is all that matters then their are two competitions which matter; the Premier League and the Champions League. Europe's elite competition provides the luractive financial rewards which help keep sides like Arsenal and United competitive. Wenger has remained so long because he has brought what his owners desire; money. A domestic cup success and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be seen as failure for the board at Arsenal. Therefore although Wenger is criticised for his failure to succeed, there is no doubt he is hitting the targets expected of him.
When we consider the situation at United right now the focus is on the imapct which failing to reach the Champions League will bring. The Glazers will see and importantly feel this impact sharply in the stock market and this may force them to make a decision regarding their manager. You see although United were winning trophies what they were doing best was marketing the club globally. In recent years their sponsorship deals have been extensive and profitable. Ferguson kept the 'brand' going strong, yet Moyes is showing to be a financial risk for the club. Even a League Cup success without Champions League qualification will not appease their owners.
When Liverpool reached the final of the League Cup and FA Cup under Dalglish two seasons ago it was deemed a poor season because of their 8th place finish. The owners wanted their club to be in Europe's top competition, winning domestic trophies did not help that, in fact it may have burdened their cause. Liverpool this season are performing well in part because they are not distracted by European competition and for being knocked out the league cup early. Thus are able to focus all their efforts on the key objective; the league.
The trend and theme appears to be, if it isn't the Champions League, it isn't a cup worth playing in. And this is where we are in the modern game. Clubs, and by this I mean owners, managers and players who all want what the Premier League offers simply don't care about the cups. These games are unncessary distractions on the 'proper' games.
The problem with this mentality however is that losing games almost purposefully does not generate positivty with the fans or players. West Ham have had a disatrous week because they approached the games negatively. This approach led to negative outcomes which only increased the pressure on the manager the team. Paul Lambert is in a similar position as the fans are starting to turn on him and his style of management and playing. Losing to a League One side does not help appease the fans feelings.
Unfortunately the Premier League is where every fan, club and owner want to be and the ones at the top are desperate for the Champions League. These are the only competitions which truly matter because they provide the the financial rewards which the owners want. Therefore the managers wo want to stay in their jobs will do everything they can to 'survive'.
As the league really does become the rich and richer we are seeing 10 sides who all could be relegated. Therefore having a fit squad for 38 games could be the difference between staying up and being relegated. Extra games are therefore only going to add unncessary pressure on squads whose quality is already minimal.
The fans may not like to see the cup disrespected but the owners want only one thing, to be kicking off in the Premier League next September. We must accept that money is all that matters in today's game.
The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address
This past week has seen the focus move away from the league and onto the domestic cup competitions. The 'magical' FA Cup was followed by the (insert sponsor) League Cup. The FA Cup is regarded as the best domestic cup competition in world football. The cup competitions are supposed to instil fascination and splendour with the fans, players and clubs. And yet you wouldn't think so if you watched how certain sides approached their games this past week. Perhaps this is just short-termism exagerration but it was arguably the greatest insult to the competition since Manchester United opted out in favour of the Club World Championship in 2000. As this article will discuss, cup competitions mean very little in a world where money is all that matters.
When we consider the outcry of the Qatar World Cup due to the change of season the focus is not on the sanctity of the competition, or an appreciation of other continents and nations whose league season does not fit in with the European one. It is not an outcry regarding players fatigue or overuse. In fact it isn't even to do with how the league season will workout.
The major concern is that sponsors and television companies may stand to lose out with this change. The US market may be affected because they will be in the midst of their NFL season. It isn't about anything but money.
But that's why Qatar got the World Cup anyway wasn't?! Russia should be pleased about this, because their own morality and ethics would be much more criticised if Qatar had not won the bid. Both nations and their nominations point towards corruption.
Money has become the vehicle which stands as 'progress' in modern football and those men in those high seats at FIFA and UEFA take lucrative adavantage of their position. It is near criminal for us mere fans to see such blatant corruption in front of us. Football today is about money.
Money makes the world go round, supposedly
Why are there agents in the game today? Simple. Through them players make more money, the clubs and their owners make money and there's a cut for those who make deals possible. The game has become so money driven that it seemingly cannot survive without agents.
Take Jorge Mendes, the famed 'super-agent' who has just won the presitigous award of the most successful football agent ths week. One cannot doubt what he has achieved in the past decade and it is impressive to see 'his' players (and coaches) succeed at the top level of the game. Yet when you look at the deals involving clubs like Porto, Real Madrid and Monaco and you cannot help but see what modern football has become.
So where does the FA Cup come in to this? Well it's simple really, the cup competitions such as the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League mean very little to the clubs and their owners.
For the fans winning these cups represents history, yet for the owners they are merely a distraction. And for certain coaches such as Paul Lambert, Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew these cups are a hinderance to their season. It was clear that Villa, West Ham and Newcastle would lose their ties last weekend. A draw would have been even more of a burden and hindrance for these sides as it meant another game. Yet what about the fans?
Those people who spend good money, travel and give up their time to support the clubs they adore, only to see them almost throw away a game. There is no 'magic' in the cup competitions anymore for the 'second tier' of Premier League sides because there is no monetary reward, only an added burden.
Even for the lower league sides, those genuinely cash strapped and desperate they see the FA Cup in a similar way; it is not about the 'magic' of the cup but the potential paycheck being in the third and fourth round. Yes their plight is one you can have sympathy for as they are scrounging to survive but they are still driven my money. Football comes second to finances.
Yet it's those Premier League sides, those who quite literally waste millions of pounds on players who don't deserve to earn a fraction of what they get, who show a dis-respect to their fans and the club for the manner in which they approach these games. And yet if you look at it objectively they have a valid point. The wealth and riches of the Premier League is too lucrative to forsake for a cup victory.
Cup success or 'survival'
Perhaps there are those who will argue that winning a cup is greater than staying in the league. Fans will often say this and I am sure mean it. You see for them they will support their club in whatever league they are in, yes they will cry and be disappointed by relegation but the loyal ones will remain.
Relegation may even mean the ability to reduce the wage budget, get rid of those over-paid 'stars' and bleed the youngsters. For some this may be what football has lost in its quest for money. And yet this ideal is not one shared by the owners of these clubs.
Football is a business and businesses want to make money. For the clubs we have mentioned their financial windfall comes from contiuining in the Premier League. Winning the FA Cup or league cup in the scheme of business worthless. Perhaps it is the extra revenue from ticket sales for the added games which helps but even then, and this is the argument of coaches like Lambert and Allardyce, the cup competitions are only adding more pressure on their squads.
Coming off the ridiculously busy festive period, a time of increased fatigue leading to injuries and mental degredation going into the cup is not a welcome for managers who are trying to keep their squad fit and prepared for the coming relegation battle. For West Ham they have an injury plagued squad which has played in two cup games in a week. This has taken a toll on the players bodies but also minds. An 11-0 aggregate cup defeat is not good preperation for the 'big' game of the week against Cardiff in the league.
Paul Lambert was thinking ahead to the Arsenal game as he prepared the fans for defeat against Sheff Utd. Incredible really to think of the realisitc chances of success for Villa yet the league takes precedence for these managers.
Are they right? When we consider what winning the league cup did for Birmingham City, for Wigan last season in the FA Cup and Portsmouth before them. Even Newcastle, Swansea and Stoke City in the Europa League suffered and it is not hard to see a pattern of what the extra games, travel and energy required takes on the players and how this can impact on their league performance. The fans may enjoy the 'journey' but is certainly not enjoyable for the staff, players and owners. The cups add unncessary pressure because quite frankly they offer very little return.
Only one cup competition really matters
If money is all that matters then their are two competitions which matter; the Premier League and the Champions League. Europe's elite competition provides the luractive financial rewards which help keep sides like Arsenal and United competitive. Wenger has remained so long because he has brought what his owners desire; money. A domestic cup success and failure to qualify for the Champions League would be seen as failure for the board at Arsenal. Therefore although Wenger is criticised for his failure to succeed, there is no doubt he is hitting the targets expected of him.
When we consider the situation at United right now the focus is on the imapct which failing to reach the Champions League will bring. The Glazers will see and importantly feel this impact sharply in the stock market and this may force them to make a decision regarding their manager. You see although United were winning trophies what they were doing best was marketing the club globally. In recent years their sponsorship deals have been extensive and profitable. Ferguson kept the 'brand' going strong, yet Moyes is showing to be a financial risk for the club. Even a League Cup success without Champions League qualification will not appease their owners.
When Liverpool reached the final of the League Cup and FA Cup under Dalglish two seasons ago it was deemed a poor season because of their 8th place finish. The owners wanted their club to be in Europe's top competition, winning domestic trophies did not help that, in fact it may have burdened their cause. Liverpool this season are performing well in part because they are not distracted by European competition and for being knocked out the league cup early. Thus are able to focus all their efforts on the key objective; the league.
The trend and theme appears to be, if it isn't the Champions League, it isn't a cup worth playing in. And this is where we are in the modern game. Clubs, and by this I mean owners, managers and players who all want what the Premier League offers simply don't care about the cups. These games are unncessary distractions on the 'proper' games.
The problem with this mentality however is that losing games almost purposefully does not generate positivty with the fans or players. West Ham have had a disatrous week because they approached the games negatively. This approach led to negative outcomes which only increased the pressure on the manager the team. Paul Lambert is in a similar position as the fans are starting to turn on him and his style of management and playing. Losing to a League One side does not help appease the fans feelings.
Unfortunately the Premier League is where every fan, club and owner want to be and the ones at the top are desperate for the Champions League. These are the only competitions which truly matter because they provide the the financial rewards which the owners want. Therefore the managers wo want to stay in their jobs will do everything they can to 'survive'.
As the league really does become the rich and richer we are seeing 10 sides who all could be relegated. Therefore having a fit squad for 38 games could be the difference between staying up and being relegated. Extra games are therefore only going to add unncessary pressure on squads whose quality is already minimal.
The fans may not like to see the cup disrespected but the owners want only one thing, to be kicking off in the Premier League next September. We must accept that money is all that matters in today's game.
The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address
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