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The Rolling Football Thread: Season 2025/26 - thread 2

999 replies

DuncinToffee · 17/10/2025 18:12

Previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/sports/5383976-the-rolling-football-thread-season-202526?page=40&reply=147893728

OP posts:
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32
Cuwins · 19/10/2025 21:41

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 19/10/2025 21:37

But it will get a lot worse for the PL if we are left behind and for English football.

Honestly I don’t think we are ever going to agree on this as I don't see reducing the money involved in English football as inherently a bad thing. Yes there would of course be downsides but I don’t see it as a disastrous thing like you do. Maybe some of that comes from having watched my club play lower league football where the feeling is very different.

Cuwins · 19/10/2025 21:46

Obviously I do recognise clubs need to make money they are businesses but I don’t see it as a complete disaster if the number 1 players in the world aren’t all playing here (or wanting to play here) resulting in reduced sponsorship and tv money. Actually reduced tv money maybe would mean less sky controlling the schedules!

Tiswa · 19/10/2025 21:53

@JasonTindallsTan have you had a chance to look at the impact of the new Act because wonder if that does - I know it is suppose to even out the playing field across all levels of football

Tiswa · 19/10/2025 21:53

@JasonTindallsTan have you had a chance to look at the impact of the new Act because wonder if that does - I know it is suppose to even out the playing field across all levels of football

JasonTindallsTan · 19/10/2025 22:41

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 19/10/2025 21:34

But the money is running out in the PL. Broadcasting rights have reached a peak and are now going down.

Realistically most of the best players are always going to stay in the premier league because there just isn’t enough decent Spanish or German or French clubs to take all the good ones to play at the level they want to.

JasonTindallsTan · 19/10/2025 22:42

Tiswa · 19/10/2025 21:53

@JasonTindallsTan have you had a chance to look at the impact of the new Act because wonder if that does - I know it is suppose to even out the playing field across all levels of football

No not yet, I need the opportunity yto sit and look through it all.

Tiswa · 19/10/2025 23:20

JasonTindallsTan · 19/10/2025 22:42

No not yet, I need the opportunity yto sit and look through it all.

Same and I have had a Hague Convention book come in as an emergency so can’t. Hopefully can soon as would be good to get a vague understanding

Brefugee · 20/10/2025 09:25

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 19/10/2025 21:32

Well, I think some money trickles down from the PL to lower leagues.

Also, it is more that if the don't do it then it will be bad for English football because the PL clubs won't have the money to invest in their academies if people around the world stop watching the PL because all the best players are now in La Liga.

you "think"? how much? when you see the awful situation some of the lower level clubs are - why do you think that is? It is partly the awful ownership model in English football, and partly because - even within the PL - the top 6 suck up all the TV money etc etc.

And i know people outside Germany bang on about the Bundesliga being a "farmers' league" but I'd rather have that, and our model of ownership, than anything in the English or French league. Added to which our cheapest (standing tickets - and plenty of them) are EUR 17, and my regularly priced home-end seated ticket would be EUR 28, i am very happy how it is run for the most part. Monday matches? knocked on the head by the fans. Allowing TV to detarmine the schedule? knocked on the head by the fans. Selling the rights to the league? knocked on the head by the fans.

I can only imagine what would happen if they announced that the Bayern-Dortmund match were to be played anywhere outside of Dortmund or Münich.

Brefugee · 20/10/2025 09:32

JasonTindallsTan · 19/10/2025 22:41

Realistically most of the best players are always going to stay in the premier league because there just isn’t enough decent Spanish or German or French clubs to take all the good ones to play at the level they want to.

if they offered more money, the players would be there like a shot.

What i see has happened with the money in the PL is that the fans have been priced out of their regular seats (see the kerfuffle over the season ticket holders at Man Utd) and the connection to the local area is being lost, if it hasn't already gone.

Having an academy is good, Most Bundesliga clubs have one. At Gladbach (i can't speak for the others because i literally don't care about them) it is a VERY special day for the club, player, fans, when one of our academy players makes it to the team. We currently have 3 ex-academy players in the team, and that is pretty normal. Other products of our academy are doing well too. Ter Stegen at Barca is a good example. And the players that don't get into our team? poached away by Dortmund and Bayern if good, or go to other teams if not to their standard. In fact teams like Gladbach, and a lot of the 2nd Bundesliga teams, have as part of their business model, bringing on good young players then selling them on. Also a lot of players who get to their last couple of years often return to their home club and take on a role there when their playing days have ended.

I don't see so much of that in the PL. But that is what i want in my team, a connection to the area/community is really important.

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 20/10/2025 10:30

Tiswa · 19/10/2025 21:40

@MustTryHarderAndHarder I just don’t think actually having a game in the US will help though.

NFL is actually a far more fascinating game than I thought and bringing it over here does open up the market - there are rumours that a London franchise based at Spurs may be an option (or moving one as you can in the NFL!) and there is a lot of scope to open the market

NBA I think to a lesser extent

Soccer though is pretty much everywhere having a game in the US is t going to bring more fans in MLS has been going awhile there is no more room

Plus given how badly the la liga move is going it will be interesting to see if they do it again and the impact it has

Well, I hope that the La Liga move does fail and then the PL won't have to do it.

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 20/10/2025 10:35

Cuwins · 19/10/2025 21:38

A small amount does trickle down yes (despite the top clubs best efforts!). However I don’t believe lower league clubs would agree that PL academies are a good thing for them- if the academies weren’t there where would those players be? Yes they get to loan the players but if the academies didn’t exist then many more players would be playing in lower leagues and clubs would be able to sell them up the leagues. I might be wrong but that’s my thought process.

Yes, you are correct about the academies and the lower clubs, but I was thinking more of the competing in the World Cup and Euros. It's the academies which create the world class players. If we didn't have the academies then we would not be able to compete with other countries.

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 20/10/2025 10:39

JasonTindallsTan · 19/10/2025 22:41

Realistically most of the best players are always going to stay in the premier league because there just isn’t enough decent Spanish or German or French clubs to take all the good ones to play at the level they want to.

It is because of the dominance of the PL that the other countries wanted to create the Super League.

The best players will only stay in the PL if we have the money to offer the top salaries.

I hope that La Liga playing in US does not work out, but if it does then we need to be open to it too.

Cuwins · 20/10/2025 10:58

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 20/10/2025 10:35

Yes, you are correct about the academies and the lower clubs, but I was thinking more of the competing in the World Cup and Euros. It's the academies which create the world class players. If we didn't have the academies then we would not be able to compete with other countries.

Another way we are coming at this from different angles- the national team has never really been a source of interest for me.

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 20/10/2025 12:19

Cuwins · 20/10/2025 10:58

Another way we are coming at this from different angles- the national team has never really been a source of interest for me.

Fair enough..

I'm equally interested in both.

Tiswa · 20/10/2025 13:25

How much money do you think there is in this. Yes La Liga is doing it I think in part to try and stop the premier league winning out in the US market (and I assume to try and get Serie A in Australia) but I am not really sure what actual benefits there are.

How much further can football go in the US market - I mean LeBron James has owned part of Liverpool for years and Messi (and now Son) are doing a great job of promoting the MLS. premier league matches. I just cannot see the positives outweigh the negatives.

as I said not like the NFL (which I am really starting to get Giants/Broncos was amazing!)

But aren’t academy players hampered by bringing in players from other leagues Arsenal is doing great at producing talent but the others are massively buying it in!

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 20/10/2025 15:21

Tiswa · 20/10/2025 13:25

How much money do you think there is in this. Yes La Liga is doing it I think in part to try and stop the premier league winning out in the US market (and I assume to try and get Serie A in Australia) but I am not really sure what actual benefits there are.

How much further can football go in the US market - I mean LeBron James has owned part of Liverpool for years and Messi (and now Son) are doing a great job of promoting the MLS. premier league matches. I just cannot see the positives outweigh the negatives.

as I said not like the NFL (which I am really starting to get Giants/Broncos was amazing!)

But aren’t academy players hampered by bringing in players from other leagues Arsenal is doing great at producing talent but the others are massively buying it in!

I have not idea how much money there is but I assume that La Liga have done their sums but perhaps they are just desperate to ensure that the PL doesn't dominate the US market as you say.

All the big teams in the PL have produced amazing academy players recently, I certainly wouldn't say that Arsenal stands out at all. I don't think that there were any Arsenal players at all in the last two U21 Euros wins,

DuncinToffee · 20/10/2025 16:35

Potter appointed as Sweden manager, Forest closing in on Dyche and Rangers on Rohl according to various press reports.

Bad news for us as Branthwaite has to undergo surgery and will be out for a longer stretch.

OP posts:
Brefugee · 20/10/2025 17:22

aw i was still holding out hope that Gladbach would get Röhl. (he probably thought "nah, not going for Bref's other useless team")

Tiswa · 20/10/2025 17:23

It is around 5/6 million euros per team. So not that much in the grand scheme of things but yes I think it is La Liga way of trying to get in the Premier League who are definitley bigger over there

DuncinToffee · 20/10/2025 17:26

Brefugee · 20/10/2025 17:22

aw i was still holding out hope that Gladbach would get Röhl. (he probably thought "nah, not going for Bref's other useless team")

He has been confirmed now as Rangers manager, you never know he might not last long Grin

OP posts:
Brefugee · 20/10/2025 18:39

pah!

Tarkan · 20/10/2025 22:02

Well that was shite.

MustTryHarderAndHarder · 21/10/2025 11:01

Tarkan · 20/10/2025 22:02

Well that was shite.

Yes, not good,

MrsMitford3 · 21/10/2025 21:51

What a night for Arsenal.

Big Gabi, Martinelli and two for Gyokeres. Brilliant run from MLS for the goal.

Rice and Saka immense and our back wall held firm.

Wish Saka would have come off as he has played a lot
and an absolute delight to see Ben White back.

TheNewGaard · 21/10/2025 21:54

I'm happy with that!