I honestly believe that football has now well peaked and is rolling down the other side now. The last 2 seasons this is definitely apparent, and it will continue.
This subject wwas well debated last night at that ‘Chopper Night’ at my mate’s pub. Why a fringe player who has no hope of making the first team is paid £25k a week is beyond comprehension. Why a top player is paid £200k per week is scandalous. Even £10k a week is £500k per year, which is a healthy pay for someone who can just play a sport well. So the ridiculous levels paid have made the whole thing unsustainable. The working class teenagers and like cannot afford the £70 asked for to get into a game. Add on ravel, food and drink and it is 100-quid day out. The very kids who used to go to football on a Saturday have been priced away, with new ‘fans’ and tourists paying on a game to game basis. As expectations become so high from the fans (Chelsea is a good example) then when things don’t go so well the part time fans will fall away. If Chelsea have two or three poor seasons the place will be half empty.
Look at arse[nal]. They haven’t won anything for 7 years. They used to be up there year-in, year-out. Now the football isn’t so clever and the emirates has no atmosphere. Fans get fed up. The once full Emirates has more and more empty seats now.
The same 2 or 3 clubs winning everything each year doesn’t help the teams that win nothing. In the old days most of us expected to win nothing and just turned up every week to see the team etc. Now the working man can’t do that and there isn’t much incentive at 100-quid a throw. Look at bolton, wigan, sunderland and like – stadia half empty, even when the top clubs visit.
The game is ruined.