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Iain Macintosh
LET THEM GO
Long time admirer of your site, and loving the Everton CM saga – your commitment to not quitting and reloading games is quite something. No way I’d have accepted that Zurich result when Champ League glory beckoned. Your honesty in this regard is an inspiration.
I’ve been motivated to write today following the comments of one Charlie Stillitano. His comments have rightly outraged nearly everyone – it’s hard to remember a subject that has so unified the BTL community on a Guardian article (no matter how benign an article, a fight can always break out in this wilderness) – but I can’t help thinking that we should let him and the big clubs go this way. His choice of words highlights everything wrong with the game right now, combining world-class ignorance with an extraordinary lack of empathy for the very principles of the game. In his view, the balance sheet should be the entry requirement for admittance to Super League riches and not the league table. Wealth and connections should trump merit. This might be quite funny were it not for the fact that it seems to mirror society in general.
Stillitano is not responsible for the state of the game – he just happens to have jumped on the bandwagon before it leaves town. The truth is that the big clubs have been doing this for years, and the administrators have done nothing to stop it. One European Cup place was insufficient to satisfy shareholders, so they added a second, and then a fourth and then they made the financial reward for getting there so extraordinary as to shut everyone else out. In spite of this, Leicester, Tottenham and maybe even West Ham are threatening to qualify ahead of them. The big clubs have almost limitless money and every conceivable advantage and yet this game, this wonderful game, remains so tremendously unpredictable and threatens to push them out. This is an unacceptable return on investment, and so they discuss pulling the ladder up another level.
Well I say let them go. Let them have a 20 team Euro super league and let us have a domestic game that is not dominated by what the big 5 want. If they want a ‘product’ and an ‘income stream’, let them have one. We’ll have a game. Removing the possibility of Champions League qualification might actually be of benefit – clubs might spend less and become more sustainable, salaries and other associated costs (including tickets) might come down. Those of us that remain could even instigate a new European competition – straight knockout for domestic CHAMPIONS ONLY. Football might just become unpredictable and fun again (Yes, fun!). I’ve no doubt my view is unbelievably naive and idealistic – that a Euro super league might suck all the best players, and all the money leaving us with a perceptibly worse league. How bad would it be though – even if you assume each of the 20 clubs has a squad of 35, that leaves an awful lot of footballers needing somewhere to play. With the biggest clubs in our system, things will only get worse. Their footballing arms-race will continue to drag costs and prices up and this does trickle down on to clubs much less able to afford it. And then, just as those effects continue to bite, we’ll take away FA Cup replays too as they’re a bit of a burden when you have to play Barcelona midweek. I, for one, am sick of it. Let them go, and let us take our chances without them. The English game doesn’t need the likes of Stillitano and those who think like him. If he’s offering us all an exit, bite his hand off.
Martin Kane
MORE CM01/02
Hi Iain,
I’m absolutely LOVING your Everton story on CM01/02!
That version is without doubt the best one ever made. The simplicity, addictive nature and speed of the game makes it unrivalled, even in the year 2016!
I’m sure you’re well aware of the fantastic http://champman0102.co.uk website and the data updates that it offers it’s loyal following every year? Well myself along with many other people who visit that website would absolutely LOVE to follow a story of you managing a team in the latest update.
The update is fantastic and realistic and goes hand in hand with the latest Tapani Patch that fixes loads of bugs and problems with the game, making it even better!
Kind Regards,
Matt Tierney
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