The above headline may have had you spluttering over your chocolate fingers at breakfast this morning, but that quite frankly, should teach you to buy the Daily Mirror. This site and Stanley Victor Collymore have what could be described as form, and yet again, our intense admiration for Collymore the player, has degenerated into scorn for Stan the pundit.
Let’s take a closer look at today’s thoughts:
The Premier League is considered by many to be the best league in the world but I think drastic reform is needed to keep it at the pinnacle.
In some of the finest Schools of Journalism, they teach that a good way to indicate you are about to waste a few minutes of your reader’s time, is to make the opening sentence nonsensical, thus hinting to the reader to go and do something else. Here Stan delivers, pointing out that the success of the Premier League (which lies in its top-to-bottom competitiveness) could only be maintained by ditching any competition outside of who wins the thing. It’s the equivalent of Terry Leahy advocating Tesco stop pushing the food element so much.
Turning now to the hub of Stan’s argument:
And there would be no promotion or relegation which would allow those teams to grow.
No it would not. After all, with no threat of relegation, why should any chairman or team outside the top three make any effort to win the league, or even to improve? Why should fans care or go anymore? If a team is 10 points clear at the top by November, what interest is there for the rest of the season?
It would make a pleasant change from watching some of the smaller clubs in the Premier League in recent times like Reading, Wigan and Bolton.
Perhaps. So why write in the same column, “So there is very much a place for Stoke City in the top-flight and I have enormous respect for their wily manager Pulis.” Having never won a league or FA Cup, it seems unlikely Stoke would be there as one of the, “biggest and most successful sides in modern history.”
Fans around the world want to see the huge games - not clashes involving clubs like Barnsley, Watford or Hull.
A bit like arguing, that because the Sun is the biggest selling newspaper, people only want to have that one paper in their newsagents. And that we should close down the Mirror. Hang on a sec actually…
The Football League would still function if you are a Wigan or a Notts County or a smaller club.
Well Notts County, as the oldest club in the country, would probably stake a claim to being one of the clubs who have ”contributed the most over the last 100 years.”
In addition, the point is untrue. The only thing that keeps all four divisions going, is the hope for even the smallest teams, that one day, they may mix it with the big boys. Stymie that hope, and there is nothing left. Fact.
There is little precedent in other sports for the system of meritocracy if you look at the NFL.
Ah, the NFL. Well Stan, take a look at the global tv audience for Liverpool vs Manchester United yesterday, and compare that to the American Football at Wembley. The Premier League wins by a distance - so we shall take no lessons from the NFL thanks.
No further questions your honour. And Stan, we’ll still never forget that goal against Atletico Madrid. Even after all this.
The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies…
Robinho and Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona
Barcelona’s sporting director Txiki Beguiristain has revealed the Catalan giants are eyeing Robinho, with a potential January approach on the cards. The Brazilian of course has the advantage of being free to play in the Champions League. Cheeky Txiki also spoke of his desire to bring in Cesc Fabregas, brilliantly declaring that, “he was born suckling upon the teat of the football [we play] here.”
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Robinho would be tempted but how much would it take for moneybags City to agree to the deal? Fabregas could move next summer in what promises to be the most drawn-out transfer saga since Ronaldo and Real Madrid.
Emile Heskey to whoever will take him
Heskey has promised to readdress his current position at Villa as the England
Some expert advice for the weekend’s activities from Sporting Index
In case you hadn’t noticed, all the cool kids are making their ritual viewing of Soccer Saturday a little more interesting with the help of spread betting. Our friends at Sporting Index are the go-to-guys for this money making art, and they have kindly provided previews of two of this weekend’s big clashes…
Stoke/ Manchester Utd
The Red Devils follow their derby triumph with a trip to the Britannia Stadium, where the Potters lost just four games last season. The comparisons drawn between Stoke’s home and Burnley’s Turf Moor are extremely welcome to sellers of United’s win index spread, as the Clarets, of course, defeated United there earlier in the season. Spread punters who followed the progress of Tony Pulis’s first top-flight season will remember, however, that United were one of the several clubs to leave the Britannia with three points, thanks only to a late Carlos Tevez goal. Chelsea are the only other member of the Big Four to play there so far this season and also required a last gasp winner. Buyers of the time of the last match goal will hope for a similar spread make-up on Saturday.
Fulham/ Arsenal
Due to their demolition jobs on Everton, Portsmouth and Wigan
Sportget an excuse to extol the virtues of Barcelona by considering which of the Champions League have produced the most home grown talent [click image to enlarge]
How to avoid a transfer to Stoke by Christian Lell
[OTP]
The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies…
Sulleyman Muntari to Tottenham
While Jose Mourinho tries to persuade Wesley Sneijder to come to Italy via text message, ‘Arry is keen to bring the midfielder to the Lane. He will offer Jermaine Jenas and £5m in return, say The Sun.
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: Redknapp wants to sign a former player? That can’t be true…
Arjen Robben to Bayern Munich
It seems that Manchester Utd have failed in their attempts to land the crocked Dutchman,
Today’s links come sprinkled with a generous helping of classic Weezer. The first person to identify the football kit in the video wins the prestigious ‘Incredibly Easy Competition’ competition
FIFA demand a gender test for Fernando Torres
[NewsArse]
Luis Figo really ought to leave the chest wax alone for a little while
[Kickette]
Professor Wenger is ready for Old Trafford
[Sky Sports]
Glenn Hoddle says David Beckham would ‘thrive at Chelsea’
[The Telegraph]
Burnley 1/ Manchester Utd 0 (mit Deutsch Kommentar, ja!)
When The Spoiler went to bed last night, Burnley had beaten reigning champions Manchester Utd for the first time in 41 years, Tottenham were top of the league and all three promoted sides had won their midweek games. We woke up this morning and discovered we hadn’t transported to some sort of football parallel universe, but that the Premier League is already shaping up as one of the most exciting in years.
Muchos congrats to Burnley, who thoroughly deserved three points in their first Premier League match. Will this result cause Sir Alex to dip into the transfer market?
Spoiler bonus: Highlights of all the other Premiership games after the jump, including Jermain Defoe’s hat-trick at the KC and Birmingham’s win over doomed Pompey…
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