I remember fighting for survival on more than one occasion. Ever since football began theirs always teams fighting for survival. It's the way the game is.BoyBlue_1985 said:AIQ88 said:I totally agree with you. We have never played to survive and never will! Top 4 and titles is what we have always played for and always will.
If they threw Nots Forest or Leeds in the prem they would defo not play defensive football and do their best to survive! They will go all out gung-ho and play proper football like you are meant to!
Do you people forget Stuart Pearce era, we played to survive from what i can remember, and joe royle. Also everyone seems to forget under pearce we didnt fill our stadium, even under sven we didnt and suddenly everyone else can fuck off for struggling to survive and the supporters get disillusioned!!
Leeds dont fill the stadium in league 1, amazing!!!
Wigan are there because Whelan has pumped in millions upon millions since they were a non-league club. Their revenue barely covers their wage bill and the only reason Barclays don't put them into administration is because Whelan personally guarantees the £30m loan they have. Without his financial backing they'd have been dead and gone long ago.supercity36 said:like it or not, teams like wigan, wolves, stoke and the like are here in this league on merit.
fbloke said:All of the fine words written in response to what I posted still havent answered the central point and that is the one of non-trying.
fbloke said:We all know that City get an unfair amount of stick, always have really.
At the moment we are of course,ruining football. Its simply because we are a big club, with good attendances and have an owner with serious funding to play with that people dont like us.
After last night though I was wondering what the Wigan whinger would think of this idea. (Nice alliteration as well I thought ;-))
The Premiership is now devalued as both a sporting contest and a spectator attraction because too many small clubs, backed by wealthy owners have introduced a survive at all costs mentality.
There are now so many clubs out of their depth in the EPL that possibly as many as 25% of games are more or less decided before they begin.
Wolves starting 11 against Man U, Wigan time wasting in the first 5 minutes and throughout the game last night, Stoke doing little more than trying to get throw-ins, Bolton having specnt years bullying teams with better footballers.
Surely we want more from the 'best league in the world'?
The support of some of these clubs, both home and away is feeble and again goes against expectations of the best league in the world.
So perhaps people like Moz Jacksey (or whoever) at Wolves should be a bit more embarrassed about the aim of 'surviving' in the premiership. Perhaps even allow a team like Leeds or one of the Sheffield clubs to take their place in the top division bringing with them the passion and support to give it a go?
I for one will be pleased to see the backs of Stoke, Hull, Wolves,Wigan, Bolton and Blackburn as they arent really trying are they?
Its not about money though.Its about going down fighting, and belief, and expectation but most of all its about every game meaning something and not simply chalking off half a dozen fixtures as un-winnable.
Its about at least trying your best.
Success isnt measured in surviving another season in order to bring in revenue its about proving that no matter how big the crowd, how wealthy the opposition or how crappy the weather the team have done their level best to win.
Success can be as intangible as how people remember your endeavours.
MysticalDescent said:Mancini, Wenger and the others ruining football
We all know that Stoke get an unfair amount of stick for trying to play the game the right way and in the spirit that it's intended, when really they should be playing tippy-tappy, stamping on the opposition's testes and diving all over the pitch. Always have, really.
At the moment, of course, Stoke are ruining football. Coming into the Premier League, showing up incompetent managers like Roberto Mancini. How dare they present teams with something out of the usual tedious tippy-tappy mould by playing a real, hard-but-fair game on a slightly smaller pitch.
After last night I wondered what hypocrite Arsene Wenger would think about this plan.
There are now so many teams in the First Division (as it is, really) that decide that their team should not have to suffer the indignity of being tackled and who have decided that the game should no longer be a contact sport.
We've already seen Walcott attack a Burnley play for a perfectly executed sliding tackle, Wenger attack Craig Gardner for winning the ball and Vieira dive on the floor and stamp on Glenn Whelan's testes for tackling him.
Surely we want more than this in the 'best league in the world'?
The attitude of some of these clubs it pitiable, whether they play home or away, and goes against the founding principles of the working man's ballet.
So perhaps the likes of Parry Gook (or whatever his name is) at Man City should be a bit more embarrassed about the conduct of his players and manager. Perhaps even replace them with proper football teams with a real history like Stoke, like Preston, West Brom, Derby and Notts County. In other words, the 12 founder members of the football league.
I for one will be glad to see the backs of the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool as they're just killing the game, aren't they?
It's not about cheating, diving and corrupting referees. It's about going out there, playing the game physically but fairly like Stoke, throwing your body on the line and fighting for the team in every single match, entertaining the supporters by creating chances instead of boring the life out of everyone by playing halfway line tippy tappy.
It's about at least going out there with the right attitude.
The spirit in which you play the game isn't measured by your tactics or your success, but how you conduct yourself.
Maybe you should remember this.
Jason said:How dare the likes of Wigan and Blackburn play in the premiership even more of a disgrace that they have played in cup finals in recent years as we deserve it so much more because we have more fans and won some trophies 40 years ago.
The reason these clubs are in the premiership is because they are actually winning and they are doing it on smaller budgets than some of these so called big clubs which indicates they are actually trying harder than these great teams you mention, their tactics might not be to everyones taste but who was complaining when Stoke and Delap knocked Arsenal out of the cup or when Wigan beat Liverpool the other week and Blackburn were terrible for not trying against Chelsea in the league cup.