The Mail Bag
Michel Platini ? what a shrew
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So Mr Platini thinks that Everton should forget about investment and focus on bringing through youth ? I doubt very much that this attitude would be seeing the light of day if it were Spain or Italy who were the current big attraction in European football. In fact, in the not too distant past we had the Spanish and Italian leagues running riot in terms of spending, wages and debt ? did we hear a peep out of Uefa then. Of course not.
Football is a transient beast...Leagues grow and leagues diminish, and in the current financial climate it is inevitable that the growth of the English league will arrest itself to some degree. In fact look at the Russian league, absolutely dripping with money.
It's interesting that Platini preaches to a club like ours, with little understanding of what it's like to know your club will never be top dog without obscene amounts of money. Do this man seriously expect us to embrace his nonsense? Or am I being a little unfair? Is Platini actually mirroring the jealousy of supporters who don't have money. Is he merely doing a similar Charlie Bucket routine and gazing through a shop window at a chocolate bar he longs for? If he is then he's dangerous person to have at the top of Uefa.
I severely doubt that he could get agreement on the wage caps, or the ludicrous and potentially illegal 6+5 rule. But what would happen if they did?
In my opinion, we'd see a number of things happen, a number of things that would merely sustain the status quo with the rich clubs being able to exploit the situation while the relatively poor clubs scratch their heads thinking that they still need major money to compete.
Uefa's adoption of these rules means they would probably only apply to their competitions ? so that means that the rich clubs would still dominate their domestic leagues and still be the usual suspects in the champions league positions come May ? so little change there.
When it comes to the Uefa competitions, I think it is inevitable that the big money clubs create a two team club (which they can obviously afford to do) ? one team having the Uefa remit and the other having the domestic remit ? so no change there ? the big boys still have the capital to dominate.
And what of this Academy concept? If you ask me, the writing is all ready on the wall for that one ? we've seen the likes of Chelsea buy nearly every kid going only to be stashed away for some future rule change. And we all know what happens after a foreign kid has been sitting in some academy in London or Manchester for 5 years... magically their nationality changes and, hey presto ? two rules undermined in one swoop.
Perhaps Mr Platini should just keep his jealous and poorly rationalised solutions to himself, and let us get on with watching quality footballers. And whats wrong with wishing that one day money will return Everton's former status of top financial dog?
And in the meantime, if anyone needs to moan about obscene player wages, we're quite capable of doing that one ourselves.
Ciarán McGlone, Posted 09/10/2008 at 09:15:16
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’Billionaires or kids’ is somewhat of a false dichotomy - as chelsea have proved.
They’ve got both...and we have neither (well compared to their kids anyway).
Platini is trying to create some kind of witch hunt about foreign owners - which is yet to be proven as an actual malevolent force in the English game....
You could say that there is a certain Malevolence in that other clubs can’t compete..but what about the the phenomena of raising the bar? what about good players being released to Clubs that would never normally be able to afford them? what about unheard of players going to smaller clubs in a chance to make it in the English game?
Platini is working to an agenda - but it’s certainly not English footballs agenda.
If he wants a crusade, how about 3rd party ownership which has only really exploded during his tenure.
UEFA embraced those leagues and promoted them, so you can?t have it both ways now all the worlds best players want to play here. Yes, the majority of them come here for the money, as they did back then going to Italy & Spain but now those leagues aren?t flavour of the month, all him and that old fool Blatter are trying to do is change the balance in favour again and it stinks. Just concentrate on the more important shit that goes on in Europe, not England - like violence/hooliganism and racism; all the stuff that English clubs have been punished for and learnt from(to a certain degree) in the past.
We are currently a club owned by a rich man....when you suggest that rich owners carry the inevitable abadonment of history - you are scaremongering based on very little evidence.
p.s city fans waving £20 notes was a bit of banter.
We need more money whether we like it or not, and how many Evertonians are there out there with enough cash to move us forward?
I think the queue is rather short.
Platini is in control of a toothless tiger of an organisation, who are running scared of the major European clubs.
The world-wide TV audiences will dictate that none of his rules will be adhered to and if he implements any of the more draconian measures, the big boys will up sticks and form their own World / European league.
Too many times those that run UEFA , FIFA and the various FA?s only react to events rather than having a vision or plan to fulfill their dreams.
In fact those that have managed Everton for the past 20 years could face the same accusation.
On Football Focus near the start of the season , Mark Lawrenson said that it wouldn?t be long before the magic figure of 15 clubs would soon be in Foreign owners control, he implied that this magic number would result in some sort of change but didn?t expand on it at the time.
Professional Football has mostly been about the richest clubs gaining the most trophies , so nothing new there, however, the ability to run up serious levels of debt in recent years cannot be seen as a healthy state of affairs for the game or those clubs who attempt to run a tight ship.
If Everton did attract a rich benefactor , it would be nice if we could maintain those things that we do well, e.g. youth development, community based projects and despite much criticism a relationship with its core support.
The days of a club climbing out of the doldrums and becoming a real force are I?m afraid long gone. Even with a new rich owner, Man City fans take note, the gang of four in England are not going to step aside to allow a non-member to take their self-appointed place at the top table.
Platini?s utterances would be more welcome if he stated that any club including the Itallian and Spanish giants and our own famous 4 had to live within their means in order to compete in his competitions.
But seeing how his own organisation allows itself to be manipulated , e.g. European Cup holders allowed to defend their title regardless of where they finish in their domestic league only shows where the true power of the game resides.
Do you all work for Sky?
Graham Eaves says - "Platini?s a twat, plain and simple. Let?s not forget, he played in the game at Heysel and still has the notion that all English fans are thugs"
Where-EVER did he get such an idea?
He continues
"....and he?d do anything to fuck over our great league".
EH!?
Our great league!?
No it’s a NOT a great league, it’s fucking SHITE league.
A great league is one where on the first day of the season, EVERY team has a chance of winning the title - not just four.
As for Ciaran, fuck me, can this lad not understand varying degrees of...stuff?
For him, a rich man is no different than a staaaaaaaggeringly rich man.
Therefore by his insane (ie: total lack of) logic, we have as much chance of winning the league as Chelsea.
And Platini’s talking out of his arse!!??
He?s French for a start, they hate the English. On the continent, in the eyes of most Europeans (mainly, Spanish and Italians), the English league and English football has always been shite ? as too is their opinion of English fans being hooligans.
In a nutshell, Platini and his cronies have just got the arse cos the English Premier League has become (maybe not in your opinion) the most attractive league in the world to foreign players and not the highly held Spanish and Italian leagues.
I have quite good knowledge and feedback of these opinions ? NOT facts ? having travelled (through work) to Italy and dealing with mainly Italians, French and Spanish for the last 10 years
When lads get together from different European countries, the common language is football. I am also currently living in Paris working for an Italian company and believe me, this is what is thought about English football ? fuck me, I got asked by the girls in the office the other day if I was a hooligan, just cos I have a shaved head and like football!?
Spain imported talent to make a couple of big winning teams, but based on home grown talent. The same for Italy. That’s not what’s happening in the PL.
My Spanish, French and German mates here in Catalunya talk about football in a considerably more intelligent manner than I am used to in England. And they don’t regard me as a hooligan. That might be because I’m not.
Mind you, knowing our luck, Fifa would probably introduce some ruling that goes against us getting big investment - French twat!!
Is the Premier League only shite coz we?re shite?
Trying telling Hull City fans the prem is shite.
If we were sitting second in the league now and playing out of our skins, it would be the best league since sliced bread.
FFS guys..............
The discussion is really divorced from your team?s current position in the league...
When you see a doctor specialist, an accountant, I can tell you the trend is to send the reports to places like India and have the results the next morning. You know what HSBC stands for? It?s the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. HQ in London.
We are going global and no-one?s going to wait for you to turn around. Whether it?s a case of preserving identity, I don?t know (the reason for football?s popularity) but what Platini is doing is more than our FA ? which is doing exactly that ? FA. We?re fed up of the top 4 being the top 4 each season and then shoot down the Uefa President for having the tenacity to say something about it. His pitch may not be the right perfect solution but he?s TRYING to do SOMETHING. Instead of moaning about the Battle of Waterloo and poor English cuisine.
FFS this man spent more time playing in France than Italy, 3 times European Player of the Year, and fucking legend of the 80s along with Maradona and Van Basten. And here we have Evertonians shooting him down. Fucking unbelieveable.
Let?s get back to debating whether to play 4-5-1 or 4-4-2, with the fucking pile of shite players we got and fucking dross tactics of the Moyessiah, and aim for 5th!!!! FFS!
Yes, Platini does talk shÍte...and it seems so do you..
Perhaps you could point out where I made, or even implied the ridiculous assumption you seemed to attributed to me...
Again, i’ll expect very little in the way of coherent answer...
You throw arounf the term ’logic’, yet your responses read like the petulant and churlish musings of a two year old...
And i’m the one being wished good luck with my mocks?
Grow up.
"He?s French for a start, they hate the English. On the continent, in the eyes of most Europeans (mainly, Spanish and Italians), the English league and English football has always been shite ? as too is their opinion of English fans being hooligans"
So let’s get this straight, THEY hate the English, not the English hating the French then?
You know what, I’m ’English’ but when I read posts like that, even I fucking hate the English.
(need a ruling here Michael about idiots, pricks etc)
As for Ciaran - Let me say this.
You are ABSOLUTELY right about everything and I am wrong. I now realise I was dealing with a superior intellect. Forgive me.
I’m astounded.
As i said, churlish and petulant - definitely a workable replacement for a well reasoned discussion - or in your case - a simple answer.
Regards
Been thinking about this issue for a few days now & listening to various phone-ins on the likes of Talksport.
Let’s say that something was passed which meant that foreign billionaires couldn’t just buy a club at the drop of a hat. What happens to the clubs who are currently owned by them? Surely FIFA can’t order Abramovic, Glazier & Hicks to sell up? It woulldn’t change anything & the likes of Everton would still be left trailing behind the Sky 4 because we can’t sell up.
The get rich quick mantra has clearly had it?s downside as the current World economic situation shows. Sooner or later reality has to reach the Premier League ? and when it does some clubs will be no doubt wishing that they had invested as much resources in youth development development as they did in transfer fees and salaries. Maybe Platini has a point or two?
Could it not be that, as he is now seeing the majority of the Italian clubs and an increasing number of Spanish clubs, going bust there is a dreadful realisation that England is following suit and he can therefore foresee financial meltdown at some point in the future?
The message of living within, as opposed to beyond, our means seems to be valid one to me. Particularly when I read that our debts are now potentailly at a staggering £90m. Now how the hell would we fund that out of own resources?
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1 Posted 09/10/2008 at 13:28:20
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There is no way that he will re-establish the ?grass roots? mentality without the ?Top 10 - 20? clubs supporting it and they will never support such a move, which could undermine their target of being their Country?s, European, World No 1 football club, and hence global exposure and influx of global monies. This move to globalisation is at the expense of their true fan base. There is no way any true fan can afford the expense entailed in rigidly following the club through its journey to domination outside his home country, the fan will be limited to one of using his cash to go to home matches or more likely stumping up the £40 - £80 quid a month on satellite TV, or pay as you watch etc.
Any move to a more local sourced, affordable, supported game will have to be imposed by restrictions ? ie 6 players per game from academy , restricted club debt, player salary caps , no entry to competitions unless proof of compliance etc. This can only come by rules put into place by the FA, UEFA, FIFA within the laws of the land , communities . I suspect it?s a legal nightmare waiting to happen but to eradicate the ? playboys? there is no other way.
I for one hope its do-able because even though I want Everton to compete at the Top level, I would rather do it by true hard work, good academies, good management at a reasonable cost to us all.
The problem as I see it as that are we just turning our heads away from what?s happening elsewhere, in that world is becoming a market place for us all, ie our companies, our jobs, holidays, finances etc, We all want to widen our experiences, why should football be any different. The real irony is that at the position we are in at the moment Everton Football Club cant afford it and we?ll be left to ply our trade at the cheap end whilst the rich get richer unless there restricted.
What do you want ? Billionaires or Kids?