meast

Too many games, tired etc. Despite most of them benefitting from "squad rotations" or 'rests'. England are the most overhyped team going, they are mind numbingly boring to watch too.

Huddersfield Town into the championship play off final at Wembley on May 29th, 24 hours after the Giants lift the cup for the first time in 69 years at Tottenham. Could be some sore Huddersfudlian heads that weekend!

They're winning aren't they?

No league will find the right balance, but the German model with it's 50+1 rule works pretty well, obviously Bayern and RBL, with their multi billions main owners and to a lesser extent Wolfsburg, Leverkusen will generally have a financial advantage, but generally the ownership model is a lot better than the 1+0 we have in the UK. The fan experience is far, far better too.

No, but they are owned and funded by a massive corporation with more money and power than a lot of states. Liverpool aren't the poor relations that their fans claim to be, they have been backed as much as the other US, Russia, Abu Dhabi, billionaires back their clubs.

I think everything surrounding the rich elite powers at top level football has totally ruined football as it used to be, all for more money and power, there's very little about the English game that I like now, apart from Non League, but even that is now becoming money oriented.

Sport should always be about sporting merit but since the introduction of the PL and then the CL it isn't, very few teams outside the rich elite can even hope to win the European cup, certainly, provincial towns and cities from Sweden, Belgium, Germany, etc will never be in a position to compete unless they too receive state funded billions pumped into them. That's why I'd argue that the Europa and Conference leagues are far better sporting competitions.

Again, that's just opinion. It attracts some of the best players and coaches due to amount of money sloshing around, I prefer the German league, the football is more entertaining, and the model is a whole lot better, the top players in Germany will always leave for the PL because of the amount of money they and their agents can make. There's also lots of really gash players who are no better than young English players but who just cost less in wages, wages in which they won't be anywhere near earning in any other league. The whole "best league in the world" thing is just subjective and usually just used to as hyperbole.

Added to that, Staveley MW spent loads on their ground, so they could boast they had the best ground in the NCEL, which, to be fair, they probably do, they possibly thought they had a squad capable of competing for promotion to the NPLE but when their manager and some of their better players left, they struggled for results and were floundering in mid table. They then requested voluntary relegation as their chairman bemoaned the fact that they couldn't compete financially and had no money to bring decent standard of player in, conveniently forgetting that they'd spent a lot on their facilities. The league pandered to their whim, so basically, rather than battling away and doing their best with the players they do have available (they run a reserves and academy sides) like Athersley, they just gave up and got the league to bail them out to avoid struggling on the field, which hasn't gone down well with fans of other clubs. They've also promoted Horbury Town and Beverley Town despite them having very basic facilites but denying clubs like Retford and Thorne who have got some good facilities.

That's your opinion, I find constantly tapping the ball around your own half absolutely dreadful. It will have support as those clubs have billions of supporters worldwide, to the general football fan in the UK it's nothing more than a TV show for those billions around the world, as is the PL and "champions" league.

They were formed as AFC Rovers and played in local leagues until 2016 when they were taken over by former North Ferriby Utd owner Jamie Waltham, he bought the ground at Dunswell Park, kicked out Hall Road Rangers and renamed the club East Yorkshire Carnegie, they won the Humber Premier League and were promoted to the NCEL D1. They finished 18/22 one place above the relegation places. They then changed their name again, this time to East Hull in 2019 and finished bottom of the pile but were reprieved from relegation due to the abandonment of the season. They changed their name again in 2021 to FC Humber United, and finished 18/20 and again, were reprieved of relegation, they then found themselves homeless and ended up playing 45 miles away in Selby. After being reprieved from relegation again, they have just announced another move and another name change, this time, they've move 70 miles to Doncaster, "merged/taken over/moved operations(to)" Askern Miners, renamed themselves Askern Miners and have taken FC Humber United's place in the NCEL D1 despite Askern Miners finishing 2nd from bottom of their step 7 league. So basically, none of the team from the CMFL got promoted to the NCEL, but Askern who finished 2nd from bottom in effect have been, They've had 5 name changes and 4 moves in 7 years, it's a complete farce and an absolute shambles of a club. Hope that's explained it a bit?

The FA Cup final is now just a sideshow game, just another game between the greedy monied clubs and their fans. It's now shunted to a Saturday tea time slot before the league season is finished and holds very little interest for most fans outside of the TV show clubs' fans. I could list most of the cup finals and scorers etc growing up until 10-15 years ago, I wasn't alone. Cup final day was THE day, the big day for every football fan and non fans all over the country, we all know the history of it, the build up, the whole day taken up by it, that part of people's lives has gone now. I can't remember the last time I watched the FA Cup final or tell you who has won the last 10-15.

Yep, some teeth gnashing going on over some of the step 5/6 leagues, well, certain clubs in particular has raised eyebrows

Why shouldn't they though? they've earned the right on the field, not through the banks. That's what used to make the competition interesting, now it's a case of which 2 of Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and PSG will contest the final.

From talking to other fans around the UK and Europe I can say that that is definitely not the case, if by fans you mean the "fans" of the big, monied, global conglomerate clubs like Abu Dhabi all-stars, Boston Billionaires , Roubles R us etc then maybe, but they are the people who are brainwashed by the money. Fans of clubs who won't necessarily win their league's are more than happy to be playing in the so called lesser of the European cups, I suspect many Frankfurt, Rangers, Leicester, West Ham, and Union Berlin fans are certainly very keen on the other competitions.

>pedant mode< Sheffield have never played in the Premier League, or indeed in any professional league, however, both Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday have both played in the Premier League, Wednesday being one of the founder members.

They've certainly got an identity crisis and certainly come a long way (well, not geographically speaking) since the days of dancing in the streets of Llantsantfraidd

So is Emley, but they just moved the game to Sunday so all good

Despite the media and lots of "mainstream" football fans thinking otherwise, the FA Cup starts this weekend, 348 teams contesting the extra preliminary round. Why not get to your local club and support them? I'll be watching Emley hopefully beating Congleton Town and earning a trip to City of Liverpool.

I've tried to get tickets for the Spakenberg derby before, it's looks like a right knees up! The funny thing is, that both teams usually fill their grounds for derby days but usually get a few hundred watching them, they both indulged in a bit of "one-upmanship" over the years, trying to outdo each other with bigger, more, impressive stands

English football model down to a T sadly

It's not to go anywhere, it's to keep possession and stop the opposition from having the ball and potentially hurting you, soccer snobs may believe it's the greatest thing to happen to the game and think it's the right or only way to play, but to me, it's defensive and negative.

Most of the football at the top levels is walking now isn't it? Apart from the odd scuttle to catch a misplaced pass from one of the many that get played around the back 8

Never mind Messi and the greedy league, the FA Cup starts this week for fans of grassroots and "real football" Despite the media and many fans believing it starts in January! Anyone going to a game and giving some grassroots/community clubs some much needed income? Avro V Bootle for me.