I give a shit about what happens to Forest, just like I give a shit about what is happening to us. It's plain fucking wrong, Richard Masters and co thinking they can simply "bully" what he perceives to be "small clubs", whilst the "big boys" simply jjust keep kocking the can down the road. There's absolutely an agenda within the Premier League and City and Chelsea plodding scot free fits that agenda, so they need a couple of suitable scapegoats.Mouse wrote: ↑Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:14 am I wasn't sure where to put this as it is a bit of a cross-over subject. An interesting article in the Guardian about the German Bundesliga supporters battle with the DFL about foreign investment and influence through TV and media rights. A battle the supporters, at least for the moment, appear to have won. Two things jump out, the two main equity funds trying to buy the rights were both Saudi backed funds. So, another attempt to wield influence over world football?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... rs-and-won
The other, for me, interesting take is the power of collective action. It is as a result of the pretty much united determination of all supporters clubs to disrupt matches (in inventive and often amusing ways) which has forced the League to re-think. I wonder is this a lesson we can learn in the EPL or are we too "tribal" in our support to work together? Are United, City, Shite, etc supporters content with the status quo of limited true competitiveness to really care what happens to us, Forest and the rest of the cannon fodder? For that matter, are we and Forest supporters arsed what happens to each other as long as it's alright for us?
There is precedent as the rejection of the Super League showed but that had pan-European momentum, would we (should we?) take a more collective approach to what effects us as fans? Finance and the football pyramid? Fit and proper ownership? Fan ownership? TV influence and control in football? Love or hate the Geordies an 8pm kick-off on a Saturday night in London is just the latest in crass TV manipulated timings which show no care at all for the supposed "life-blood" of football, the ticket buying fans.
In fact the 14 clubs outside the "big six" should all give a shit about this, as it could just as easily happen to them next season or the season after, should Masters and co decide it's appropriate.