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Boro utopia


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Forget winning the Premiership or Champions League, the ultimate Boro moment for me would be winning the FA Cup (preferably as a Championship side for added romanticism!). This would be followed by a glorious summer of basking in the glory of our first Wembley win, the Charity Shield in August and then the third round draw just before Christmas as 'holders' - pure Boro utopia. Does anyone else feel the same? 

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Utopia for me would be a renaissance that led to another prolonged stay in the PL and a cup run to the Europa League final, where we hammer Seville 4-0. 

 

Hmm...is that utopia or an impossible dream?

 

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I'd love a season in Europe but just can't see it happening in my lifetime. One reason I'll never want the carabao cup axed, cups are our only chance of a european place (even if it's in the Europa conference league)

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22 hours ago, RealSlimSladeyy said:

Utopia for me is a complete reform of this broken, disgusting game 

Sadly that really IS an impossible dream. Too many people making too much money...

 

But for all the problems in football, pre-Premier League...hooliganism, crap (and sometimes dangerous) stadiums, crap pitches etc. I feel the game was more honest back then.

I mean, yes there were still dodgy dealings and brown envelopes being passed under café tables, but I think it pales in comparison to some of the stuff that goes on today in transfer negotiations.

Player cheating was also a lot less prevalent...although thats mainly because they were allowed to do a lot of stuff that would result in yellow or even red cards today (IT WAS A REAL MAN'S GAME BACK THEN! 😉 ).

Sure the PL and Sky's billions have enabled clubs to provide better stadia and facilities...which were sorely needed. The "foreign invasion" has resulted in better, more technical football (at some clubs anyway) and better nutrition, fitness regimes etc.

But, as we know all too well, all that money has created a cesspit of greed, with top players now earning enough money in a year to pay the salaries of 300 nurses or police officers! Even average players are now becoming rich beyond the dreams of avarice. And lets not forget the agents that keep the rivers of money flowing.

So much so, that clubs still feel the need to pass the burden of these costs onto the fans, despite all the TV and sponsorship money they get (especially if they happen to have built a new stadium recently).

 

As Erimus mentioned in one of his excellent articles, one of the biggest consequences of all this money swilling around the game has been to create a huge disconnect between clubs and their fans, with the players they pay to see week in, week out, now living lifestyles most of us can only dream about, while faithfully forking out for over-priced shirts / kits and other merch. No longer a "working class" game - unless you follow a EFL club.

The other obvious issue is the creation of the PL resulted in most of the money staying at the top of the football pyramid, creating a yawning financial (if not footballing) chasm between the PL and EFL.

There's a reason the Championship play-off final is called "the richest game in football". £170 million is not to be sniffed at - even if you're Liverpool, Man City or Chelsea.

The lure of these riches leads to some ill-advised gambles to reach the so-called "Promised Land". Sure, you don't have to break the bank, but with more and more clubs being bought by foreign owners, looking for short-term success, its a popular route (and just another potential pitfall that more than one club has fallen into).

 

And all this money hasn't solved a number of issues that remain in the game (if not to the same extent).

- Hooliganism and racism are still a thing.

- Cheating is far more prevalent than its ever been (overseas player culture coupled with increased pressure for success?)

- A debatable one this, but some say that with around two-thirds of PL players now being foreign, its limiting opportunities for homegrown talent to compete for places in the national team.

- The influx of foreign players has made said homegrown talent ludicrously expensive.

- Pressure to succeed (linked to 2nd point) has created demand for more technology in the game to ensure more correct refereeing decisions...and thus VAR is born.

 

In summary, money has unarguably had some benefits...but we seem to have sacrificed an awful lot in the process.

 

Edited by AnglianRed
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Boro Utopia for me would be back in the PL, with a few creative forward players in the team and not being last on Match of the Day every Saturday night.

Remember when we could watch Boro highlights on the BBC, rather than Quest? Feels like a golden age now, like the world pre-Covid or my life before I got married.

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On 8/17/2020 at 7:40 AM, Red G said:

Forget winning the Premiership or Champions League, the ultimate Boro moment for me would be winning the FA Cup (preferably as a Championship side for added romanticism!). This would be followed by a glorious summer of basking in the glory of our first Wembley win, the Charity Shield in August and then the third round draw just before Christmas as 'holders' - pure Boro utopia. Does anyone else feel the same? 

Yes I would go with that 100%, 👍

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@AnglianRed  @Erimus74 The modern game is all I’ve ever known unfortunately. However, I don’t want to return to exactly how things were before the Premier League because football then had a whole different load of issues. Rather, I’d create something new. 

I’ve not quite finished it yet but would highly recommend John Nicholson’s book ‘Can we have our football back?: how the Premier League is ruining football and what we can do about it...’. He makes a convincing argument that the current model that dominates the top tier of English football (ie the paywall football that has pumped so much money into the game) is in its twilight years. He begins by sketching out what’s wrong with the modern English game and argues that this model is running out of steam. Then, he sets out to argue how we can return to an English game that is both actually competitive and morally upright (I’ve not read this section of the book yet). Oh, and he’s a boro fan!

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32 minutes ago, RiseAgainst said:

Boro Utopia for me would be back in the PL, with a few creative forward players in the team and not being last on Match of the Day every Saturday night.

Remember when we could watch Boro highlights on the BBC, rather than Quest? Feels like a golden age now, like the world pre-Covid or my life before I got married.

I was still in uni back then, worrying about finishing my dissertation. 😢

You're right though, it was a golden era. Premier League football, a squad full of international players, beating the likes of Liverpool and Man Utd. The Carling Cup. Bernie Slaven showing his...okay, maybe not that.

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18 minutes ago, RealSlimSladeyy said:

@AnglianRed  @Erimus74 The modern game is all I’ve ever known unfortunately. However, I don’t want to return to exactly how things were before the Premier League because football then had a whole different load of issues. Rather, I’d create something new. 

I’ve not quite finished it yet but would highly recommend John Nicholson’s book ‘Can we have our football back?: how the Premier League is ruining football and what we can do about it...’. He makes a convincing argument that the current model that dominates the top tier of English football (ie the paywall football that has pumped so much money into the game) is in its twilight years. He begins by sketching out what’s wrong with the modern English game and argues that this model is running out of steam. Then, he sets out to argue how we can return to an English game that is both actually competitive and morally upright (I’ve not read this section of the book yet). Oh, and he’s a boro fan!

Yeah - there are definitely some aspects of the "old days" we can do without. But bringing back the spirit and ethos of the game back then (late 80s - early 90s) would be a positive IMO.

I'll have to see if I can get hold of a copy of that book...sounds like a good read. I think most people recognise that the PL has ruined English football (except the ones benefitting from it).

Quite frankly I'm amazed that the era of insane spending has lasted as long as it has. But I suppose as long as Sky, BT and whoever else are happy to pump billions into the game, (funded by the folks happy to continue paying their subscriptions) it will continue. Not to mention the billionaire owners who seem to like to buy clubs to impress their mates.

I sincerely hope Mr Nicholson is right.

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