Morning all, welcome to an Arsenal free Saturday. We don't play until 4pm tomorrow so there'll be lots going on to cause joy/consternation today.

Arsene's press conference was interesting yesterday. We'll come to team news etc in a little bit, but midway through he launched into quite a broadside about the way television influences the fixtures, and even suggested that cosy relationships between some clubs and the TV companies were being exploited to give those teams an advantage.

For the first time Sportingintelligence has published the average basic weekly wages, division by division, of footballers in England for the past 25 years. And it makes fascinating reading.

One thing to keep in mind as you are reading the post is that these wage numbers represent basic pay; wages typically increase by 50 to 100% with appearance money and bonuses.

For the first time Sportingintelligence has published the average basic weekly wages, division by division, of footballers in England for the past 25 years. And it makes fascinating reading.

One thing to keep in mind as you are reading the post is that these wage numbers represent basic pay; wages typically increase by 50 to 100% with appearance money and bonuses.

Close off the Premier League?

Honestly, I'd go the other way and open the thing up.

The rewards on offer are so great that millions upon millions are spent by desperate Premier League clubs who will do anything to stay where they are. Some clubs (Wolves did it once, I think, Burnley and Blackpool have been shrewd) can make a profit from the silly TV money, the rest write the disappearing zeroes off as the cost of doing business and keep on keeping on like a drunk guinea pig stuck on a hamster wheel and starting to feel a bit sick.

Unless you've been in a cave, you'll be well aware of the suggestion from Liverpool's managing director, Ian Ayre, that his club is getting short changed from the overseas TV money pouring into the Premier League these days. Or, more to the point, the smaller clubs in the league are getting what's really due to Liverpool.

It's a good time to be a Tottenham supporter. Spurs play Newcastle away and despite the Gerodies' early-season form they should start as favourites. The experiment of playing kids in Europe is working out well for Harry, and if Tottenham look like the fourth best team in the country, it's on the back of legitimately strong performances against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal.

Liverpool argue for greater share of Premier League's overseas TV money to go to elite clubs

Liverpool called on Premier League to allocate greater share of £1.4 billion overseas television rights to its most popular clubs.

View the full story here: The Telegraph

A news article on 2011-10-11 23:52:53 from: The Telegraph

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Ok, so I guess we'd better try and look at some of the football stuff that has happened over the last couple of days even though no actual football stuff has happened.

Some stuff involving people involved with football stuff has happened though. Let's start with Ivan Gazidis and the quotes about us not finishing in the top four and being able to survive without Champions League football.

Rangers could move to the Prem insists McCoist

Glasgow giants' manager hints TV money may make the switch happen

View the full story here: The Mirror

A news article on 2011-09-29 18:53:57 from: The Mirror

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

For some time Sevilla President, Jose del Nido has been the fiercest critique of the La Liga TV deal which results in the big two, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid taking home 50% of the share. He has uped the ante by recently calling upon other Club Presidents to go for a French revolution style revolt and force the big two accept an equal sharing deal.

*We might be marveling at the brilliance of Barcelona every time the blaugrana grace the field, and shake our heads at the bottomless bank account of Real Madrid, but the Spanish league is as absurdly top-heavy and devalued as the Scottish league.
The two giants won 5-0 and 6-0 respectively on the opening day of the Spanish season, leaving Villareal president Fernando Roig to exclaim in anguish, "It's a third-world league in which two clubs are sapping the TV money.

The opening weekend of Serie A has been postponed due to a players strike in Italy. This is devastating news for fans of Serie A especially with a brand new season ready to kick off.

In addition to La Liga going on strike last week which caused the postponement of their opening weekend, both Italy and Spain should be embarrassed by the poor organization of these leagues.

With the A-League teetering along last year football was heading back to the future.
Despite the move into Asia, a successful Asia Cup campaign, the rise of the Matildas and the increasing number of Young Guns pushing into the Socceroos and starring in the A-League moving to Europe and Asia, football still lacked any sense of security or money for our A-League clubs to survive, never mind to move ahead.

By e-mail and by comment we have had some requests to take a look at 2011 television ratings for Major League Soccer. TV money is the lifeblood of any sports league and MLS is no different. Before we get into a detailed look at the ratings and what they mean, check this link for the latest 2011 ratings.

It was a good win on Saturday for Newcastle, and completely guarantees Premier League football for Newcastle next season. Alan Pardew improvements already being made Newcastle can now relax in that their financial plan is safe, and the club will keep getting the huge TV money coming in that's generated from the exciting and [.

Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic and Sunderland are all that now stand between West Ham United and oblivion, writes Jamie Jackson in today's Guardian. Six years after Alan Pardew guided the East End club back into the Premier League, Avram Grant has four games to prise his side off the bottom of the table, starting with Sunday's Eastlands meeting with Roberto Mancini's fourth-placed team.

There is no way the Federal Government could have staved off Peter FitzSimons, Roy "NRL need more TV money" Masters, Rebecca Wilson and all the Melbourne cronies who love to boot the football code.
The Feds couldn't have ponied it more money after that World Cup debacle, the A-League crowds plummet and code woes in general - if we hadn't been handed, ney gifted the Asia Cup 2015
Now the sweet review will ensure more money for football - this will help this country party with our Asian friends and be beamed into all those Asia homes - er just like AFL and NRL.

The SPL's dream of a ten team top league seems ever further away after Dundee United's board confirmed their decision to vote against the proposal.
United chairman Stephen Thompson said:
"We had a board meeting today and as far as we're concerned we're unconvinced that this is the way forward for Scottish football.

Is football over estimating the loyalty of fans? The Liverpool game at the end of the season has now been switched from a Saturday afternoon to a Monday night so it can be shown on television. This might not be such a bad thing, except that the game's long been sold out and many fans will have made their travel plans already.

The draw for the semi-finals of the 2010-11 FA Cup have been announced. The TV money men may be disappointed since there will be no Manchester derby in the FA Cup Final. Instead, the two Manchester clubs will face each other in the semi-final on the...
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I have a new piece in Slate on parity in soccer, which of course means the lack of parity in soccer, which means the fact that Real Madrid and Barcelona have combined to win 51 La Liga titles compared to 28 for all the other clubs in Spain, and Blackburn is still the only club outside the Functional Big Three ever to win a Premier League title, and even a plucky underdog like Leyton Orient, after bravely winning an FA Cup draw against Arsenal at home, can expect to be roto-rooted into oblivion by Nicklas Bendtner at the Emirates.