van Hanegem

Unbelievable, someone educated speaking out for Trump! And it's in the Washington Post as well! This guy does have some courage to stand up against all the bullsh*t from the so called political correct madness these days, too bad many of his colleagues don't dare to as they will be ridiculed, silenced or even fired. I guess character assasination is the new stake in the "academic" world. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/10/12/what-its-like-to-be-a-college-professor-who-supports-donald-trump/?utm_term=.aafa662d5ae7

Let's hope for your sake it's true!

Sometimes it takes a hoax from the freakishly stupid people to wake up all the other idiots... Let's see if Scott Foval continues his great work.

I'm wondering: would the mainstream media report about the ways Clinton and her support operate? I guess not... Ah well, it's probably another hoax by the poorly educated.

I'm beginning to understand why people believe CNN stands for Clinton News Network... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DcATG9Qy_A

Well Charlie, just because you believe or think you know something it doesn't mean it's true...

Pity the Europeans too as Clinton will be the next President. Trump isn't any better of course but at least there would be a chance that the USA would stop interfering in the Middle East. No chance of that with crooked Hillary so don't be surprised when she and her Saudi friends take on Iran and we'll have to take in some more muslim refugees.

"possibly a bit corrupt?"

Julian Assange still claims Wikileaks has the proof that Clinton is involved in the weapons delivery to ISIS. He's taking his time however to publish... http://www.thepoliticalinsider.com/wikileaks-confirms-hillary-sold-weapons-isis-drops-another-bombshell-breaking-news/

Each can draw his own red line Hughie but do you consider someone a fan or supporter when he says he's fed up with it all (whatever that may be to him or her) and decides to not go to the stadium or listen to the radio or watch the Saints on television anymore? I don't. To compare a football game with going to the movies or a concert shows exactly what's wrong with football these days. It's what some marketing fool of the FA is thinking about when he prepares his powerpoint presentation on the "product" football. "What are we going to do tonight honey? There's a new Bridget Jones movie or shall we watch a game of Southampton. They play against United with all those fantastic "stars"!" A theater audience in a football stadium, yikes... Good column of Collymore btw.

As a Feyenoord fan for nearly 50 years I know what you mean. From the golden years in the seventees when Feyenoord was one of the big clubs in Europe to the current status of feeder for richer clubs abroad, it's been quite a journey. Like many people say in de Kuip: "you're not a Feyenoord fan for your own pleasure..." Nevertheless it's still feels great to be part of the club, even when idiots like Mark Wotte (after he screwed things up in Rotterdam he left for Southampton...) are in charge or when you lose with 10-0 at PSV or can't compete with archrival Ajax, you still feel excited when Feyenoord plays. We do not matter anymore when it comes to European football as Feyenoord is not able to compete with the big clubs but that's something easily to accept, just as it is nearly impossible for the Saints to compete with the big clubs in the PL. Nowadays Feyenoord (and Ajax and PSV) loses 15 and 16 year old talents to the academies of Manchester and Chelsea because they and their parents are getting so much money they will never have to work again. I guess 98% of them won't ever make it in the PL as they don't get enough playing time at the right level but there's nothing to be done about that. Well, maybe the brexit will fix this... The result of all this is that the level of the Dutch League isn't that great anymore and sometimes you have to laugh about the many mistakes but does that matter to the average fan? I don't think so and to be honest there are still enough games to be seen which are more attractive than games in the PL. But that's probably because I'm Dutch and grew up with Dutch football and it's clubs. Anyway, just meant to say that it doesn't matter that things are changed and that a once massive club like Feyenoord is marginalised. I guess you can call it love although that sounds a bit cheesy.

It's the same with me Patrick, I'm all for the "big" clubs leaving the PL to join a super league with the Barcelona's of this world. It could mean that all the bullsh*t is taken away from the PL.

That's not what I said at all, that's something you make of it. I can understand why there are former United fans who turned their back to their once favourite club. When some filthy rich Asian or Arab takes over the Saints and let them play in purple with gold outfits renaming the club the Soton Surfers then I would lose intrest myself too. But that's not the case with the Saints, isn't it?

Saints beating Sparta and Swansea, Feyenoord beating ManU and PSV... What a great week this was!

Oi, everything I said above doesn't involve Manchester Utd. They're rubbish...

The Dutch league is still having trouble with hooligans, we need a football law like there is in England to keep away the idiots but the Dutch authorities don't want it. So now the Feyenoord board decided to play ManU tonight in a half empty stadium with nets in front of the audience to prevent some ass**** throwing stuff on the pitch. It's a shame, especially as there are maybe 100 fools amongst an audience of 50.000... On topic: I don't get it why a Saints fan would lose intrest because "we sell our best players each year" or "the PL is all about money, protecting the big clubs". In my opinion being a fan or supporter is not about the players, titles, cups, money or whatever, it's about the club which makes your heart tick. You can loathe the policy of the club, believe Puel is a stupid frog or hate the obscenity which comes along with all the money in the PL but to turn your back to the club believing there are better things to do on a saturday or sunday afternoon? In that case I guess you're not really a fan or supporter anymore.

I like your idea but the financial gap between a club like Feyenoord and Manchester United is far too big. For the 125 million euros paid for Pogba you can buy all the players and staff of Feyenoord. Twice... Hopefully Feyenoord doesn't get slaugthered tonight like Celtic by Barcelona.

In my opinion you can't compare the CL with the PL as the CL with it's group stages to protect the "big clubs"' from getting out too early is a designed and marketed cash cow for the Uefa and the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the super rich clubs from England. The Uefa now even wants more clubs in the CL from the "big" countries at the expense of the "smaller" countries in order to prevent the big clubs to start a super league by themselves. It seems they don't mind that this way the gap between the three or four big countries (does Italy still count as a big country?) and the rest becomes unbridgeable and the majority of european football fans will lose intrest in the CL eventually which will lead to smaller revenues in the end. A national competition like the PL, Primera Division or even the Eredivisie in Holland is far more "genuine" than the CL and therefore much more interesting to football fans than a plastic product like the CL. The PL has the advantage of course that there are more appealing clubs taking part and able to win the league then there are in Spain, Germany and Italy all together (that's a problem for the Bayern Munichs and Barcelona's too...). I reckon the only alternative to beat the PL is a super league in which the biggest clubs of (mainly) Europe will take part and play each week like in a regular competition. Probably they even doesn't have to add clubs from America or China at all to get a world audience, that would make it even more easy when it comes to logistics. Anyway, just like you I wouldn't mind when the biggest clubs leave their national competition. I even believe it will be a good thing as it could mean there will be less foreigners in the national leagues so local talent will get more of a chance and the remaining clubs pay more attention to their local roots instead of just being run like a business who you can move anywhere else. But that's just the traditionalist I am speaking...

Maybe you're right and this whole idea is doomed to fail but at least the reason behind it- Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid etc. being afraid the British clubs are getting to rich to compete with - sounds very real to me. Just look at Dutch clubs like Ajax and PSV for example, once they were big clubs in international football but nowadays their total budget is half of the tv money a club like Watford gets and that's just the tv money. Of course the Dutch market is of little importance compared to Spain, Germany and Italy but those markets have reached their limits also while the PL gets bigger and bigger and the income from the Champions League isn't enough for Barcelona and Madrid to close the gap with the likes of United, City or Chelsea. So, if this goes on they will lose in the end and therefore it's simply to understand they're in need of alternatives. Wether a global Super League will be the answer remains to be seen but yes, I do believe this league is going to happen like insiders are telling. Wether it's going to happen or not: would you as a Saints fan regret clubs like United, City and Chelsea leaving the PL?

Apparantly you're not aware that the biggest Spanish, Italian and German clubs are behind the initiative to start a global super league as they are afraid they can't compete anymore with the biggest British clubs in the near future. According to the chairman of the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) it will be driven by tv-markets, big sponsor deals and global marketing and this will be a threat to the PL as in the PL there are billions at stake while in the other leagues we're talking about "just" millions. Also, you keep talking about Chinese and American clubs who have no appeal for fans in the rest of the world. However, no one has said there will be that many Chinese and American clubs from the beginning. Which European clubs could take part? Let's name a few: from Italy: AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus. From Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund. From France: Paris SG. From Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla. Add 4 or 5 clubs from the PL and a couple from South America (choose from River Plate, Boca, Santos, Flamengo etc.) and one from China and the USA and you'll have a competition with more appealing clubs for a world wide audience than the PL. When the British clubs don't join there are still enough other European clubs who would gladly take part like Roma, Napoli, Wolfsburg, Lyon etc. Bigger and more appealing names than most of the clubs in the PL. It's not me making things up CB, it's all coming from this chairman from the EPFL. Somehow I believe he knows "a bit" more about this subject than you or me or anyone else on this forum...

I have been reading what you wrote, that's why I tried to explain to you why I believe there will be a world league in the nearby future. Apparantly I failed to do so... Here's another attempt: the PL is a well marketed and succesfull product but as you will know, every product will be replaced as soon as there's something more attractive. United versus Arsenal is a popular game around the world but what to think of Stoke versus West Ham or Swansea against Bournemouth? It's just the big clubs the Chinese and Americans are interested in, do you agree? When United plays against Watford I don't think any Chinaman is interested in Watford, they just want to see Zlatan and Pogba etc. It will be the same when United plays against Chicago, they just want to see Zlatan and Pogba etc. Maybe you like to believe that the PL has the marketing power to maintain their position but then you would underestimate the powers of the Nike's, Coca Cola's and so on. When the multinationals are going to finance a world league, Chicago will be able to get some "stars" themselves so even the Chinaman will be more interested in watching United against Chicago than United versus Watford. It's simply more attractive for him (and her!). Indeed, it has everything to do with cold, hard cash and not traditions. Like I said before, with the right strategy they will sell this new product. It has to be different than the way the Fifa Club World Cup is promoted of course so I don't believe a series of global tournaments will do the trick as there's not much interest in these kind of tournaments globally. And of course it will make a difference if the Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and maybe Tottenham take part in a world league. We'll see...

True, for the biggest English clubs it won't be an easy decision to join a world league just for the money, that's why they want to stay in the PL also as it must feel awkward to cut off their roots. But when the Real Madrids, Bayern Munichs etc. choose to join a world league do you really believe that the foreign owners of clubs like Chelsea, Manchester etc. will refuse to take part? I don't as there will be much more money and status at stake. Imagine the television market in China and America combined, it just takes the right strategy to sell the world league to it's inhabitants who are not raised with the same conception of football and it's culture like you and me. In China they're dreaming to see the Ronaldo's of this world play in their stadiums. It's all about stardom and glitter, they couldn't care less about the traditions or background of clubs. In my opinion it won't be that hard to sell the Chinese and American "fans" a subscription for the world league. Also: once I didn't believe English fans would accept so many foreigners (players and owners) at their clubs as they would not identify themselves with their club anymore. How wrong I was, it's clear most of them don't care at all as long as their club takes part in the PL, they don't care about the obscenity that comes along with all the money going round so I expect they will also be there when their club plays against the Shanghai Tigers or whatever names will come up. Football is just a product to be sold these days and I believe the pundits when they say there will be a world league within 5 years.

Of course this is going to happen as it is all about the money these days and when multinationals are willing - and they are - to put billions in a world league because it opens up the Asian and American market, there's just no stopping it. Especially the big clubs from Spain, Germany and Italy will profit as they are getting behind in comparison with the British top clubs due to the ridiculous amounts of money going round in the PL. I don't mind that the big clubs want to play in a world league, the competitions in Europe are boring as hell. However, the other clubs should unite and demand that the big clubs have to leave their national competition, if you want out then sod off. The UEFA should do the same for the CL and UEFA League, those competitions will also become more attractive to watch as you can't tell up front which clubs will get in the final. Especially when things turn back to normal and the knock out system applies from the first round and there's no more group stage. Is it possible for the smaller British clubs to unite and start a new competition without the Chelski's and so on?

"Much of this has been ignored by the West. But echoes are now being heard across Europe, so it is becoming harder to turn a blind eye." Let's hope so... Let's also hope that people with authority within islam like the king of Morocco will continue to condemn muslims attacking innocents.

At last something encouraging from someone important within the islamic world. King Mohammed VI from Morocco holds the title of "Commander of the believers" and muslims do listen to him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMUlzB0vCbs