European League

[Lee On Solent Saint]

If it does go ahead in some sort of fashion, is it the end of the League Cup? What happens to the Premier League? Will the Super six basically use it as a reserve league just to give fringe players the occasional rum out?

[Saint86]

Call their bluff and they have no product. 

Ultimately the big 6 should now be booted out of the league for me, or at least the current incarnations of their clubs. Let it be a lesson to other owners who would do this. Offer up the golden share to the supporters groups and see if they can form a team if it comes to it. If anything, this whole thing has a potential to be a catalyst for change and has highlighted just how the wealthy business men have taken the people's game, and the work and love of millions of people over a hundred plus years, and tried to farm it and then steal it. I would summarily pull the trigger on all of them, boot them from their leagues, boot them from the CL, ban any player who plays in the ESL from international football (laughable that they even suggest this is illegal - the Football Associations of each country will do it just for trying to damage grass routes and the football pyramid)... then leave them the franchises and owners rot in just another MLS/China/UAE league - a bunch of mercenary players at souless clubs, all playing in a pseudo competition. No top players, no competition, the same stale format, and no fans/atmosphere. Sod em all.

Feel for their fans, overnight they've all woken up and realised their club is now more hated than MK Don's - no small feet!

And there can be no compromise here. It will just be a death by a thousand cuts instead of straight away. They'll slowly eek out more and more monetary advantage, weaken the other competitions, and suck up all the players and talent. What will they have, an A team for the ESL, and a B-team for the prem? And what of the prem? they don't need to win it as it would be worth less and not required for qualification?!?! They would have zero place in it imo. And then the TV monies would drop as the competition dies, and this would spiral all down the leagues. Clubs going bust left right and centre, and not ones with huge fanbases able to reform. Hundreds if not thousands of staff losing jobs, fans and communities having a significant part of themselves taken away. No there can be no compromise, they have well and truly tipped their hand, time to boot them out and take the short term pain to restructure the game for the better.
 

Even the prize pool for the new league is fixed. The permanent members get half the pot locked away secure, so even if say a Leicester won a league and qualified, then won the ESL, they'd only get half of say Real Madrid who wouldn't even progress to the latter rounds.

Edited 19 April, 2021 by Saint86

[wadesmith]

Fair play to Jesse Lingard, saw the iceberg approaching, didn’t want any part of it, jumped to West Ham. That’s integrity.

[washsaint]

1 hour ago, CB Fry said:

I still think it is not much more than a kite flying exercise.

The notion that it would start this August is the giveaway. No it won't, the time to set up any of the commercial arrangements aren't enough.

The Premier League need to respond in a similar way. Go nuclear and threaten them with 25-30 point reductions (which could relegate Arsenal and Spurs) and/or expulsion if they don't repent. Go back hard.

A Premier League season without those six could be an absolute riot. (As long as Everton don't win it.)

But its not going to come to any of that, too much mutual benefit. 

The actual output will be longer and more nuanced, and will involve the dismantling of UEFA in the same way the Premier League hollowed out the FA. Its not really about Super League this August it's about big clubs taking absolute control of the levers of power for the next twenty years.

Right now they've just set a bomb off, but the long game only just starting.

Honestly, living here in the US I think you may have miscalculated (as have some of the owners of the 'Big 6') the American view on this.  Kroenke is a piece of scum and moved the Rams from St Louis to LA without a moments thought - the American view on sports is very different and all franchise based without any promotion/relegation considerations.  It works in the US context because of College drafts (baseball, ice hockey, NFL, MLS and other sports all operate this way) and without the concept of transfer fees (typically trading players for draft picks, etc) and with salary caps. 

What these pieces of s**t are talking about is nothing more than a money grab.  As for the comments about "legacy fans" - that sums them up and how badly they have miscalculated the reaction.  They might not care now but the plastic fans won't hang around when "their" team does badly and we already know what the endgame for these c**ts is: lots of games in the Far East and the US to maximize the amount of money they can make.

Diabolical and hope the UK Government puts paid to this.

[Morse]

If this goes ahead, competition for a top four place in the Premiership will be lost, thus so will interest from TV, and that means a lot less money for clubs like ours.

The value of SFC will then be dramatically reduced, and Gao will be owing millions on a club not worth the mortgage. 

So while the big 6 get bigger we and clubs like ours will not only get poorer we could go bust. 

Our best bet is to throw them out of the Premier League and invite Rangers, Celtic, Ajax, Feyenoord to replace them. 

[washsaint]

1 minute ago, Morse said:

If this goes ahead, competition for a top four place in the Premiership will be lost, thus so will interest from TV, and that means a lot less money for clubs like ours.

The value of SFC will then be dramatically reduced, and Gao will be owing millions on a club not worth the mortgage. 

So while the big 6 get bigger we and clubs like ours will not only get poorer we could go bust. 

Our best bet is to throw them out of the Premier League and invite Rangers, Celtic, Ajax, Feyenoord to replace them. 

You do understand the irony of what you have just posted don't you?  Teams forming new League bad but OK to pillage other Leagues to invite them into the Premier league.

And the difference is what exactly?

[wadesmith]

15 minutes ago, washsaint said:

You do understand the irony of what you have just posted don't you?  Teams forming new League bad but OK to pillage other Leagues to invite them into the Premier league.

And the difference is what exactly?

The difference being (& I’m being generous here as I’m not sure if inviting random teams from Europe would be a good idea)..but the difference being it wouldn’t be a closed shop..you would live & die by your success..whereas in the ESL you don’t. The whole things mental, how many times have Spurs,City & Athetico Madrid won the European cup?

 

Edited 20 April, 2021 by wadesmith

[skintsaint]

7 hours ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Bet Bojo has never been near a football ground in his life.

 

[aintforever]

5 hours ago, Morse said:

If this goes ahead, competition for a top four place in the Premiership will be lost, thus so will interest from TV, and that means a lot less money for clubs like ours.

If it goes ahead the Premier League is finished. It will just be 6 teams trying to win a mini tournament and the rest with nothing else to play for except avoiding relegation. If there is no CL incentive then no-one is going to invest anything more than enough to finish above 17th place.

Long term we would be better off kicking them out and retaining some sort of integrity about the competition along with the rest of the EFL.

[skintsaint]

Been watching some pundits talking about this and all people wanting to watch the best players week in and week out. Not me but not sure if a minority on this. Can't remember last time I watched a Madrid or Milan derby, or a CL game for that matter. I remember a while back being in a pub with Barca on and the commentators just basically jizzed over every little thing Messi did all game and was rather annoying. 

[egg]

17 minutes ago, aintforever said:

If it goes ahead the Premier League is finished. It will just be 6 teams trying to win a mini tournament and the rest with nothing else to play for except avoiding relegation. If there is no CL incentive then no-one is going to invest anything more than enough to finish above 17th place.

Long term we would be better off kicking them out and retaining some sort of integrity about the competition along with the rest of the EFL.

Pretty much this if we let the dirty 6 stay. The logical thing is to kick them out or the remaining 14 to rejoin the football league with a new 20 team top league. There can still be European competition with whatever top league we have, the French and German league will still be intact, and there'll be a credible competition. 

[Fan The Flames]

I would love it if the 14 left to form a new top flight, love it.

[CB Fry]

7 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

If it does go ahead in some sort of fashion, is it the end of the League Cup? What happens to the Premier League? Will the Super six basically use it as a reserve league just to give fringe players the occasional rum out?

Er, no. I think some are getting a bit carried away. 

The Premier League is still critical to the "big six".

This is just a replacement for the Champions League because these clubs think they are too jolly important and wealthy to lower themselves to playing Sparta Prague and Genk.

Although with no top four to strive for it does rip the heart out of a chunk of the competition.

Anyway, the only sanctions that will work is them being unilaterally booted out of the Premier League, and hopefully that gets announced today by the other 14.

I imagine the other 14 will bottle that of course because they still need those clubs, as do Sky and the other sponsors.

Edited 20 April, 2021 by CB Fry

[whelk]

Who referred to ‘legacy fans’?

[qwertyell]

8 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

But the only sanctions that will work is them being unilaterally booted out of the Premier League, and hopefully that gets announced today by the other 14.

I imagine the other 14 will bottle that of course because they still need those clubs, as do Sky and the other sponsors.

Palace chairman Steve Parish was on Monday Night Football last night, and kicking out the Six Splitters is absolutely not on the agenda for the remaining 14. The Splitters have the rest of the league over a barrel and they know it. The deference is embarrassing. Parish's implication was that they'd all put their heads together and try and work out a solution where everyone wins - i.e. the Six get precisely what they want, with a few minor, superficial alterations.

The only way this thing is getting stopped - aside from government intervention - is if the players revolt. There's no Super League without them. It only takes Messi or Ronaldo to take a stand (aren't they rich enough already?) and the whole charade collapses.

Edited 20 April, 2021 by qwertyell

[JustinSFC]

8 hours ago, Hayling Saint said:

They were both brilliant tonight (and I am not their biggest fan) they really believe in what they are saying and really care about football.

Neville went full in with studs up.

Called the glazers "scavengers" & "snakes".

Thing is people are losing their shit but according to MNF this ESL isn't proposed to commence until 2024 or something.

[JustinSFC]

3 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Palace chairman Steve Parish was on Monday Night Football last night, and kicking out the Six Splitters is absolutely not on the agenda for the remaining 14. The Splitters have the rest of the league over a barrel and they know it. The deference is embarrassing. Parish's implication was that they'd all put their heads together and try and work out a solution.

 

I watched it and he would say that.

Palace, like us, are full in the shit if the 'big six' get booted.

They're the reason the TV money is what it is.

Edited 20 April, 2021 by JustinSFC

[whelk]

Bring in some legislation and kick out these fucking owners. MI5 should take out Abramovich anyway just because they can and send a message about Salisbury 

Edited 20 April, 2021 by whelk

[Fan The Flames]

7 minutes ago, whelk said:

Who referred to ‘legacy fans’?

A source within the 12 according to BBCs Dan Roan, they are apparently more interested in 'future fans'. 

When you consider this, they really are stealing these clubs.

[whelk]

Just now, JustinSFC said:

 

He would say that.

Palace, like us, are full in the shit if the 'big six' get booted.

They're the reason the TV money is what it is.

He’s a pragmatist not a hysterical fan

[beatlesaint]

8 hours ago, CB Fry said:

I still think it is not much more than a kite flying exercise.

The notion that it would start this August is the giveaway. No it won't, the time to set up any of the commercial arrangements aren't enough.

The Premier League need to respond in a similar way. Go nuclear and threaten them with 25-30 point reductions (which could relegate Arsenal and Spurs) and/or expulsion if they don't repent. Go back hard.

A Premier League season without those six could be an absolute riot. (As long as Everton don't win it.)

But its not going to come to any of that, too much mutual benefit. 

The actual output will be longer and more nuanced, and will involve the dismantling of UEFA in the same way the Premier League hollowed out the FA. Its not really about Super League this August it's about big clubs taking absolute control of the levers of power for the next twenty years.

Right now they've just set a bomb off, but the long game only just starting.

I too thought this was just a kite flying exercise BUT there seem to be a hell of a lot of people resigning their posts within UEFA and their own domestic governing bodies plus whatever this ECA thing is that United have resigned from.

These aren’t commitments you tend to make if you are just testing the water or trying to force the other guys hand.

[JustinSFC]

Just now, whelk said:

He’s a pragmatist not a hysterical fan

Quite. A lot of fans don't realise that if you boot the big 6 you're effectively forfeiting a massive wad of cash.

Sky aren't going to pump in gobs of cash without them.

[whelk]

2 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

I too thought this was just a kite flying exercise BUT there seem to be a hell of a lot of people resigning their posts within UEFA and their own domestic governing bodies plus whatever this ECA thing is that United have resigned from.

These aren’t commitments you tend to make if you are just testing the water or trying to force the other guys hand.

Assuming journos are in the know and absolutely doesn’t hold main headline of news for 48 hours and counting if posturing 

[Fan The Flames]

2 minutes ago, JustinSFC said:

Quite. A lot of fans don't realise that if you boot the big 6 you're effectively forfeiting a massive wad of cash.

Sky aren't going to pump in gobs of cash without them.

Fans do realise that, but I guess don't care. Football finances need a reset, it will be painful but not the end of the world.

[CB Fry]

17 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Palace chairman Steve Parish was on Monday Night Football last night, and kicking out the Six Splitters is absolutely not on the agenda for the remaining 14. The Splitters have the rest of the league over a barrel and they know it. The deference is embarrassing. Parish's implication was that they'd all put their heads together and try and work out a solution where everyone wins - i.e. the Six get precisely what they want, with a few minor, superficial alterations.

I hadn't heard that. But yeah, sounds about right.

The big six will try and turn it into a battle of the Premier League against the Champions League and by extension the international competitions: too bloated, too many fixtures. There will be common ground there. But as you say, the main common ground is the likes of Palace and us are over a barrel.

Edited 20 April, 2021 by CB Fry

[CB Fry]

9 minutes ago, JustinSFC said:

A lot of fans don't realise that if you boot the big 6 you're effectively forfeiting a massive wad of cash.

Er, yes they do. 

[alehouseboys]

7 minutes ago, JustinSFC said:

Quite. A lot of fans don't realise that if you boot the big 6 you're effectively forfeiting a massive wad of cash.

Sky aren't going to pump in gobs of cash without them.

Wahey, 3pm Saturday kick-offs are coming back! Kick the fuckers out...reset everything and start again*

 

*won't happen but I'm just an old fucker that preferred the days of the terraces

[adrian lord]

The nub of the problem with they ESL is the partial-Closed Shop, and equally importantly, the loss of jeopardy therein that makes for exciting competition and for everyone to dream that one day their club might just make it. 

[whelk]

2 minutes ago, alehouseboys said:

Wahey, 3pm Saturday kick-offs are coming back! Kick the fuckers out...reset everything and start again*

 

*won't happen but I'm just an old fucker that preferred the days of the terraces

I’m looking forward to terraces, £5 to get in and allowing rattles. And the halftime scores being out against letters you reference in your 20p programme.

[Pedantic Pete]

7 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

Fans do realise that, but I guess don't care. Football finances need a reset, it will be painful but not the end of the world.

I think you are right but the greedy owners of the other 14 will be desperately hanging on to those hundreds of millions. I fear that football is too far gone to ever reset itself.

[CB Fry]

6 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

Fans do realise that, but I guess don't care. Football finances need a reset, it will be painful but not the end of the world.

Might we go back to the seventies/eighties, where the likes of Derby and Forest could win the league? Or Ipswich could challenge, or even little old Southampton. 

Ooooh wouldn't that be terrible for the younger generation of transfer-fee "show some ambition" money obsessed fan-boys. Whoever yesterday on here said they were embarrassed because Bournemouth had a higher record transfer fee than us, i imagine would be absolutely distraught.

[adrian lord]

3 minutes ago, whelk said:

I’m looking forward to terraces, £5 to get in and allowing rattles. And the halftime scores being out against letters you reference in your 20p programme.

PCL - Proper Clubs League.

Looking forward to a single line of coppers separating Saints from Millwall at one end of the ground. 

Edited 20 April, 2021 by adrian lord

[Turkish]

25 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Palace chairman Steve Parish was on Monday Night Football last night, and kicking out the Six Splitters is absolutely not on the agenda for the remaining 14. The Splitters have the rest of the league over a barrel and they know it. The deference is embarrassing. Parish's implication was that they'd all put their heads together and try and work out a solution where everyone wins - i.e. the Six get precisely what they want, with a few minor, superficial alterations.

The only way this thing is getting stopped - aside from government intervention - is if the players revolt. There's no Super League without them. It only takes Messi or Ronaldo to take a stand (aren't they rich enough already?) and the whole charade collapses.

Great so the big clubs get their cake and eat. Even more money, a bigger divide between them and the rest with an even more uncompetitive league. Sounds wonderful 

[Gru]

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez said the decision to create the new league, which his club would be a part of, was in part taken because "young people are no longer interested" in the game.

He told a Spanish TV show: "Audiences are decreasing and rights are decreasing and something had to be done. We are all ruined. Television has to change so we can adapt."

This shows how just how out of touch they are.

Perhaps the greedy buggers should have foreseen this, when at the same time as negotiating record tv deals, ground admission prices which could have been reduced, or at least frozen, were being hiked to price out their future core audience.

[skintsaint]

29 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

Fans do realise that, but I guess don't care. Football finances need a reset, it will be painful but not the end of the world.

well the bubble had to burst at some point. The fact is you have Real, Barca and Spurs nearing one billion in debt so this is the last throw of the dice for them. Can Spurs survive a season or two outside the current CL riches? The stadium and Covid really has done them in.

Full reset, will be painful but the less money in the English game could be better long term, get some accountability and affordability back with rules in place to avoid the same again in the future. Its pretty rude the talk coming from this ESL mob, with them using examples of two smaller clubs who have made the CL and saying no one cares about it.....how about the bloody fans and players at those clubs. 

[Morse]

7 hours ago, washsaint said:

You do understand the irony of what you have just posted don't you?  Teams forming new League bad but OK to pillage other Leagues to invite them into the Premier league.

And the difference is what exactly?

It's about having a competition that would interest tv enough to cough up enough money to keep the likes of us, Wolves, Villa etc going and still be an open competition with promotion and relegation. 

[aintforever]

1 minute ago, skintsaint said:

well the bubble had to burst at some point. The fact is you have Real, Barca and Spurs nearing one billion in debt so this is the last throw of the dice for them. Can Spurs survive a season or two outside the current CL riches? The stadium and Covid really has done them in.

This whole proposal does have more than a wiff of desperation about it, the timing, the way it has been announced and the fact that the 'Super League' is made up of clubs from just three countries and hilariously includes the likes of Spurs. It's like they've reached the end of the line and it's this or bust, fuck the consequences.

[Weston Super Saint]

My prediction, it'll go ahead.  The big six will stay in the Premier League and there will be no consequences as no-one has the balls to rock the boat.

Sky will buy a massive chunk of the TV rights and Neville and Carragher will be shown up for the hollow hypocrites they are when they appear as the studio pundits for the first game!

The Premier League may become incidentally more competitive as the six or seven competing in the new league won't be too bothered about the teams they field so 'surprise' results will become the norm (bookies will get richer!).

[Morse]

BBC hearing from well placed source 2 of the twelve clubs are already getting cold feet. 

Man U and RM the driving force behind this, and the three american owned english clubs are determined to do this. 

[northam soul]

All these top managers whinge like anything in their press conferences about fixture congestion and scheduling so god knows how they will cope with this.

The so called big six could be playing about 80 games a season if they go far in the cups.

I guess it will mean they will field one team for the rich league and lesser teams for the Premier league and domestic cups.

That is absolute bollocks for us fans so we will see what happens 

[Baird of the land]

13 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

My prediction, it'll go ahead.  The big six will stay in the Premier League and there will be no consequences as no-one has the balls to rock the boat.

Sky will buy a massive chunk of the TV rights and Neville and Carragher will be shown up for the hollow hypocrites they are when they appear as the studio pundits for the first game!

The Premier League may become incidentally more competitive as the six or seven competing in the new league won't be too bothered about the teams they field so 'surprise' results will become the norm (bookies will get richer!).

The Top six being allowed to use the Premier League as a B league for their reserves would kill the Premier League for me.

[jawillwill]

6 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

My prediction, it'll go ahead.  The big six will stay in the Premier League and there will be no consequences as no-one has the balls to rock the boat.

Sky will buy a massive chunk of the TV rights and Neville and Carragher will be shown up for the hollow hypocrites they are when they appear as the studio pundits for the first game!

The Premier League may become incidentally more competitive as the six or seven competing in the new league won't be too bothered about the teams they field so 'surprise' results will become the norm (bookies will get richer!).

I doubt Sky would get the rights, which is probably why they are so openly against the proposals. Its more likely that the likes of Amazon / Apple will win rights, or alternatively, the ESL will have its own broadcasters/subscription model.

Personally, I'm in the fuck 'em camp. If a new league is set up without the big 6, the other clubs may take a financial hit (maybe even go bust) but I'm sure new clubs would rise and the new league would be a bit more open. The TV deals wouldn't be anywhere as near as big  but games would still be broadcast. Clubs would just need to cut their cloth accordingly. I guess it's the smaller clubs that will suffer most though if money isn't trickling through...but I think the ESL will be pressured into supporting grassroots somehow to sweeten the deal.

[benjii]

The issue is that these people have shown they don't care one jot for the game, only about their own financial success. So if a compromise is reached now, they'll be pushing for more in 5 years. They'll want fewer PL matches. They'll want to play in USA and China. And so on. 

Either way, when resources are concentrated in a few people, and those people are cultural terrorists with no concern for the rest of the pack, the writing is on the wall. The PL, FA and government need to bite the bullet now and do something for the long term. The current football business model is unsustainable. 

A 51% fan ownership law would be hilarious. Effectively nationalising half of the clubs from under the noses of these cunts. The tax payer would need to compensate them, or the country would be a banana republic, and that would stink but would hopefully preserve (or, more accurately, restore) some integrity in the game in the long run.

[Turkish]

7 minutes ago, Baird of the land said:

The Top six being allowed to use the Premier League as a B league for their reserves would kill the Premier League for me.

it's already dead.

[whelk]

3 minutes ago, benjii said:

The issue is that these people have shown they don't care one jot for the game, only about their own financial success. So if a compromise is reached now, they'll be pushing for more in 5 years. They'll want fewer PL matches. They'll want to play in USA and China. And so on. 

Either way, when resources are concentrated in a few people, and those people are cultural terrorists with no concern for the rest of the pack, the writing is on the wall. The PL, FA and government need to bite the bullet now and do something for the long term. The current football business model is unsustainable. 

A 51% fan ownership law would be hilarious. Effectively nationalising half of the clubs from under the noses of these cunts. The tax payer would need to compensate them, or the country would be a banana republic, and that would stink but would hopefully preserve (or, more accurately, restore) some integrity in the game in the long run.

This is an easy win for governments. Absolutely clear what public want and fucking off some billionaires should be easy. No faith in the cunts though. Oliver Dowden looks like he has never been to a game 

[East Kent Saint]

This is the logical conclusion following on from the formation of the Premier league  . The blazers lost control of of football when the Prem was formed . The clubs that want to break away have got themselves into a financial bind as they have fought off any regulations designed to limit spending . In Spain Real and Barca had a deal where they got the lions share of TV money showing what power they have . The outcome will be the same as with the FA trying to tame the Prem , these clubs will get some deal to ease their financial worrys to the detriment of the rest of the football clubs at all levels .

[JRM]

1 hour ago, qwertyell said:

Palace chairman Steve Parish was on Monday Night Football last night, and kicking out the Six Splitters is absolutely not on the agenda for the remaining 14. The Splitters have the rest of the league over a barrel and they know it. The deference is embarrassing. Parish's implication was that they'd all put their heads together and try and work out a solution where everyone wins - i.e. the Six get precisely what they want, with a few minor, superficial alterations.

The only way this thing is getting stopped - aside from government intervention - is if the players revolt. There's no Super League without them. It only takes Messi or Ronaldo to take a stand (aren't they rich enough already?) and the whole charade collapses.

Absolutely no way the 14 will vote to kick the 6 out. They'll agree to it with money promised from ESL to be paid , owners will protect their short term values, they have no backbone. 

[M271]

50 minutes ago, Gru said:

Perhaps the greedy buggers should have foreseen this, when at the same time as negotiating record tv deals, ground admission prices which could have been reduced, or at least frozen, were being hiked to price out their future core audience.

I've always thought that a large % of the TV money should have been allocated to the clubs on the condition that it is used for the good of the club infrastructure, local projects and for the benefit of the fans such as subsidising ticket prices. In effect every time that the TV money increases players transfer prices and wage costs increase, sucking the potential overall sports benefit from the fans again.

[badgerx16]

1 hour ago, Gru said:

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez said the decision to create the new league, which his club would be a part of, was in part taken because "young people are no longer interested" in the game.

He told a Spanish TV show: "Audiences are decreasing and rights are decreasing and something had to be done. We are all ruined. Television has to change so we can adapt."

This shows how just how out of touch they are.

Perhaps the greedy buggers should have foreseen this, when at the same time as negotiating record tv deals, ground admission prices which could have been reduced, or at least frozen, were being hiked to price out their future core audience.

He also said "This is not a league for the rich, it's a league to save football."

Edited 20 April, 2021 by badgerx16

[alehouseboys]

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez says they are doing it "to save football". Bullshit, you're doing it to save yourselves.

They've brought on their massive debts themselves, paying ludicrous £300k-a-week player salaries, now they're desperately seeking a bail-out. Save themselves, fuck everyone else.

If they get their way they'll just have two teams each, one for the Super League one for the domestic. Their lesser 'B' domestic squad will be far superior to anything else in the league as they'll have so much money to do it. They'll likely have two separate managers for the two teams.