Well, we should of seen this coming. With the influx of foreign owners into the EPL, it was only a matter of time when they got together and said “hey, this is all well and good, but this relegation thing sort of cocks up our plans to print mad money.” Now, the reports are starting to leak out that the foreign owners are banging their tin cups around upset about these ideas of “relegation and promotion.” No doubt they want to lock in all the teams where they are now, and let themselves rise and fall in the table, without the fear of relegation.
This isn’t surprising – most foreign owners are shameless front runners, looking to buy English teams to round out their portfolio, open up new markets, and give them another outlet to massage their egos. Having part ownership of a Liverpool or Chelsea, or even a Sunderland will appeal to those foreigners who are looking to look good. Once they get a hold of a team, and pour some money into it, they realize they can’t easily buy themselves a title like they first thought (hello Man City!!), let alone a shot at European play (ahem, Blackburn). Being businessmen who have made their billions on the backs of others, they realize that relegation deflates the values of their teams, looks bad on paper, and does not stroke their egos. Being businessmen, they also realize that they can best insure the return on their investment is to work to insure their market has a solid floor beneath them. The best way to do that is to work with others, in a loose cartel to insure steady profits.
The end result is the TV rights, and the money that are paid out to each team. The Premiere League teams get a lot more money than the Championship teams (though I would argue they should sell those rights to espn for $1 on the condition they cover every Cola match – they would get a lot more eyeballs than expected). That money is a drug to owners of sports teams – they are desperate to stay on the rock, and will do most anything to keep it. We know this to be basically true – look no farther than American major sports leagues. Each one has teams which actively tank looking for better draft picks, or to shed payroll, or to make a tidy profit. They have no fears because they will be back the next year, so they can ignore their fans, and ignore everything but their own bottom line. If the NBA or the MLB had relegation, the amount of serious games in the last third of the season would be tripled.
I thought they bought EPL clubs just to wash their dirty money. They actually wanted to win the EPL? Those fools…..
The relegation promotion system is integral to the quality of the product. The day you kill relegation is the day you kill the sport.
@Gorty: I think relegation/promotion adds to the entertainment value but I don’t necessarily think it adds to the quality of the soccer. Fine line distinction, I know, but I think it is an important distinction.
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Also, this seems more like fear-mongering nationalism. I’m sure none of the English owners want to have a bit more certainty in the value of their teams. It is only these damn foreigners that are seeking to sully the game England invented.
Foreign owned teams include: Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Blackburn, Sunderland, QPR, Fulham.
Half that list is made up of teams that I would hardly call relegation candidates. I’m not sure I buy this “foreign owners” explanation. Don’t you think it’s equally likely that Phil Gartside has had another brainstorm (which he always seems to do when Bolton are in relegation trouble) and may be seeking to pawn it off on “the foreigners”?
So yeah, I didn’t see TFA’s post, but that’s pretty much what I’m getting at.
It would be bad for the Prem, at least if other leagues maintained promotion/relegation systems. Why? Owners, knowing they wouldn’t lose out on the TV money, would cut costs (ie player wages) and watch their team drop down the table. No real problem there then, especially if they put in a nice cup run, no one would care that you came 20th.
This would drop the quality of the product, which would, eventually, drop the value of the Television contract. Of course, Spain, Germany, or Italy would have to act on this and actually promote themselves, so it’s likely this drop wouldn’t happen for a very long time.
But really what they want is to be able to be the Lions or the Bengals in the NFL, where you can suck for years on end and still print money. Heck, you can print even more money when you’re sucking because you don’t have the expenses.
@WNF: I doubt that is what would occur because to attract the best players they would still have to compete with wages offered by other leagues and provide an incentive for players to play in England such as Champions League play or something like it. Moreover, I doubt the FA would let any of the clubs still participate in any cup competition if they did not have relegation and promotion. So, they would be forced to compete to win the league or at least be competitive.
@TFA: That might be true for teams competing for spots in Europe, but what happens when you’re Blackburn and you’re out of the running by November? What’s your incentive to pay anybody? Why not sell off your high-salary guys in January, pocket the cash, and let your young players get a run around for half a season?
@MP: So you sell your best players and won’t know if you will be able to compete next season because you will not be able to provide a compelling argument other than wages? I don’t think that would work.