Good stuff Vulmea. It's such a big subject. Germans seem to be able to co-operate in ways that the english really struggle with......we are all so much about our own independence. I heard Klinsman talking during the world cup about the root and branch change that they introduced from the national team down, and they asked all the first div. clubs to follow a set of basic changes to methods and levels of training right through style of play.....and all the clubs signed on. Can you imagine that happening here?
I think also that Murdoch and sky was really the first LBO in football. He massively over-bid beyond what ITV and BBC bid, and then raised ad rates and sky rates to cover the cost...he basically sucked a whole lot of cash that was going to other places towards football. He did the very same thing to the NFL with his Fox network..pure leveraging which exploded advertising budgets and revenue, player salaries etc. The prem grew into this vast sink hole for money as it attracted many of the best players in the world and created the first 'world league'.....at least in terms of viewership. The upside? Football of the highest quality, 4 prem teams occupying the final 4 places in the CL, world wide attention and subsequent riches. Isn't this conglomerate the real power in the game? I suspect that the Premier League, and to a lesser extent the FA, are really like politicians in the US.....bought and paid for servants of the corporations who pay for their election. In that sense I agree that I would like to see the FA take back genuine control of the game, but the prem clubs would I think, just take their ball and play without them, or certainly threaten to.
I'm well out of touch with british politics, but I can't imagine a conservative govt. doing anything that doesn't suit murdoch...though of course you are talking about a ground up movement. I must admit, I had plenty of fantasies about Newcastle, Mancs and us all joining together to start to make make meaningful change over the last couple of years when we all three had problems in common, and I do think that ongoing efforts to coalesce around what we share, as you refer to, may produce some real results, but we would have to take the long view, and be prepared I think to see the end of the prem as the big money world league......a tough sell.....it's the perfect catch 22 of capitalism......we love it and hate it in equal measure.
And everything you speak of so truly, has echoes of my frustration that we are fucking up the planet while we all stand paralysed unable to do anything about it. Powerlessness runs deep everywhere. It's like we dare not really cooperate for fear that we'll lose our individuality/independence. I think that groups and individuals may get into various "doings", and those involved experience a reduction in powerlessness, and sometimes experience a genuine elevation, but there is pain around the corner when the engaged come up again against the many still living in disconnected powerlessness. The same issues I imagine that faced those who first grew the trade unions. Do we have to all share suffering together before we'll act together? I really admire what Roy started this summer, because it identified that connection was the path to reduce the disconnection, hence the art, which connects us by transcending our personalities and our minds, and speaks straight to the heart....the only place where people really can come together......as we know from what binds us all, our love of Liverpool.
But the summer campaign was hugely successful......we easily doubled, probably tripled the core resistance, and made anything but the owners removal ridiculous. Is it enough, no, and as to the wider steps you speak of, I hope we can begin to tackle them.
