Tag Archives: Premier League

Sky still trying to re-write football history

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Sky TV and the Premier League. If I had to pick a date when football as we used to know and love it started to go down hill, it would be 1992.

It was at this point, top division clubs decided to go it alone. To break away from the Football League and set up the Premier League. It was at this point that clubs became more interested in the money they can make, rather than look after the loyal fans who stuck around when football was not as popular as it is now.

And hand in hand with those Premier League club was Sky TV, Sky Sports, BSkyB or whatever they wanted to be called back then.

A lot of what I hate about football these days is due to Sky and the Premier League.

The disconnection of players to clubs, the boasting about “mega money TV deals” whilst ticket prices continue to rise, and kick off times. Those bloody kick off times.

But perhaps the most annoying thing that Sky TV and the Premier League done is white wash anything that became before it.

The Premier League is actually no different to the old First Division. Bar the trophy and greed, it is still the “Top flight of English football”. It is why it always baffles me when people talk about “Premier League records” as if football did not exist prior to 1992.

Sky ignore anything prior to the Premier League because they do not have the rights of the footage. Greed means that they refuse to pay the BBC, ITV or whoever owns the footage of games in the 80s, 70s and earlier.

It was actually hilarious that after Sergio Aguero scored his memorable goal against QPR a few years back, that Sky promoted it as “the best end of the season. Ever”. It completely ignored 1989, Arsenal at Anfield.

Even a neutral will say that Arsenal beating Liverpool at Anfield was a greater finish to the season that Manchester City beating QPR.

We then have Sky constantly talking about Mo Salah. That he is going to “break the Premier League goals record” and that “Harry Kane is the second quickest player to 100 Premier League goals”. We get it, Sky only care about the Premier League. In there mind there was no football before 1992.

And the above graphic is hilarious. Apparently now, the 10 league titles Arsenal won prior to the Premier League count for nothing.

Some people might say “stop living in the past, history does not matter”. Yet according to Sky’s graphic, Arsenal’s table topping sides of 1989 and 1991 are meaningless, whilst Manchester United winning the league title in 1993 can be counted.

The majority of fans can see through this. But sadly this is starting to change. You read about Manchester United fans mocking Liverpool fans for “never having won the Premier League”. Chelsea fans boasting about how they are the “second most successful team in Premier League history.”

The reality is Chelsea are still behind Everton, Sunderland and Aston Villa when it comes to league titles.

I guess it is not a surprise that two clubs as unsuccessful as Chelsea and Manchester City only care about “Premier League Era” results because it makes up for their lack of success in the previous 100 years of football.

The worry is that with Sky pushing the “Premier League” agenda and football becoming more influenced by foreign fans, that achievements prior to 1992 will be deemed meaningless in comparison.

And they are not meaningless. They are part of history. Part of the English game. Whether it be 1991, 1989 or 1931, they all count the same.

Sky need to stop disrespecting the history of the game just because they do not hold the rights to the highlights.

Keenos

Ps: Some Arsenal fans will bash this article saying I am “living in the past”. They might be true, but these same fans probably also moan every day on Twitter about Modern Football. Maybe some people just like to moan?

Safe Standing: Stop being the “minority voice”

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At the minute, the Government are right. It is just a “minority of voices” calling for Safe Standing.

Whilst various surveys of fans of individual clubs has shown an over whelming favour of bringing back Safe Standing, a Parliamentary Petition on the matter is currently showing a different answer.

At the time of writing, little over 28,000 fans have signed the Safe Standing petition.

To put that into perspective, that is just 300 people per the 92 professional clubs in England.

That is why the government can get away with saying it is a “minority of voices”.

750,000 people attend games in the top 4 divisions in England every weekend.

Only 3.7% have signed this petition

Don’t just sit moaning that you are Against Modern Football on Twitter.

Show to the Government that it is not the “minority” of fans that want Safe Standing.

Sign the petition.

Arsenal are back!

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So what have you done in the last 21 days?

That is how long it has been since Arsenal last player a Premier League game. I imagine most of us can not even remember who it was against?

We beat Watford 3-0 at home. And tomorrow we break the 21 day fast with Stoke visiting Islington. Maybe Arsenal gave up football for lent? Happy Easter All (or Happy Chocolate Egg Day for those who complain about such things).

In that time, Arsenal have played AC Milan, a nice easy victory putting us into the Quarter Final of the Europa League. But with no FA Cup football, the Leicester game postponed due to their exploits in the FA Cup, and the international break, it has been a long time since we last had a domestic game.

You hear managers and pundits call for a winter break. If my boredom over the last 3 weeks is anything to go by, then I want more football, not less.

We have Jurgen Klopp’s agent coming out saying “English football is so hard. With no winter break it is exhausting.” Well Jurgen has just had near enough 3 weeks off without football. Was he not able to relax then? I imagine he is just looking fore excuses on what could be his 3rd season in English football, at Liverpool, without a trophy. And he spent £40m on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and has improved him so much.

Anyway, I digress.

Games like tomorrow do worry me. It is like the first day of the season all over again.

After a long-ish rest, with some players flying around the globe to play for their countries, others trying to keep their motivation on the training ground in Colney, you never quite know the form of the players who will come back.

Stoke are often labelled one of Arsenal’s bogey teams. This is incorrect. Results between the two are massively Jekyll & Hyde.

Stoke usually win up north, Arsenal usually win in the capital.

You have to go back to 1975 for the last time Stoke beat Arsenal in North London.

Before Arsenal’s defeat earlier this season (a 1-0 defeat in which Arsenal had a perfectly legitimate equaliser ruled out), we  were on a run of 5 games without defeat against Stoke – 4 wins and a draw. Whilst no game in the Premier League is a given, it is a fairly routine game back.

I am off to the pub. Have a good day.

Keenos