Author Topic: Soccer 2024-25 (Read 7478 times)

Natsinpwc · « **Reply #100 on:** May 17, 2025, 12:56:42 pm »

Oops. Waived off. Still 1-0.

welch · « **Reply #101 on:** May 17, 2025, 01:32:10 pm »

Crystal Palace, part-owned by our Josh Harris, has won the FA Cup!!!

Natsinpwc · « **Reply #102 on:** May 17, 2025, 01:32:48 pm »

They did it.

🦅 soar high.

welch · « **Reply #103 on:** May 17, 2025, 01:35:17 pm »

Check ESPN+ for a replay.

welch · « **Reply #104 on:** May 17, 2025, 01:44:42 pm »

Think I saw Josh Harris beaming and hugging other Palace officials. Super Bowl next?

Ali the Baseball Cat · « **Reply #105 on:** May 17, 2025, 02:16:37 pm »

Effing awesome

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #106 on:** May 17, 2025, 03:25:20 pm »

Quote from: Ali the Baseball Cat on May 17, 2025, 02:16:37 pm

Effing awesome

shouldn't City now bribe Prince William with a luxury jet or something to get him to over-rule the result in his capacity as head of the FA?

English Natsie · « **Reply #107 on:** May 17, 2025, 06:27:29 pm »

Congrats to Palace - although not the shock result it would once have been, given the aging City's decline, this season. Clearly the Year Of The Eagle...

English Natsie · « **Reply #108 on:** May 17, 2025, 06:36:36 pm »

And great to see Steve Coppell in attendance - regarded, by Palace fans, as their greatest head coach.

blue911 · « **Reply #109 on:** May 17, 2025, 06:40:19 pm »

How many of the UK’s elite futbol clubs are located within London?

English Natsie · « **Reply #110 on:** May 18, 2025, 08:19:03 am »

Quote from: blue911 on May 17, 2025, 06:40:19 pm

How many of the UK’s elite futbol clubs are located within London?

Arsenal, Chelsea, Brentford, Fulham, Crystal Palace, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur - so that's seven. That won't change, next season, as all of the promoted clubs, from the Championship, are northern (Leeds, Burnley and either Sunderland or Sheffield United).

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #111 on:** May 18, 2025, 09:45:24 am »

Is it fair to call Brentford an elite club? Several years in the premiership, but aren't they pretty modestly resourced financially?

Does Fulham have money behind it now? Among the big clubs, aren't Spurs and Arsenal on tighter budgets?

CNBC had a list of the top 25 wealthiest clubs in the world.
https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/most-valuable-soccer-teams-in-world-revealed-by-cnbc-as-premier-league-dominates
Real Madrid #1, but otherwise dominated by the Premier League with 11. 3 London clubs at 8-9-10 (Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea). I was surprised there were 3 MLS clubs like Miami and both LA clubs on the list, all valued at about $1 Billion. West Ham, Villa, and Fulham are just above the MLS clubs

For as popular as futbol / soccer is, American football and basketball are the really high value franchises. The NBA Celtics just sold for over $6 billion, more than the #2 Man U, and they are only about the 4th most valuable NBA team. Warriors, Knicks and Lakers all top Real Madrid.

Ali the Baseball Cat · « **Reply #112 on:** May 18, 2025, 12:23:32 pm »

Luton Town, Reading, QPR were all in recently(ish). Reading had my empoyer's logo slapped all over their stadium which I didn't especially appreciate on a Sunday. I flew an Air Asia flight that was in QPR livery...I did enjoy that.

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #113 on:** May 18, 2025, 03:29:33 pm »

Sunderland-Sheffield United is the game with the most money at stake in all sports

English Natsie · « **Reply #114 on:** May 18, 2025, 05:48:58 pm »

Quote from: JCA-CrystalCity on May 18, 2025, 09:45:24 am

Is it fair to call Brentford an elite club? Several years in the premiership, but aren't they pretty modestly resourced financially?

Does Fulham have money behind it now? Among the big clubs, aren't Spurs and Arsenal on tighter budgets?

CNBC had a list of the top 25 wealthiest clubs in the world.
https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/most-valuable-soccer-teams-in-world-revealed-by-cnbc-as-premier-league-dominates
Real Madrid #1, but otherwise dominated by the Premier League with 11. 3 London clubs at 8-9-10 (Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea). I was surprised there were 3 MLS clubs like Miami and both LA clubs on the list, all valued at about $1 Billion. West Ham, Villa, and Fulham are just above the MLS clubs

For as popular as futbol / soccer is, American football and basketball are the really high value franchises. The NBA Celtics just sold for over $6 billion, more than the #2 Man U, and they are only about the 4th most valuable NBA team. Warriors, Knicks and Lakers all top Real Madrid.

Being in the EPL would grant 'elite' status, within the game. And the two-billion was for only a 25% stake in Man Utd - the Glazers (Buccaneers) are still the majority shareholders. The value listings generally fluctuate - there's general agreement that, in terms of global reach and recognition, no-one comes close to Man Utd within sports. It's often said that, where ever you are in the world, if you say 'Manchester Utd' everyone knows what you're talking about.

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #115 on:** May 18, 2025, 06:15:15 pm »

That's why I have been surprised by the cnbc and Forbes numbers. There just seems to be a split between popularity and value.

I don’t doubt Man U is or another soccer team is the most popular and recognizable, certainly more than the Warriors, but tax laws and business operations also impact value. It's the downside of having uncapped payroll. The most socialist league around is t h e nfl
Any list of valuable franchises will be dominated by the NFL even if they don't have the #1 spot.

English Natsie · « **Reply #116 on:** May 19, 2025, 06:27:21 am »

To be honest, I think financial rationality goes out the window, when it comes to sports team ownership. The kudos of owning a team means it's worth whatever someone is willing to pay, and subsequently lose in supporting their team financially - this is why UEFA introduced the Financial Fair Play rules, to prevent wealthy owners from running clubs on an unsustainable basis (particularly those backed by Gulf State sovereign funds).

JCA-CrystalCity · « **Reply #117 on:** May 19, 2025, 08:34:08 am »

Sportswashing is a real issue in both soccer and cycling. Cycling is laughable, with Bahrain, UAE, al-Ula, Israel for nations (ok, Israel Premier Tech is not sovereign wealth, just a Canadian-Israeli dual citizen putting up the money to boost the tech sector), and for chemical and oil companies Ineos, formerly Orica, Uno-X, Total, just off the top of my head.

Then there's Quick-Step flooring

English Natsie · « **Reply #118 on:** May 19, 2025, 09:32:15 am »

Ajax fail to clean up...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c74nz813yr0o

Ali the Baseball Cat · « **Reply #119 on:** May 19, 2025, 11:18:20 am »

Not to mention the United States Post Office

Quote from: JCA-CrystalCity on May 19, 2025, 08:34:08 am

Sportswashing is a real issue in both soccer and cycling. Cycling is laughable, with Bahrain, UAE, al-Ula, Israel for nations (ok, Israel Premier Tech is not sovereign wealth, just a Canadian-Israeli dual citizen putting up the money to boost the tech sector), and for chemical and oil companies Ineos, formerly Orica, Uno-X, Total, just off the top of my head.

Then there's Quick-Step flooring

welch · « **Reply #120 on:** May 21, 2025, 05:10:09 pm »

Spurs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

English Natsie · « **Reply #121 on:** May 22, 2025, 07:18:13 am »

Clown has last laugh...congrats Spurs.

welch · « **Reply #122 on:** May 22, 2025, 02:33:14 pm »

I watched James Maddison and Ange Postecoglu tease Roy Keane into humiliated mumbling. Appears that Roy Keane is valuable only to suggest a name for the great Roy Kent.

Natsinpwc · « **Reply #123 on:** May 24, 2025, 06:21:14 pm »

Sunderland Till I Die.