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Part of my column in yesterdays Birmingham Mail- @birmingham_live no rights or wrongs just opinion
One thing the lockdown has proven without and question is that the football fans are more important than those in the game give them credit for.
One thing the lockdown has proven without and question is that the football fans are more important than those in the game give them credit for.
The games played behind closed doors so far have shown beyond any doubt that without the supporters/fans at the venue the game is dead or to put it my way “The Games Gone”. They are the lifeblood of the game and yet bizarrely they are so far down the pecking order within clubs
and the game in general and are treated as merely a revenue stream. While sponsors, players, coaches, directors and owners are feted and treated like superstars and VIPs.
It matters not how many millions of pounds you have paid for a so called superstar because if fans
It matters not how many millions of pounds you have paid for a so called superstar because if fans
are not there trust me we will not watch it on TV without the atmosphere of a partisan crown.
Without crowds Cristiano Ronaldo is just Cristiano Ronaldo! Whereas in front of packed stadiums he is Cristiano Ronaldo the superstar that we all want to see and it’s the same for
Without crowds Cristiano Ronaldo is just Cristiano Ronaldo! Whereas in front of packed stadiums he is Cristiano Ronaldo the superstar that we all want to see and it’s the same for
Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic or any other talented world class footballer especially those who think they are bigger than the game.
Without the fans they don’t earn the big bucks as there is no platform for you to shine and display their talents.
Without the fans they don’t earn the big bucks as there is no platform for you to shine and display their talents.
It is absolutely certain that football played in empty stadiums is not viable long term. Football needs the supporters cheering on from the terraces and creating the emotional atmosphere that has been sadly lacking in these end of season games in empty grounds.
You don’t have to be a genius to see that watching games played behind closed doors without fans is boring, sedate, methodical, tactical, and at times pedestrian. Even if the pass completion rate is extraordinarily high and the possession stats are unbelievable
it’s not good viewing. However, without the tempo, energy, passion and emotion that is created by the fans and make no mistake about it they bring those qualities and more out of the players, then the game is virtually unwatchable.
When talking to directors and owners in the past about supporters I have often heard them say many times, and at times rather dismissively, that gate receipts don’t even cover the huge wage bill of the players. For them the most important things are TV money, especially in the
Premier League, and the money provided my shirty sponsors and match sponsors and corporate box holders.
What we have seen in these games without fans so far is that those views might be correct financially but have no bearing on the overall contribution to the game fans
What we have seen in these games without fans so far is that those views might be correct financially but have no bearing on the overall contribution to the game fans
make just by turning up. Without fans there is no billions of pounds from TV, without fans there is no multi million pound sponsorship deals and VIP boxes remain empty.
Treat them right starting with affordability of ticket prices and season tickets, events, merchandise etc.
Treat them right starting with affordability of ticket prices and season tickets, events, merchandise etc.
