Manchester City’s victories are absolutely meaningless IMO

atypical_boro said:
Well indeed neither of us know. I can't really imagine Rob Gretton would know how often Noel went when he'd have had no clue who he was,
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...but was hanging around with The Inspiral Carpets and Johnny Marr, so he was obviously "someone". As someone who went to the Arena every Friday for 8 or 9 years, there's plenty of people who I'd recognise from that time even if I didn't actually know them by name.

I'm guessing you're an Oasis fan?
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
...but was hanging around with The Inspiral Carpets and Johnny Marr, so he was obviously "someone". As someone who went to the Arena every Friday for 8 or 9 years, there's plenty of people who I'd recognise from that time even if I didn't actually know them by name.

I'm guessing you're an Oasis fan?
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In truth I don't think he was anybody. He used to lug equipment around for the Inspirals, I'm not sure that makes you especially notable unless people know it will one day become significant (which they didn't).

I'm sure there are just as many folk you wouldn't remember from the Arena (me being one of them) but who did go enough times to form an opinion of and identity with the place. I mean I often went on Mondays and Fridays, so anyone who went every week on a Saturday would never have clapped eyes on me. I don't think anyone goes to a nightclub every night its open.
 
Boro-exile said:
Erm…I’m guessing you are too young to remember when we were ‘Man City’
We spent unsustainable amounts in the late 90’s. And before us in the Premiere League it was Jack Walker and Blackburn. There always has been and there always will be a ‘privileged’ few.
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My first game in the Holgate was 1986 so I'm very much aware of our late 90's history.

Comparing our position then, to the position of the likes of Man City now is spurious, in my eyes. The scale of the funds and the deliberate flouting of rules by Man City dont come anywhere near what we we're doing, which was within all rules at the time.
 
viv_andersons_nana said:
Not one mention - as far as I could hear - of the 115 charges they’re facing for alleged financial breaches. We all know it’s been going on. No mention either of the £90m fines handed down from UEFA for cheating and non-co-operation since 2014, later reduced to £30m… which the club paid without contesting.

They are cheating.

They’re hammering teams by having a squad packed with quality players they can’t afford. Watching them tonight, it’s utterly meaningless IMO. Completely hollow. Pointless. And yet barely a word about this is spoken by commentators and pundits.
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I haven’t read the thread but by goodness I agree with this. I couldn’t agree more.

👏🏻

Not only are they cheating but they are also boring I think. A procession. Pointless. I remember when Scottish football was mocked. This is worse.
 
relfyoftheboro said:
My first game in the Holgate was 1986 so I'm very much aware of our late 90's history.

Comparing our position then, to the position of the likes of Man City now is spurious, in my eyes. The scale of the funds and the deliberate flouting of rules by Man City dont come anywhere near what we we're doing, which was within all rules at the time.
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Exactly. A club owner spending his fortune to build up his local team when no rules existed to prevent him doing so isn’t nearly the same thing
 
indeedido said:
This is naive.
Our club has lost more money since relegation in 2009 than in its entire history prior to that. We lose a fortune every season in this league.
Gibson O'Neill cover those losses and enable us to continue playing.
If we are promoted:
1. The Club has a revenue stream that it can operate within, no longer requiring further loans from GO'N.
2. The Club has a chance of actually reducing some of the debt to owner.
3. We get to see the best players in the world at The Riverside.
4. We get a much greater chance of seeing our club win another cup through having a stronger team.
5. We see The Riverside full every week.
etc etc etc.
This nonsense that every Championship season is so exciting is bizarre.
This season has been very enjoyable, but it is one of just 3 since 2009.

Middlesbrough can't compete for the PL title or CL places, but so what.
Beating Man City 8-1, Chelsea 3-0, Man U 4-1 and beating every so called big club has got to mean more than squeezing past Reading or Preston.
I'm pretty sure Gibson feels exactly the same way.
Getting aroused because we take 5-6k to Preston or Blackburn doesn't make sense to me, especially when we invariably fall flat and the day out is not so good really.
Have some ambition. We are not a huge club, but we can operate in the PL and should always try and do so.
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At 44 years of age I can assure you that I'm not naive. Quite the opposite in fact as I'm extremely cynical of top flight football.

The way that the PL has changed since we left it is like nothing we've seen in this country before. It's a complete closed shop and the hope of bagging a couple of big teams' scalps every now and again, with the odd tilt at a cup, doesn't strike me as a something we should aspire to.

This is way more just about us and Man City. The top end of footy is so far detached from reality, entire countries owning football clubs is so off the scale wrong, it is ridiculous. I was well up for the "big" clubs naffing off to a Super League. The sooner they do it the better, as I'd like to think the authorities will put measures in place to ensure the competition in the domestic leagues remains intact. Salary and squad caps would be a good way to level the playing field.

My main point is, I don't want to be part of the Premier League. It's not a competion, it's barely even sport, it's a primarily a money making tool and a sports washing vehicle
 
relfyoftheboro said:
My first game in the Holgate was 1986 so I'm very much aware of our late 90's history.

Comparing our position then, to the position of the likes of Man City now is spurious, in my eyes. The scale of the funds and the deliberate flouting of rules by Man City dont come anywhere near what we we're doing, which was within all rules at the time.
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We were also nowhere near the biggest spenders in the country either, we were just spending 'above our station'.
 
relfyoftheboro said:
At 44 years of age I can assure you that I'm not naive. Quite the opposite in fact as I'm extremely cynical of top flight football.

The way that the PL has changed since we left it is like nothing we've seen in this country before. It's a complete closed shop and the hope of bagging a couple of big teams' scalps every now and again, with the odd tilt at a cup, doesn't strike me as a something we should aspire to.

This is way more just about us and Man City. The top end of footy is so far detached from reality, entire countries owning football clubs is so off the scale wrong, it is ridiculous. I was well up for the "big" clubs naffing off to a Super League. The sooner they do it the better, as I'd like to think the authorities will put measures in place to ensure the competition in the domestic leagues remains intact. Salary and squad caps would be a good way to level the playing field.

My main point is, I don't want to be part of the Premier League. It's not a competion, it's barely even sport, it's a primarily a money making tool and a sports washing vehicle
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You are naive in that you want to be in a competitive league that doesn't exist in reality and one that we lose a fortune above revenue in treading water in it.
The PL is a competition, it is great sport, there are wonderful matches every week. Did you not watch the Arsenal draws recently just as an example, but you could choose so many more.
The PL is what it is and to want to stay in an inferior league that is also not nearly a level playing field whilst losing a fortune is comical.
 
indeedido said:
You are naive in that you want to be in a competitive league that doesn't exist in reality and one that we lose a fortune above revenue in treading water in it.
The PL is a competition, it is great sport, there are wonderful matches every week. Did you not watch the Arsenal draws recently just as an example, but you could choose so many more.
The PL is what it is and to want to stay in an inferior league that is also not nearly a level playing field whilst losing a fortune is comical.
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I suppose that's where we differ as I don't consider the PL to be superior in any way. In fact, I my opinion the opposite is true.

And no, I don't watch any Premier League matches. I pay as little attention to that division as possible. Why would I when I disagree with everything that it has become?

What I'd like to see, in terms of football governance, doesn't yet exist but it absolutely could. Therefore I don't see it as a binary choice. The game at the top needs to change and until that happens I'd rather my team has nothing to do with it. I appreciate that's a relatively extreme view but that just reflects how strongly I feel about football at the very top.
 
indeedido said:
You are naive in that you want to be in a competitive league that doesn't exist in reality and one that we lose a fortune above revenue in treading water in it.
The PL is a competition, it is great sport, there are wonderful matches every week. Did you not watch the Arsenal draws recently just as an example, but you could choose so many more.
The PL is what it is and to want to stay in an inferior league that is also not nearly a level playing field whilst losing a fortune is comical.
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A draw with Arsenal is a big result. That's where we are now. We beat them 3-0 and 4-1 in the same fortnight, that's when the top flight was a good watch.
 
relfyoftheboro said:
I suppose that's where we differ as I don't consider the PL to be superior in any way. In fact, I my opinion the opposite is true.

And no, I don't watch any Premier League matches. I pay as little attention to that division as possible. Why would I when I disagree with everything that it has become?

What I'd like to see, in terms of football governance, doesn't yet exist but it absolutely could. Therefore I don't see it as a binary choice. The game at the top needs to change and until that happens I'd rather my team has nothing to do with it. I appreciate that's a relatively extreme view but that just reflects how strongly I feel about football at the very top.
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Priceless.
You don’t watch any PL yet condemn it and maintain it is not superior in any way to our league.
I respect your views about the finances, the governance.
I’d love a more level playing field and lots more besides, but on the real world it is not going to happen.
The bubble is not going to burst. Some clubs who over reach may go bust, but the sport won’t.
In the meantime I’d just much rather my club is there and part of it than in a lite version of it that is even less level and where the finances are even more ridiculous.
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
A draw with Arsenal is a big result. That's where we are now. We beat them 3-0 and 4-1 in the same fortnight, that's when the top flight was a good watch.
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I didn’t say that, I offered those as games that had been great to watch.
A draw with Arsenal today IS a big result. They are still top of the league on a wonderful season playing outstanding football.
Get your head out of your ****.
 
indeedido said:
I didn’t say that, I offered those as games that had been great to watch.
A draw with Arsenal today IS a big result. They are still top of the league on a wonderful season playing outstanding football.
Get your head out of your ****.
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You're agreeing with me yet I've got my head up my backside?
 
indeedido said:
Priceless.
You don’t watch any PL yet condemn it and maintain it is not superior in any way to our league.
I respect your views about the finances, the governance.
I’d love a more level playing field and lots more besides, but on the real world it is not going to happen.
The bubble is not going to burst. Some clubs who over reach may go bust, but the sport won’t.
In the meantime I’d just much rather my club is there and part of it than in a lite version of it that is even less level and where the finances are even more ridiculous.
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No I don't and I don't see any contradiction. I don't need to watch football games to be able see what's happening in that division. I stopped watching a number of years ago because I didn't like what I saw. Nothing has changed for the better and if anything its become markedly worse.

As much as I'm a cynic about the PL I am a football optimist so I do hope, one day, that the authorities will get a grip, change governance and return the game to it's roots 👍🏻
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
You're agreeing with me yet I've got my head up my backside?
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Not sure we are in such agreement…but not going to go round in circles.
relfyoftheboro said:
No I don't and I don't see any contradiction. I don't need to watch football games to be able see what's happening in that division. I stopped watching a number of years ago because I didn't like what I saw. Nothing has changed for the better and if anything its become markedly worse.

As much as I'm a cynic about the PL I am a football optimist so I do hope, one day, that the authorities will get a grip, change governance and return the game to it's roots 👍🏻
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You really should watch it before you condemn it.
There is a lot to like about it.
There is also much that could be improved, but you can only deal with what is real.
 
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