Zatman Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 14 minutes ago, Genie said: Has anyone watched a minute of Saudi Pro League football? I haven’t, I don’t even know if it’s possible but I have zero desire to find out. I’d have thought their investment was at least partly relying on European countries picking up the TV rights. The only thing I ever check is to see how the clown who left us is failing Rest i couldnt tell you what players are on what team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoony Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 On 10/01/2024 at 21:29, Kingman said: Be Suprised if he comes back to England, Tax laws state you have to be out the country for a full 12 months or you still pay 40% Tax on your earnings 6 hours ago, Zatman said: That scumbag Henderson seems to be trying to leak stories that he has not been paid by the Saudis and has deferred his wages since signing He either is playing people again or he really is a complete moron I suspect the former answers the latter. It’s going to be for some sort of tax reason. I don’t think it will be a coincidence that he has decided to remain outside of the UK when a bunch of PL clubs would still take him… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 1 hour ago, Zatman said: The only thing I ever check is to see how the clown who left us is failing Rest i couldnt tell you what players are on what team He's signed another 2 year contract, so they think he ain't doing to bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 It's not even surprising though is it? There was all that scare mongering in the summer and all the fuss that people would start watching it and the numbers would go up... Does anyone watch it? Has anyone has a single minute of it? Genuine question - do SSN cover it every Monday on their weekend highlights? Ronaldo comes up a bit on my social media and YouTube (which I dont watch) other than that I don't even know what channel shows the games, they're not of FM (though to be fair I wish they were I think it could be fun) not a clue about EAFC or whatever it's called No one gives a **** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 13 hours ago, DJ_Villain said: From what I have seen on various social media outlets, the only people who seem to be taking this league seriously and wanting it to succeed are: Saudis and other Gulf state nationals, Africans and people of South Asian (India, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) origin... And their only argument seems to be along the lines of: "Its good to see European clubs have their best players taken away from them... Europeans think football is all about them..." And to be fair - aside from South Americans - it kind of is... Its OUR sport... We are the best two continents at it... And the fact that the same people saying this have Man Utd, Real Madrid, Man City, Liverpool etc etc etc plastered all over their profiles just proves it... Otherwise they would support their local teams in buttfuck nowhere Botswana... But of course... theres no street credibility in that... Not even sure where to start with this. I mean, of course it would be great for Asian football to develop a powerful league that could compete with the riches of the European leagues. If you're a fan of football, you'd want that sport to be enhanced and enriched closer to home. It sort of ties in with the bit in bold (which is mental). The majority of fans of, say, the NFL in England don't have "Manchester Titans" as their supported teams - it's an American franchise; because that's where the better players/better version of the sport lies. In the same way that kids growing up may well idolise Messi/Mbappe/Haaland/whoever and have shirts regarding that player. Even if we take who we support - my local team who I should support according to you is Solihull Moors (granted, I follow them pretty loosely) - yet I support Aston Villa; probably because they were the big team in the area. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 43 minutes ago, villa4europe said: It's not even surprising though is it? There was all that scare mongering in the summer and all the fuss that people would start watching it and the numbers would go up... Does anyone watch it? Has anyone has a single minute of it? Genuine question - do SSN cover it every Monday on their weekend highlights? Ronaldo comes up a bit on my social media and YouTube (which I dont watch) other than that I don't even know what channel shows the games, they're not of FM (though to be fair I wish they were I think it could be fun) not a clue about EAFC or whatever it's called No one gives a **** I reckon the numbers will have gone up, yes - and almost certainly globally (which is all anyone really cares about). The BBC used to have Ronaldo highlights on their football pages. We've got a thread on here dedicated to the league and people (even if negatively) regularly comment on it. The league is far more recognised than it ever has been. FWIW, I reckon the majority of people don't bother watching La Liga games, but Spanish football is still huge and recognised as such. There's a decent Football Weekly podcast from a couple of weeks back which discussed the aims of Saudi Arabia with their sportswashing and national league in itself. Very much about becoming a dominant force in Asian football which would allow them to then compete on a global basis (enhanced World Club Cup type stuff). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duke313 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 1 hour ago, bobzy said: I reckon the numbers will have gone up, yes - and almost certainly globally (which is all anyone really cares about). The BBC used to have Ronaldo highlights on their football pages. We've got a thread on here dedicated to the league and people (even if negatively) regularly comment on it. The league is far more recognised than it ever has been. FWIW, I reckon the majority of people don't bother watching La Liga games, but Spanish football is still huge and recognised as such. There's a decent Football Weekly podcast from a couple of weeks back which discussed the aims of Saudi Arabia with their sportswashing and national league in itself. Very much about becoming a dominant force in Asian football which would allow them to then compete on a global basis (enhanced World Club Cup type stuff). Maybe you don’t, but it’s the second most popular football league in the world (6th overall if you include the American Sports leagues), it’s understandably quite popular in Spanish speaking Latin America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 12 minutes ago, duke313 said: Maybe you don’t, but it’s the second most popular football league in the world (6th overall if you include the American Sports leagues), it’s understandably quite popular in Spanish speaking Latin America. Sorry, I should have clarified - I reckon the majority of people in the UK don't bother watching La Liga games. I assumed this was the comparison with the Saudi league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 1 hour ago, bobzy said: Sorry, I should have clarified - I reckon the majority of people in the UK don't bother watching La Liga games. I assumed this was the comparison with the Saudi league. While viewership for La Liga in the UK will obviously be far lower than the Premier League, I can guarantee that loads more people watch La Liga here than the Saudi League. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 4 minutes ago, Mantis said: While viewership for La Liga in the UK will obviously be far lower than the Premier League, I can guarantee that loads more people watch La Liga here than the Saudi League. Of course it will be. I don’t even know where I’d watch a game in the Saudi League (legally). La Liga used to be on Sky Sports (I don’t have it so no idea if it still is or isn’t), so was easily accessible for many. But I still reckon the majority don’t watch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 7 hours ago, bobzy said: Not even sure where to start with this. I mean, of course it would be great for Asian football to develop a powerful league that could compete with the riches of the European leagues. If you're a fan of football, you'd want that sport to be enhanced and enriched closer to home. It sort of ties in with the bit in bold (which is mental). The majority of fans of, say, the NFL in England don't have "Manchester Titans" as their supported teams - it's an American franchise; because that's where the better players/better version of the sport lies. In the same way that kids growing up may well idolise Messi/Mbappe/Haaland/whoever and have shirts regarding that player. Even if we take who we support - my local team who I should support according to you is Solihull Moors (granted, I follow them pretty loosely) - yet I support Aston Villa; probably because they were the big team in the area. Ok... Heres my take on this part... I have been a fan of American football since I was 11... I got Joe Montanas NFL on the old Sega Genesis... Being an 11 year old kid who knew nothing about American football, American geography or the teams involved in the sport and who had never been to the states, I needed to pick a team... So I picked a team beginning with the first letter of my name "P" and then I picked the colours I liked... which turns out that I picked the Steelers over the Falcons... To my luck, it turns out that the Steelers have been, historically, quite a good team... but the picking of which was completely arbitrary... I wouldnt call myself a "diehard fan" or claim that I had "Black and gold blood flowing through my veins"... Now, I have never been to the States, Ive never been to the Steelers stadium (however, I am planning on going this year to see them play and also hopefully the Penguins in the NFL). I have zero grounds to start piping up, throwing around slurs about the other teams/"franchises" and calling them small, or mediocre - criticising their fan bases or history... Claiming the Steelers are the be all and end all and thinking that my knowledge of a game ... I dont feel I have the right to do that... I wasnt born there, my support wasnt passed down from my grandparents, to my parents to me like a lot of people are who are fans of the Villa being born in the area... But it does seem to be that the supporters of the Saudi pro league from those areas (who literally picked whichever team was winning at the time so they could feel successful vicariously through the clubs) are the most vocal when it comes to their criticisms of some well supported, famous and historical clubs in our country... They seem over the moon that the Saudi leagues are taking the best (see also: famous but over the hill players looking for a last payday) from Europe... but also want to champion clubs in Europe that have all the best players and win all the trophies as well and have incredibly uneducated and disrespectful views regarding other teams... I just think its rude and hypocritical to be fair... Its not like they picked a team based on the badge or the colour... they could have ended up supporting Sheffield Wednesday or Nottingham Forest... but funnily enough, they all end up supporting whoever was winning at the time... Hence the miraculous swell of support by non-Europeans of Man City since 2008... because from my experience, none of them know who or what Shaun Goater, Nicky Weaver and Maine Road are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommo_b Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 Henderson should be honest about his reasons for joining Ajax, I can’t believe he’s gone there for footballing reasons. Maybe I’m wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 2 minutes ago, Tommo_b said: Henderson should be honest about his reasons for joining Ajax, I can’t believe he’s gone there for footballing reasons. Maybe I’m wrong. I thought he was going on a one man quest to “spread football to the world” Yet the only three counties he will have played in are all countries who have, at the very very least, a passing interest in football… Its not like he jumped at the chance to join the Tongan, Haitian or Mongolian leagues is it… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJBOB Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 2 hours ago, DJ_Villain said: Ok... Heres my take on this part... I have been a fan of American football since I was 11... I got Joe Montanas NFL on the old Sega Genesis... Being an 11 year old kid who knew nothing about American football, American geography or the teams involved in the sport and who had never been to the states, I needed to pick a team... So I picked a team beginning with the first letter of my name "P" and then I picked the colours I liked... which turns out that I picked the Steelers over the Falcons... To my luck, it turns out that the Steelers have been, historically, quite a good team... but the picking of which was completely arbitrary... I wouldnt call myself a "diehard fan" or claim that I had "Black and gold blood flowing through my veins"... Now, I have never been to the States, Ive never been to the Steelers stadium (however, I am planning on going this year to see them play and also hopefully the Penguins in the NFL). I have zero grounds to start piping up, throwing around slurs about the other teams/"franchises" and calling them small, or mediocre - criticising their fan bases or history... Claiming the Steelers are the be all and end all and thinking that my knowledge of a game ... I dont feel I have the right to do that... I wasnt born there, my support wasnt passed down from my grandparents, to my parents to me like a lot of people are who are fans of the Villa being born in the area... But it does seem to be that the supporters of the Saudi pro league from those areas (who literally picked whichever team was winning at the time so they could feel successful vicariously through the clubs) are the most vocal when it comes to their criticisms of some well supported, famous and historical clubs in our country... They seem over the moon that the Saudi leagues are taking the best (see also: famous but over the hill players looking for a last payday) from Europe... but also want to champion clubs in Europe that have all the best players and win all the trophies as well and have incredibly uneducated and disrespectful views regarding other teams... I just think its rude and hypocritical to be fair... Its not like they picked a team based on the badge or the colour... they could have ended up supporting Sheffield Wednesday or Nottingham Forest... but funnily enough, they all end up supporting whoever was winning at the time... Hence the miraculous swell of support by non-Europeans of Man City since 2008... because from my experience, none of them know who or what Shaun Goater, Nicky Weaver and Maine Road are Off-topic but do yourself a favor and go to a Pirates game at PNC Park with an infield seat. One of the best views from a baseball stadium in the US. Team is shit but enjoy the skyline! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 32 minutes ago, DJBOB said: Off-topic but do yourself a favor and go to a Pirates game at PNC Park with an infield seat. One of the best views from a baseball stadium in the US. Team is shit but enjoy the skyline! Off topic! What time of year is the MLB season? I’m looking at going in the September to November time (when it’s going to be f**king freezing) so I can try to catch the Steelers and the Penguins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJBOB Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 17 minutes ago, DJ_Villain said: Off topic! What time of year is the MLB season? I’m looking at going in the September to November time (when it’s going to be f**king freezing) so I can try to catch the Steelers and the Penguins If you go during September, you'll be able to catch a game. October is post-season but they're very unlikely to make it. And it's actually the perfect time of year September-November in Pittsburgh. Won't be cold at all. Only problem is you'll miss NHL season which doesn't start until October so pick your preference there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJBOB Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 On topic Saudis. They can try to buy it as much as they like - but they'll have the same problem China has until they develop their own homegrown model. They have put a lot of investment in that model but outside of Asia, they'll continue to struggle to avoid the retirement league label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidcow Posted January 19 VT Supporter Share Posted January 19 Saudis are NOT buying the best of Europe players. They're buying over the hill and any second rate player who puts cash ahead of his career. True top of their game or ambitious players remain in Europe. The MLS have been playing this game for years are they anywhere near to being classed as a top league? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 4 hours ago, DJ_Villain said: I thought he was going on a one man quest to “spread football to the world” Yet the only three counties he will have played in are all countries who have, at the very very least, a passing interest in football… Its not like he jumped at the chance to join the Tongan, Haitian or Mongolian leagues is it… England and Netherlands have a passing interest in football? Strange Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 21 minutes ago, sidcow said: Saudis are NOT buying the best of Europe players. They're buying over the hill and any second rate player who puts cash ahead of his career. True top of their game or ambitious players remain in Europe. The MLS have been playing this game for years are they anywhere near to being classed as a top league? But they did sign Ronaldo and 2021 Ballon Dor winner Benzema and a few bigger players like Mahrez, Kante etc They have evolved quicker than MLS when one of greatest strikers was an a poor City striker before City was good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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