The 39th Premiership match (outside the UK)

dd972

Remember when this was being mooted? Does anyone think it would have been workable? Just for the divilment how about Man Utd v Liverpool at Croke Park at the business end of the season both going for the Prem grab you?

Amirani

It's an awful idea. Awful for the fans whose clubs go off to play in another country and awful for the national leagues in the other countries. Imagine you're a Man Utd/Liverpool season ticket holder and your club go off to play in Ireland or New Zealand for the biggest game of the season? It's a victory for football and football fans that it didn't happen.

roanoke

I'm neither for or against it but I can still see it happening. It always gets sneered on by the same short-sighed people who never see any change coming in the game but as international interest in specific foriegn leagues becomes greater I wouldn't rule anything out.

My own belief though is that if ever does happen I reckon though it'll be done exactly the same way as has been done in the NFL for 7 years straight now. By that I mean an already existing fixture in the regular season is transplanted to another city. I'd be willing to bet there will be no new "39th" match. My own belief is that extra game was a smokescreen just thrown out there so as not to put fans into the panic of losing a home game. The game will probably be in early or mid-season too with suitable rest-time around it for travel.

Also I can't see games like "Man U v Liverpool" being the ones that are given away to other countries. They're just too big to ever move. If it happens I reckon you'll be looking at the smaller/less fashionable teams who will give up their games. So you might see Wigan v Liverpool in New York or QPR v ManU in Shanghai etc.

heyjude

dd972 wrote: »

Remember when this was being mooted? Does anyone think it would have been workable? Just for the divilment how about Man Utd v Liverpool at Croke Park at the business end of the season both going for the Prem grab you?

Leaving aside the notion that Liverpool would be challenging for the Prem title at the business end of the season, a 39 game season means half the teams in the league get an extra home game, unless you propose to stage all 10 of the game week 39 games outside the UK(which is unlikely as many of the fixtures wouldn't be that attractive). If you only propose to stage some games overseas, then that poses many complications, as several teams will be facing relegation and several teams will be challenging for places in Europe and how could you ensure that nobody was disadvantaged by the venue or choice of opponent for that extra game.

There wouldn't be a particular advantage/disadvantage to Liverpool or Man Utd in the scenario you describe, but if you were Reading and facing relegation going into that final week and your 39th game was against Tottenham, who were challenging for 4th place, while Wigan, the other candidates for the final relegation spot, were drawn to face Fulham in the 39th game. You wouldn't be happy, as why should you have the play Spurs 3 times, when Wigan get to face a much more winnable 3rd game against Fulham. The choice of which team you play 3 times could be decisive.

Kiwi_knock

If they decide to go down the route of having matches held in different countries, the best thing they can do is hold the Community Shield in different countries. It is the curtain raiser to a season, a trophy is being contested and it features the top teams in England so it would be an attractive proposition for different countries.

Fr Tod Umptious

roanoke wrote: »

I'm neither for or against it but I can still see it happening. It always gets sneered on by the same short-sighed people who never see any change coming in the game but as international interest in specific foriegn leagues becomes greater I wouldn't rule anything out.

My own belief though is that if ever does happen I reckon though it'll be done exactly the same way as has been done in the NFL for 7 years straight now. By that I mean an already existing fixture in the regular season is transplanted to another city. I'd be willing to bet there will be no new "39th" match. My own belief is that extra game was a smokescreen just thrown out there so as not to put fans into the panic of losing a home game. The game will probably be in early or mid-season too with suitable rest-time around it for travel.

Also I can't see games like "Man U v Liverpool" being the ones that are given away to other countries. They're just too big to ever move. If it happens I reckon you'll be looking at the smaller/less fashionable teams who will give up their games. So you might see Wigan v Liverpool in New York or QPR v ManU in Shanghai etc.

The NFL games in London usually involve a home team that struggles to get crowds or has a small fan base hosting a bigger team.

In the EPL secanrio the team that fits that bill is Wigan which has a tiny fan base.
So they would relaistically be the only ones that you could try it with
But the problem is that they get big crowds for their home games local rivals, Utd, City and Liverpool.
So in reality it would have to be a game v Chelsea, Arsenal or say Newcastle. After that you are scraping the bottom of the barrel and the game would not really be that attractive to the people of Singapore for example.


The whole Game 39 was a crazy idea from the start, it had so may holes it it, as others here have outlined.

Mitch Connor

They should have the Community Shield game abroad - fans don't really care about it, so it is a good candidate to move to another country - you'd have two of the top teams on show as well.

dan1895

Hopefully the FA in the host country would have a bit of cop on and not sanction such a game. Having a community shield match in Ireland or Singapore has no benefit for the sport in that country.

IvySlayer

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

If they decide to go down the route of having matches held in different countries, the best thing they can do is hold the Community Shield in different countries. It is the curtain raiser to a season, a trophy is being contested and it features the top teams in England so it would be an attractive proposition for different countries.

I think Italy do their version abroad?

El Inho

Mitch Connor wrote: »

They should have the Community Shield game abroad - fans don't really care about it, so it is a good candidate to move to another country - you'd have two of the top teams on show as well.

thats a viable option imo

TwoShedsJackson

dd972 wrote: »

Remember when this was being mooted? Does anyone think it would have been workable? Just for the divilment how about Man Utd v Liverpool at Croke Park at the business end of the season both going for the Prem grab you?

Or you could have Wigan vs Stoke. Yeah somehow those games never really got mentioned during all that 39th game bollocks.

Paully D

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

The NFL games in London usually involve a home team that struggles to get crowds or has a small fan base hosting a bigger team.

In the EPL secanrio the team that fits that bill is Wigan which has a tiny fan base.
So they would relaistically be the only ones that you could try it with
But the problem is that they get big crowds for their home games local rivals, Utd, City and Liverpool.
So in reality it would have to be a game v Chelsea, Arsenal or say Newcastle. After that you are scraping the bottom of the barrel and the game would not really be that attractive to the people of Singapore for example.


The whole Game 39 was a crazy idea from the start, it had so may holes it it, as others here have outlined.

Big difference is in the NFL London games there's no possible relegation for teams to contend with. Wigan for example would still rather play their games at the DW especially if they were in a relegation battle which they generally are, as opposed to playing abroad because of their small crowds. The NFL home team chooses to give up their home game.

Like you say, the whole idea was crazy anyway.

Fr Tod Umptious

dan1895 wrote: »

Hopefully the FA in the host country would have a bit of cop on and not sanction such a game. Having a community shield match in Ireland or Singapore has no benefit for the sport in that country.

In fairness to the FA they dropped the idea once it became clear that it was ill conceived and not really thought through.
It has not been mentioned since

mike65

Mitch Connor wrote: »

They should have the Community Shield game abroad - fans don't really care about it, so it is a good candidate to move to another country - you'd have two of the top teams on show as well.

Good idea though say Blackburn Rvs v Bradford City might not be much of a crow puller.

Chucky the tree

mike65 wrote: »

Good idea though say Blackburn Rvs v Bradford City might not be much of a crow puller.

I doubt either of those teams will be winning the premiership this season.

mike65

No but they might win - oh wait!

Why isn't there a an FA Cup v League Cup winners Super Dooper Cup?

CSF

mike65 wrote: »

No but they might win - oh wait!

Why isn't there a an FA Cup v League Cup winners Super Dooper Cup?

Because nobody cares about the League Cup.

yabadabado

The Community Shield played abroad would be a good idea and would be very manageable. Only problem would be teams having to travel huge distances to play a game a week before the league kicks off.I would guess the game would be played in Asia as that would be the biggest market for it.

Richard Hillman

I think EPL clubs should have the option to move a home game abroad as a one off. It would be great to see a game played in Thailand/India or the likes on a Saturday morning.

Paully D

Richard Hillman wrote: »

I think EPL clubs should have the option to move a home game abroad as a one off. It would be great to see a game played in Thailand/India or the likes on a Saturday morning.

Can't say I think it'd be great if I was a season ticket holder and one of my 19 games which are expensive enough as it is was moved abroad. Fans put up with enough shite as it is without clubs moving games abroad.

Fr Tod Umptious

Richard Hillman wrote: »

I think EPL clubs should have the option to move a home game abroad as a one off. It would be great to see a game played in Thailand/India or the likes on a Saturday morning.

unless you were a big fan of one of those clubs, lived in or near the city and were at the game I fail to see what wouldbe so "great" about it.

To some guy watching on TV surely it would be no different to any other game

larchielads

id be up for the community shield to be played in usa /asia/ australia or wherever. some might say doin all that travellin a week before the season kicks off wouldnt help if thats the case have it a week earlier than it should be on. gives teams the extra week to recover from jet lag or little knocks and niggles they might pick up durin the game. it might cut the players short a wek earlier if they are contesting the shield but its not like they'll be after winning the league or fa cup every year.

and as someone said earlier its nearly almost 2 top teams that play for it. so for example man u v chelsea/ man city v man u/ arsenal v chelsea etc..
even if they didnt field full strength teams theyd still have very good second string teams on show.

itd be a very good promotion for the premier league and would help to promote football/soccer in previously mentioned countries/continents

tdv123

CSF wrote: »

Because nobody cares about the League Cup.

....or the FA Cup.

grenache

IvySlayer wrote: »

I think Italy do their version abroad?

Yes, Juve played Napoli in Beijing for the Supercoppa Italiana final last August.

Pierce_1991

I actually think the idea of playing one of the 38 ggames abroad would be good. Could reimburse season ticket holders for that game. Maybe even have a winter break in january but play these games in the middle of that month.

osarusan

It was, and is, a horrible idea aiming to build an EPL fanbase in other countries. Happily, and rightly, the FA's of various countries realised the impact it would have on their own clubs' fanbases, and told them to **** off.

As mentioned earlier, it was a victory for football that the idea died.