How Much Should A Club's History Matter?

[The Batman]

Just got me thinking about the new stadium as well as certain players who say that they sign for a club because of the history rather than their current situation.

Not naming any names **cough** Joe cole**cough**, but he says that Liverpool are the biggest club in England due to their history....

now obviously no-one can deny that Liverpool used to be a powerhouse of world football, in the days of Dalglish, Souness etc.

I think his first week's pay cheque has gone to his head (course if rumours are to be believed, he was offered less at Arsenal and Spurs but at least they'll be playing champions league footy next year).

Because if this logic is to be believed, does this mean that Forest are bigger than Chelsea due to their number of European Cup ./ Champions League wins??? Course it does not..

City will never attract this calibre of player, even if we ever did get to the dream land and establish ourselves in the prem, i doubt many players would flock to us due to the fact that we have absolutly no history to speak of.

It also brings me onto the new stadium.

Had Bristol City had a more "successful" history, ie the odd FA Cup or League win here and there, would the council have voted against the move new supermarket moving to replace the stadium.

seems like us small clubs with no history get shoved around and we have to put up with whatever we can get. I doubt Arsenal, Man City etc didnt have to put with this when they moved from their respective grounds in recent years.

I hope this make some sense and i aint just speaking nonsense

[The Batman]

We have a mediocre history to say the least, but I don't think it matters in the case of development as Liverpool had their stadium plans rejected.

The problem lies with the Political parties that run both Cities, Labour in Liverpool I think and a mish-mash of Lab/Lib dem here.

i was under the impression that liverpool and everton were going to ground share in Stanley park.

I never knew what happened with it, guess the owners dont wanna front the bill, maybe the council saved them by saying they could not do it.

[chinapig]

The fact is that Liverpool were the club prepared to pay Cole the £90k a week he wanted and Chelsea refused to pay him. Being a footballer he then spouts a pile of crap about how wonderful the club is and how he joined them for football reasons. Liverpool were a great club a long time ago but have been dragged down by owners who don't give a toss, though they were already in decline when we knocked them out of the Cup.

Let's face it if Wigan offered £100k a week Cole would be saying they were a big club going places.

[Portland Bill]

The fact is that Liverpool were the club prepared to pay Cole the £90k a week he wanted and Chelsea refused to pay him. Being a footballer he then spouts a pile of crap about how wonderful the club is and how he joined them for football reasons. Liverpool were a great club a long time ago but have been dragged down by owners who don't give a toss, though they were already in decline when we knocked them out of the Cup.

Let's face it if Wigan offered £100k a week Cole would be saying they were a big club going places.

Spot on mate, greed, whats the betting after a few months he becomes homesick for London, Spurs come along and give him ££££££££ signing on fee and hey presto he loves Spurs:whistle2:

[The Batman]

Let's face it if Wigan offered £100k a week Cole would be saying they were a big club going places.

That's what David Silva and Yaya Toure said about Man City when they signed.

[hippy273]

The fact is that Liverpool were the club prepared to pay Cole the £90k a week he wanted and Chelsea refused to pay him. Being a footballer he then spouts a pile of crap about how wonderful the club is and how he joined them for football reasons. Liverpool were a great club a long time ago but have been dragged down by owners who don't give a toss, though they were already in decline when we knocked them out of the Cup.

Let's face it if Wigan offered £100k a week Cole would be saying they were a big club going places.

Thats Premier League football all over, you can't trust footballers press statements nor the agents that talk them into signing higher paid contracts

[Pezo]

The fact is that Liverpool were the club prepared to pay Cole the £90k a week he wanted and Chelsea refused to pay him. Being a footballer he then spouts a pile of crap about how wonderful the club is and how he joined them for football reasons. Liverpool were a great club a long time ago but have been dragged down by owners who don't give a toss, though they were already in decline when we knocked them out of the Cup.

Let's face it if Wigan offered £100k a week Cole would be saying they were a big club going places.

Football has lost it soul and footballers are pretty much in the same group as lawyers and bankers to me. There's no loyalty only money.

[chinapig]

Spot on mate, greed, whats the betting after a few months he becomes homesick for London, Spurs come along and give him ££££££££ signing on fee and hey presto he loves Spurs:whistle2:

And Harry Redknapp is now saying Cole wanted to join Tottenham a couple of weeks ago. Can't think what changed his mind.

[CliftonCliff]

And Harry Redknapp is now saying Cole wanted to join Tottenham a couple of weeks ago. Can't think what changed his mind.

I'm not sure that Harry comes out of this with much credit, either. He's miffed that Cole didn't sign for him and so makes public remarks which might be seen as seeking to undermine the player's relationship with fans and his new colleagues before he's even kicked a ball for Liverpool. Not that I've got much time for player's who will opt for a club purely on the grounds of money when they the game has already made them hugely wealthy, but it struck me as vindictive and more than a tad unprofessional by Redknapp. Just more of the everyday stuff that we've come to expect, I suppose, especially in the PL, but it's not hard to see why footballers (and, increasingly, managers) are beginning to rival to MPs as the people most held in contempt by the public. All very tacky.

[chinapig]

I'm not sure that Harry comes out of this with much credit, either. He's miffed that Cole didn't sign for him and so makes public remarks which might be seen as seeking to undermine the player's relationship with fans and his new colleagues before he's even kicked a ball for Liverpool. Not that I've got much time for player's who will opt for a club purely on the grounds of money when they the game has already made them hugely wealthy, but it struck me as vindictive and more than a tad unprofessional by Redknapp. Just more of the everyday stuff that we've come to expect, I suppose, especially in the PL, but it's not hard to see why footballers (and, increasingly, managers) are beginning to rival to MPs as the people most held in contempt by the public. All very tacky.

You're right of course and I hold no brief for Redknapp. Many are fooled by his cheeky chappy persona but not if they've read Tom Bowers' book Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football.