# Is the Premier League slumping?



## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

There has been numerous reports recently of dwindling viewing interest and participation in football. Sky's viewing figures are decimated and it doesn't seem cost effective to pay silly money for the rights.

Football forums are easing off too.

We've gone through an entire season of football and there has been 614 comments in the football thread. Last year's thread had 2465 comments. The 14/15 season had 3693 comments.

Recently I read this article and sat there agreeing with a man, writing for a paper I don't like, yet agreed with 90% of what he said.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/opinion/sport/english-premier-league-not-worth-10513759

Is English football on the verge of swallowing itself up?


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

The premier league is a big pantomime. A boring one, with 
Over paid girl players.
The whole TV world thinks its the only league that exists.
That everyone supports a premier league club.
No real football fan I know does.
I know some people who do, but they're just "fans" because its seen as a thing to do.

Sent from my Vodafone Smart ultra 6 using Tapatalk


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

It's overpriced and overrated, it's killing itself, it's boring.
It goes the same way as Moto GP and Formula 1, people loose interest.

When I was a kid we would go to many Moto GP in different countries, many of the riders where approachable people.
You could go in the pit, many of the riders where privateers, and a day at the races was affordable.
National tv would show the whole race.

Football has gone the same way, you cannot relate to football teams anymore, there are no local lads in it (mostimes not even national lads) 
The team who can afford the best players wins, managers get sacked here, there and anywhere.
You have to pay a lot to see the matches on TV, never mind to go there.
It lost its whole attractiveness, as it has become a far of my bed show.
Many players think they are a substitute for God, where young boys and girls cannot related to.
The top player use to be a local lad, who you knew (maybe only sideways) but it was al possible to achieve.
And people supported their "local" but how many Mancunian players are there in Man United or City?


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## bradleymarky (Nov 29, 2013)

Its all going to change when Huddersfield Town play next season


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I've said for a while that the standard was falling. We've gone another year when teams have failed to do well in Europe and been on the wrong end of humiliating results and performances. Man Utd did win the Europa league, but that was a competition that was mocked for years. Progress in the Champions League has been poor for years now. 

No team is currently ranked above Benfica in Uefa's rankings. Year on year Benfica sell their better players and made huge profits in the transfer market. It's also not a team that you can consider to be a top level club in modern football. Still no team is ranked above them. 

How long can people keep repeating best league in the world whilst ignoring the continuous deterioration in quality and excitement? How can the TV deal survive when the TV viewing figures are also decreasing season after season? 

How many people can look at their club and say they wouldn't rather have their team from 10-15 years ago?


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## nbray67 (Mar 22, 2012)

It doesn't help fans/viewers of the sport when just about every game on TV is screened via a pay per view channel, Sky Sports and BT etc.....

The cost of viewing football from the armchair is simply too much, as per Sky's viewing figures.

Sky and BT viewing figures have also significantly declined since the Kodi/ZGemma boxes gave viewers the same coverage for a fraction of the cost.

Personally, I still watch as much as I possibly can regardless of who's playing solely because I love watching footy.

Yes, footballers are over paid but compared to some American sports stars, they're miles behind in earnings. Can't knock 'em for earning a living.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

More people than ever are willing to pay for tv. Subscription rates for all TV services are soaring. Even Sky has more customers than ever when football viewers are going the other way.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Highlights on match of the day is more than good enough to me, rather spend money on detailing goodies and other things than lining the pockets of BT sport and Sky sports.


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## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

The Premier is over rated - has been for years.

Last night I sat and watched the Champions League Final - first CL game I've watched all season.

It struck me very quickly how much better both teams were than the current top premiership sides. Yes, they passed the ball sideways and backwards but did it at a much quicker pace, so it never became boring. Their close passing interchanges were very good too.

For me, England fans, administrators, media commentators, even players have been in a state of denial about the state of the game for a few years now.

Having said all that, whilst there are still ridiculous amounts of money floating around in the game, I've no problem with the players getting a good share of it. That's who people want to see.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Soul boy 68 said:


> Highlights on match of the day is more than good enough to me, rather spend money on detailing goodies and other things than lining the pockets of BT sport and Sky sports.


I'm surprised Sky, BT and even the BBC don't get a rougher ride than they do from people outside football.

The money paid by all is silly. Sky pay over £11m per game. The calculation given was it's over £11 for every single viewer every game. It's no wonder they have to use so much old repeats to fill other channels. The money funding the football deal clearly comes from customers who have zero interest in football.

BT have been accused of siphoning from Openreach to fund their football deals.

The BBC paid over £200m for their MOTD deal and it has around 3.5m viewers over MOTD and MOTD2. They refused to pay £25m for The Great British Bake off and it pulls in over 10m viewers. That makes zero sense.

We've already watched ITV Sport and Setanta going bust trying to get a slice of the football TV market.


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

Caledoniandream said:


> When I was a kid we would go to many Moto GP in different countries, many of the riders where approachable people.
> You could go in the pit, many of the riders where privateers, and a day at the races was affordable.
> National tv would show the whole race.


I remember the days when Barry Sheene (and other top flight riders) would whizz around the pits on a monkey bike with an unlit *** in his gob.

They would help each other out with spares and tyres too.

I always loved the Transatlantic Races each year and would get to as many rounds as i could over the weekend. Can you imagine an annual series of races nowadays between Team GB and Team USA, competitively racing works machinery ( with factory support ) for nothing more than national pride ????


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## shycho (Sep 7, 2010)

It’s gone the way of the world. 
20 years ago I’d be outside playing football and catch the hero of our team walking to the shops and get an autograph from him. These days there are no heroes as the manager gets sacked every season and the new guy just grabs as many players on loan from higher divisions as he can manage, as the structure and loyalty isn’t there anymore. 

My children will never understand the excitement of seeing one of their local football heroes walking past them while they are playing football outside, if only because the area is becoming more and more built up to the point that they couldn’t play football in the (motorised vehicle restricted) street due to all the cars parked along them.

I don’t think you can say it is just the premier league though, as a lot of sports are falling the way of modern society, wanting immediate results at the expense of long term growth and results, just look at the NFL for an example across the pond.


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

'96 to about 2005 was my favourite period. It has been ruined by money. Most games would put a can of Red Bull to sleep. The fans have the power. How many games with half-empty stadia, would it take before the F.A took notice? I guess they wouldn't care, as long as they got the revenue from the season-ticket holders. It has long been a business and not a sport. The bottom-line is all that matters. I'll still watch it, but not as often. I'm a Liverpool fan by the way.


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## Bug Sponge (Apr 9, 2017)

I'm a big football fan but money is killing the game for me. Watching average footballers that you know are on 50k a week makes me sick! Something needs to change. I don't mind the very best picking up big bucks, just the dross that does gets on my nerves.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Pay per view has put me off, same as F1 too. That and the overacting from diving, rolling around etc.


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## Sutty 90 (Aug 24, 2014)

English football is a working class game that has managed to alienate the working class man from it by making it corporate. Nowadays it's just a business and a brand, nothing more. Paying £700 to buy a season ticket at Old Trafford is ridiculous, never mind getting tied into all the cup games too! Just look at the way you get 3 new kits each season, that's just unnecessary and a money making scam. Especially the home kits that have very little variation with each reincarnation. English football is just generally boring and needs to take a leaf out of the German leagues!

Sutty


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

The Financial Times are reporting that viewing figures slumped by another 14% this season for live games. The biggest decline since they started recording viewers.


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Football won't be dying any day soon.
Some seasons are just better than others that's all. I didn't think last season was that great tbh (not because we were cack btw).

Couldn't care less about ratings and viewing figures .So what? I enjoy it, that's all that matters.

Still get a buzz going to matches, especially away-days due to the fact we see more old skool guys from back in the days.

As someone mentioned, football was a common man's game that's been hijacked and turned into a money machine.
Defo better atmosphere in the 80s,90sand early 2k.
but what can ya do.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

DJ X-Ray said:


> Football won't be dying any day soon.
> Some seasons are just better than others that's all. I didn't think last season was that great tbh (not because we were cack btw).
> 
> Couldn't care less about ratings and viewing figures .So what? I enjoy it, that's all that matters.
> ...


The viewing figures pay for the huge TV deals that fund the league though. Viewing figures are surely paramount?

What Sky pays for football rights is unjustifiable. The deal was already working out to over £11 per viewer of each game. A further heavy loss of more viewers will further increase that astronomical cost.

Sky can't be paying that kind of money when only Man Utd, Liverpool and only the other big games can pull in over 1m viewers.

The last few seasons have been poor. It was only exciting the season before last due to Leicester winning the league. That overshadowed the fact so many teams were having poor seasons.

The year before wasn't the best Chelsea team. Man Utd also managed 4th even though they were much criticised.


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Kerr said:


> The viewing figures pay for the huge TV deals that fund the league though. Viewing figures are surely paramount?
> 
> What Sky pays for football rights is unjustifiable. The deal was already working out to over £11 per viewer of each game. A further heavy loss of more viewers will further increase that astronomical cost.
> 
> ...


Yeah, I get ya Kerr. Mate, I can't stand Sky and wouldn't pee on Murdoch if he was on fire. My point is, It won't fade out, I 'd still watch it , big names or otherwise .


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