The Old Firm

[Hamzah]

they are a bigger team nowadays have a lot of plastic fans. the real support is still there but seems to be diluted with the other support. when celtic reached the uefa cup final, the fans were real fans and didn't go away even though we are getting shitter every year.

arsenal have no european pedigree until fairly recently. if it goes away the real fans will be seperated from the rest and we'll see who has the bigger fanbase.

 

[sammy]

Nowadays? they have a long history hamzah....They are the first southern club that join the league. They won 13 league titles and 10 FA cup. They won the league 5 times in the 30's. Even without their oversea fans, they are still a big club in england.

 

[blueduck]

Oh and Celtic don't have these plastic fans in scotland ? Of course they do.

 

[Hamzah]

in the grand scheme of things this is the biggest teams in britain since the european cup era started:

1-liverpool
2-manchester united
3-celtic
4-arsenal
5-leeds

 

[blueduck]

Arsenal haven't won anything for years now but they're still getting more and more fans every year.

They have to pay 3 times the amount for a season ticket at the emirates. Yet they still fill out their stadium week in, week out.

 

[Hamzah]

Arsenal haven't won anything for years now but they're still getting more and more fans every year.

They have to pay 3 times the amount for a season ticket at the emirates. Yet they still fill out their stadium week in, week out.

are you sure about that?

 

[sammy]

I think that's because of wenger duckie Wenger made many people wants to watch arsenal. Why they have to endure 4 years (possibly more) without titles? simple, money.....

 

[blueduck]

are you sure about that?

Well they are getting more and more fans at games even though their prices are higher than anyone else in the league.

In comparison we charge £350 quid for a season ticket, at Arsenal it costs more than £1000.

 

[Hamzah]

how can you get more fans at games if you fill the stadium anyway?

 

[blueduck]

When they play the lesser teams they used to have plenty of extra seats when they moved into the emirates. Now they fill out nearly every game.

 

[Hamzah]

wasn't that because of extortionate prices and the reserved seats nonsense that they had?

 

[blueduck]

The prices have actually gone up.

 

[sammy]

But that stadium cost them a lot. It's like a sophie's choice, new big stadium but lesser fund on transfer or other wise. Thank God for them is arsene who in control.

 

[Cal-FCB]

There was more talk about that Atlantic league again today, as Walter Smith has made some more comments. Just wondering what the Scottish lads on here think? I know you're Barca fans but you'll have a decent idea on how the SPL would be a affected if the Old Firm were to move out. Seems to me a lot of history and tradition would disappear, however it could give the chance for those other clubs to improve quite a bit.

 

[VivaBarca]

It's a tough one Cal. It will take years to happen, before it gets rubberstamped by UEFA and FIFA, before they can change the league systems of the respective countries, before everyone agrees on the members.

Scottish football would suffer financially but I think it would be healthy, open competition and more entertaining. The youth systems would benefit as the Old Firm wouldn't poach their talent straightaway. As long as there is some money available from TV and media coverage so that half the teams don't go into administration I don't think there would be a problem.