luke07
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I refuse to believe that match-fixing, at least on some level, doesn't exist in a huge brand like the Prem, where there's so much money at stake. I mean you have ex-players like Matt Le Tissier coming out and joking about how they threw games, if that happened in Italy there would be endless investigations. In a country like Italy where corruption is endemic, suspending players even for failing to report that someone approached you to fix a match is the only real way to sort it out.
But I think in England there's probably a mutual understanding between everyone involved, from the FA to journalists, that any scandal would severely tarnish the Prem's brand in the long-term, despite the media frenzy it would create initially.
Yeah, and it will drag on for years.. Every time a referee makes a big mistake, you can sense that people think of Calciopoli even if they don`t always say it..Same. I believe it happens in every single league, it's sad that it does, but its just soo much money involved, that it's naive to believe it's clean. And I can understand why its covered, look at what Calciopoli did to Serie A, it was good that it happened, but Serie A is still in a mess, 6-7 years after, and now EVERYTHING is called match fixing/corruption.
Same. I believe it happens in every single league, it's sad that it does, but its just soo much money involved, that it's naive to believe it's clean. And I can understand why its covered, look at what Calciopoli did to Serie A, it was good that it happened, but Serie A is still in a mess, 6-7 years after, and now EVERYTHING is called match fixing/corruption.
True. Though I think its even worse now than it was before Calciopoli. Before Calciopoli it was talked about and moviola had its place and the analysis of ref errors was detailed but it was a 2 minute thing at most. Post calciopoli world has at least 7-8 minutes discussion of ref errors, everybody screams corruption at the most basic error and everybody has a detailed count of the ref errors against their team and in favour of their rivals.I think that's a separate issue though, and more likely down to Italian society's suspicious nature of corruption in general. The fact is that a poor ref is seen as incompetent in England, in Italy a poor ref is corrupt and on the take. That's been the case even before Calciopoli simply because Italian culture dictates so.
I mean look at how the post-match shows in Italy analyse refereeing errors, the ref becomes more of a talking point than the match sometimes.
And if I'm not mistaken, Fabio Baldas' weekend programmes showing refereeing errors in Juve's favour was one of the first things that led to suspicions and the consequent investigations in 2006. Which is ironic really, given that he and Moggi had a deal in place: exclusive news about Juve in return for Baldas concealing refereeing bias on his programme.
Nottingham Forest's season has descended into farce after Alex McLeish left his post as manager at the City Ground only 40 days after replacing Sean O'Driscoll. McLeish's departure, which comes as no surprise after he was left deeply frustrated with the lack of activity in last month's transfer window, means that the al-Hasawi family, Forest's Kuwaiti owners, are now looking for their fourth manager since they took control of the club in July.
Rumours surfaced last Thursday night that McLeish had walked out after being bitterly upset with the club's refusal to sanction a deal for George Boyd, whose move from Peterborough collapsed because of an alleged eye defect. It was one of a number of signings that McLeish had hoped to make on a deadline day, only for none of the deals to come off. Forest's chairman, Fawaz al-Hasawi, insisted there was no truth in the rumours, and that he and McLeish "have a very good working relationship and it troubles me greatly that people think otherwise".
Although McLeish stayed on to take charge of Saturday's away game at Birmingham City, where he was returning for the first time since his highly controversial switch to Aston Villa in the summer of 2011, he did nothing to dampen the speculation about his position when he refused to answer questions about his future after the 2-1 defeat at St Andrew's. There was a sense of inevitability that he would soon be moving on.
That news arrived on Tuesday morning, when McLeish issued a statement, via the League Managers' Association, confirming that he had left Forest by mutual consent after seven games in charge that delivered one win, two draws and four defeats. "I am extremely saddened to be leaving after such a short period but even so it has been a privilege to be manager of such a fantastic football club and I want to thank the players, staff and fans for their support and wish Nottingham Forest the best of fortunes ahead.
"Both parties entered into the relationship in good faith. However, there was a difference in the understanding of the development strategy of the football club and it was felt by both parties that we should part company."
Nigel Adkins has been installed as the early favourite for the position, although it would be a brave man that takes the Forest job under the current owners and with so much turmoil behind the scenes. While it may not have come as a huge surprise when the al-Hasawi family sacked Steve Cotterill within 48 hours of completing their takeover, the decision to dismiss O'Driscoll, only hours after Forest had defeated Leeds United 4-2 to leave them only one point adrift of the play-off places, went down badly with many supporters.
Fawaz al-Hasawi, Forest's chairman, said on the clubs website: "I'm bitterly disappointed – as is Alex – that it has not worked out as we had hoped. I would like to put on record my thanks for his services and wish him every success in the future."
I refuse to believe that match-fixing, at least on some level, doesn't exist in a huge brand like the Prem, where there's so much money at stake. I mean you have ex-players like Matt Le Tissier coming out and joking about how they threw games, if that happened in Italy there would be endless investigations. In a country like Italy where corruption is endemic, suspending players even for failing to report that someone approached you to fix a match is the only real way to sort it out.
But I think in England there's probably a mutual understanding between everyone involved, from the FA to journalists, that any scandal would severely tarnish the Prem's brand in the long-term, despite the media frenzy it would create initially.
I can only laugh
Alex McLeish leaves Nottingham Forest after 40 days in charge
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/05/alex-mcleish-leaves-nottingham-forest
I don't think this scandal is involving the bigger names, like I hinted in the other post and in the Corruption in Football thread...its players from lower divisions or from small clubs, they are the vulnerable population to get approach by the mafias. The media won't make a big fuzz in England cause you guys are interested in big names, not in the Sculli's of your league.The difference between England and most other leagues is the media. They're constantly trying to find out about corruption amongst other things, and they'll happily break laws to get that information.
If there was some proper match fixing going on in the Premiership (i.e Fergie paying a ref), they'd be onto it in a sniff. There's nothing they'd like more than to stick one to a major name. Look at the phone hacking scandal - people in football have been targeted (including SAF).
Those who think there's some unofficial agreement that they won't tell anyone because it harms the EPL brand clearly has no clue how the print media work in the UK. It's dog eat dog. Do you have any idea how much praise would be heaped on the newspaper that managed to prove Fergie, Mancini or Mourinho are corrupt? It's possible there's corruption, but the idea that the print based media are aware of it but choose to remain silent is ridiculous.
If The Sun had proof that Mancini paid Howard Webb, they absolutely would run with it. Not only because it gives them an insane amount of credit (and thus increase their sales, which is where all print based media are falling atm), but they literally could not afford to let another paper get hold of the information and release it themselves.
That being said, the whole 'who gets the first corner' stuff might be the closest we come to corruption on the field - especially as in the past gambling as been a major issue with Premiership players. Gary Neville said in his book that half the England squad in the 90's were obsessed with it and would piss away thousands on the coach too and from games.
championship players are well paid AFAIK
I can only laugh
Alex McLeish leaves Nottingham Forest after 40 days in charge
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/feb/05/alex-mcleish-leaves-nottingham-forest
I don't think this scandal is involving the bigger names, like I hinted in the other post and in the Corruption in Football thread...its players from lower divisions or from small clubs, they are the vulnerable population to get approach by the mafias. The media won't make a big fuzz in England cause you guys are interested in big names, not in the Sculli's of your league.
That said, I still have my doubts over how "clean" the EPL might be in general, it doesn't have to be SAF buying refs or Mancini paying off the rivals...but it can present itself in other ways, the media can only prove so much without whistle blower (and we're talking about part of the media, I assume for example SKY would be primarly interested in not letting anything out), and yes the brand of the league does come in play here.
EPL took a lot of time to build to where it is right now...it went through a traumatic build up. And as much as you guys are "real rivals unlike the others that share players", the money the league makes its equally important to all of you, and I suspect that the foreigner owners from your teams are part of the reason that things are kept shut. After all they invested big in teams from a fresh, and clean league that got rid of all the rotten apples that are still present in every other league.
McLeish is a horrible manager. It wasn't ever going to work regardless of January dealings
Piers Morgan @piersmorgan
You're missing the key Neymar quote, Le Pitbull @Joey7Barton - he'd never heard of you.
Joseph Barton @Joey7Barton
@piersmorgan i'll introduce myself to him if he ever decides to leave the sanctuary of the amazon jungle league...
Piers Morgan or Joey Barton?what a volatile person. Picking fights with everyone on the planet and making stupid ass comments