Is There Something Rotten In The State Of The English Football Premier League?

[Colmc54]

There is a belief among the fans of a particular football club in the English Premier League that some of their players have deliberately under-performed in order to get rid of the club’s manager. This feeling is also shared by many others.
While this is good news for the football betting industry it is very bad news for the sport. People pay money to broadcast and attend football matches. This is a lot of money. If this level of corruption is present in the sport there are strong legal arguments that could lead to compensation for the fans and the broadcasters who have paid their money in good faith.
The FA needs to act swiftly to a appoint a committee of match analysts and impartial football professionals to review the performance of the team during the time in question. Their findings should form the basis for future changes in the game and open a gateway to provide fans with compensation which I believe is richly deserved.

[DTCwordfan]

That's the problem of Chelsea fans, scroungers that they are, but then the Westbourne River is mainly enclosed and it has become natural for them to go for money, from whatever sewer mud called the EPL.

[fiction-factory]

Having played quite a bit of football myself I find it very hard to believe that players would deliberately under-perform. I think it's more complicated than that

[jomifl]

It's only a game....

[VHG]

This has always happened.

Years ago when Shearer played for Newcastle and Ruud Gullet was made manager there was a bit of a battle between the two.

So he dropped Shearer, much to the chagrin of the rest of the Newcastle players.

The next game Newcastle lost 0-7 (against Sunderland I think) and right after that Gullet was sacked.

So it seems these Newcastle players had under performed to get the manager out.

So there is nothing new there.

[ichkeria]

If a team does that it isn't corruption: it's internal stuff within the club. There is no way the FA or whoever can do anything about it. Nor should they. It would be for the club to sort out.
By the way, I don't believe that that is what has happened at Chelsea. It would make no sense whatever.

[sandyRoe]

Man Utd are having an unusually bad run, too.

[PankySmooch]

It's what's known as losing the dressing room, been going on for years at various clubs, new manager comes in and hey presto the team start playing again

[Colmc54]

Player power is form of corruption. They play for the club and it's fans who pay their wages not the manager, and if they choose not to they are corrupt and guilty of bringing the sport into disrepute.

I had three clubs in mind. One tried to teach the ringleader a lesson but had to bring him on once they were two goals down

It seems that some managers have maxed the fitness training of their squads. Those most challenged start to express discontent and so it begins. These individuals should think about comparing their wages with those of the fans who follow them to every game.

[ichkeria]

But it might also be the manager's fault sometimes.
Like I say, although not behaviour to be proud of, it isn't corruption. It's all part of the rich, or sordid depending on your point of view, tapestry of professional, or even amateur, sport
Corruption is when money changes hands. If someone pays Chelsea's players to play badly or whatever
Their owner got rich on corruption of the worst sort and no one ever mentions that

[Colmc54]

Football is a game of skill as well as fitness. There are some managers who overdo the fitness training leaving the players too knackered and panic-stricken to convert easy chances and avoid giving away goals through unforced errors.
The EPL is amazing this year for neutrals like myself. Just about every team has the capacity to beat every other team. It’s just about the best season we’ve ever had.
There are some managers who acknowledge this and there are some who, like the former manager of Chelsea FC who are incapable of humility in defeat and lash out at the team’s highly distinguished team doctor, the referees, players… anybody but himself.
Now we have the same at Man U. In all this welcome transformation of the EPL into the most competitive league in the world my only sympathies lie with Garry Monk. I hope he’s snapped up by a good club soon. As a fan of Heart of Midlothian I would love him to come and transform our squad into SPL winning shape. Today our manager fielded a player who is good at getting the ball back, but is clueless then about what to do with it, as a substitute. But skill and not fitness saw us through at the death with a brilliant goal by Sow to earn us a draw against Celtic.
What we don’t want to see is the spectacle of loyal match day income earning fans holding up posters accusing some members of their own team of being ‘rats’. The FA should look hard at this.