My Milksheik brings all the boys to the yard

[binomial]

Pessimistic? More like Paranoid.

When or should I say if they take our food, land, woman and children then I might feel a little more need to get up in arms about this. Nobody in the west will be watching the Saudi Pro league I can assure you, as a boxing fan I can’t say the same as I’ve paid to watching boxing on UK tv which was broadcasted from the middle east, but this has been a thing for over 5 years (I think AJ Ruiz 1) was the first Incan recall, British/American boxing is still where it’s at and most of the fights happen.
99% of these players are going there in their twilight years, after which they’ll be back in Europe carrying on with everyday life.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

China is in the same boat as us population wise. They're fucked

The reality is that this is the bottom of the pyramid scheme. It worked for a few decades but now it's over. Kinda relied on continuous innovation and population growth. The only thing that boomed since 2000 was computer power, so now we're entering a whole new landscape with no map and no torch.

Parklife

Why are they fucked?

 

[Frogfish]

China is in the same boat as us population wise. They're fucked

The reality is that this is the bottom of the pyramid scheme. It worked for a few decades but now it's over. Kinda relied on continuous innovation and population growth. The only thing that boomed since 2000 was computer power, so now we're entering a whole new landscape with no map and no torch.

Parklife

Population-wise most of the world is fucked. Forecasts for China's population is down to under 1B by the end of the century. Japan is in an even worse state. india's is exploding and expected to keep growing.

Life is changing. Many women (globally) no longer want children, young people no longer want marriage but a single lifestyle and to keep their disposal income to themselves.

As for computers : well China owns the majority of some specific rare metals required for chip making whilst the rest of the world (NL and USA specifically) attempt to block them from using the end products - the chips produced. Watch this space !

As for Saudi Arabia : name me one time isolation of a country (esp. a very rich one) has worked. At least being in the public eye / media will force them to be more circumspect. It may even result in more freedom for women, better human rights etc.

Interesting times.

 

[mom]

I have no idea what will happen to the Saudi league, but, if they’re willing to pay well over the odds for players Klopp no longer wants, that’s fine by me.

 

[Halmeister]

GDP and the usual metrics won't matter to the royal trillionaires. Plus, this is why they're diversifying into sports etc, so they're no longer dependent on oil.

 

[localny]

Not sure if I feel as pessimistic about the world. I think we take all the good stuff for granted and swallow all the bad news without including some perspective for the good.

 

[Woland]

There's some grounds for optimism if you're in India or East Africa or parts of the Middle East as there's the correct conditions for the pyramid scheme to continue for a while. America is relatively OK too. They also have a population problem but they have loads of raw materials and cheap labour in Mexico. Labour is now cheaper in Mexico than China, and more predictable. Just one more of the reasons China is fucked. Not as fucked as Europe, but nowhere near as far behind as is commonly thought. They've got the fastest collapsing work age demographic in human history. Add the fact that no-one is having kids to the one child policy of old and you get more people entering retirement than entering the work force, labour costs up 15x in 20 years, and a clear and obvious depression about to kick in in ten years time.

It's like being diagnosed with a terrible fatal disease while everything seems OK right now.

 

[rurikbird]

GDP and the usual metrics won't matter to the royal trillionaires. Plus, this is why they're diversifying into sports etc, so they're no longer dependent on oil.

They are spending money on sports, not earning or growing anything organically. The minute oil money dries up, their billion-dollar “sports leagues” disappear in a puff of smoke.

 

[Halmeister]

They are spending money on sports, not earning or growing anything organically. The minute oil money dries up, their billion-dollar “sports leagues” disappear in a puff of smoke.

Agree to disagree. It will take decades. Maybe even centuries. But there's a shift happening.

 

[Atlas]

The shift could quite easily shift the other way.
It doesn't necessarily have to be an all out shift to middle East from the west.
In many ways it could be shifting to redress the balance a little.
This includes popularity of Kpop and whatever else away from traditional Hollywood/West media.

I just wish/pray we had some skin in this game, instead we're just pottering along, as you said back to trying to figure pronouns and using gender neutral language.
While slowly the super rich buy up anything with having.

 

[rubans]

What’s all the fuss?
When have the rich not determined every single policy we have lived under whether it’s east or west. Not much complained when all Russian money was swashing around West London, not sure I’m any more bothered now.

 

[Farkmaster]

What’s all the fuss?
When have the rich not determined every single policy we have lived under whether it’s east or west. Not much complained when all Russian money was swashing around West London, not sure I’m any more bothered now.

All the good policies that exist were created by a bunch of pissed off people, not rich people. And, though the rich largely try to erode them, weekends, overtime, sick leave, maternity leave, civil rights, consumer protections, the vote, free schooling and on and on and on... It's simply not true that rich people are the only influencers of policy in democracies.

 

[moron]

Right now - I see the Saudi league like the place where football is gonna take place in the same way that the film Gladiator portrayed what it would be like to be a Gladiator i towards the east, and European football is still going to be like (especially CL footy) the way Rome was portrayed in that film. Yes - slightly maybe a racist touch in that view, but that's the type of image that comes to mind.

 

[rubans]

All the good policies that exist were created by a bunch of pissed off people, not rich people. And, though the rich largely try to erode them, weekends, overtime, sick leave, maternity leave, civil rights, consumer protections, the vote, free schooling and on and on and on...

Yep, so east or west rich will override their interests over every other person.

 

[King Binny]

 

[rubans]

Won’t be long before they have found a way of including Saudi League in CL.

 

[Modo]

Bring back Rafa!

 

[Hansern]

Nothing to see here….

 

[Markeh]

Yet the celta vigo players lost the salary battle by a similarly embarrassing scoreline

 

[Modo]

Nothing to see here….

Money laundering?

 

[localny]

I mean these players won't all get paid... So it's funny

 

[Hansern]

Money laundering?

Could be. Its just weird that Howe says that they have to sell to move forward and that they have a tight budget with FFP etc. In comes a bid from the Saudis for the player that occupies the same position as Harvey Barnes (who they are close to signing).

 

[King Binny]

 

[Beamrider]

OK, so starting to see the potential end game here.
If we look at the Henderson transfer, it looks like he's agreed to take a slightly lower salary so his Saudi club can afford to pay a fee to us.
From transfers so far, they clearly don't like paying transfer fees. They are either going after players who are out of contract or the likes of Hendo where they think good relationships with his current club will persuade them to let him go for free because they "owe" him the chance of one last big pay-day. Same with Mitrovic. They're quickly seeing the error of that line of thinking.
So the next thing we'll likely see is players tapped up by the Saudi league and promised a big salary, IF they let their contracts run down so the transfer fee is low / nil. The ones who are really motivated by money will let their contracts run down and take a big salary on a free transfer - Ballack was probably the prototype for this. It's not currently common, because of the risk of being left with nothing if you get an injury in the last year of your contract, and the salary premium is probably not that significant. Plus only the very top players have the bargaining power. Emre Can threatens to run his deal down? See ya. Shame and all that but he wasn't irreplaceable. Mbappe? Different story.
So I suspect we'll see more issues like the deal with Mbappe/PSG this summer. He's only going to re-sign for PSG if they offer him Saudi-level money, off to Madrid on a free if they don't, he can refuse to move to another club if they find one. He's too good a player for them to let him rot in the reserves (and he could claim constructive dismissal if they did).
Except the players involved in future won't be Mbappe level, and the clubs they move to won't be Madrid level. They'll be decent players, moving to Saudi clubs, for no fee. And until the Saudi squads are packed full, a lot of players will fancy their chances at playing that game.
Unless the players are at Newcastle, in which case they'll sell for £100m.
Until the lads who've already moved don't get paid as @localny said.

 

[the count]

OK, so starting to see the potential end game here.
If we look at the Henderson transfer, it looks like he's agreed to take a slightly lower salary so his Saudi club can afford to pay a fee to us.
From transfers so far, they clearly don't like paying transfer fees. They are either going after players who are out of contract or the likes of Hendo where they think good relationships with his current club will persuade them to let him go for free because they "owe" him the chance of one last big pay-day. Same with Mitrovic. They're quickly seeing the error of that line of thinking.
So the next thing we'll likely see is players tapped up by the Saudi league and promised a big salary, IF they let their contracts run down so the transfer fee is low / nil. The ones who are really motivated by money will let their contracts run down and take a big salary on a free transfer - Ballack was probably the prototype for this. It's not currently common, because of the risk of being left with nothing if you get an injury in the last year of your contract, and the salary premium is probably not that significant. Plus only the very top players have the bargaining power. Emre Can threatens to run his deal down? See ya. Shame and all that but he wasn't irreplaceable. Mbappe? Different story.
So I suspect we'll see more issues like the deal with Mbappe/PSG this summer. He's only going to re-sign for PSG if they offer him Saudi-level money, off to Madrid on a free if they don't, he can refuse to move to another club if they find one. He's too good a player for them to let him rot in the reserves (and he could claim constructive dismissal if they did).
Except the players involved in future won't be Mbappe level, and the clubs they move to won't be Madrid level. They'll be decent players, moving to Saudi clubs, for no fee. And until the Saudi squads are packed full, a lot of players will fancy their chances at playing that game.
Unless the players are at Newcastle, in which case they'll sell for £100m.
Until the lads who've already moved don't get paid as @localny said.

What is the Saudi end game here do you think?
Backing a new European Super League with some of their own teams guaranteed participation?

 

[Beamrider]

What is the Saudi end game here do you think?
Backing a new European Super League with some of their own teams guaranteed participation?

Yeah, I think something like that. They will want to compete with the top sides in Europe at some stage. Perhaps they see a route into the expanded Club World Cup.

 

[localny]

At the risk of sounding like “too much”, the end game is much bigger possibly no? It’s not really sporting. I’m not even sure it’s the World Cup.

The Saudis are known to be obsessed about securing their own future no? And really keen on actually having nuclear technology. Is this the end goal beyond football - using football to become well liked for a bigger geo political aim?

 

[Jürgen4PM]

@localny just gave you a like because that post ^^^ made me laugh a lot.

 

[Woland]

Mane's gone to Saudi now too. Get @FoxForceFive over there and open up a Popworld for these fuckers

 

[rubans]

Marco Silva going to SL for £20m a year it seems.