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What's more important in soccer: Style or success?
Results so far:
| Success | 81% | 417 votes | Total: 512 votes | |
| Style | 19% | 95 votes |
Success
by Mark Harper
Created on: May 14, 2008 Last Updated: October 31, 2008
The sad reality is that so much revenue is generated via TV rights and worldwide merchandise sales, that the modern day game is all about winning and success with style taking a backseat.
The formation of the EPL (English Premier League) in 1992 signaled the start of a period of commercial dominance by the elite club teams in England and a decline in those that could not keep pace with the teams amassing the best talent and large bank accounts.
The separation of the EPL from the FA Football League meant that more revenue was controlled by the top division, with more funds being available to build stronger squads and the talent gap widening with smaller clubs unable to compete.
Transfer fees for players were reaching astronomical proportions towards the end of the 1990's and into the new millennium. Alan Shearer's transfer from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United smashed the world record transfer fee in August 1996 (15M UK Pounds / $31M US Dollars). As of today the current world record for a transfer is Andriy Shevchenko, who joined Chelsea from AC Milan in May 2006 for a fee believed to be 30M UK Pounds / $62M US Dollars
The 2007/08 season promises to be the EPL's most lucrative season to date with revenues estimated to top 1.8Bn UK pounds ($3.7Bn US Dollars), with eight EPL Clubs listed in the top twenty Clubs in the world based on revenue (according to accounting firm Deloitte)
As a result gone are the days of swashbuckling and cavalier football (soccer) from teams such as Leeds and Liverpool of the 1970's and 80's, Manchester United and Newcastle United of the 1990's.
For instance, if you analyze the current system used by Chelsea FC - they will generally sit deep and absorb pressure from opponents and will be content at 'stealing' a game 1-0, deploying a very disciplined and defensive set of tactics, often hitting their opposition on the break. Their mantra is being 'hard to beat' rather than taking games to opponents.
Chelsea have an incredibly rich Russian owner who wastes no time in removing coaches if the winning mentality is not translated onto the pitch and into results (results being Championships, larger TV deals and shirts sales into new and developing soccer markets such as Asia and North America).
The Champions League competition is further evidence of the widening gap from the elite European teams and those trying to break in. The Champions League generates tens of millions of UK Pound's to the eventually winners. With this sort of revenue potential at stake this translates into efficient winning strategies rather than elegant stylish play.
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Style
by Tom Mccormack
Created on: June 04, 2007 Last Updated: October 31, 2008
It has often been suggested that fans of the beautiful game would rather see their team lift trophies, playing a lifeless and tedious brand of football than play vigorous, attacking, flair-filled football and end up trophyless. This is understandable, however, for the love of the game and the enjoyment it brings so many people I raise the question; is success more important than style?
I acknowledge that football today is a different game to what it was 20 and 30 years ago. What with foreign investors, corporate sponsors, target revenues and the much hyped merchandising, football today is as much a business as it is a sport. The consequence of this is that there is far more pressure for success in todays game and this, I believe is to the detriment of the greatest sport ever invented.
Due mainly to the obscene amounts of money involved in todays game too many teams are too focused on success (whether that be winning trophies, European qualification or avoiding relegation) and this is destroying the art of football. The dreaded rise of the 4-5-1 formation that ten years ago nobody played is today all the rage, from potential champions to relegation dog fighters. The overbearing importance in the modern game for defensive midfielders and the over reliance on the set-piece (particularly in the English game) are all contributing factors to the dulling down of football in the modern era.
There is considerable speculation that England will play a 4-5-1 formation in the game away to Estonia on Wednesday. If this turns out to be true then I will never watch another England match again. I was extremely disappointed we played a defensive formation against Brazil last week in a friendly that was in essence a showpiece event and should have been an attacking, entertaining spectacle. What it turned out to be was English players frustrating and kicking Brazilians and looking for free kicks within 40 yards of Brazil's goal, how enthralling. No matter what team you play there should always be an emphasis on attack and beating your opponents, not restricting them. How will teams ever progress and football evolve for the better if it is based around stopping your opponents playing, and not expressing technique, creating and innovating. Even if England qualify for Euro 2008 and win it playing the current defensive, set-piece searching football not only would I not celebrate, I would be embarrassed as an england football supporter.
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