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| Success | 82% | 412 votes | Total: 504 votes | |
| Style | 18% | 92 votes |
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Add to FavoritesThe 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.
Learn more about this author, Mark Harper.
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Style
Wednesday's Champion's League final provided a metaphorical battleground for the steel vs. style argument, with the pragmatic Chelsea facing the freewheeling Manchester United.
The game, while it was far from football at its most beautiful, was an enthralling affair; often a case of functionality over flair and a wonderful example of how ugly football' can still provide an exciting and enjoyable experience.
The English FA have accepted that results must come above performances; the appointment of the astute Italian Fabio Capello - an advocate of catenaccio - has confirmed this, and few fans will complain if Capello ends England's long wait for a trophy whilst scraping one-nil victories, rather than, once again, succumbing to their nearly men status.
Yet, the neutral will always adore flair - the players, and teams that produce football that leaves jaws agape and pundits breathless and understandably so. The excitement that a Ronaldo, Messi or Kaka can generate will never be comparable to the steadfast, never-say-die attitude that has been the mainstay of many a terrace legend.
Take Roy Keane, for example. Manchester United fans will often find themselves bleary-eyed at the mention of their iconic former captain; but leave a football fan breathless that memorable semi-final in Turin aside I doubt it.
The moments that remain ingrained in football fan's memories, the moments that warrant legend, are those that seem entirely superhuman. Yes, fans will recall Liverpool's 2005 Champions League final; that most miraculous of turnarounds, but the most pronounced memory of that night for Liverpool fans and neutrals alike is Jerzy Dudek's miraculous double save, twice denying the then lethal Andriy Shevchenko; a moment that defied belief and ensured that Dudek will remain an Anfield legend.
That one moment defined Dudek's career. Followers of football, Liverpool fan or otherwise, will not be able to recall any other moments from his career, akin to Keane, he will be remembered for solid performances, every game blurring into the next; solid, yet unspectacular.
It is those aforementioned players, those flair players, who capture the imagination. They raise people from their seats, make people spill drinks and inspire us. These players produce adored memories week in week out and it is they, not the foot-soldiers or victories, who make football the planet's most loved sport.
Of course all types are needed to ensure that the modern game functions, even the prawn sandwich merchants and business analysts, but this is a game of passion and it is remarkably difficult to remain passionate about a game that values is willing to sacrifice style and beautiful football all for the sake of winning.
Fans may want trophies, but I feel we can learn a great deal from the setup at Real Madrid who, despite having won La Liga the previous season, sacked Capello citing a lack of attractive football as the reason. The club's president Ramon Calderon was quoted as saying: "We've laid the foundations, but we need to find a more enthusiastic way of playing". In other words; trophies are fine, but only when they are won playing attractive football.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering I was supporting United.
Learn more about this author, Jay Williams.
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