Mack Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 I was watching some Ligue 1 highlights yesterday evening on Bt sport, and the Moncao vs Ajaccio game came on. So there they are, the mighty Moncao with all the money they have spent on assembling this current squad and in their 18,000 stadium & I reckon there must have been 6000 fans max at the game. The stadium was almost deserted and despite all their efforts Monaco attract little support and are in a false position. And you just know that if it wasn't for the owners wealth a club like them wouldn't be able to afford Falcao's left testicle let alone all the other players they have in their ranks. And it got me to thinking, what other clubs are there in Europe in a similar situation. Fulham came to mind right away. Al Fayed dragged them from an existence in the lower reaches of the Football league and maintained them in the top flight for several years. I can remember the old days of Division 4 when Jimmy Hill ran the club. Apart from him cutting me up on Putney bridge as he dashed late to a game giving me a filthy look in the process I can Remember Ray Lewington was player manager, and in the match programme they advertised the half time club lottery draw in which first prize was a long weekend at Jimmy Hill's very own South of France house! They didn't have a pot to piss in and sold players as soon as they had any interest. Anyone have any others?
Dan Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 Pretty much any top Russian/Ukrainian side although in fairness the likes of Shakhtar have developed. Getafe were set to be bought out by the worlds richest man. Malaga a couple of years ago. The worst was easily Anzhi. Quite how they landed big money beats me. An absolute no mark nothing club in Russia, who's team can't even live in their home city for safety reasons - why the hell would anyone invest in that? Monaco have always over-achieved a bit but it's a very prosperous place. I actually think PSG to an extent. They have potential to be massive yet have a grand total of three Ligue One titles in their history, one of them coming last season after outspending the rest of the league combined for the second year running, and even the first time they didn't win it. Massive under-achievers as a club who are finally achieving what you'd expect, all down to a sugar daddy.
Dan Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 Oh also any of these shite no-mark Asian clubs who the top players like to finish their careers at.
Guest kristianity77 Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 Im not sure Monaco are in a false position or not really. What is the population of that place? 30K or so? So even if it was 6,000 at the game, thats still 20% of the areas population at the game which percentage wise is a damn site better I expect than any club in the UK. Having said that though, your correct about the owners etc. But either way, Monaco have enjoyed success consistently since the 60s so fair play to them.
lavrentis Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 Us? Plastic Stadium, goal music, club hates atmosphere, boo boys?
Mack Posted 10 December 2013 Author Posted 10 December 2013 Im not sure Monaco are in a false position or not really. What is the population of that place? 30K or so? So even if it was 6,000 at the game, thats still 20% of the areas population at the game which percentage wise is a damn site better I expect than any club in the UK. Having said that though, your correct about the owners etc. But either way, Monaco have enjoyed success consistently since the 60s so fair play to them. So how could Monaco afford to buy Falcao etc based on club turnover only when they only get 6000 odd for home games? And surely the fact that they need a rich benefactor to prop them up makes them in a false position and a 'Plastic' club.
bovril Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 Ludogorets Razgrad. Obscure club from a small logging town in Northern Bulgaria, bought by a local businessman four years ago. Rose from Division 3 to Division 1 champions in a few years, sitting top of the Europa league group after beating PSV and Dinamon Zagreb home and away. Fair play to them though, starting basically from scratch.
Mack Posted 10 December 2013 Author Posted 10 December 2013 Us? Plastic Stadium, goal music, club hates atmosphere, boo boys? I think you are confusing popular social attitudes and modern football trends across the board with a plastic club. The things you are talking about are going on at clubs all over the World. The point I was making is about clubs that have a higher standing in their league than their support / club turnover would sustain.
bovril Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 I respect any cub that puts money and effort into improving their position. It's a sport and business after all, you want to be at the top. Better to be a bit 'plastic' than just relying on city size / reasonable tradition to justify some divine right to be in the top league.
Guest kristianity77 Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 So how could Monaco afford to buy Falcao etc based on club turnover only when they only get 6000 odd for home games? And surely the fact that they need a rich benefactor to prop them up makes them in a false position and a 'Plastic' club. My point is, is that there are not many clubs in the world who just based on turnover could afford the ridiculous wages that a lot of players command. I wouldnt say that Monaco are a plastic club at all. Its not Monacos fault that their population is only 30,000 is it? The premier league is full of clubs doing the exact same thing on a bigger scale like Chelsea, Man City etc. All spending way way more than they take in, but they arent plastic
Voll Blau Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 If you're going to criticise Fulham, be ready to criticise us should we ever become successful.
Guest Bilo Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 I get the impression some on here are confusing small clubs for plastic ones. Fulham may not be one of London's biggest clubs, but they've plenty of history considering they're five years older than us and one of the most iconic football grounds going in Craven Cottage. A small club with poor away attendances they are, but plastic they aren't. Plastic clubs are those with little history, johnny-come-lately fans who think they've landed on a latter day Real Madrid, staid atmospheres in grounds built in retail parks and with no respect for history or tradition. MK Dons are the most famous example of course. In this division; I'd argue Reading fit the bill, along with Watford to a lesser extent.
Corky Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 I think you are confusing popular social attitudes and modern football trends across the board with a plastic club. The things you are talking about are going on at clubs all over the World. The point I was making is about clubs that have a higher standing in their league than their support / club turnover would sustain. Fulham might've had a lot of money with lower support in the lower divisions, but have been in the top division for 13 years now and fill the ground virtually every week. The money they've generated through ticket sales and TV deals will far outweigh what Al Fayed has put in over that time.
Fox92 Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 I hate all this 'plastic' and 'tinpot' shite. Some people seem to act like we're some sort of superior side. I can't imagine fans of the likes of Everton look down on the rest of football. People don't seem to see the bigger picture. What is the population of Monaco, for example? It's like when people bring up attendances when comparing us to a smaller club, it happened recently with Watford. Of course they'll have a smaller attendance, the place isn't a City and not the size of Leicester.
Out Foxed Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 The worst was easily Anzhi. Quite how they landed big money beats me. - why the hell would anyone invest in that? A billionaire from Derbent, Dagestan investing in his hometown club......probably
Captain... Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 Wigan (well they were until recently anyway)
Captain... Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 My point is, is that there are not many clubs in the world who just based on turnover could afford the ridiculous wages that a lot of players command. I wouldnt say that Monaco are a plastic club at all. Its not Monacos fault that their population is only 30,000 is it? The premier league is full of clubs doing the exact same thing on a bigger scale like Chelsea, Man City etc. All spending way way more than they take in, but they arent plastic Considering "plastic club" is not a well used phrase and is actually a term that Mack has come up with to describe Monaco and their over inflated position based on their fan base, then you can't really say they don't fit the bill, because you have a pre existing definition of plastic with regards fans. That's like saying that a grasshopper isn't a grasshopper because it is not made of grass and doesn't hop on one leg. What other clubs are like Monaco and are propped up by a big investor as they have no fanbase? Well not Monaco.
Dan Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 Ludogorets Razgrad. Obscure club from a small logging town in Northern Bulgaria, bought by a local businessman four years ago. Rose from Division 3 to Division 1 champions in a few years, sitting top of the Europa league group after beating PSV and Dinamon Zagreb home and away. Fair play to them though, starting basically from scratch. Mad that. What kind of backing have they had? Because they're some impressive results.
SystonFox Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 I've always found Spurd a touch plastic. Unsure why
Dan Posted 10 December 2013 Posted 10 December 2013 A billionaire from Derbent, Dagestan investing in his hometown club......probably Was it? Fair enough. All went tits up though it'd seem.
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