@Vieira

I started to watch Football and the Champions league b/4 the DSTV era, when Broussia Dortmound could easily put a whooping to the best English side namely Man U and your Arsenal could not win the likes of Fiorentina

From 1990 since the english were reinstated into europe till 2005

Only one   English team could make it anywhere near the finals of the European Cup

Italy had like 10-11 appearances and Spain like 7. Even Germany had up to 3 i think.

Just 6-7 yrs ago

Fiorentina could whoop Arsenal easily home and Away . I cant forget Batigol and the match that day

The elite european sides like Barca easily came to highbury and put a trashing on Arsenal in their backyard

Meanwhile the likes of Man U, after taking a beating home and away from the likes of Broussia dortmound and Elites like Bayern, also contrive to take trashing lessons from Fiorentina just like Arsenal.

The two mighty English teams of the past 15yrs were avarage in europe. The rest of the teams in England were ok or mediocare.

And yes, the league was Poo

But dont get me wrong

Because of the packaging of the EPL now, it is one of the strongest leagues in Europe, if not the strongest.

Im just saying that i knew a time in European football when the likes of Deportivo came and trashed Man U, the giant of england at that time both home and away .

A time when if Arsenal drew with Lazio or Valencia or Parma or Schalke, it was considered a very good result.



And guess what guys


That was not a long time ago.

Just about 5-7 yrs ago

European Elites?----------------------- Check again

BlackMamba:

CONSPIRACY THEORY
Football has long been discovered as the best way to distract Nigerians from the perpetual corruption in government and crippling hardship. Initially, the local league and national teams were good enough in this role, but the over time the perennial corruption in government has rendered football in Nigeria unable to perform. So in come the innovation of satellite TV to import football into living rooms and sports bars, to keep the masses busy with sports entertainment while the country is looted.

chei!

Nice one

@Sage
why are you particular about when Arsenal and United got whoopings and why not when Juventus and Inter got whoopings from the same set or even Barcelona!!!

Where is Dortmound today, Fiorentina, Lazio et al. They are like shooting stars now. United, Arsenal are still waxing stronger in europe. Past seasons showed how Real and Juventus were schooled soccer by Arsenal, Liverpool disgraced all to lift the trophy, United scored seven against an Italian side that had plenty nationals.

I hope you havent forgotten the Henry's manhandling of Inter at the san siro. You can pick your games and i can pick mine. all said and done. These clubs (EPL) had 3 playing at the semis last season!!! Only Milan survived. Im sure Fiorentina cant play Spurs as at today

Laterz man

I can never forget Henry at San Siro, because I remember Cruz and Obafemi doing damage at Highbury only for Inter to be so embarrassingly demolished.

Now that is the definition of pay back

Some people just have short memory and argue based on bias this same Arsenal has thrashed Inter 5-1 at San Siro and Roma 3-1 at the Olympico.Who the hell is Fiorentina? please what have they won.Well we all know the English league is one of the best if not the best in the world

sage:

@Vieira

I started to watch Football and the Champions league b/for the DSTV era, when Broussia Dortmound could easily put a whooping to the best English side namely Manchester United and your Arsenal could not win the likes of Fiorentina

From 1990 since the english were reinstated into europe till 2005

Only one English team could make it anywhere near the finals of the European Cup

Italy had like 10-11 appearances and Spain like 7. Even Germany had up to 3 i think.

One??

From 1990 to 2007( present, why did u stop at 2005??)

We have had 4 finalists

3 of these coming in the last 3 years.

A ban of 5/6 years is not easy to overcome and if I want to be simplistic I can say that the damage done by the this absence can only be repaired by double the amount. Remember all of a sudden we are playing catch up and the european teams were not standing still.

Man U won the CL in 1999, just 9 years after being let back into Europe and having to learn how to play against the different styles employed on the continent. The last few years England have finally caught up.

But I hope that you remember that before the ban English football was a force in Europe and could take on almost any team.

Check the record of the all conquering Liverpool, the Busby Babes, Clough's Forest and others I cannot remember.

[size=14pt]UEFA Champions League winners statistics[/size] from 1955 to date

Nation Winners Runners-up
Italy 11 14
Spain 11 9
England 10 4
Germany 6 7

Bearing in mind the 5 year ban on English clubs and Liverpool's extended by a year to make it 6. I think by all standards they have done superbly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Cup_and_Champions_League_records_and_statistics

Let those that have eyes to see
If they were aroung for the 10years, they would have added at least 2 trophies to the 10.

I think it was actually a 5 year ban for English clubs and 6 years for Liverpool.

Viera
You're right

For More Information Click Here

Still I think the point is obvious, if Liverpool had those years it may have led to another trophy. Thesame goes for other English teams around the period.

i think this goes to demonstrate the nigerian spirit! nevertheless it reversely shows how foolish and stupid the nigerians are at the moment

therefore you can understand why so white man believe blacks simply dnt have the medula obulangata to reason hmm

superman:

i think this goes to demonstrate the nigerian spirit! nevertheless it reversely shows how foolish and stupid the nigerians are at the moment

therefore you can understand why so white man believe blacks simply dnt have the medula obulangata to reason hmm

I mean this in the best way possible - your utter stupidity can not be overstated.
Thank you.

@ Vieira,

Dont mind Sage and Dayokanu.
How can anyone say English clubs were crap 5 years ago?
Thats the biggest blunder i have read in recent times. . . . . . . .

I cannot count the number of times Man Utd has beaten Juventus in Turin.
Liverpool beat Barcelona in 2001. Leeds beat AC Milan in the previous season.
I believe the ban in the 80s and the tragedy of the Busby Babes in the 50s is the reason why English clubs are not leading the title charts.
English league has always been a major force in Europe.

@ Vieira,

Dont mind Sage and Dayokanu.
How can anyone say English clubs were crap 5 years ago?
Thats the biggest blunder i have read in recent times. . . . . . . .

I cannot count the number of times Man Utd has beaten Juventus in Turin.
Liverpool beat Barcelona in 2001. Leeds beat AC Milan in the previous season.
I believe the ban in the 80s and the tragedy of the Busby Babes in the 50s is the reason why English clubs are not leading the title charts.
English league has always been a major force in Europe.

Do you also remember the number of times Juve has beaten Man Utd between 1996 and 1998 Home and away?

We are clear on this, in the 90's English clubs were not strong in Europe due to whatever reason but in the last 4 years things have changed. If you have issues with that you can raise it. Do you still remember that a lot of EPL clubs got beaten seriously in Europe?

You keep mentioning this Busby babes as if they were it. Let me tell you those Bill Cosby or whatever cant win anything because as at that time England was not even a powerhouse in European football. You can prove me wrong. The ban I might agree made them lose momentum but don't give us those Busby Babes thang!!

@TKB,
To be an elite team you have to be consistent in achievement to prove that it is not a flash in the pan. The Real Madrid , Milan Much and Liverpool did not become Elites by one fluked performance they were consistent.

Also a club can drop out of the elites group if you are no longer consistent for a long period of time e.g Nottingham Forest.

somze:

[size=14pt]UEFA Champions League winners statistics[/size] from 1955 to date

Nation Winners Runners-up
Italy 11 14
Spain 11 9
England 10 4
Germany 6 7

Bearing in mind the 5 year ban on English clubs and Liverpool's extended by a year to make it 6. I think by all standards they have done superbly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Cup_and_Champions_League_records_and_statistics

am not a die-hard fan of football,and hardly know history of football but going by this statistics i think they have done really well.(if it's correct)
why,if they had not been banned they'll probable be at par or thereabout.
but i think the main argument here is 'they are not the best'.this stat also confirms it.so people, small small ooo!

superman:

i think this goes to demonstrate the nigerian spirit! nevertheless it reversely shows how foolish and stupid the nigerians are at the moment

therefore you can understand why so white man believe blacks simply dnt have the medula obulangata to reason hmm

who b dis?

somze:

I mean this in the best way possible - your utter stupidity can not be overstated.
Thank you.

in fact 3 gbosas for u!

how can a country that got their players in every top league in the world dnt have a solid league at home

their utter stupidity cannot be over stated

thanks you very much
and they find it hard to create job opportunities for their citizens

foolish nijerians ha 4 real

somze take note

When something is good somepeople will surely like and some will also hate it--- especially in competition

its simply because nigeria is a home of football

160m viewers, 202 countries: Premiership's worldwide pot of gold
Manchester United's visit to Arsenal was not just a must-watch match here but around the world. From Zagreb to Sydney the Premiership's popularity overseas is increasing. Nick Harris reports on how TV revenue and audiences keep growing

In 1972, the American mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz sought to encapsulate chaos theory by posing the question: "Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas?"

In 2007, thanks to the global expansion of Premier League football, a sporting version of the same query can now ask: "Does a Thierry Henry header at the far post in London set off a storm in Mumbai or Lagos?" On the evidence of Sunday evening's dramatic events at the Emirates Stadium, yes.

Up to six million people watched the match live in the UK, with an in-home peak on Sky of 3.4 million - high for pay TV - and an estimated two million more in 40,000 pubs and clubs. But it was also possible to watch live in 201 other countries. The Premier League has a global "reach" into 613 million homes, and estimates a typical live audience for a single match of around 79.5 million. With Sunday's fixture such a pivotal occasion, featuring big clubs, it is estimated it could have drawn double that.So to the 60,128 people at the venue, Arsenal's last-gasp winner against Manchester United was just the latest dramatic denouement to a Premiership match contested by a rainbow alliance of athletes. But to the Premier League, it represented a pot of gold.

In each of the 16 countries across three continents represented by players in that one game alone, and in many other places, there is a growing appetite to watch live, top-end English football.

That is why the League was able last week to announce it has sold its next tranche of overseas TV rights (for seasons 2007-10 inclusive) for £625m, double what it earned last time. And why the Premiership is now the most-watched league in the world. And why scenes of pandemonium from South America to Africa to the Antipodes are often found when a game is screened.

"I knew there would be interest in such an important game as Arsenal against Man United in Nigeria," said Joe Nwokoye, who watched the game live in the Lagos suburb of Ikeja. "But I was surprised by the noise in the neighbourhood when Henry scored the winner. You could hear the cheers coming out of windows, and from the square down the road where it was being shown in public. It was a big deal." Nwokoye says many of his friends support Arsenal because of their African players, especially Emmanuel Adebayor, whose parents were born in Nigeria.

Football in India has not traditionally been a big sport, and absolute ratings remain low for the Premiership, in the low millions in a nation of 1.1 billion. But the recent percentage growth is faster than in most other places, and the value of the rights, while a low absolute figure, has grown exponentially.

The fervour in Mumbai late on Sunday night, local time, verged on the surreal as large numbers of Indian Manchester United fans packed into cafés to watch. They outnumbered the Arsenal fans but it was the home team's support who had the last triumphant laugh, as one of them, Nilu Izadi, testifies on the facing page today.

Premiership football has been responsible, among other phenomena, for bidding wars in the Far East, for an Icelandic executive jumping on a plane to London to beg to be allowed to bid for rights, and for match analysts in Argentina breaking into Beatles' songs during play. Every time George McCartney plays for West Ham (all of whose games are now live in Argentina, since Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano signed), Argentina commentators are keen to remind viewers he has two Beatles' names rolled into his, which provides the perfect excuse for singing the group's numbers.

The bidding wars in Asia and elsewhere started when the League put its next foreign rights out to tender last September. Some 450 interested parties were involved, generating bids from 130 entities covering 208 countries. In all, 81 separate deals have been done, all concluded directly between the League and broadcasters, allowing the League to tailor coverage (for example supplementary magazine shows featuring local players) to local needs.

The smallest deal was Fiji TV buying the rights for Fiji (population 900,000), Vanuatu and a few other small Pacific islands, while the biggest was ESPN Star's deal for pan-territory rights ranging from Macau and the Maldives to India and Pakistan. Other major deals include C-more Entertainment buying rights for Scandinavia, and Showtime winning the rights from ART in the Middle East.

The League is reluctant to provide details on what any broadcaster pays, but there are huge variations above and below the average £7m for each of the 81 deals. Little nations may pay in the low six figures. Multination deals run to tens of millions. The most valuable per capita deals were done in the "hot spots" of South-East Asia, Scandinavia and Africa.

In Thailand, it took six rounds of bidding for UBC, a pay TV operator, to wrest the rights from ESPN Star. In Hong Kong, the pay TV operator PCCW outbid I-Cable by paying a reported £10m, in a territory of only seven million people.

In Iceland, the rights were won by the Icelandic Broadcasting Corporation, which held them prior to 2004. IBC lost out in 2004 by not bidding, assuming an agency would win and sub-license them. But its fierce rival, the Icelandic Television Co, snapped them up, leading a top IBC executive to fly to London to protest and be allowed to bid late. He was turned down then, but has won the rights back now.

The intervention of the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, has led to a new structuring of deals across Africa, to be split by several broadcasters instead of being held by the pay TV monopoly holder, Supersport. The upshot is that 390 million extra African households (most poor, many Muslim) will gain some free-to-air access of live Premiership games from next season. If it seems strange for British politicians to argue for live English football as a right in the Third World, it is indicative of the game's popularity and power.
Much more of this and the Premiership might even start to be known as the giving game, not just the global one. Although , on second thoughts, that's about as likely as 94th-minute header sealing a come-from-behind win against Manchester United.


Source: Daily Independent (UK)
http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2177923.ece

Maybe the title of this topic should be, why is the world crazy bout the premiership
Even wiv all the italian trophies, nobody outside europe watches it
I think i'll rather stick wiv the rest of the world(apart from u guys)
160million people can't be wrong

Lots of people in South American watch the La liga and Serie A. because of the south Americans there. Or of what interest do you think the premiership would be to

the South American audience when a lot of their players play in Spain and Italy. Just like Nigeria with Premiership and Francophone Africa with french league.

ok, good reasonining there, but please tell me how many players from thailand are in the premiership, or even the indian people, please if its only fanatically followed by the represented countries, how did it get 160million viewers, pls don't try to make nigerians look bias.

Instead of laying emphases and building up nigerian league to standard and make it reputable,they are busy bothering about english football,same bullshit and complex of not realizing you could be better.
Football is about money making,fun and show of superiority for the (players),just like gladiators in roman time.How long shall we continue to follow?When shall we lead?

We Wont Grow If We Dont Respects Elders,

La liga And Seria A is Okay But The Barclays Premier League Rocks All Over Aisa Its Premiership So Dont Think iTs Only Nigerian Madness Its Football Crazy

Preimeirship All The Way And Blues Forever
gunners Sucks

Yeah,a new religion.

abi oo, i have no idea, instead of then to switch to the real football, (america), touch down ! , in ur face

to touch down is something else if you know what i mean.

TKB,
Why is your mind so warped? Touching down means what? No wonder you were caught pants down in Delta State on the front page of the Sun newspaper.

i was a don in Delta. Nobody could have caught me anywhere. Ask the Commissioners
And dont lock this thread you idiot.

PS: RMD will soon send for me for tutorials