The Imperfect 10: Changes Fans Want to See in the EPL.

Ok, so footballers at the top end of the game earn a fortune. But they only go where they can get the money, that's not their fault. It is far, far too easy to say, 'right, you have to be perfect every week for the season because you earn £50k a week.' It genuinely isn't that simple. Like in all walks of society, you get different types of people playing football, not everyone is the John Terry, the committed, 110% every week man, some take the more lackadaisical approach, like Dimitar Berbatov, but does that make him any less of a player? No. He is arguably more entertaining than players like Terry, he just has times when he doesn't track back or run. No amount of money will change that. It's easy to say, if a movie star makes a bad movie, he is only vindicated for being in a bad movie, not for performing poorly. Players get it the other way round, it's just they earn similar money for it. Of course, the money in football is ridiculous, nobody earns more than a top-end professional soccer player, but nobody takes as much stick for it either. It isn't players' faults that they earn what they do really, people need to take a more realistic approach. It is old-fashioned people who complain about wages in the game, not the modern fan, however what must be understood, is that unless you are a Manchester United or an Arsenal, playing entertaining, winning football, those salaries seem very hard to justify, for what they do. After all it's not brain surgery. But, blame the authorities, not the players for the money they 'earn.' 

10) The Money in the game/Corporate boxes ruining football

There is a lot of talk about how football crowds are quiet these days. It is no wonder. Many are often forbidden to stand and chant and cheer their team on because it stops the person behind them seeing. The person behind is probably not so much a fan as a tourist, just there for the experience. Unfortunately, the hardcore fans are paying so much for their tickets in the EPL, it is understandable for them to come to be entertained, and to want to cheer their team on, however because they are unable to stand for long periods, fans decide to stop cheering and just sit and watch, losing any atmosphere at stadiums around the country. The other reason for the lack of atmosphere is the amount of corporate boxes and seats designated around top level football grounds. Companies get legions of workers to come and eat 'Prawn Sandwiches' and have meetings at football grounds because they are sponsors of the clubs and it makes a good venue for conferences. However, these fans are ruining the game. They don't come to support either team, they don't get involved, and often they only actually sit in their seats for 70 minutes of the game. Wembley is suffering with this problem. The corporate seats are directly on view, because they are opposite the camera side of the stadium. These seats are very often not taken up for long periods of the game. This has to stop. The authorities have got to stop thinking about money, and greed, and get back to giving the game to those who deserve it, the fans. Eventually, it will all come to a head because grounds will be so full of corporate sponsor's and so few fans, pin drops will be heard when goals are scored, and that might at last convince people that something needs to be done. It is too expensive for the common fan to go to the ground because the clubs 'need to make money', and when the fans do go they can't enjoy themselves like they used to.

Like the problems with the FA, and the players’ wages, and the chairmen also on this list, this issue is all about money. It needs to be used more productively and effectively, so we can get back to football and stop using it as a scapegoat. When money is not such a big issue, and the fans get their voice back, we'll see how many of the issues on the above list, still exist.

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