Beware the vultures! A timely warning to the Premier League

Truly, there is not a credible argument against the Premier League’s global appeal. Everybody is getting in on the act – big companies, TV stations and multi-millionaires have made it what it is today.

Who would have believed that Manchester City, West Ham and Birmingham would be able to entice the players that they have for those vastly inflated prices? They may not warrant the money spent on them, but it has been spent nonetheless.

Basically, English football agreed to be sold off. Money talks. Everybody is enjoying their piece of the pie, and a very tasty one it is too. The football is great; the fans love every minute of it; the players are the best on the planet, receiving astronomical wages; Rupert Murdoch is happy; people can watch every game from the comfort of their own home; and the money ploughed into the Premier League has allowed for great stadia all over the country.

The Premier League has sold itself like a middle-of-the-road prostitute on the promise that it will be tarted up to look like the most beautiful and important thing on Earth. And it’s worked. It really has.

Like everything in life, there are roots and history attached. England has proud footballing traditions but the foreign investors are gradually changing the Premier League into something similar to that in America. It’s not right. They have tried it before.

Now though, it is being instigated and perpetuated through the media, namely television. If Rupert Murdoch's Sky Corporation want to change things in the future to market this brand then they will not hesitate. The Premier League is a brand. I’m not actually knocking anything that is going on because it has been done very, very well. But I fear for the integrity of it all.

The Italians, Germans, French and Spanish have not gone to the same lengths that England have. And most of it has not really been necessary. I remember waiting for the Italian football to start on Channel 4 (mainly because Gazza was there) thinking that I was about to watch the best football ever. It was c**p! I gave it several chances and it was still c**p!

English football has always been entertaining, passionate, fast and laden with goals. The only league that comes close is La Liga.
The Premier League has created something of a conundrum, and that is very unfortunate.

It may not have been possible to attract all of these superstars if the multi-millionaires hadn’t come into the equation. The home-grown talent would have been two-fold instead of dribbling through as it does now. Yes, it is the most enjoyable league in the world to watch but at what cost?

The England team is poor. What happens when the money men have made what they want? Will the clubs have to bend over backwards to do exactly as Sky say? If Sky want to break into the American market and they want a European league, what happens to the smaller clubs?

I sincerely hope that the Premier League retains its identity for the sake of the game. Every club has to be extremely careful in their future dealings with the vultures out there, otherwise we may see a very different football world in the not-too-distant future.