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Biggest Game - Who would have thought?
The Champions League Final is undoubtedly the football club match that gets the biggest viewing figures but when it comes to money from a one-off game, it is not the biggest match in the world.
Funnily enough, it is not even an English Premier League match or game from La Liga that has the biggest financial boost attached to it. No, two teams from the English Coca Cola Championship will meet at Wembley and play for the right to gain entry to England¡¯s top flight and money, money, money! Some sources say the overall sum of money for winning the play-off will amount to around £90m. This is frankly a ludicrous amount of money but that is the way modern football goes.
The thing is though, recent changes to the parachute payments given to clubs relegated from the English Premier League has just seen this game get a little bit bigger. Parachute payments totalling £48m will be paid out to relegated clubs for four years after relegation, ensuring that if worst comes to worst, the financial benefit of making the top flight for just one season will keep repeating. In some ways, the top flight clubs know what they are doing as this extra cash injection will help the relegated clubs stand a better chance of promotion. It is such a cut throat league to get out of so this additional money will come in handy.
The English Premier League would never be able to say that relegation was not allowed and create a closed shop when it comes to preserving their league but this additional funding should ensure clubs have a better chance of coming back. There is a saying that turkeys will not vote for Christmas and this is the mental attitude that exists in the board room at clubs the length and breadth of the country. The chairmen of the English Premier League clubs will always look out for themselves so this deal is good for the clubs already in the top flight but perhaps not so good for the teams outside the top flight.
This is exactly what Cardiff City and Blackpool are playing for on Saturday at Wembley and the thing is, neither of these sides are what you would class as top flight clubs. Blackpool have not been at the upper echelons of the English game since black and white TV and long shorts whereas Cardiff City obviously call Wales their home. This would make them the first non English side to play in the English Premier League but of course, they are part of the of the English league set-up and have every right to be in the top league if they win the play-off.
Cardiff City booked their place at Wembley after a thrilling penalty shoot-out victory over Leicester City. A 1-0 away win at the Walkers Stadium looked to have the Welsh side on easy street but they were shocked with a 3-2 loss at home. If away goals were in effect, Cardiff City would have been knocked out but the English play-off system avoids that method of settling a two legged affair. This meant that the game went to penalties and Cardiff had a hero in David Marshall.
Marshall is no stranger to the spotlight but it has been a couple of years since the goalkeeper made the headlines. Marshall was thrust into the Celtic first-team in dramatic fashion, replacing Rab Douglas at half-time in a UEFA Cup tie against Barcelona at Celtic Park. The score was 0-0 but Marshall managed to keep a clean sheet whilst Alan Thompson grabbed a goal to give the Glasgow side a slender lead. That was a heroic debut for the youngster but it was nothing compared to his antics in the Camp Nou in the second leg.
Marshall was phenomenal as Celtic repelled wave after wave of Catalan attack to secure a 0-0 draw to knock the Spanish giants out. Marshall then pulled off another big game at Barcelona in the Champions League when he parried away a Ronaldinho penalty. You can see why the Scottish stopper was not fazed by Leicester City in a penalty shoot-out.
Marshall stopped two shots from the 12 yard mark to put the Welsh club through to the play-off final which sees Cardiff City returning to Wembley. The club played twice at the famous stadium in 2008 when they got through to the final where they lost 1-0 to Portsmouth. Pompey returned to Wembley this season losing to Chelsea so Cardiff will be hoping their score is reversed to.
To reach the promised land of the English Premier League, Cardiff City will need to get past Blackpool, a team who were tipped for relegation at the start of the season. Boss Ian Holloway may seem mad but he knows how to organise a team and he deserves every credit for getting Blackpool one game away from the big leagues.
Cardiff City have an ex Celtic hero in goals but Blackpool have an ex Rangers players in midfield pulling the strings for them. In Glasgow, Charlie Adam was better known for songs about his sister and her underwear but when it comes to his influence on the seaside team, he has been one of the key players in the Championship.
Blackpool managed a 2-1 home leg win over Nottingham Forest, with Adam scoring a penalty and then the away leg saw a thrilling second half performance to knock Forest out of the running. If Blackpool make it to the English Premier League, they will be the most unfashionable club to have played in the top flight, even more so than Burnley. The seaside club have a stadium that is not complete and it will be interesting to see what the superstars of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea make of the quaint stadium if the tangerines triumph at Wembley.
Football fans all over the world will be waiting for Saturday evening to see Inter Milan face Bayern Munich but the amount of money at stake when Cardiff City and Blackpool clash at Wembley will make this the biggest game of the day.
by Andrew Reilly
for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk
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Dear Greg,
I've been a member since July 2003, maybe one of the first to join the Silver Circle.
2004 was a good year but I really enjoyed the long run we had in, I think, July 2005. It was exhilarating! 2006-2007 was not as exciting although still quite profitable and so far 2007-2008 looks quite good. I'm wondering if we're going to hit a long one again soon. Anyway, it's been a pleasure as always with your service, Greg. Armstrong and you are one of the few people I trust on the internet. You have made my retirement so much more fun and financially happy!
Best Wishes, Trent Wrayford, Sidney
