da supremo： Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson launched a stinging attack on the state of Fulham’s facilities yesterday which begs the question – should there be a set standard for the whole of the Premier League?
da betobet： The answer, in short, is of course yes. We are treated daily to the sycophantic media trotting out the same tired line that the Premier League is the best league in the world. A somewhat myopic view if you ask me. But surely if the Premier League is as good as everyone says that it is, then there has to be set standards and rules with which clubs have to adhere to if they are to retain their status in the top flight.
The lower down the leagues that you go, certain stipulations are put in place by the relevant authorities. Some leagues demand that a stand be put in place, temporary or otherwise. Others demand that floodlights are placed around the ground to allow the fixture scheduling the flexibility to play week games and evening fixtures. It would seem crazy that there are no set rules for the Premier League, especially considering the money on offer each season.
It’s very rarely that I agree with Alex Ferguson, but he makes a valid point. The actual quotes attributed to him state: “Fulham’s dressing rooms when we played there this season were an absolute disgrace. It really was ridiculous. The room you got was no more than eight square yards. I think there should be standards; they are in the Premier Division. No matter what the Blackpool dressing room is like, it will not be as bad as Fulham’s.”
There are of course instances of the home side deliberately giving the away side a rubbish dressing room – the thinking behind this being that it’ll unsettle the bigger club’s pampered stars. Of course, this seems to have worked as Man Utd threw away the lead in the dying embers of the game to draw 2-2 to the hosts. But such cases of gamesmanship have to be consigned not only to the past but the scrap heap too if the Premier League is to truly take the tag of the best league in the world.
Standards have to be set. Whether that means imposing a minimum stadium capacity upon entry to the league I’m not so sure. But the facilities have to be right in the modern game, that much is clear. Craven Cottage is the only ground in the Premier League where the managers have to walk across the pitch in order to take their seat at the dugout. This is an archaic way of going about things and it smacks of a lack of professionalism.
It’s clear that Craven Cottage could do with a lick of paint and a degree of modernising, I’m not wholly condoning the state of the ground and facilities, but it does take a lot to prompt a Premier League manager to come out and criticise another club’s facilities, even one as fiery as Ferguson. This odd state of affairs will hopefully ensure that the Premier League declares a minimum of what is required of it’s members.
Does Ferguson make a valid point? Should the Premier League enforce a bare minimum when it comes to facilities?
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