Spain, Are You Scotland in Disguise???

Craig Williams from Spanishfootball.info with a insightful article on the state of the competition in La Liga.

Whilst the SuperCup sweeps most Spanish football observers into a frenzy with its offering of what lies ahead for us in the new football season, the whispers of discontent amongst many rear their heads again, the all-important question, Are you Scotland in disguise????

Although the Spanish league is widely regarded as being the best league in the world, certainly in terms of the style of football being played and the talent that graces her immaculate pitches, many feel it has the added attraction of competing to be the worst (in terms of competition). Even the most ardent supporter of the Spanish cause has to give a platform to these concerns, as, after all, they love the game as much as the rest of us.

At first we have the allocation of TV rights, which, in itself, offers stark viewing. Real Madrid and Barcelona both gain more than £140 million pounds in television money, whilst the likes of Athletic Bilbao receive around £17 million. Compare Sevilla’s £24 million stake, a team more often than not one finishing in the top five places, against that of Stoke, those stalwarts of the Premier League, whom receive £41 million per year.

Barcelona and Madrid enjoy the biggest proportion of the cake, a proportion that is only growing year by year, whilst the crumbs are left to be fought out by the other teams. As Sevilla chairman Del Nido put it recently, in response to the subject of TV money, “La Liga isn’t the Scottish League, it’s the s@&t league of Europe”.

Regarding Madrid and Barcelona, they play amazing football, they have the best players, they have the best (current) managers, everyone knows that. British bookmakers have them down as joint favourites for the Champions League, of which there is no doubt. But have they helped to maintain a fiction that others won’t accept? Are they too good or are the rest too bad?

As we lament the relegation and failure of teams to mount a campaign against the dominance of the two giants the pain really starts to set in. Gone are the days of ‘SuperDepor’, of Atletico winning the double, of Sociedad’s brief flirtation with Nihat and Kovacevic, of Benitez’s Valencia standing toe to toe with the big two. The mid to late 1990’s seem a world away from the present day.

It doesn’t offer much in the way of fun when the likes of former Hercules coach Esteban Vigo, after seeing his side being comfortably brushed aside 2-0 at the Bernabeu, advised in his post-match press conference that he was content with the performance. “Other teams ship 5/6 goals here” was his reply. Perhaps he was joking.

If we play the numbers game we come in for some interesting images. Only in the Turkish league was the difference between third and first more noticeable. Indeed there was only one League in Europe where with Madrid’s points tally you wouldn’t have finished first…Scotland. Also, Barca and Real Madrid offered 6 defeats between them last season, to Rangers and Celtic’s 9.

So how, if at all possible, can this dominance be frustrated. How can we win back those whom I have encountered by the barrel load, those who prefer to watch the Premier League or the Bundesliga, where the completion is more fruitful, the attendances are higher, the theatre and emotion are more in abundance. A fairer allocation of TV money would be a start, but by no means offers us the answers needed to try and redress the balance.

In an ideal world what we want is to change the new Scottish league back in to the Spanish league, as both teams continue to up the throttle and stretch further away from the rest. Before it’s too late, we need to try and stop this death by slow motion.