Quote Originally Posted by IUFG2 View Post
The moment the Taylor Report took away standing, and therefore the ability to piss up the back of the stand, was the day football died...
There is some truth in that. All these people ****ting on about 'the fans' conveniently ignore the fact that virtually every major development in English football since the Taylor Report has had the effect of making match-attending fans a less significant force in shaping how football runs.
All-seater stadia meant smaller, quieter crowds, while the advent of the PL and Sky meant the clubs became less reliant on matchday revenue to the point where it's now a virtual irrelevance in financial terms while also disincentivising physical attendance. Add to that ticket prices that have essentially squeezed out many local, lower-income supporters in favour of older, better-off supporters from further away and the idea of football clubs as local institutions becomes increasingly ridiculous.
Other than as a thing to pay lip service to when it suits them, there is no longer any reason most PL clubs should give a flying fúck about 'the fans'.