opinions on the only reason British football is doing so well is because we've got more money than the foreign clubs.

Not that the money is British of course.

Ditto the players.

Ditto the managers.

So is it just big cash = success? Isn't that rather sad?

Good point.
It looks like an English club European year, but the England national football team with the nationality ruling, is virtually in tatters and a Man Utd or Chelsea line up would thrash them, but then so would Barcelona.
The standard of worldwide club football is higher than world cup football as well.

When I was a kid, we would invent "dream teams", now you just buy them.

Yes it is, JK, but its not new (new to Britain maybe !)

Clubs like Real Madrid and Inter Milan have been "buying" success for years.

I still think the whole concept of "supporting" a club is a rather weird one ... given that a "club" doesn't really exist.

How can anyone support a London team when all the players are French?

Imaging if your favourite band had a different line-up every time they played a concert !

Nonsense.

Spanish and italian teams are spending just as much money as english teams.

Some of the posts are very little britain - 'how can you support a team with foreigners in it?' what's next? too many black players for your liking?

Supporting a team is what football is all about, it doesn't matter to me where the players come from. The analogy does not work with the bands either, does this mean that when all the players get too old to play anymore then the club folds?

SKY TV brings a lot of money into the Premiership, clubs have stated it, and its one of the reasons why we have so many foreign players in the Premiership.

Having supported the Blues for the past forty one years going home & away & abroad as well as being a season ticket holder for the past twenty odd years I couldn't care less where our players are from as long as they deliver. It's great that we've currently got a backbone of English players Terry, Lampard, A.Cole, J.Cole, Bridge, Wright-Phillips but equally the player voted best all time Chelsea player by the fans was the legend from Sardinia Gianfranco Zola.We've also had the pleasure of players/managers like Gullit, Vialli, DiMatteo, Petrescu,Desailly, LeBouef, Kharine etc.etc. My all time hero was the late great Peter Osgood but I can be just as enthralled by the likes of Drogba, Essien,Robben,Mikel,Cech despite them being foreign.

It is 'my' club because it's the one I've grown up with, had the highs and lows with and irrespective of who owns it or who plays for us, if they're sold, retire or whatever I'll be there to watch (unless I get shot of course in the process of being taught a lesson with the hooligan masses!).

You can change your wife, you can change your religion but you CAN'T change your football team.......

By the way not a lot of mention of no trouble by Chelsea fans in Valencia, no arrests and everyone mixing together for a beer, not news I suppose.

This is why football clubs have it so lucky. A loyalty factor to an extent which exists in no other sphere.

Fans turn up through thick and thin, paying big money to watch their team. The support of a football team is lifelong. If your favourite band produced rubbish, they wouldn't be your favourite band for long, but people will sit and watch any old dross on a football pitch, hoping for better times.

I am as guilty as the next man here.