When Mark Goldbridge first burst onto our screens, he was seen as a bit of a joke. Incoherent rants and FIFA mishaps were his brand, and while he definitely got people talking, few took him particularly seriously.
But 2024 Goldbridge is a different beast. Nowadays, the YouTuber interviews Manchester United players and presents his own show on talkSPORT. Perhaps even more importantly, he has begun to make some very reasonable points on the state of modern football.
The latest of those points came last night during his watchalong of Manchester City’s 4-0 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion.
What did Mark Goldbridge say about the Premier League?
City’s commanding victory kept them on course to win a sixth title in seven years, with Pep Guardiola’s side one point off first-placed Arsenal, having played a game fewer than the London side.
With a questionable decision from referee Jarred Gillett aiding City in claiming their second, the score stood at 3-0 at half time.
Goldbridge was quick to call out what he saw as a predictable path the game, and indeed the season, was taking.
“I don't think I've ever stopped a watch-a-long at half-time,” he told those watching on That’s Football. “But I'm not going to watch the second half because the Premier League is boring.”
“It's fundamentally boring, and we need to wake up to the fact that this is not the best league in the world.”
“We've got a team who is going to win it for a sixth time out of the last seven and we've got three newly promoted teams that are going to get relegated. If relegation is boring and the title is boring then you've got a broken brand.”
“On top of that, I'm watching a game that's 1-0 and at a pivotal moment Man City are given a free-kick that's not a free-kick and they score from it. I'm tired of it, I'm bored of it. I'm bored of watching a league that is boring and has officiating that belongs on a local park. It's absolutely abhorrent.”
😳 @markgoldbridge quits the stream in anger! pic.twitter.com/i1HVMKuZuV
— That's Football! (@ThatsFootballTV) April 25, 2024
“They’ve created a bloody monster,” he continued. “This game’s meant to be an interesting game, and I’m turning it off at half time.”
“So that's a message to the Premier League and PGMOL. You are destroying football in this country with your inefficient officiating and your inability to create a level playing field where one team isn't boringly dominated this league year after year after year.”
Shortly after, Goldbridge concluded by posting on X (formerly Twitter): “Switches football off and goes to the pub. Premier League and PGMOL have absolutely destroyed this league. Can predict next season's title winners and relegated teams before a ball is kicked.”
With Arsenal still very much in the title race, we will see whether Goldbridge is correct.