Pretty ironic the Premier League are infuriated with this move,when it’s not far off what they did to wrestle the clubs away from the English Football League in 1992.
Obviously it’s all about money but atleast this move helps the lower leagues out financially and makes sure they are better run.I like the sound of giving clubs the platform to televise 8 league games themselves,these 2 TV companies totally dictate and dominate the league and are getting greedier (starting to PPV games is taking the piss),getting to own 8 of your own games is a step in the right direction and diluting Sky and BT’s strangle hold on TV rights.
Ok there is a pretty even spread of money,which is the reason the Premier League is the strongest in the world,but you’d imagine if your team is a major contributor to that money coming in and you’re not getting a slightly better deal,you’re going to look at ways to right that issue,which by the looks of it,is one of the reasons this overhaul has started to get some legs.
I was quite concerned about this initially as I thought it was fixed, however it seems to be a rolling 9, dependant on who has been in the PL the longest.
I really can’t find much wrong with that, if I have understood it correctly.
A lot of the financial support to the lower leagues seems reasonable and well thought out, I can see why a lot of the clubs in those divisions would be keen to support a proposal like this. I also like the idea of a smaller division and the binning off of the league cup, there’s already far too much football and that seems to be a simple way of reducing the workload on the players. Not keen on the idea of a playoff between a PL and Championship club for the final spot in the league like they do over in Germany, one of our German contributors may be able to correct me if I’m wrong here but I’m fairly certain that the club in the top flight wins that game like 80% of the time.
I don’t get this to be honest. Why are MUFC and LFC going public with this? Surely, the way to go would be to propose them to the PL in a small circle before that? The only result of this will be infuriating the PL and the rest of the clubs by planning things behind their backs.
This smacks of utter arrogance and the PL will bin this right away. You can’t do this sort of things.
I think it’s been rushed out due to circumstances. Ideally they would have got majority buy in first but the situation seems to have prompted its disclosure to the media.
Coronavirus has impacted revenue up and down the leagues, particularly those in the EFL.
Matches are being scheduled such that all of them can be watched without competing games.
PPV has been pitched at £15 per game.
Fans are being squeezed in their pockets.
The major clubs have wanted greater control over the broadcast rights of their games for a long time as well as reducing low value fixtures.
The current crisis provides the optimum moment to bring through radical reform. The money to the EFL and “gift” to the FA…let’s call it what it really is. Bribes. The EFL and FA revenues are extremely depleted and it’s no exaggeration to say that the game in the UK has never faced a greater threat to its existence.
The larger clubs have also been offered an incentive leaving a group of perhaps 15 clubs out of 90 (92) potentially disadvantaged and perhaps consigned to always being between the bottom half of the PL and the Championship.
But that’s not enough numbers for a league wide vote but it is enough to stymie the PL vote. As such, I can only see these plans coming to fruition with another breakaway by the top 6-9 clubs unless those between 10 and 25 (or so and some in the 2nd division) are also further incentivised in some way. Ultimately though, they (these 15 clubs) don’t have the numbers.
As a side note, the Community Shield game will almost certainly stay. It looks like something you put in just so you have something you can “give up” on the pretext of compromise.
I don’t know whether it’s been deliberately or accidentally leaked and there are some that will see it as arrogance. I don’t. I think United and FSG should be congratulated on getting together and at least proposing some kind of plan.
When (if?) Covid is finished football will be unrecognisable in this country unless a radical alternative to the status quo is proposed. At the moment it looks like everyone’s just keeping their fingers crossed hoping it’s going to be alright, but it won’t be alright. It is most likely going to end the pyramid structure and hasten the arrival of a breakaway European league, something I definitely don’t want.
It’s absolutely a power grab but a pretty benevolent one especially for lower league teams as it more or less guarantees their future. The plan recognises the importance of the pyramid whilst acknowledging that the serious money for the top teams is in Europe and increasingly that’s where their focus will be. I don’t see it getting through on the nod, of course, but at least it is a basis for discussion.
I haven’t read through the entire thread on the Loon yet but it appears to have gone down like a lead balloon:
‘‘You’ve hit the nail on the head there, this is nothing other than a takeover of our national game by a bunch of dangerous idiots who sponsor Trump and the racist actions of the US government.’’
The backlash to the plan has been baffling. You just can’t have a sensible conversation about football in this country without the tribalism kicking in. I support Citeh so anything with Liverpool’s name on is evil. I support Liverpool so anything from the club is wonderful.
There is plenty in the proposal that makes so much sense and obviously the disruption the Covid has brought creates the opportunity and the impetus to have that conversation. There are some bits that I really don’t like.
Just on the proposals specifically
there is nothing to be said about plans no to cascade money through the pyramid. It’s obviously a good thing.
I don’t see much to argue with in the fan charter or good causes sections either
on the structure, I think the league should move to 18 teams. That’s how it was originally envisaged.
I’m not arsed about how relegation and promotion works. Personally I’ve always felt three up and three down is too much.
on media, my feeling has always been that I should be able to pay to watch Liverpool games. Sky subscriptions don’t make any sense to me, because I don’t give a shit about watch big Burnley v Sheffield Utd. Or the boxing or tiddlywinks. I shouldn’t have to pay through the nose for a subscription to a service for which I will watch maybe 2-3% of the content.
I don’t think the league cup will be disbanded, but I do see it becoming a trophy that European participants don’t engage in.
on governance, I think actually quite a bit here is sensible, some of it not so much, and it feel less a power grab than a response to the fucking uselessness of the current Premier League governance. I doubt Liverpool and Utd have serious hopes of pushing this through, but it might create a shake up of the way things are run in the league.
A lot has been made of the special voting rights power to block a change in ownership. To me, that is plainly Liverpool and Manchester Utd - two clubs who have built their power organically and fairly - saying to the Premier League sort this out. It isn’t fair or sporting for a Chelsea or Man City to happen again.
I don’t like the idea of protected status for top 6 clubs, regardless of whether we’re one or not either.
Don’t agree with the under 23’s getting promoted to certain levels though. What happens to lower leagues clubs who battle hard to get promoted? The under 23’s getting parachuted in, even if it’s from the bottom doesn’t seem fair.
Yeah, no qualms from me about trying to make proposals for improvement. That should be commended indeed, although several points are a bit strange, especially the reduction of the PL to 18 clubs.
It’s the way it came out into the public domain before it had been submitted to the PL or to other clubs which has a bad taste. A bit like the VVD leak at the time, if you see what I mean…
I haven’t considered all of the proposals at length but this was the only one that immediately jumped out at me as being unconscionable.
The loan system needs to be addressed and corralling all the best talent into the ownership of the richest clubs is precisely what needs reversing, not perpetuating.
Plans don’t get this far developed and with the apparent approval of the EFL without already coming to the attention of the wider PL clubs.
The other clubs may well have been surprised by the timing of their publication (it being leaked to the media) but I doubt very much they’re surprised by the proposals themselves.
To me it seemed timed to generate must public support (ie, in response to the £15ppv news - in a “we know this is shit, let’s do things differently - what do you say?” kind of way) and try and isolate the clubs who are opposed.
Personally I would limit the loan system to no more than three a season. I would also enforce a young player rule. At least 1 player of the starting 11, 21 or younger.
Force the development of youth by all teams, but prevent stockpiling.
But citing Chelsea as the yardstick shouldn’t really be the point. 15 is too many. Even 10 is a lot. Force clubs to sell players rather than enable them to hold them as assets for the benefit of FFP compliance but to the detriment of their careers and the strength of the lower leagues.
