I've had a request from a not606 member to post a petition on this site and being a traditionalist at heart, i didn't take any persuading, please sign here... http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-football-association-say-no-to-b-teams Greg Dykes proposal for 'B' teams in the English Football Pyramid will ruin years of tradition and ruin English football for the real fans. Let's be the voice for the real every day football fan. Send Dyke and his cronies a clear message; http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27327502 Their website; http://www.againstleague3.co.uk/ Please vote 'No'
Signed gladly, what a disgraceful idea to improve the national team, keep the premier league exactly how it is whilst devaluing the football league where the real fans and traditional values of football remain. Greg dyke quite simply you are a class prat
I signed. A far better solutions is if Premier league teams formed official partnerships with lower league teams and loan them. Also having more home grown players in the match day squad increased. #SayNoToLeague3
OK if a lower league team manages to get an official partnership with, say, Manchester United who then provide 8 - 10 loanees. What of the lower league teams who don't manage to get a partnership? If League 3 goes ahead, the PL clubs will throw money at their 'B' teams and the top ten places in League 1 will soon become occupied by PL 'B' teams. #SayNoToLeague3
I have signed too, once again we have proof that the people don't matter, I am a staunch supporter of the national team but not at the expense of my team. I also see no reason for us not to be able to buy the best value players to suit us and if occasionally they are foreign nationals then so be it, players at our level are unlikely to stifle the development of players of international calibre whilst I would prefer home grown talent (through our own academy hopefully), but you have to be able balance your squad with youth and experience and sometimes that means an overseas player maybe required particularly if these new rules put a further premium on home grown talent, which incidently was partly the cause of the increase in foreign players in our leagues in the first place.
Signed it. This is shocking, it will ruin football in this country as we have the strongest and best lower league football in the world with the most recognized lower league teams in the world as in other countries the lower leagues are not that strong but with the introduction of B teams that will just ruin our leagues and the atmosphere as that will make it more like reserve games and then lower league football will decline even more.
I've already signed. How about West Brom B v Gills (at Kidderminsters ground). Be queuing for miles for those tickets.
Actually, I'd like to get on my high horse for a moment. Why can't the EPL just *&%$ OFF and go it alone. Make their own poxy B League. No promotion or relegation, unless they fancy seeing Man City B v Liverpool for the title whilst Man City A end up 4th, but just scrape into Europe, so everything's alright then. Leave the rest of us alone to play and watch true football. If any smaller clubs want to try their luck up with the EPL big boys, let them have a waiting list. I'm sure each season there will be another club going toes up so there will be spots available. Doing it to make the England team stronger?? Absolute hogwash. There are many ways to try to make England stronger. Doubt any of them work. But having young English players plying their trade with other young English tyros v the likes of Gills and Rochdale is not the answer. I am more and more as time goes by absolutely detesting everything about English 'top flight' football and everything it stands for. Rant over. Get me a beer.
SirKeefy I think that most of us share your thoughts. I DO have one way to help to resolve the situation regarding the England national side - but I'm certain that it would not be tolerated by the fans at a club level - or by the Gods of television. All the time there is money available for clubs to attract top foreign talent to the EPL, any young talented English footballer (largely) will have difficulty in getting into the 'top' teams - to the detriment of their career and that of the national side. We need to purge English football - to greatly restrict the number of foreign players from being on the books of each club - but I suppose that this may lead to the downturn in the fortunes of some of our pampered league clubs - and 'blinkered' fans care more about their club than any success of the national side..... didn't England win the World Cup at a time when there were hardly any foreign players in the old Division 1. I'm not saying that my proposal is the definitive answer - just one part of the solution - but as it won't happen - it will always remain a big part of the problem.
Ok time for me to go against the grain a little. Firstly I think Dyke should be applauded for trying to do actually do something about the state of the national game. But I do not think this is the answer. I can see where the idea has some merits but to just make the lower leagues a mix between established clubs and premier league reserves is nuts. You would have to stop promotion or relegation to/from the premier league. Or do you just create/drop teams according to if the first team is in the premier League????? I completely disagree with Pegleg about "Official Partnerships" that would just turn lower league clubs into reserve teams and restrict the chance of getting players from different clubs. We'd be at the mercy of 1 club. Sorry but that is a truly dreadful idea. Always is close to the solution in my eyes but you don't go far enough. As well as a limit on foreign players, no more than 5, There should be a minimum of 5 players under 23 that have been brought through the academy but no player in the academy should have been born more than 100 miles from the club. The youth set up at each and every club needs total overhauling. That's where the real problem is. Football clubs effectively traffic child labour under current laws. Moving kids rediculously long distances. Man I could go on forever on this topic but it's going slightly off topic. So much more needs to be done. There will not be 1 single solution but an overhaul at every club at every level. Won't happen though.
if it about improving english young talent, how about playing the b teams/ under 21s, or loaning the youngsters out to play in in one of the smaller but well developed european leagues to hone their technical skills I cant see how being kicked about by barnet on a saturday afternoon is going to nurture up and coming english talent.
My proposal wasn't to use the lower league club as a reserve team, more somewhere where the players can be nurtured and develop. It wouldn't have to be like Swindon where pretty much the whole squad was Tottenham reserves, but at the same time having some ties between Prem and lower league clubs would only be beneficial for both parties. The development an player actually obtains through the loan system proves that it does work. From the current England squad you can name players like Ashley Cole, Joe Hart, Andros Townsend, Jack Wilshere and Daniel Sturridge who all benefitted by having a loan spell at a smaller club. I would suggest that the premier teams create links between a small number of lower league clubs where the players can go and develop, not only would it prepare the players for higher reaches of the game, it would also enable the lower league clubs with potential financial problems to still bring in players on a reduced wage of a loan.
Isn't that what currently happens though? If you were to form a "partnership" as you originally suggested that would limit you to that 1 club. Plus there are only 20 premiership teams and 72 league sides. Then conference and other lower league sides. The numbers just don't fit.
I can see what you mean Pegleg I just don't how it can be fair. Whatever is done has to be fair to all concerned not just to a select amount of teams.
I have signed and I agree with your views that these proposals would be an act of blatant vandalism on the part of Dyke and his cronies/paymasters in the Premier League! They can all go to hell as far as Im concerned. My first team will always be Ipswich Town but I also follow Cambridge United who are on the cusp of promotion from the Conference after 9 long hard years of struggle. This B team proposal will fook decent clubs like this who are struggling to survive as it is.
