As promised, here is the Rambling Thread where it begins with a single line (line - not sentence), and the next person to post needs to write one more line (line - not sentence) than the previous post - and no more! You can add to the previous post or go off on a tangent, counter argue a post (explaining why), or simply agree with a post (explaining why), ask questions of a previous post or anything you want (as long as you remain broadly on topic), A line is the full width of the page, which is the full width of the box where you enter your text - as per my example below. When we get to the stage where paragraphs are used. the last line in a paragraph may be shorter than the full width. If you are responding to a post other than the last post on the thread, please use the quote function, then write your 'lines'. Should two people just happen to be creating a post at the same time, the last person to submit their post will need to edit to make it one line longer. No one person is allowed to write two consecutive posts. I was thinking about the person writing each post could nominate the next person but I have decided against that for this trial run, but perhaps consider this for any future threads, should this prove successful and/or popular. I will keep the topic as broad as possible to make it easier for everyone to think about what to write, so here goes. Good luck ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The topic - I an attempt to improve English football, what would you do? I would cap on the TV money being fed in to football, better still a better distribution through the leagues, hopefully to make the pyramid more competitive.
I'm not sure capping the money and therefore limiting the investment into football is the answer. There are however lots of factors beyond funding. At a local level, how do kids get more access to games and playing fields, training methods (small futsal games vs 11-a-side) and simply having more coaches.
I am sure you are right, there are indeed many alternatives but as I was hard pressed for space in which to make an opening statement, that is where I began. Professional referee's and linesmen would also be beneficial as it seems to be a weekly occurrence that complaints are made against officials, be it fans on radio talk shows, mangers in their post-match interviews, or TV pundits on a Sunday morning. But capping the PL clubs take would be a start.
Allow match officials the use of technology to assist them. Most major sports use it nowadays. An example :- a penalty is awarded. The opposition naturally disputes the award of the penalty. Whilst the arguing is going on, the forth official views the incident on a tv screen and advises the referee accordingly
I think there's a lot of issues with football these days. I think capping the TV money would be a start. I'd also say spreading it out much more evenly down all 4 division would be great, As well as a special amount just for the conference. I was discussing else where that coverage of games down all the divisions by an online service like Netflix, where you can pay a small monthly subscription and just watch whatever matches you want, would be awesome. It'd allow fans of teams in those leagues to watch their own games, It'd probably encourage more people to actually watch football, as it'd be more available and it might remove the monopoly of Sky!
Asking how we could improve football is a bit like asking how we could improve North Korea. It's run by an oppressive proto-mafia who have caused problems from top to bottom and left to right. Sometimes I wonder whether trying to improve any of it would just be pointless as a drop in the ocean. The other thing we have to accept is that some things have changed permanently and while I understand that there will always be an element of nostalgia, it's important to realise that some of these may actually be changes for the better. Take the huge money that is pouring into football in the form of sponsorship, why are they prepared to do that? Well, because of the unparalleled access it gives them to everyday people. There is a lot of talk about the sponsorship money pushing down stadium prices - but that is against the sponsors' interests - they want people to see the football on TV so they would prefer it if the prices are high! Call me a cynic, but I wouldn't be surprised if the sponsors are specifically stipulating a minimum price for tickets to keep people at home to watch! Oh FFS I've run out of space and I've barely even started. I'm not very good at this game.
This game might well suit me although the lines of verse will naturally be extremely long, as are The conditions laid down by Professor Thai of the far east, but here it goes, and after having got this far How do we try to improve our national game - it´s hard to know where to begin, much has changed since I Began as a supporter many moons ago, perhaps all this money now floating round, especially in the high Premier League, some will consider to have enhanced the quality and enjoyment of our enthralling game But to me, it also brings its fair share of both greed and cynicism, which in many cases tends to inflame Both punters, supporters, bosses and players alike, and in fact anyone who want to see that fair play Remains a big part of each and every encounter, both up and down and across the country every Saturday. There would be the first place to start, and to stress, especially to kids, that to win at all costs, as some do Has never been the spirit of the game, and fair play, even now, with so much SKY cash waiting in the queue Will still make more friends, both along the way, and at the end of the day, so the game is not so destroyed For our coming generations, that our kids and their kids too can say that this game they also have enjoyed.
