The number of teams in the PL needs reducing to 18 (as was originally planned) and in the Championship to 22. PL instantly becomes more competitive because those in the middle are suddenly in real danger of going down and there'd be fewer whipping boys. Then imagine the Championship this season with Burnley & Sheff Utd but minus the bottom 3. Less games but of a higher quality is not the solution but it's one of them.
None of that would matter unless the money is distributed better. That's the root cause. You're just thinking short term.
Let the usual top few **** off to their Super League and when it goes tits-up have to start again at the bottom of the football pyramid
The idea that clubs will all have roughly the same amount of money each season will never happen though. Plus Chelsea have spent obscene amounts of money recently and are poor, so it's not just about having the most dosh. Last season Newcastle showed what could be done without spending absolute fortunes and Villa are doing the same this.
No it's not as it would destroy all the history we have in the game, plus anything from that point on would be fairly meaningless. Anyway weren't Hudderfield dominant in the 30's or something and so things will change again because they always do. Hey you never know we might be the ones who get mega wealthy owners once the 49ers have built the new stadium. Thinking about it better make ER 60,000 just in case.
Never said it would happen. Money doesn't guarantee success but it sure helps. Interesting you use Villa as an example of how you don't need money when their current success is built upon overspending and bullying the Championship when promoted. Newcastle success built upon a massive January spending spree when the Saudis bought it. If you reduce the PL to 18 teams then the money will be shared among less clubs making the rich richer and those outside the PL poorer. This increases the financial gap between the two and after 1 season of a more competitive league then the bottom 3 richer teams come down and 3 poorer teams go up so next season you still have 3 whipping boys but probably by even bigger scorelines. Meanwhile, the 3 richer clubs that dropped down will find it even easier to bully the Championship. You may as well just go for it and stop promotion and relegation altogether if you go down that route. I'd make the PL 22 teams and make the Championship 22 teams rebrand it Premier League 2 and distribute the tv money alot more evenly. I'd also drip feed alot more money back down the ladder. You'd see a much more even opportunity sport. At the moment the rich clubs are running the show. Everything is in their favour.
Reducing the size of both the PL & the Championship with the money from there being two less PL clubs going to the Championship clubs along with the Championship being more streamlined would at least be a step in the right direction.
W Ham lost 0-6 at home to Arsenal. Kalvin managed to amble on for the whole second half. (Actually he may have done ok, the bbc fan ratings gave him the highest of any W Ham player, albeit only just over 4.0)
At the expense of current league 1 and league 2 clubs? There is enough money to sustain the whole pyramid and make equal(ish) opportunities for well run clubs to gain success on the field. Currently we have probably 10-12 clubs making all the decisions around money. If we look at scum, they've been run horrifically for 10 plus years yet they still get the lions share of money and they qualified for the Champions league last season. Then you look at a club like Accrington who have made huge steps forward in the local community and stadium improvements. They are a well run club but get next to nothing for playing in league 1 and now league 2. A measly (by comparison) £2 million a year would allow them to grow as a club. Instead, it's a fight to try and break even. Currently the pyramid does not reward well run clubs. Quite the contrary, it actively holds them back.
Yes fook L1 and L2. The focus should be on elite fooball only. Of course we should still feed them some scraps but the top Leagues should not be financing them.
You think the pyramids were built from the top down? Always build a strong foundation to build on. Football is top heavy. It's showing signs of toppling already. Build it from the bottom and the top will be much more stable.
The costs have skyrocketed due to the top heavy nature of the sport. Wages in League 2 can be as low as £500 a week. Move 50 clubs up the league and its up to £100,000 a week. It's broken and if you can't see it's broken then we'll have to agree to disagree again.
Do you think wages are too high in L1 and L2 ? There's no doubt at the top end the game players earn too much, but what about lower down considering the players abilities and the income they generate by helping put bums on seats. Plus there are stories of players in non league on a grand a week but no idea if that's an actual reality.
They were 4-0 down at half time and lost 6-0. So they were twice as good with him. Or twice less bad. Or something.
Gist of an alternative thought going through my head re. 'levelling it up' in an un-tory-like way... How about restructuring the 92 teams thus: * 3 leagues of 34 teams * 4 teams promoted / relegated / re-elected (or whatever it's called) * Each team plays each other once! * Top 8 clubs from precious season play all games away * Middle 18 clubs play home & away, as now * Next 4 clubs & 4 promoted clubs play all games at home Numbers right out of nowhere & I have applied approximately 5 minutes thought to this. But I immediately see benefits if the PL & EFL adopt a similar format for their leagues. Indeed, the setup could get really fruity if promotion / relegation was 6 teams instead of 4. Of course, I realise it would never happen. Too manyself-interested parties got too much skin in the game. Thoughts?
