• Nigel Adkins has been given the Tranmere job on a permanent basis signing until the end of the 25/26 season. Continue the discussion here.

Reform of English football

Joined
1 Oct 2005
Messages
5,692
Player
Alan King, Barry Dyson
I see our neighbours have ganged up with Man United to propose a package of reform for the English game. Under the plan, the EPL would lose two clubs, parachute payments would end and the £250 million bailout to the EFL would go ahead. Other details are not clear, but I understand the disparity in divisional payments may be addressed. It could be promising. Despite Rick Parry being reported as in favour, I don't think we should be against it until we hear more.

 
Joined
15 Mar 2010
Messages
13,873
Player
Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
Manager
John King
I think it is an absolute stitch up and a disgrace and Parry has no right to negotiate with the self-appointed 'Big Six' behind the back of his own member clubs.

This is just a power grab by the wealthiest clubs and would be the death of English football.
 

bigmart

bigmart
Member
Joined
29 Jul 2009
Messages
7,110
Player
Ian Muir
Whilst on paper it looks good for the efl, if you look more closely the so called big 6 will be able in future to veto any decision anybody else wants to make & can if they want stop money going to lower leagues.
 
Joined
15 Mar 2010
Messages
13,873
Player
Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
Manager
John King
Or they could keep the funding on condition that League clubs accept B teams in the league, feeder clubs, agree to abolish the FA Cup, and so on.

It would make the top six clubs the effective dictators of English football. It is profoundly undemocratic.
 
Last edited:

bigmart

bigmart
Member
Joined
29 Jul 2009
Messages
7,110
Player
Ian Muir
Or they could keep the funding on condition that League Clubs accept B teams in the league, feeder clubs, agree to abolish the FA Cup, and so on.

It would make the top six clubs the effective dictators of English football. It s profoundly undemocratic.
Rick Parry is quoted as saying the big clubs are often frustrated their proposals are vited out & why should man u have same vote as huddersfield. Well the reason Rick is that it's a democracy.
Surely his position is now untenable.
 

Ian

Super White!
Admin
Joined
21 Sep 2005
Messages
12,020
Player
Aldo
Manager
Kingy
They have wanted this for a long time and if the majority vote for it, it could be as soon as 2022-23 season.
These are the type of people that have the gall to try and trademark a city name.
 

bigmart

bigmart
Member
Joined
29 Jul 2009
Messages
7,110
Player
Ian Muir
They have wanted this for a long time and if the majority vote for it, it could be as soon as 2022-23 season.
These are the type of people that have the gall to try and trademark a city name.
The FA can vote against it & if they do it cant be brought in as they have a golden share or something in the prem. Although as part of the deal the prem will pay the FA £100m.
 
Joined
15 Mar 2010
Messages
13,873
Player
Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
Manager
John King
The FA can vote against it & if they do it cant be brought in as they have a golden share or something in the prem. Although as part of the deal the prem will pay the FA £100m.
The majority of Premier League clubs will oppose it, so I can't see it going anywhere. However, that still leaves the problem of how a rescue package is negotiated, and Parry has shown he is unfit for that job.
 

ONIGP

Member
Joined
28 Feb 2018
Messages
1,447
Player
Eddie Bishop
Very uncomfortable with Parry's role in this. Who exactly is he working for?
 
Joined
1 Oct 2005
Messages
5,692
Player
Alan King, Barry Dyson
Very uncomfortable with Parry's role in this. Who exactly is he working for?
Rick Parry.

These “reforms” are a heaven-sent gift to a man desperate for a solution to his league’s financial troubles - short and long term. Liverpool and Man U have realised they can buy him as an ally.

I am delighted at the response of the EPL management and the government, but what concerns me is the relative silence from EFL chairmen. Parry is talking as if he already has his clubs’ backing. I am expecting a withering attack on these proposals by Mark in the next couple of days.
 

ONIGP

Member
Joined
28 Feb 2018
Messages
1,447
Player
Eddie Bishop
Rick Parry.

These “reforms” are a heaven-sent gift to a man desperate for a solution to his league’s financial troubles - short and long term. Liverpool and Man U have realised they can buy him as an ally.

I am delighted at the response of the EPL management and the government, but what concerns me is the relative silence from EFL chairmen. Parry is talking as if he already has his clubs’ backing. I am expecting a withering attack on these proposals by Mark in the next couple of days.
Undoubtedly he won't be pushing the Liverpool/Man U agenda for free. The unfortunate situation is that the majority of the EFL need the cash but the real "cost" will be to any club aspiring to play (or survive) in the EPL. I would imagine that the other 7 "super" clubs must be a little bemused and interesting that a West Ham "insider" has come out as against the idea. The idea of the 9 clubs with the greatest EPL longevity having the extra voting power is such a sham that it is laughable! How can we say Big 6 without is being obvious about it just being a land-grab? Oh yes, lets think of a mechanism that includes a couple more and call it based on longevity!
 
Joined
1 Oct 2005
Messages
5,692
Player
Alan King, Barry Dyson
My hope is that the EPL themselves devise their own plan with input from the EFL clubs, the FA, the "second class" EPL clubs and the government to outflank Parry, Liverpool and Man U. The danger is that if the Big Picture is the only offer on the table, a lot of desperate EFL clubs will simply grab the cash.
 

bigmart

bigmart
Member
Joined
29 Jul 2009
Messages
7,110
Player
Ian Muir
My hope is that the EPL themselves devise their own plan with input from the EFL clubs, the FA, the "second class" EPL clubs and the government to outflank Parry, Liverpool and Man U. The danger is that if the Big Picture is the only offer on the table, a lot of desperate EFL clubs will simply grab the cash.
I could be wrong but it will be down to prem league clubs rather than efl clubs to vote on it.
 

ONIGP

Member
Joined
28 Feb 2018
Messages
1,447
Player
Eddie Bishop
The Today programme mentined an alternative proposal involving a former head f the FA would be put forward later this week. It is expected to be sufficiently radical as to require govenment enforcement.
 
Joined
1 Oct 2005
Messages
5,692
Player
Alan King, Barry Dyson
The Today programme mentined an alternative proposal involving a former head f the FA would be put forward later this week. It is expected to be sufficiently radical as to require govenment enforcement.
Could this former head of the FA be someone known to us? I can’t think of anyone else it could be.
 
Joined
1 Oct 2005
Messages
5,692
Player
Alan King, Barry Dyson
Apologies in advance for this megapost, but at least I've got it off my chest.

I’ve been trying to understand what’s going on with Big Picture and what the motives and endgame are. As has been said, Liverpool and Manchester United are owned by American sports conglomerates (as is Arsenal, but none of the other EPL clubs are). The model for top-level sports ownership and competitive organisation is fundamentally different in North America from the rest of the world.

Even the sports themselves are different. As team sports, Americans play baseball and their version of football. The rest of the world is mad on our football and in some parts rugby or cricket.

Team sport in our country and most of the rest of the world is organised on a league basis with each team playing the other home and away. The champions are usually the team finishing top at the end of the season. There is usually a pyramid with promotion and relegation. There are usually multiple competitions, e.g. FA Cup, Copa del Rey, T20 Blast etc. Knockout competitions, for example, give each team extra chances of success and enable smaller teams to pit themselves against the top clubs.

In North America, the franchise system operates a closed shop involving a small number of teams who may play each other several times in a season and may not even play the same number of games. A “games better” system decides which teams in each league/division/conference qualify for the play-offs, which can continue the season for several weeks, ending with the Super Bowl or the World Series. A high proportion of teams qualify for the play-offs and of course there is no fear of relegation. Therefore, many if not most matches are meaningless. Each sport has only one competition and lower league clubs don’t get a look in.

It may be no co-incidence that two American-owned clubs are proposing this change. Ultimately, we could end up with the North American model of a closed shop of the biggest clubs, a single completion with each club playing the other several times in a season. It looks like none of the big clubs would be able to be relegated and they are already proposing to drop the EFL Cup. Will the FA Cup be next?

The effect would be disastrous for the lower clubs in terms of aspiration and would be boring even for the fans of the big clubs.

The only thing about our model they would be keen to retain would be European competition. A big benefit of keeping the Big Six at the top of the EPL is the perpetual guarantee of Champions League and Europa League income.

So, in summary, it’s worth bribing the smaller clubs while they are at their weakest. Fortunately, the FA and the EPL management have seen through the proposal. My fear is that many EFL clubs will see this as both a lifeline and a long-term guarantee of stability. However, given that there are no long-term guarantees and the Big Six can vote through any changes they wish, this may prove to be only a short-term benefit.

My fear is that the only sure way to defeat this proposal is for someone to come up with an alternative proposal. Fortunately, the government is threatening to step in. I have been impressed with what Oliver Dowden has been saying. He seems to understand. Maybe he and Mark Palios ought to get together to cook up a better way for football to be governed.
 
Joined
15 Mar 2010
Messages
13,873
Player
Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
Manager
John King
I agree with BBTC that Henry and Glazer want to introduce a US-style franchise model in this country. I don't share his confidence in Dowden and the current government, but I hope that the threat of the Big Six plan will encourage the remaining fourteen Premier League clubs and the FA to construct a better alternative.

Ironically, if those fourteen clubs had simply offered the EFL £300 million of funding months ago, without the associated power grab, this situation could have been avoided. In my view they are also partly to blame for the current situation, because of their intransigence and refusal to act earlier.
 
Joined
1 Oct 2005
Messages
5,692
Player
Alan King, Barry Dyson
Another point I could make is the trend towards regular season games being played overseas such as the NFL games we have seen in London. Remember the attempts by the EPL to have a 39th game held abroad? Would Liverpool fans like to travel to Bangkok to see a home game or would Man U supporters fancy flying to Chicago?

Let's give Dowden a chance. He could easily have hidden in a corner, as most sports minsters see to do. He is one government minister who is not using Covid and Brexit as excuses to do nothing.
 
Joined
15 Mar 2010
Messages
13,873
Player
Jason Koumas / John Morrissey
Manager
John King
Another point I could make is the trend towards regular season games being played overseas such as the NFL games we have seen in London. Remember the attempts by the EPL to have a 39th game held abroad? Would Liverpool fans like to travel to Bangkok to see a home game or would Man U supporters fancy flying to Chicago?

Let's give Dowden a chance. He could easily have hidden in a corner, as most sports minsters see to do. He is one government minister who is not using Covid and Brexit as excuses to do nothing.
Liverpool FC might not even be based in Liverpool in future. The US franchise system allows clubs to move around the continent depending on the whims of the owners, and they don't have the same connection between club and local community that we do in this country.
 
Top