Whats Wrong With Football.

[Bill]

AN ARTICLE SPOTTED IN A MAGAZINE.

 

 

The 'Big 4' - the wealthiest 2% of the population

Being already very rich, by remaining at the top and ruthlessly using their position and influence they get ever richer. They can compete with the very best from other countries and often achieve superb results on the international scene. However, a huge gap has developed between them and the next group, and an absolute abyss between them and the bottom groups. This gives rise to very justified bitterness and resentment in those below who realise that they have no chance whatsoever of achieving anything with the system rigged in favour of the powerful.

The 'second tier' - the middle class

They struggle to attain moderate success. The spending of the top group and inflation it causes, as well as the high degree of competitiveness intrinsic to participating in a system where the top group is so rich and successful, means they have to try to splash the cash in order to compete.

 

The 'bottom feeders' - the working class

Starved of opportunity, with very few resources available to them, they have no other option but to struggle bitterly simply to stay where they are. Trying to advance is doomed to failure, while falling further behind would mean absolute financial catastrophe and very likely insolvency. They have little ambition and no illusions left.

 

The lower leagues - the underclass

They have been completely left behind and abandoned by the system which only cares about the most successful competitors. Up to their necks in debt, only scraping together enough money to live with difficulty, constantly on the verge of ruin (insolvency or administration). Their only possible escape depends on winning the lottery or finding a sugar daddy benefactor. Nevertheless, they have no hope beyond existing for another year.

 

The FA - Government

These overseeing bodies are plagued by complacency, incompetence, laziness and spinelessness. Overpowered by the clout of the top tier, their prime motivation is now to maximise the wealth of the top group, and possibly a bit for the second tier (as a sop for them to keep working hard and spending). Considerations of fairness, a level playing field and spreading the wealth have been watered down or brazenly ignored in the pursuit of profit. Laissez-faire philosophies rule the realm, because they allow the powerful to have things their way.

 

Is it any wonder why i keep going on about another club going bust or into administration, Football will be gone in 25 years because the bottom 3 leagues will have all gone Bust, and to afford to watch the Premiership, or Super League teams will be nigh on impossible.

TV Companys will own most of the teams and will play before a TV audience only. Thank god i wont be around to see it.

[jacko 1990]

How could you stop it thou from being Top Flight Football Fixation?

 

Spending limits? All get same amount of money no matter where you finish in the table?

 

Definatly think their needs to be a Wage Limit come into place at arounf 80-100k thou!

[Bill]

If i was in charge there would be radical changes, mainly to help the lesser and poorer teams to have their bit of glory.

 

Working on something that JD in DC said in another thread about the prem will always be the same because the top four have nowhere to go ie No promotion. Well lets give them the chance, there's been rumours of a Super League for years so that would be my first move. Get rid of them.

Top 3 teams from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, 2 from Portugal and Belgium because they have 18 or less in their top league, and 1 from Austria who only have ten in their league. 20 CLUBS IN A SUPER LEAGUE. Which would mean that the top three of the next season, in each of those Countries would be different clubs, and possibly winning their league for the first time ever.

 

Our own four leagues should be all contain 20 clubs each, only the top 10 of each league will play for the FA CUP, The bottom 10 of each league will play for the LEAGUE CUP, so spreading the Trophies around and not all won by one Club.

 

Across Europe only the winners of each league will play for the Champs League, only the Runners up will play for Eufa Cup. and not have 3 or 4 clubs from one league playing in the competitions every year.

 

The SUPER LEAGUE can do what they want, as they will probably be run by themselves, they could have no relegation and play each other for years, or they could have relegation but if an English team got relegated the replacement team would come from the English league and likewise if a French team got relegated the replacement would come from France.

 

All TV monies in the premiership should be divided Equally, and the £100 million paid to relegated clubs every season should be divided equally amonst the 3 lower Leagues.

The two bottom Leagues should be divided into the north and south leagues of the old days, to avoid the ridiculously long and expensive Journeys from one end of the country to the other, and add a bit more spice with more local Derby Matches.

 

I think that should enough to give football back to the supporters, for the time being.

[zequist]

I like it! Let's tweak your Superleague proposal slightly - kinda writing this as I think about it:

 

Since there are more countries who are going to want in on that than we have slots for, we should have two Superleagues, one for Western Europe and one for Central/Eastern Europe.

 

The Western league will feature teams from

England, France and Spain (3 each)

Scotland (wouldn't fans of every other team in the SPL love to have a shot at the title for once), Portugal, Holland and Belgium (2 each)

Denmark and Switzerland (3 between them).

 

The Eastern league will feature teams from Germany and Italy (3 each), and then they'd have to figure out how to divvy the other 14 slots between Greece, Turkey, Austria, Czech Rep., Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, and/or Ukraine. Germany & Italy go to the east for the sake of competitive balance, so that the West isn't overloaded with all the biggest names and biggest countries.

 

Do it that way and you don't even need a Champions' League. In fact, you could even have the Western and Eastern champions meet over two legs at the end of the season and there's your European Club champs right there.

 

Only countries who are left out that way are the minnows like Ireland who'd be out of their depth at that level, and the ones whose teams play on a summer schedule because of bad weather (Sweden, Russia, etc.).

 

Thoughts?

[Bill]

Yeah, and i also thought about limiting the amount of foreigners each club Could have, but that would have to be Phased in over a five year period, so present contracts would be allowed to run their course.

 

Any Premiership monies given to the Lower league clubs would have the stipulation that every club must have an academy to produce their own home grown players, and if they produce a few gems in the process, it earns them more money in transfer fees from the bigger clubs.

 

Also .... No junior players can be transferred or bought by another club from an academy until the player is 16 years old and the buying club must pay a transfer fee. Too many young boys are being Hijacked from the lower leagues, by the bigger clubs for a nominal compensation fee.

 

Any more.

[jacko 1990]

You would have to be a millionaire Fan to get to all the games.......................

[CraccerC]

i used to be firmly against a superleague. but the more money that comes and the more time that goes by, it sounds like a decent idea.

 

bill i wouldn't limit the amount of foreigners as such i'd have the club (like the CL) name a certain number of homegrown players in their squad. so in effect limiting foreigners, but not quite...bit of freedom.