Premier League 'B' Teams to join Pyramid?

[Platypuss]

The general press coverage of the report has been uniformly appalling - exemplified by the almost exclusive focus on the "B" team aspect.

The report really needs to be read in full:

http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/england/the-fa-chairmans-england-commission-report.ashx

[weybridgewanderer]

This idea is just horrendous. Would ruin the football league completely. Surely they will recognise that most football fans are completely against this?

depends who you count as "most football fans"

I imagine the TV rights for League 1 and league 2 would suddenly become a lot more attractive in the far east if they were watching man u b v Chelsea b rather than aldershot v woking

This is hee haw about football and England development and all about money

[stealthpapes]

The general press coverage of the report has been uniformly appalling - exemplified by the almost exclusive focus on the "B" team aspect.

The report really needs to be read in full:

http://www.thefa.com/~/media/files/pdf/england/the-fa-chairmans-england-commission-report.ashx

Yeah, I read the metro this morning and sat there thinking "wait a second, half of the stuff in this article is NEWS to me"

[Hoop Blah]

I'm usualy a bit of a defender of the FA on here (as I think they do some excellent work at times) but the new league and introduction B teams is just a nightmare which will stifle the competitive nature of the pyramid and ruin some of the lower league football.

Basically making an U21 team play in a new League Two won't help them develop (IMO) as they need older heads around them to learn from and guide them through a competitive environment. It just doesn't add up for me.

We mentioned on here the 'feeder club' style arangement earlier in the week, and I think that's largely a good idea, but it does seem that they've gone a bit too far with it to make it more appealing for the Premier League clubs. It sounds like it will give those feeder clubs far too much of a competitive advantage over the rest of the league and they'll effectively become B teams as well.

What it really needs is tweaking not a massive overhaul but at least this is still a proposal and not something that's nailed on for implementation.

[Top Flight]

The real problem is the growing wealth gap between the Premier League and football league. The Premier League has all the money and are hoarding players that they cannot give competitive football to while football league clubs are constantly on the verge of insolvency. The solution that Dyke has come up with is just to appease the big clubs and continue this nonsense situation. It will only ruin the competition further and fans will leave the sport in their droves. It is not going to be a competition that I will bother watching and supporting. It is just a load of sh*t.

The real answer to give promising young players more opportunities to play competitive football is actually to stop big clubs hoarding all the best players. The best way to give English players competivite game time is to redistribute the TV money in a more equitable fashion and to accept the fact that it is the competition as a whole that people are interested in and not Fricking Chelsea and Man City. By evenly distibuting the money right across the entire football league will ease the financial pressures that many small clubs like Luton or Cambridge or Brentford are constantly facing.

If the money was more evenly distributed. It wouldn't make financial sense for the player to go to the big clubs just for the money so that those clubs can hoard the best players. It wouldn't make financial sense for the player when Bristol City can pay nearly as much in wages as West Ham but can offer first team football when West Ham cannot. The player will then play for Bristol City. The way things are at the moment the player would opt for West Ham. Give smaller clubs more financial power and better players will choose first team football over reserve football at West Ham.

Just redistribute the money and all will be well.

[Wax Jacket]

is it worth turning the game on its head just to try and win the World Cup - something that isn't guaranteed in the slightest?

[kwik-silva]

An interesting fact:
Luton Town (5th tier), currently ranked 93rd best team in the country.

Average attendance this season: 7,387.
That's more than:
Getafe - 18th in La Liga
Ajaccio - 20th in Ligue 1
Cagliari - 15th in Serie A

In fact the German Bundesliga is the only league in Europe, outside England, where all clubs have had a bigger following than Luton Town this season.

And the FA have oxf*rd them over once already

[Extended-Phenotype]

is it worth turning the game on its head just to try and win the World Cup - something that isn't guaranteed in the slightest?

It still comes down to the fact that England, with a top flight littered with English players or not, choke in tournaments.

Why not spend the money it would cost to get this astoundingly shit idea up and running, on like, a machine for helping our players take penalties in a different country? Or paying the England manager not to pick Frank Lampard?

Both those measures would be far more effective at improving the national game than punishing a load of tiny clubs because the big clubs don't give a f uck.

[winchester_royal]

is it worth turning the game on its head just to try and win the World Cup - something that isn't guaranteed in the slightest?

This, basically.

There are plenty of things wrong with football in this country, but the structure and concept of the football league is not one of them. The competitive nature of all the leagues in this country is what makes them so popular both domestically and internationally, and the idea of putting this at serious risk just to give a few average youngsters the chance to play on shit pitches against meathead conference defenders is quite balmy.

FAO The FA: If you want better English talent put more money into grass roots football so youngsters are playing on better pitches with better coaches from a young age, and if you're going to ban non-EU players don't do it in the lower leagues (where there are very few anyway) but do it in the Prem so that the youngsters who are of the genuine quality required to play international football play at the highest level.

[Mr Optimist]

Spot on Winch. Exactly how much has it cost for this pointless exercise anyway? I thought some good may come out of it, and Greg Dyke, might actually do a good job in leading it, how wrong can you be.

As usual the interests of the rich few, looking to protect their interests first and foremost. What we actually need is for everyone to tell Sky where to get off so that the levels of money in the game drop back down and people can relate to their clubs and players rather than feeling like a cash machine.

Spend money on the infrastructure of coaches and facilities at grass roots level.

[sandman]

An interesting fact:
Luton Town (5th tier), currently ranked 93rd best team in the country.

Average attendance this season: 7,387.
That's more than:
Getafe - 18th in La Liga
Ajaccio - 20th in Ligue 1
Cagliari - 15th in Serie A

In fact the German Bundesliga is the only league in Europe, outside England, where all clubs have had a bigger following than Luton Town this season.

Do Luton have to compete for fans with clubs of the same calibre as Real Madrid and Atletico?

[stealthpapes]

I'm really not sure that argument is going to make a whole heap of sense when it gets questioned.

[Mr Optimist]

Bristol Rovers will get similar crowds to Luton next season in the fifth tier, if not more if they start to regularly win matches, something they haven't done for a long time!!

Which makes it even more impressive!

Would you think it would be eaSier or harder to attract fans for Getafe v Barcelona compared with Luton v Braintree?

[sandman]

Dont disagree with the sentiment and I am against the b team idea.

Just think it's a little unfair to compare Luton who are a. the only club in their town and b. whose nearest competing club for attendance is the less than mighty Watford with a club like Getafe who aren't even the third biggest club in their city and were only formed 31 years.

It's not the fault of the Spanish that the English FA have decided to follow another countries methods rather than coming up with their own plan yet again.

[Reading4eva]

Its a terrible idea. Although we may be one of the clubs who get a B team, it would be completely against where we have come from. Remember Southampton 5 years ago were in League One, Manchester City were down with us as were Stoke City. If players want to play, send them to the League One or Two teams on loan, don't kill of the non league teams.

I do however believe that the Conference should become League Three however with a three up, three down motion. Most of the clubs are full time, and it would improve their finances. At the moment as seen with Hereford, Rushden, Darlington and Scarborough the drop from league football into non league is really quite severe. From there, a new Conference or "entry league" should be formed to bridge the gap, with the regional leagues following.

How about forcing Premier League teams to narrow down their reserve teams and youth teams forcing them to send players out on loan?

[ZacNaloen]

Sporting intelligence posed this question on twitter


"Only 125 English footballers age 18-21 are playing first-team football ANYWHERE in English pro football, let alone in Prem. Fix that how?"


My question back was


How many of those are eligible but declared for other countries?

As a stat on it's own it doesn't tell me anything.

Reading have a number of Academy players who qualify for England but declared for other countries due to England being just a step too far, or feeling more of a connection to their parents country of Origin than where they live. Which is an indication that our league system is a bit of a melting pot of nationalities.

[Reading4eva]

Sporting intelligence posed this question on twitter


"Only 125 English footballers age 18-21 are playing first-team football ANYWHERE in English pro football, let alone in Prem. Fix that how?"


My question back was


How many of those are eligible but declared for other countries?

As a stat on it's own it doesn't tell me anything.

Reading have a number of Academy players who qualify for England but declared for other countries due to England being just a step too far, or feeling more of a connection to their parents country of Origin than where they live. Which is an indication that our league system is a bit of a melting pot of nationalities.

Easy, put restrictions on how many international players can play in our leagues. Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea won't like it, but stuff them for once. They'll have to utilise English (or Welsh) players

[Brum Royal]

Good point Zac.

Taking your point further still, the number of mixed nationality players all the way up the league is increasing too. For example Jobi and McCleary could be English, but declared for Jamaica so now are technically non-EU despite having been born in England, so that screws with the non-EU players rule in the lower leagues that the FA is looking to include (I know they're Champo players, but the logic would still apply if they were playing in league 2)

[ZacNaloen]

Scots, Irish, Northern Irish... 2nd generation child of an immigrant from pretty much anywhere... (grandparents rule)

[P!ssed Off]

An interesting fact:
Luton Town (5th tier), currently ranked 93rd best team in the country.

Average attendance this season: 7,387.
That's more than:
Getafe - 18th in La Liga
Ajaccio - 20th in Ligue 1
Cagliari - 15th in Serie A

In fact the German Bundesliga is the only league in Europe, outside England, where all clubs have had a bigger following than Luton Town this season.

Do Luton have to compete for fans with clubs of the same calibre as Real Madrid and Atletico?

Come off it. Madrid has a population of 3 million+. And of that only 6,354 have regularly watched Getafe, Madrid's 4th biggest team, this season.
Madrid's 3rd biggest team, Rayo Vallecano, also La Liga, averaged just 10,689 this season.
That's pathetic, and goes some way to showing the difference between support in Spain and England.

And yeah, Luton does have to compete with other clubs for fans. I've three mates from Luton, 2 are Arsenal fans, 1 Man United.