Football League Restructure

[Sanguine]

Seems like an idea worth discussing, but if they add a division, why not go regional? Division 4 north and south anyone? more derbies, lower costs for fans and clubs would offset the loss of revenue from fewer games.

Quite. It seems perverse to restructure the league to bring more teams into the "professional" pyramid, yet not regionalise the lowest division(s) to help those clubs achieve that. I'd have the champions of League Three North and South promoted, and a play-off competition between 2nd and 3rd of each division to decide the third spot.

Stranded - on the shift, I imagine they would split the relegation spots over more than one season, 7 to go down would be brutal.

[Nameless]

7 going down would pretty much guarantee plenty of clubs voting no.....

[John Smith]

Bizarre, strange and unnecessary in my opinion. This is the worst part for me:

Currently, the bottom two teams in League Two are relegated from the Football League to the National League.

They would not go down at the end of the 2018-19 season, said Harvey.

What sort of competition does that make League 2 during 2018/19 then?!

[John Smith]

Seems like an idea worth discussing, but if they add a division, why not go regional? Division 4 north and south anyone? more derbies, lower costs for fans and clubs would offset the loss of revenue from fewer games.

That's the only way I think it could work. Smaller clubs in the lower leagues would benefit from more derbies and less travel. But it would also dash my dreams of relegation and a midweek trip to Hartlepool so I'm out

[exileinleeds]

I saw a headline that this proposal could be used to parachute Rangers and Celtic into the English leagues.

[Zammo]

Absolutely love a midweek accumulator. So for that reason, I'm out.

[George_]

Love midweek games. OUT for the idea to bin them.

[Sutekh]

A good idea actually but will never happen as too many lower sides will go on about losing money because they're not playing 4 extra home games.

Makes more sense to create a Premier League Division 2 of 18 sides (and also reduce what would then be the PL Division 1 to 18 sides) and then have a FL comprising 3 divisions of 24 clubs. Trouble is the PL would never vote for that so we'll be rolling along like we are for a good few decades yet.

And with either suggestion midweek games would remain as SKY/BT will forever toss about with fixtures and as soon as reductions in leagues are made the idiots at the FA/UEFA/FIFA will see it as an opportunity to have yet more crap international friendlies and/or other money spinning b****x for the big clubs.

[Sutekh]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=132831

[6ft Kerplunk]

Yeah, can't help but be a bit cynical about it. Just worry that it could be linked to the European league stuff that there's been rumours about. Is that about to happen and the Premier League becoming a closed shop...

[Elm Park Old Boy]

I'm surprised no one has yet remarked on the most obvious benefit of the scheme - our 106-point record would become virtually unbeatable forever. Yay!

[Brum Royal]

Crap idea, less games, less midweek football, less at Xmas = out.

Hopefully clubs vote it out also.

Definitely this

[MoorgateRoyal]

Yeah, can't help but be a bit cynical about it. Just worry that it could be linked to the European league stuff that there's been rumours about. Is that about to happen and the Premier League becoming a closed shop...

A European league won't happen because the clubs who are always successful in their domestic leagues won't want to be finishing mid-table or lower in a new league, and the Champions League will cease to exist.

I also don't think the Premier League will become a closed shop. The money they make is based on the excitement and if there's no relegation, the bottom clubs will get even worse while the bigger clubs will also suffer from a total lack of competition outside the top four or five. The product on offer will completely stop being exciting and worth the money, and the whole thing will go to shit. It'll also ruin the Football League as they would lose funding as there would be no excitement at the top.

If this proposal is with the idea of making more teams professional, why don't the put some money into the National League and get all of the teams in that to turn pro? A good number already are and that would benefit the game at that level. Perhaps they could add a relegation place from League Two as well to make it a little more exciting.

It's hard to tell if there is going to be a re-structuring but the one proposed won't get the required votes.

[Nameless]

I saw a headline that this proposal could be used to parachute Rangers and Celtic into the English leagues.

Hard to see the English clubs voting in favour of allowing foreign teams into the league.
There is absolutely no merit in letting outside teams into the league. Any marginal benefits in slight crowd increases would be more tha n offset by the huge extra policing costs inside and outside grounds and the extra travel costs for fans

[Sutekh]

I saw a headline that this proposal could be used to parachute Rangers and Celtic into the English leagues.

Hard to see the English clubs voting in favour of allowing foreign teams into the league.
There is absolutely no merit in letting outside teams into the league. Any marginal benefits in slight crowd increases would be more tha n offset by the huge extra policing costs inside and outside grounds and the extra travel costs for fans

Plus, where would you put them. It's not right that they parachute into the top divisions at the expense of others, even if the re-org is green lighted they should be seen to start at the bottom

[gazzer, loyal royal]

really like the idea of it, and was also thinking of a Div 3 South and North scenario to reduce travelling costs and local derbies. It will never happen though as it needs 65 of the 72 clubs to agree to it

[Brum Royal]

Whilst I agree with the suggestions of regionalising the new Div 3, I guess that would then require a regionalising or at least a restructuring of the Conference as well, otherwise you would have a national league (the Conference) sandwiched between regional leagues.
ie
Prem
Champ
L1
L2
L3 (N) & L3 (S)
Conference National
Conference (N) & Conference (S)

[stealthpapes]

Crap idea, less games, less midweek football, less at Xmas = out.

Rare agreed here.

[stealthpapes]

Yeah, can't help but be a bit cynical about it. Just worry that it could be linked to the European league stuff that there's been rumours about. Is that about to happen and the Premier League becoming a closed shop...

A European league won't happen because the clubs who are always successful in their domestic leagues won't want to be finishing mid-table or lower in a new league, and the Champions League will cease to exist.

I also don't think the Premier League will become a closed shop. The money they make is based on the excitement and if there's no relegation, the bottom clubs will get even worse while the bigger clubs will also suffer from a total lack of competition outside the top four or five. The product on offer will completely stop being exciting and worth the money, and the whole thing will go to shit. It'll also ruin the Football League as they would lose funding as there would be no excitement at the top.

If this proposal is with the idea of making more teams professional, why don't the put some money into the National League and get all of the teams in that to turn pro? A good number already are and that would benefit the game at that level. Perhaps they could add a relegation place from League Two as well to make it a little more exciting.

It's hard to tell if there is going to be a re-structuring but the one proposed won't get the required votes.

Actually, as overseas TV becomes more and more valuable, it is increasingly not.

[Maneki Neko]

bang on