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Time to let the big boys go?


cheltenham_villa

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I may have heard it discussed recently but is it time to let the big boys go and create their European league. We'd probably lose the money, the best players and the tv coverage but at least we could create a league where anyone is capable of anything.

In recent years our goal was to finish fourth place as that was the highest target we found ourselves capable of.

Let United, City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool go and let the rest of us battle it out amongst ourselves.

thoughts?

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Would there be a promotion/relegation system? Or is this just a way of strengthening the glass ceiling and having the 'big boys' as forever big boys, untouchable?

I harbour hope that the big 4 can still be broken, if not by us then someone like Spurs, and once the status quo is upset then anything can happen. I'd rather finish 6th in the top division than win a second division.

Just ask the fans of the teams in the Championship whether they'd rather win that league or finish 6th in the PL..

There's already the Champions League for that sort of thing. If you want us 'mere mortals' to be able to win something - then say the teams in the Champions League cannot compete in the League Cup. They don't give a toss about it anyway.

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The only real answer is some sort of expenditure cap in my view - some way of ensuring the teams that are better managed, organised, coached and recruited have the best chance of winning. I doubt the power brokers would ever go for it though...

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For those of us with memories of Chelsea languishing in the depths, or of playing the 'untouchable' Man Utd in the old Second Div; or of Arsenal being one to avoid in the cups and Man City being.....well, lets just say nothing special to say the least......the very idea of isolating the big boys to the detriment of the rest of the league is pretty much of limited interest. Well, it is to me anyway.

I agree that there are certain things that set the Top 4/6 apart, but why should that lofty position be the sole right of occupancy afforded to those particular clubs? Does'nt everyone deserve a place there on merit alone? And has'nt history showed that even the mighty do fall occasionally. Or does the criteria of such a select club within a club purely hinge on the financial ability to attract the best players?

And where would such a drastic move leave the rest of us? Would anyone be interested anymore if Everton, Blackburn or (vice-versa) even Villa were the highlight of any remaining teams depleted season? And would the rearranged fixture list generate anywhere near the same crowds or revenue, considering that matches against the likes of Manure, Plop and the Arse are generally your bankers for a full house?

I personally can't or don't want to see it.

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Perhaps if the CL were turned into an actual international league with promotion/relegation to/from domestic top divisions. Logistics might be tricky, but that could prove interesting. A fixed league with the same big teams forever, no thanks.

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Perhaps if the CL were turned into an actual international league with promotion/relegation to/from domestic top divisions. Logistics might be tricky, but that could prove interesting. A fixed league with the same big teams forever, no thanks.

Ultimately, I think that UEFA is heading in that direction.

* Uncap the number of clubs per country

* Instead of qualification via league for CL or EL, you have top 6 qualify for European football from the league and use UEFA coefficient (perhaps adjusted by domestic finish) to allocate clubs between the CL and EL

Thus clubs that have strong recent history in the CL (thus high coefficients) can finish 6th and still make CL.

If UEFA start to view the PL as taking too much of the TV rights pie to the detriment of the CL rights, they will institute that change as a means of making the PL almost a reserve league.

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Would there be a promotion/relegation system? Or is this just a way of strengthening the glass ceiling and having the 'big boys' as forever big boys, untouchable?

I harbour hope that the big 4 can still be broken, if not by us then someone like Spurs, and once the status quo is upset then anything can happen. I'd rather finish 6th in the top division than win a second division.

Just ask the fans of the teams in the Championship whether they'd rather win that league or finish 6th in the PL..

There's already the Champions League for that sort of thing. If you want us 'mere mortals' to be able to win something - then say the teams in the Champions League cannot compete in the League Cup. They don't give a toss about it anyway.

My thread my rules, the proposal is that they just go. There not part of our league, were not part of theirs. FWIW i dont think were many years away from this. I think its only a matter of time that the bigger clubs want a bigger slice of tv revenues etc and then all look to protect there european positions. I can see a European League with no relegation.

Though I also recognise the posters remembering the old days and how things can change I think money plays to big a part now. Teams like United have to much money invested now to not be successful.

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You're giving the clubs currently at the top divine right to always be the top clubs though.

You don't have to go back particularly far to see Leeds Utd and Nottingham Forest tearing up the top division.. things change. Granted, the gap now is probably bigger than it's ever been, but I think there are alot of clubs out there who think they can push the top clubs in their division. I'm not sure Spurs fans would like to see Arsenal whisked away from their league and told that Arsenal are just too good to compete with them now.. I'm not sure Stuttgart and Dortmund would like to see Shalke and Bayern told they are too good for them now..

And I'm sure Spain would demand a third team.. which would see someone like Valencia join this 'sporting elite' whilst Spurs and Lazio are told they aren't good enough.. a big call to make for a system which doesn't see these clubs being replaced in the foreseeable future...

Spain's is very much a top 2, but unless you let all 5 of our clubs go, I can't see how you can judge who must stay behind.. and it was only 2 years ago we were 'on par' with Spurs..

And who do you choose from the Bundesliga? That league is fairly open, no-one is out and out 'far too good' in that division. And the top team currently in Serie A (Juventus) was a second division club 2 years ago..

I'd love to know what criteria you would judge this 'too good for us mere mortals' on.

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Just because we are not part of the Top 6 at present you want to just give up?

Times change.

If you go back a few years, who'd have imagined Man City being title favourites in 2011?

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Just because we are not part of the Top 6 at present you want to just give up?

Times change.

If you go back a few years, who'd have imagined Man City being title favourites in 2011?

If I had known they'd have been bought by some insanely rich sheiks I could have imagined it.

The point is money is all that matters. If someone VERY rich buys our club we have a chance of being in the top four, otherwise we hardly stand a chance the way the Premier League has become.

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They should of let the big boys go in 81. Sent Villa and Ipswich to the Euro super league.

You ca't just decide that the successful teams of now should always be the English 'super clubs'. Over time teams like Villa, Everton, Forest, Sunderland have done a lot more than Chelsea and Citeh. Why should them being successul over a 5 year period make them successful forever.

If this happens, I'm out.

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Exactly, what criteria would be used to decide who is 'super league' worthy? The OP said Arse and Liverpool, Spurs could finish above both of those this season. We were a far far better side then city just 3 years ago. Never gonna happen anyway

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I can see a time not too far off where the big boys play their top players in Europe only, and their bench players play in the league. Even then, they'd still challenge for the league. The gap is becoming that drastic.

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