The anonymous Premier League chairman quoted in the story gives the impression that the modern game is all about money, which I suppose shouldn’t actually surprise me as much as it does. Bringing in Rangers and Celtic is a non-starter to my mind and how would the six sides from the Championship not selected to form the second Premier League feel about the demotion. If anything, it would increase the gulf between the top flight and the lower leagues – making it difficult for the young talent to come through from the grassroots.
I do wish Phil Gartside would be quiet. He proposed the scrapping of relegation from the Premier League a while back. If he’s influential in the English game as the report implies, then it shows just how devoid of intelligence and common sense the administrative side of the game is. That in itself is very worrying.
Interestingly, this story seems to suggest that the plan doesn’t have legs:
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are likely to be against the plan as it would affect their income. Others such as Aston Villa, Tottenham and Everton, who may consider it unlikely they would ever drop out of a 20-team Premier League, may also have misgivings.
Mid-table clubs might also struggle to cope with a drop in television money as the cash is spread more widely.
A Premier League spokesman said: “We haven’t seen any proposal and therefore are unable to comment.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8006934.stm