More crazy PL shake up plans

Cube · 20 Apr 2009 at 20:48

steviec said:
Can't now see the Old Firm joining the Premiership, maybe a few years back when all the top names were up in Scotland they may of had a chance of mid table in the Premiership, but not anymore. They would struggle for the first few years until they got the money in and could pay for the top names again, then they could be competitive. But with the present teams they would struggle for yop 6 in the Championship IMHO.

Plus they would have to turn their back on European Football, having been guaranteed Champions League and UEFA Cup Football in Scotland.

But if we remained in the EPL then we would get approx three times (£30m)more money than we would out of a normal year in the Champions League (£10m).

Do not see it happening myself. Every English club below the PL would want the spot if they were being handed out. If, and say if, we (Rangers) were ever to be invited to join the English leagues then we should work our way up.

Having said that, if Sky said get Rangers and Celtic in the league or kiss goodbye to our money then that may be a more likely way of it happening.

Weebull · 20 Apr 2009 at 21:28

I'd quite like to see Rangers and Celtic play in one of the cups, then we could at least see how they'd fare against the Premiership teams regularly. Maybe rebrand the League cup into a Great Britain cup and let all the Welsh/Scots/English teams partake. Could end up a bit of a fixture clogger though.

Greenlizard0 · 20 Apr 2009 at 23:07

lemonkettaz said:
They should definitely make the 4th champions league spot a play off from say 4/6th

Don't be daft. If you want your country's best four teams to enter it, why on earth give it to somebody that's finished two places beneath them.

Just ask any football fan of a club in the lower tiers that finished *just* outside the top two, but then got beaten by any number of three teams below them who could have got a silly amount of fewer points than third place. It's not fair.

Tummy · 20 Apr 2009 at 23:12

lemonkettaz said:
They should definitely make the 4th champions league spot a play off from say 4/6th

No, they should change the Champions League.

Team that finishes top, should have a knock out competition against other European champions.

All the rest > that other European competition.

FishFluff · 20 Apr 2009 at 23:23

Greenlizard0 said:
Don't be daft. If you want your country's best four teams to enter it, why on earth give it to somebody that's finished two places beneath them.

Just ask any football fan of a club in the lower tiers that finished *just* outside the top two, but then got beaten by any number of three teams below them who could have got a silly amount of fewer points than third place. It's not fair.

It wouldn't be any less of a joke than calling it the "Champions" league is at the moment. I seem to remember a team finishing as low as fifth being admitted entry one year in fact...

McMav · 21 Apr 2009 at 09:01

Cant see it happening but Uefa have said they would not stand in the way of it as its nothing to do with them . Its up to the EPL and SPL.

CliffyG · 21 Apr 2009 at 09:06

Said it before and i'll say it again, if for some crazy reason the scottish sides are allowed across they should have to start at the bottom. Also the split prem is a stupid idea.

Countcussy · 21 Apr 2009 at 09:27

I have never understood this fascination with Celtic & Rangers. They are Scottish teams, playing in a Scottish league. We all know the Scots generally hate the English anyway.

Why do they want to join us?

Primarily, I blame the BBC. They have become obsessed with the Old Firm. Its got to the point where the Old Firm results are given greater importance than results at the foot of the PL or the top of the championship. Why? Does anybody in England really care about the Old Firm?

Newcastle have proved for years that a large fan base does not guarantee success. I have seen nothing to suggest they would be anything more than an average championship side.

Youstolemyname · 21 Apr 2009 at 09:37

Will never happen but I would love Rangers and Celtic to join the Prem. Just so they could be given the utter spanking that they would get week in week out and then skulk back off to Scotland tail between their legs. They would be mid-table sides at best.

Weebull · 21 Apr 2009 at 09:38

Countcussy said:
I have never understood this fascination with Celtic & Rangers. They are Scottish teams, playing in a Scottish league. We all know the Scots generally hate the English anyway. Why do they want to join us?

Because they dominate the SPL nearly every year and feel they've hit a glass ceiling as a result? Thus they feel joining the English leagues would allow them to improve further, attract higher calibre players, and perhaps be more of a force in Europe.

Primarily, I blame the BBC. They have become obsessed with the Old Firm. Its got to the point where the Old Firm results are given greater importance than results at the foot of the PL or the top of the championship.

No they're not. Every weekend you can usually see the full list of Premiership results on the football page, and possibly the SPL, if they find the space. I usually have to go onto the SPL page itself to see the results there.

Why? Does anybody in England really care about the Old Firm?

Well for one it's the BBC, not the EBC.

strumpusplunket · 21 Apr 2009 at 09:45

Maybe some mid-table PL sides would also enjoy going north of the border, dominating the league and getting into the Champs League qualifiers. West Ham and Wigan perhaps?

Would this be allowed too?

I'd also quite like Villa to play in the Dutch Eredivisie for a while. We've hit a glass ceiling in 5th place, too. Travel to the games would be a bitch, but hey... away days to Amsterdam!

Countcussy · 21 Apr 2009 at 10:47

Weebull said:
Because they dominate the SPL nearly every year and feel they've hit a glass ceiling as a result? Thus they feel joining the English leagues would allow them to improve further, attract higher calibre players, and perhaps be more of a force in Europe.

Don`t see your point. They are where they are. Thats life. So, for every team that hits a cieling, lets move them to a different league? Did you think that one through?

Weebull said:
No they're not. Every weekend you can usually see the full list of Premiership results on the football page, and possibly the SPL, if they find the space. I usually have to go onto the SPL page itself to see the results there.

Incorrect. The Old Firm results can always be found on the front page. Admittedly the rest of SPL results are a definate afterthought.

Weebull said:
Well for one it's the BBC, not the EBC.

Very clever.

HangTime · 23 Apr 2009 at 00:06

Some of it makes sense though, as IIRC UEFA are very much against leagues larger than 18 teams in size. Teams are constantly moaning about having to play too much football these days (something I chortle at compared to the days of a 22 team top division, infinite fa cup replays, 2-legged league cup matches all the way through, ZDS cup etc) and it'd be good to see some of the deadwood ditched from the top flight

CaseyChaos · 23 Apr 2009 at 00:26

I wouldnt mind them in the english league but should start in the championship, everyone knows they are better than league one by miles but should earn their place in the prem by getting promoted.

Weebull · 23 Apr 2009 at 02:45

Countcussy said:
Don`t see your point. They are where they are. Thats life. So, for every team that hits a cieling, lets move them to a different league? Did you think that one through?

Was I saying I wanted them in the English leagues? No I wasn't. Was I giving you a reason why they'd want to move to another league? Yes, I do believe I was.

Countcussy said:
Very clever.

Well what was your point exactly? The BBC has a remit to provide news on everything that happens within the British Isles, not just England, and in terms of football, the two Old Firm clubs are among the most popular teams around, so of course they're going to get some priority.

kibblerok · 27 Apr 2009 at 20:55

Stupid idea.

The whole concept aside form the is to keep miserable teams like Bolton protected from the rest firmly on the gravy train with less effort that then are currently putting in.

With a PL2 they could soften the blow of relegation and not be as worse off -its good to have fresh meat in the top tier like Stoke and Hull - Gartside sees clubs like these as a threat.

His comments are also contradictory - moaning about unable to compete with the bigger clubs, yet wanting to distance his club and others from clubs lower than his by stopping the flow of money lower and stopping relegation or limiting from the top 2 tiers.

red11 · 27 Apr 2009 at 21:04

qwerty said:
More time to prefer for European matches for the big 4. Cos we're not doing great in Europe...

And more time to prepare for England matches.

And possibly a winter break.

I think less teams in the Premiership would help the other English clubs playing in Europe, Spurs played a crazy amount of games in total a few years ago when they were in the UEFA Cup.

bloodline76 · 27 Apr 2009 at 22:39

qwerty said:
More time to prefer for European matches for the big 4. Cos we're not doing great in Europe...

And more time to prepare for England matches.

And possibly a winter break.

They should increase the league so we get MORE football. Thats what we want MORE not LESS.

I'm an Arsenal fan but I would still prefer to see more matches than them having a little rest in between games.