Jim White

How to kill English football in one move

Fri Nov 06 09:37AM

Had he been around the American Midwest in the pioneering days of the nineteenth century, Bolton's chairman Phil Gartside would have no doubt appointed himself commander of any wagon trains heading towards the Californian gold rush.

At the first hint of a problem - a wheel nut working loose, a horse going lame, a passenger eating a few too many beans for breakfast - he would have had the wagons quickly formed in a circle, the better to repel any attackers real or imagined.

Next week Gartside is to propose to his fellow Premier League club owners that they develop a new method for their competition. Gartside wants a two-tier Premier League, two divisions of 20 clubs each, including the two Glasgow teams. At the end of each season three clubs would move from the second tier upwards, and three go in the opposite direction.

But - and here Gartside reveals his true purpose - there would be no relegation from the second tier downwards. In other words, the Premier League would become a closed shop, isolated from the rest of the English footballing world, a place that denies entry to the aspirational. And, more to the point, prevents any of its members suffering the sort of indignities of decline felt by Leeds, Norwich, Southampton and Charlton in recent seasons. It is, in short, the most naked bit of protectionism this side of a UKIP election manifesto.

Something that always amazes foreign players when they come to this country is the depth of our footballing pool. The fact that Oxford United, in the fifth tier of the game, sitting currently 93rd in our professional rankings, can regularly draw home crowds of over 6,000 is viewed with something close to awe. It simply doesn't happen in Italy, Spain, Germany or France, where the professional game consists of no more than 30 clubs and the rest are amateur, watched on a Saturday by no more than parents and friends of the players. The passion and commitment of our lower leagues is something utterly unique. And Garstide wants casually to do away with it.

Because that is what would happen should his ideas be accepted. At its heart, what Gartside's proposal is all about is money. Or rather the keeping of money. Say what you like about the Premier League as it stands, but in fact Richard Scudamore runs a surprisingly re-distributive ship: currently more money is handed out by the top division to the lower leagues than was raised from the entire television revenue when the Premier League was formed.

All that would stop under Gartside's suggestions: the top would cut itself off from the rest, keep everything to itself, starving the lower leagues of both immediate funds and the possibility of self-improvement through promotion.

He claims it is necessary to stop teams like Charlton and Southampton haemorrhaging cash as their desperate dash to stay in the Premier League implodes. But then, even staying up doesn't necessarily turn you into a self-sustaining economic unit: Gartside's own Bolton are about to announce losses for last season amounting to some £18 million.

Perhaps what is needed rather than destroying everyone else in the bid to stay solvent is a little sensible budgeting closer to home. If Gartside wanted some lessons in how to do that, he could do worse than look at some of the clubs in the lower league, managing to sustain a plausible footballing outfit on annual turnover smaller than the players' car valeting bill at the Reebok.

The likes of Gartside, with their assumption that all that matters is what goes on in the top tier, insult the many tens of thousands of fans who support lower league outfits. Why should the needs of Bolton be regarded as more important to the wider well-being of the game than those of Rochdale down the road? Why is it that the commercial interests of Hull should be sustained at all costs while those of Grimsby next door should be dismissed as irrelevant?

Plus, who is going to be in Garstide's privileged 40? Assuming he wants Celtic and Rangers in there, plus those sides down on their luck like Leeds, Charlton, Norwich and Southampton, does that mean he is permanently going to cut adrift the likes of Peterborough, Doncaster, Plymouth and Blackpool simply because they don't fit his idea of what a Premier League club should be? Never mind that they have proven themselves to be better and more sustainable than those fallen giants on the one place where it matters in football: the pitch.

Gartside's proposal is unlikely to gain much support this time round. The worry is, as the recession continues to undermine the finances of many, the idea that the best way out of a crisis is to kick those less fortunate than yourself could well gain momentum. If it does, and Gartside succeeds in his ambition, then English football will be destroyed. Simple as that.

Comments1 - 30 of 146
First
Previous
1
2
3
4
Next
Last

first
From garethds on Fri Nov 06 09:47AM
Report abuse
Maybe a better way to allow smaller clubs to succeed would be to introduce a salary cap and a limit on transfers rather than having the big boys flexing their financial wealth, buying up any emerging talent from the lower leagues and preventing lower league teams from possibly moving up divisions and becoming a more permanent fixture in the top flight.
From garethds on Fri Nov 06 09:53AM
Report abuse
I agree with Jim and the person above me......the English league should be as it is and if Rangers and Celtic wanna join us....they must join in League 1 at the least and work their way up...and they will relinquish their Champions League spots too....they will be treated just like Leeds or any Championship side by officials and they will have to earn their way up....into a single tier league as it is at the moment with maybe a couple of teams less....but no way should they separate the Premier League from the rest of the tiers..that would be ridiculous!
From rush_bach on Fri Nov 06 10:49AM
Report abuse
Usually I don't agree with Jim but this is the best article ever that I have read on this site
From painkiller14 on Fri Nov 06 11:32AM
Report abuse
Good one Jim, hadn't actually looked into his proposal that deeply, it's quite scary. What's even worse is that a prem chairman's coming up with this. Does he really deserve the position of influence he has if he's so arrogant, selfish or just narrow minded?
From rilez on Fri Nov 06 11:38AM
Report abuse
Apparently Gartside has amended his idea, if clubs qualify for promotion (3 clubs) then they must meet the standards for their grounds (fair enough) & have the money to sustain them in the Prem 2 (also fair enough, I think). If there was no possibility of relgation from Prem 2, then what would be the point? I could buy one of the lowest, play a pub team & pocket the TV cash. Would that be ok? Probably for Pompey or Hull, but no fans would ever agree, and it's the fans who put the bums on seats, buy the memorabilia & eat the soggy pies too!
From twomjc on Fri Nov 06 11:55AM
Report abuse
the idea put forward would never work
what happened to the editing here?
From sameenuk on Fri Nov 06 12:06PM
Report abuse
As a Bolton fan I am embarassed by this plan from the chairman. For all the good things that he does - such as reducing prices last season and increasing attendences by about 2000 (about 10%!) he continually seeks to safeguard the club at the expense of others. He has a short memory as since childhood I have seen Bolton get promoted to the top flight then relegated over some very lean years down the divisions to our one season in the bottom division (Div 4 back then!) and back up to the heights of the last ten years or so where, for the most part, we have been safe from relegation most years.
A closed off two tier premiership is a dreadful idea and would pave the way for the top tier to be permantly closed off with no relegation and much as I love BWFC I would not put money on them being in the elite 20 even if they finshed above Celtic or Rangers every year!
From johnnyd34uk on Fri Nov 06 12:10PM
Report abuse
Superb article
From pauljohnsmith3050 on Fri Nov 06 12:11PM
Report abuse
I'm on your side here Jim, do away with this @#$%.
From the.clanger on Fri Nov 06 12:16PM
Report abuse
China called.....
.... they want their wall back
From murphyniall on Fri Nov 06 12:17PM
Report abuse
Sounds like Gartside fears for Bolton's future...
From grahamnpotter on Fri Nov 06 12:27PM
Report abuse
Competitive football was killed with the creation of the Premier League. Prior to that, teams used to have a chance of rising from the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Divisions and realistically challenging for succes.
Nowadays, the gulf in financial might and therefore footballing quality, between the top and the bottom, is too immense to climb unless your club gets lucky enough to procure a billionaire owner .
From herrloop on Fri Nov 06 12:30PM
Report abuse
Brilliant article Jim. I agree with every word you say. This closed shop idea would do away with the likes of Wimbledon and Wigan who have gone from non-league football to the top flight. Wimbledon are now MK Dons and are once again striving for promotion.The plan to gets Notts County into the Premiership within the next few years just wouldn't happen either. It would take a lot of the romance out of the game. Ilove to see smaller clubs like Hull make it to the top flight. No one has a divine right to play in the Premiership, and clubs like Leeds, Charlton, Southampton and Charlton must fight their way back to play in it, again making it more interesting.
From mayhewkenneth on Fri Nov 06 12:34PM
Report abuse
superb article jim... totally agreed with your opinion...
From ryan_nadhitya on Fri Nov 06 12:39PM
Report abuse
rangers & celtic will never agree their champions league monopoly in scotland would no longer exist also it could be construed eventually into the making of a uk national team rather than independant nations
From delboy272002 on Fri Nov 06 12:40PM
Report abuse
Last
From jrad878 on Fri Nov 06 12:42PM
Report abuse
Great article. I can't believe this would even be considered though. The only teams this benefits are the ones in danger of being relegated. I very much like the current setup, 3 @#$% teams out, 3 new ones in with something to prove.
From tevez_united on Fri Nov 06 12:45PM
Report abuse
I don't agree much with Jim White, but this was a tremendous article. Gartside is blatently transparent over this issue and I hope the other Premiership owners see through him.
From ryushinku on Fri Nov 06 12:53PM
Report abuse
i cant imagine this happening. the idea of a 2 tier prem league? well, maybe one day that might happen to reduce fixture pile ups etc - but to make it a closed shop will never ever happen.
From amheys on Fri Nov 06 12:58PM
Report abuse
This is a horrible idea, and one that will ruin the English game forever. For example Hull came from div.4 or 5 of England to the Premiership, and,if this happens, we will never see it again.
I agree with Jim White here, this will kill English football.
I have a few friends who, even though they can support a big club, support the clubs in the lower leagues such as Leeds, Plymouth, Crystal Palace, and others.
Even the smallest of teams such as Luton Town have dedicated fans...
Even though I support Manchester United, for whom this idea will benefit, I think it gives no chance to the likes of perhaps QPR, MK Dons, and the other teams below the Premiership.
From bakhtiar1996 on Fri Nov 06 01:01PM
Report abuse
I would like the current format to stay, except with the change that teams 4-6 in the leagues below would get a playoff chance against teams 15-17 in the league above. For example:
Premiership:
15. Bolton
16. Blackburn
17. Hull
These guys would play the Championship teams:
4. QPR
5. Cardiff
6. Newcastle
So it would look like this:
QPR vs Hull
Cardiff vs Blackburn
Newcastle vs Bolton
From bakhtiar1996 on Fri Nov 06 01:05PM
Report abuse
gartside is a @#$%, as a bolton fan i can say that! i dont agree with a word he says and havent done for the last 10years. those calling for a salary cap must realise that it would only work if it came from fifa.
From ajpbolton on Fri Nov 06 01:05PM
Report abuse
What an absurd solution to apparently simple problem. Could Gartside explain to the sporting world, how the teams in the premiership got to where they are today if the elite division was made a closed circuit? The lower division teams should shop for budding, yet talented footballers, groom same for future exploits. Here lies the solution.
From pogar on Fri Nov 06 01:07PM
Report abuse
No white,the best way to destroy 'english' football is to carry on
packing every team with 11 different foreign players,thats the way
but thats happening now so i wont be watching any more MOTDs.
From andyganley on Fri Nov 06 01:20PM
Report abuse
poor reasearch, germany has no attendence problems and can offer a good safe family day out - cant say that about our counry
From daveleary7 on Fri Nov 06 01:22PM
Report abuse
Wow, a good article... I didn't know Yahoo used ghostwriters?!?
The other the things, (that if not implemented) will kill football are transfer and salary caps. A universal salary cap is probably the most needed thing in the whole of football at this point in time. Players are greedy, it's a simple fact, highlighted most recently by Tevez. Players hit their ability peak, so why don't we introduce a "peak" earning potential, supplemented only by success bonusses.
And if we introduce a salary cap, it will stop the foreign businessmen using our league as a status symbol of their financial worth. This farce of buying £200M of players is getting beyond a joke. And the £80M transfer of one player is an even bigger joke. £200M would probably support the bottom 2 tiers of English football for years, so let them invest there instead.
If we continue to allow the ENglish leagues to be turned into some financial c-o-ck waving contest, then I foreseee football having a bleak future.
From leec2202 on Fri Nov 06 01:27PM
Report abuse
After watching rangers and celtic, they are no better than a championship side. I think Cardiff City could quite easily beat them.
From pjbray88 on Fri Nov 06 01:45PM
Report abuse
Good one old jimmy...so essentially, it would be only the premiere league and the championship and thats it? therefore all the inspiration from the teams in the lower league would diminish...Gartside is a greedy @#$%, and he needs to suck his.
From cutterjay on Fri Nov 06 01:51PM
Report abuse
what's so strange about letting Celtic and Rangers play in the English leagues ? Not that I think they should, but the precedents are already there, with the English Berwick playing in the Scottish leagues, and Cardiff playing in the English leagues rather than their own Welsh leagues...
From paulb164 on Fri Nov 06 01:54PM
Report abuse