Time to change the game?

[Adam]

Salary cap has to happen, the money footballers are paid is just ridiculous.

[Parky]

Give 4th CL place to FA Cup winner. Smash the top four and reinvigorate the Cup in one move.

 

Villa notably ran out of steam this year, but it was looking dodgy for Arsenal not so long ago. It doesn't sound like Villa have the cash for the next move up though. Neither do Everton. They need strikers and thems costs the most.

 

Not a bad idea.

[midds]

Give 4th CL place to FA Cup winner. Smash the top four and reinvigorate the Cup in one move.

 

Villa notably ran out of steam this year, but it was looking dodgy for Arsenal not so long ago. It doesn't sound like Villa have the cash for the next move up though. Neither do Everton. They need strikers and thems costs the most.

 

Not a bad idea.

 

The Cup winners usually qualify via the league anyway though. 

 

The other option is to bring back 3 European competitions. The European Cup for league champions only - the Uefa Cup for runners-up and 3rd placed teams from strong leagues and another for the rest of the shite who've qualified.

[Shak]

One thing I'd really like to see is an extra knockout round before the Champions League group stages.

 

Instead of 8 groups of 4 teams, get it down to 4 groups. Champions League group stages are a shambles, there's usually about 12-14 teams who you can pretty much gaurantee will make it through, with a couple of question marks here and there.

 

Knock it down to 16 teams, then have 4 groups with the top two in each making the quarters. It'd make the thing competitive at least, it's more or less pointless the way it is.

[midds]

One thing I'd really like to see is an extra knockout round before the Champions League group stages.

 

Instead of 8 groups of 4 teams, get it down to 4 groups. Champions League group stages are a shambles, there's usually about 12-14 teams who you can pretty much gaurantee will make it through, with a couple of question marks here and there.

 

Knock it down to 16 teams, then have 4 groups with the top two in each making the quarters. It'd make the thing competitive at least, it's more or less pointless the way it is.

 

Personally I'd revert back to a straight knock-out competition. No seedings, just luck of the draw.

[Shak]

One thing I'd really like to see is an extra knockout round before the Champions League group stages.

 

Instead of 8 groups of 4 teams, get it down to 4 groups. Champions League group stages are a shambles, there's usually about 12-14 teams who you can pretty much gaurantee will make it through, with a couple of question marks here and there.

 

Knock it down to 16 teams, then have 4 groups with the top two in each making the quarters. It'd make the thing competitive at least, it's more or less pointless the way it is.

 

Personally I'd revert back to a straight knock-out competition. No seedings, just luck of the draw.

 

Aye, would be nice but it'll never happen surely.

 

Too much money in the group stages.

[midds]

One thing I'd really like to see is an extra knockout round before the Champions League group stages.

 

Instead of 8 groups of 4 teams, get it down to 4 groups. Champions League group stages are a shambles, there's usually about 12-14 teams who you can pretty much gaurantee will make it through, with a couple of question marks here and there.

 

Knock it down to 16 teams, then have 4 groups with the top two in each making the quarters. It'd make the thing competitive at least, it's more or less pointless the way it is.

 

Personally I'd revert back to a straight knock-out competition. No seedings, just luck of the draw.

 

Aye, would be nice but it'll never happen surely.

 

Too much money in the group stages.

 

Groups mean more matches. More matches means more money. More money means the good teams get better and qualify more often.

 

Rinse and repeat til neutrals lose interest. Might be a while like... 

[Taylor Swift]

Are neutrals going to lose interest, though? This season's CL has been pretty good. Last season's, in general, was pretty good.

 

I don't see how creating other competitions of lesser quality will help teams in general. It seems only the foreign teams care about the UEFA Cup now. Look at Spurs, look at Villa - just giving up on the UEFA Cup because they wanted to qualify for the CL. I still like the UEFA Cup and some of the teams who have won it have been quality teams (Sevilla twice, Valencia way back, Porto etc.), but it's obvious the neutral interest there has waned.

[Taylor Swift]

Except for the group stages, the CL is pretty good. But you need the group stages anyway to give the smaller teams a chance. Platini will never reduce the number of teams in the competition. It's tough to balance giving smaller teams in small nations a chance in the CL and not dilute the quality of the competition. Until you have financial parity, giving spots in the CL to clubs in Latvia, Greece etc. only makes the group stages boring. But maybe you have to keep doing that to achieve financial parity?

[Parky]

The major issue is the big clubs hoovering up all the young talent, correct/balance this and we're half way there.

[Mowen]

The major issue is the big clubs hoovering up all the young talent, correct/balance this and we're half way there.

Abolish loans.

[Parky]

The major issue is the big clubs hoovering up all the young talent, correct/balance this and we're half way there.

Abolish loans.

 

...and reduce squad size. The only reason Villa have started to fail is cause their tiny squad compared to the big [move]4.[/move]

[madras]

The major issue is the big clubs hoovering up all the young talent, correct/balance this and we're half way there.

Abolish loans.

 

...and reduce squad size. The only reason Villa have started to fail is cause their tiny squad compared to the big [move]4.[/move]

don't know about that. anyone know how many players man utd have used in the prem this season compared to villa ?

 

i would limit the size though just to stop some clubs hoovering up any talent.

[Parky]

The major issue is the big clubs hoovering up all the young talent, correct/balance this and we're half way there.

Abolish loans.

 

...and reduce squad size. The only reason Villa have started to fail is cause their tiny squad compared to the big [move]4.[/move]

don't know about that. anyone know how many players man utd have used in the prem this season compared to villa ?

 

i would limit the size though just to stop some clubs hoovering up any talent.

 

I feel they knowingly do it to reduce competition from lesser sides.

 

Maybe a look at the transfer system...Limiting players to one transfer over 24 months or summat like that. Players constantly agitating for a move after one good season/half a season in some cases means the club that has developed them losing out or a bigger club buying them and putting them on the bench.

[BONTEMPI]

Only way I see the league being more exciting is to impose a strict 20-30  million spending limit a season for all clubs maybe even less than that.

 

Ok will never happen because of all the greedy twatting agents and PFA sucking players cocks even more than usual but maybe it would narrow the gap between the rest and the top four.

 

Clubs would be more relient on developing youth instead of blasting loads of money just to buy success, and maybe it would start to lower the cost of transfers in general and thus lower players wage demands and prevent clubs spiralling into debt just because they tried to shorten the gap with the top four.

 

Will it happen? Will it fuck!

 

 

 

 

[pedro111]

Ive been saying for years now that every team should have a level playing field in which to become the best.  Your Wigans should have the exact same opportunity to win the league as your Man U's.  All clubs should be on an equal footing no matter how big or small.  Then it would really come down to good management, coaching and the running of a club within strict rules whether that be salary cap or whatever to determine who wins things.  If the top 4 are still the top for after this change then so be it.  But at least it will give other clubs the change to compete given shrewd planning.

 

I realise this is jealousy on my part because Newcastle are s***, but do we really want to be sitting here in 20 or 30 years time with the exact same top 4 winning everything as they do now?  We as Newcastle and 95% of the other clubs who will never win nowt might as well not bother going on tbh because whats the point?

 

 

[madras]

Only way I see the league being more exciting is to impose a strict 20-30  million spending limit a season for all clubs maybe even less than that.

 

Ok will never happen because of all the greedy twatting agents and PFA sucking players cocks even more than usual but maybe it would narrow the gap between the rest and the top four.

 

Clubs would be more relient on developing youth instead of blasting loads of money just to buy success, and maybe it would start to lower the cost of transfers in general and thus lower players wage demands and prevent clubs spiralling into debt just because they tried to shorten the gap with the top four.

 

Will it happen? Will it f***!

 

 

 

 

shouldn't happen either. salry cap is the way, even if it's the uefa mooted percentage of turnover.

 

i alos agree with the earlier mentioned  change to the loans regulations but think abolisionis too far.

[Parky]

Only way I see the league being more exciting is to impose a strict 20-30  million spending limit a season for all clubs maybe even less than that.

 

Ok will never happen because of all the greedy twatting agents and PFA sucking players cocks even more than usual but maybe it would narrow the gap between the rest and the top four.

 

Clubs would be more relient on developing youth instead of blasting loads of money just to buy success, and maybe it would start to lower the cost of transfers in general and thus lower players wage demands and prevent clubs spiralling into debt just because they tried to shorten the gap with the top four.

 

Will it happen? Will it f***!

 

 

 

 

shouldn't happen either. salry cap is the way, even if it's the uefa mooted percentage of turnover.

 

i alos agree with the earlier mentioned  change to the loans regulations but think abolisionis too far.

 

3 loans a season max?

[Parky]

Uefa havebranded as "ridiculous" the number of players on the payroll of the Premier League's Big Four clubs. Liverpool, who under Rafa Benítez have stockpiled a 62-man squad, the biggest in the league and enough for more than five full teams, have come in for particular criticism.

 

Uefa limit clubs to 25 players each for the Champions league and their general secretary, David Taylor, speaking exclusively to Observer Sport, said: "Ridiculous. 62? You could have two full-size practice games. You can only field 11 at one time. It's an open question as to how many you actually need. Is it 20, 25?"

 

Taylor's comments are likely to spark a further row between the governing body of European football and the Premier League. Last week William Gaillard, special adviser to Uefa president Michel Platini, said: "One proposal which seems to be gaining a consensus is limiting the number of professional contracts as we already do in the Champions League. But we would need to get the backing of the major clubs, of the associations running their domestic competitions."

 

Taylor said he is unsure what benefit Liverpool might derive from having so many professionals. "You'd have to ask them," he said. When the question was put to Liverpool, they declined to comment.

 

The Premier League said squad size was a matter for individual clubs. "The size of a club's squad is for the club to decide upon. They will have their own aspirations to progress in different competitions over the season and as such will have a squad available to them that they feel meets those demands." Arsenal and Manchester United have more than 50 professionals each and Chelsea 46. Bolton have the fewest: 27.

 

Taylor supports limits on squad size and said: "Uefa has been in the vanguard of this and we certainly feel it's very useful. But that's for organisers of domestic leagues to decide among the clubs."

 

Liverpool have so many players that Benítez has been able to loan out 17 of them this season. Some of those on the Anfield payroll told Observer Sport that they find the situation "frustrating" and "demoralising". One young player, Craig Lindfield, 20, who is on loan at Accrington Stanley, said: "That's the difference between Liverpool and other clubs, young lads get more of a chance elsewhere." Gordon Taylor, the PFA chief executive, admitted to concerns over the future of these young players.

[madras]

Only way I see the league being more exciting is to impose a strict 20-30  million spending limit a season for all clubs maybe even less than that.

 

Ok will never happen because of all the greedy twatting agents and PFA sucking players cocks even more than usual but maybe it would narrow the gap between the rest and the top four.

 

Clubs would be more relient on developing youth instead of blasting loads of money just to buy success, and maybe it would start to lower the cost of transfers in general and thus lower players wage demands and prevent clubs spiralling into debt just because they tried to shorten the gap with the top four.

 

Will it happen? Will it f***!

 

 

 

 

shouldn't happen either. salry cap is the way, even if it's the uefa mooted percentage of turnover.

 

i alos agree with the earlier mentioned  change to the loans regulations but think abolisionis too far.

 

3 loans a season max?

no loans within the same division and for under 23's or 21's only. 3 or 5 max per season lasting for 28 days.

[Parky]

Only way I see the league being more exciting is to impose a strict 20-30  million spending limit a season for all clubs maybe even less than that.

 

Ok will never happen because of all the greedy twatting agents and PFA sucking players cocks even more than usual but maybe it would narrow the gap between the rest and the top four.

 

Clubs would be more relient on developing youth instead of blasting loads of money just to buy success, and maybe it would start to lower the cost of transfers in general and thus lower players wage demands and prevent clubs spiralling into debt just because they tried to shorten the gap with the top four.

 

Will it happen? Will it f***!

 

 

 

 

shouldn't happen either. salry cap is the way, even if it's the uefa mooted percentage of turnover.

 

i alos agree with the earlier mentioned  change to the loans regulations but think abolisionis too far.

 

3 loans a season max?

no loans within the same division and for under 23's or 21's only. 3 or 5 max per season lasting for 28 days.

 

Just posted above Liv have a 62 man squad. [move]Fucking hell!!!!![/move]

[Neil]

Only way I see the league being more exciting is to impose a strict 20-30  million spending limit a season for all clubs maybe even less than that.

 

Ok will never happen because of all the greedy twatting agents and PFA sucking players cocks even more than usual but maybe it would narrow the gap between the rest and the top four.

 

Clubs would be more relient on developing youth instead of blasting loads of money just to buy success, and maybe it would start to lower the cost of transfers in general and thus lower players wage demands and prevent clubs spiralling into debt just because they tried to shorten the gap with the top four.

 

Will it happen? Will it f***!

 

 

 

 

shouldn't happen either. salry cap is the way, even if it's the uefa mooted percentage of turnover.

 

i alos agree with the earlier mentioned  change to the loans regulations but think abolisionis too far.

 

3 loans a season max?

no loans within the same division and for under 23's or 21's only. 3 or 5 max per season lasting for 28 days.

 

Just posted above Liv have a 62 man squad. [move]Fucking hell!!!!![/move]

 

Mind that includes reserves and the youth team, surely?

[Parky]

Only way I see the league being more exciting is to impose a strict 20-30  million spending limit a season for all clubs maybe even less than that.

 

Ok will never happen because of all the greedy twatting agents and PFA sucking players cocks even more than usual but maybe it would narrow the gap between the rest and the top four.

 

Clubs would be more relient on developing youth instead of blasting loads of money just to buy success, and maybe it would start to lower the cost of transfers in general and thus lower players wage demands and prevent clubs spiralling into debt just because they tried to shorten the gap with the top four.

 

Will it happen? Will it f***!

 

 

 

 

shouldn't happen either. salry cap is the way, even if it's the uefa mooted percentage of turnover.

 

i alos agree with the earlier mentioned  change to the loans regulations but think abolisionis too far.

 

3 loans a season max?

no loans within the same division and for under 23's or 21's only. 3 or 5 max per season lasting for 28 days.

 

Just posted above Liv have a 62 man squad. [move]Fucking hell!!!!![/move]

 

Mind that includes reserves and the youth team, surely?

 

But all eligible to play in the PL. That's why he has 17 out on loan....Hoovering up talent is what this is all about. Something has to be done to bring competition back to the PL.....

[Taylor Swift]

No loans fixes this problem. You'll always have greedy footballers so if some kid wants 10k/week to play for the Liverpool reserves then so be it. I bet the majority of youngsters would move clubs within a season or two if the loan system was abolished.

[Guest eltsacwen]

The biggest problem for the Premiership is that the same teams qualify for the Champions League every year. When finally Everton had the chance they blew it and Liverpool manged to enter the competition. It's been seven years since we were in the CL. Since hten the bif four have had a Champions League monopoly.

 

It should be some kind of play-off for the 4. CL slot. Starting next season 3 teams from England will go directly into the group stage. So 5. play 6. at home for the right to meet 4. in an "CL-final" on Wembley/Cardiff/anywhere. The winner goes into the champions league qualifying round and the loser goes into the Europe League.

 

The funny thing is that once such a system is implementet a team like Everton, Villa, Tottenham etc will finish 4. and Liverpool finishing 5. will will win the "Cl-final".