If you like Premier League football, come and learn about this Footballing Heresy!

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**mattyrm**

This is the worst thing I have ever read!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15336398.stm

Several foreign-owned Premier League clubs want to scrap relegation, according to League Managers Association (LMA) chief Richard Bevan.

Bevan fears that if more clubs are sold to foreign investors they may have enough votes to force changes.

But the Premier League said relegation and promotion were part of its rules and added to the league's strength.

Bevan hopes that a parliamentary inquiry into football governance would also help prevent the proposal.

"We're very keen that the report is successful in helping the Football Association introduce a licensing programme for clubs," he said.

"Because there are a number of overseas-owned clubs already talking about bringing about the avoidance of promotion and relegation in the Premier League.

"If we have four or five more new owners, that could happen."

Nearly half of the Premier League's 20 clubs are under foreign ownership, with rules stipulating that if changes are to be made to the format, 14 clubs must vote in favour of any new reforms.

Blackburn joined the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea in this class when they were taken over by Indian-owned Venky's Group last season.

But the Premier League told BBC Sport that the move would be a non-starter, with the Football Association retaining the power to veto any proposals.

The Premier League clubs have not formally discussed any such move since Bolton chairman Phil Gartside proposed his two-tiered structure two years ago, an idea which was soon dismissed.

However, Bevan still believes it is a possibility, arguing any new owner of a Premier League club would not need to be foreign for them to see there would be money to be made from scrapping relegation.

"It doesn't really matter if you're from overseas or not, does it?" he said. "It doesn't matter whether you're from Birmingham or you're from Burma."

A Premier League spokesman said that they did not recognise LMA chief executive Bevan's claims, which come a week after the government demanded changes to the way that football is run.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson said that an FA-led licensing system would be brought in to safeguard against issues such as financial mismanagement, asset-stripping owners and tax avoidance.

The government also asked for rules to manage club debts and an overhaul of the FA board.

Last Wednesday, Liverpool's managing director Ian Ayre said the Premier League's overseas television revenues should be skewed in favour of big clubs.

Whhaaa?!

What the hell is the point in supporting anyone outside of the Premier League (I am a Boro fan for example) If you cant actually get promoted?!

Ok, thats my short outrage presented, now for some questions.

Do you want to copy the (In my opinion) utterly souless American model, where nobody gets promoted and nobody gets relegated no matter how much they rule/suck?

Do you think it is likely to happen?

What action can we take to stop it from happening?

I wouldnt go to another match if they brought this gak in! The whole point of my season is to strive valiantly for pormotion back into the PL, and if this was impossible, what the hell would be the point in playing?

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

Saw that last night and wept

**Swordwind**

I don't watch the PL much, but I can see why fans would think this will really really suck.

**kronk**

Am I right in figuring that you guys have a tiered league system.

The top league (Premier league?) and lesser (minor leagues)? If someone has a bad season (or several) they get kicked out of the Premier league and some team from a minor league gets promoted into the premier league?

**Swordwind**

I believe that is how it works, yes.

**Albatross**

Currently (and for the forseeable future) the teams that finish in the bottom three places of the league at the end of the season are relegated to the next league down, the Championship. There's other leagues below that, but I've never heard of them because I support the mighty Middlebrough FC, finest team in all of Teesside!

Automatically Appended Next Post:
Uh, forgot to add - in the lower leagues, the teams occupying the top two positions are promoted automatically to the next league up, and the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th play off to see which one goes up.

**Chibi Bodge-Battle**

And it has worked well for over a hundred years iirc
If it ain't broke etc.

As a Birmingham City supporter I can tell you that there is s lot of tension and drama to be had from the relegation battle.
This is the worst idea I have come across in changing the leaugues.

As a side note our county cricket league used to have a single table but it was decided several years ago to split it to encourage more meaningful games and improve the quality and interest of the first class game.
On the whole it seems to have worked.

**Wolfstan**

It's bound to of been considered. Those top clubs spend so much on wages they can't afford to go down. As per usual it's all down to greed, and although not a footie fan, I think the idea is a stupid one.

**Carmine the Wolf**

I love the bluster and denial from officials on the subject and their denials; but let's face it, football's about money and the modern game follows it...if the rich people in the boardroom want it they'll form a breakaway league to get it if the figures look right.

My team have been out of the premiership for some time now and I for one don't want to see them back there based on the spanking that the club from the other side of my home town got the last time they were up there!

IMHO you have to let the rich kids go play their own game if they want to: lop the premiership off the top of the system, take the inevitable pain and hardship and start again with the real teams that still have some soul left.

Rename the championship league 1, and so on downwards and then give some of the teams in the conference a chance in a reformed 4th division.

It'd never happen, but wouldn't anyone else like to see football reborn as the game it was before the money warped it?

**Wolfstan**

If it does look like it's getting momentum then then all the fans need to say "cock off" and stop buying tickets, club stuff and cancel their Sky Sport subscriptions. However most of them are like GW players, they wiill just keep taking it.

**kronk**

Who owns the stadiums? How does that work? Do they belong to the clubs or the cities the clubs play in?

**mattyrm**

The Clubs own them in the main. Some rent or are shared, but most are owned outright.

And yes this is a terrible idea, all of the leagues are made more exciting by it. Being in a relegation dogfight is exciting, being in a promotion chase is exciting, and being a Boro fan we do both regularly, if you couldn't do either, then what is the point in it all?!

**sarpedons-right-hand**

As a Blackburn fan, I feel a little dirty.... The fact that the stupid owners might vote for some pretty serious rules changes in the near future makes me sick....

Blackburn Rovers have a long and proud history. Founded in 1875 and being one of the founding clubs of the whole football league, now being bought by Indians who, frankly, have no clue as to how it all works in the English football league......RAGE!!!
Please don't let it happen.... It's people like this, as well as the agents, that are ruining football in England and around the world....

**Morathi's Darkest Sin**

Bad reporting, no one doing their research at the Beeb again.

The FA has a special share and has a veto on various issues including:

7.2 Notwithstanding any provision in the Articles or the Rules to the contrary, each of the
following matters shall be deemed to be a variation of the rights attaching to the Special
Share and shall accordingly be effective only with the consent in writing of the Special
Shareholder and without such consent shall not be done or caused to be done:

7.2.4 the making and adoption of or any amendment to, removal of or waiver of any of the
provisions of the Rules which relate to:

(b) the number of Members and promotion to and relegation from the League;

http://www.premierleague.com/staticFiles/c2/8a/0,,12306~166594,00.pdf

**Grimtuff**

Albatross wrote:Currently (and for the forseeable future) the teams that finish in the bottom three places of the league at the end of the season are relegated to the next league down, the Championship. There's other leagues below that, but I've never heard of them because I support the mighty Middlebrough FC, finest team in all of Teesside!

League 1 and League 2, AKA the Sinkingship and the Receivership!

Looks like my beloved Forest are heading for League 1 again...

Why oh why did we get rid of Billy Davies?

If this comes to pass Forest's exile from the Premiership will be forever.

**Da Boss**

I always tell the kids I support Blackburn. Can't see the point in supporting any of the big teams, where's the drama?

**Flashman**

It would be truly attrocious. If the big five or six want to feth off and form their own super league, then so be it, but leave the real (and financially viable) teams to play proper English football complete with hope, despair and the occasional triumph.

EDIT - Would also be highly ironic if Saints were to continue their current amazing run (5 points clear at the top of the league!), win the Championship by Christmas and then find the Premiership has sealed its doors forever.

**Azza007**

As nice as it would be for my team, NUFC, to be eternally in the premier league, the lack of change would make the game dull as dishwater. I like the chance for lesser teams to come up and show us what they got and raise awareness of them.

**Juvieus Kaine**

Yeah I saw this and while I'm not a proper football supporter (I peek on Manchester Utd to see how they're doing), it's a stupid idea. The whole point of the relegation system is to refresh the Premier League and give smaller teams a chance with the big guys. The leagues will get incredibly dull if there was no switching around into new groups and motivation to get into/stay in these groups will be lost.

Basically it's foriegn moneymen trying to use their money to push their weight about. I liked how watching a program one Rovers player said "Most owners don't actually know about football and don't talk about it".

**MeanGreenStompa**

Abandon this silly game of rolling on the floor crying and being paid multimillions and instead watch a real sport.

Convert to Rugby and rejoice.

**Grimtuff**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:Abandon this silly game of rolling on the floor crying and being paid multimillions and instead watch a real sport.

Convert to Rugby and rejoice.

You mean the same sport where a guy playing for Wales got sent off for tackling someone?

To me this is like getting a ticket for speeding in F1. Rugby's getting as silly as Footie with some of its rules...

**Azza007**

There is deffo too much theatrics and ridiculous wages. Why I like watching the local, non-divisional teams. When on duty at football events we do have, in St John Ambulance, oscar awards for the biggest primadonna of the match.

**Grimtuff**

Azza007 wrote:There is deffo too much theatrics and ridiculous wages. Why I like watching the local, non-divisional teams. When on duty at football events we do have, in St John Ambulance, oscar awards for the biggest primadonna of the match.

That would go to the gentleman at Lincoln City's final match in the football league before they got relegated last year who threw a chair at my mate who was doing steward duties...

**Wolfstan**

Grimtuff wrote:
MeanGreenStompa wrote:Abandon this silly game of rolling on the floor crying and being paid multimillions and instead watch a real sport.

Convert to Rugby and rejoice.

You mean the same sport where a guy playing for Wales got sent off for tackling someone? To me this is like getting a ticket for speeding in F1. Rugby's getting as silly as Footie with some of its rules...

That's called "spearing" and is not a legal tackle... due to the fact that you're potentially driving the opposing player's head into the ground and thus snapping his neck. Whether what he did was a heat of the moment thing or not, or that he should of been sent off for ten minutes only, is another argument.

So basically it's not like getting a a speeding fine in F1 at all, plus there is a hell of a long way to go before the great game becomes anything like football. Unlike footballers, rugby players respect the ref, don't attempt to bully him or stand there shouting at each other (with added girlie pushing). We just hit the bugger harder in the ruck's & mauls

**notprop**

MeanGreenStompa wrote:Abandon this silly game of rolling on the floor crying and being paid multimillions and instead watch a real sport.

Convert to Rugby and rejoice.

Of course the rugby Premier League only introduced relegation/promotion relatively recently.

As for the Welsh Captain, illegal tackle. The rugby player in me says 10mins in the bin, the Englishman says well done sir good decision.

As for football, a closed league would just get a bit stagnant and stale. It won't happen.

That said being a Gooner and noting that we are skirting dangerously with the lower half of the table I can definitely see the merits of this change.

**Pacific**

There would be some serious rioting if this ever got near becoming a reality!

I have said it before and I will say it again, there is too much money involved in football these days. It is getting too top-heavy, and it's only a matter of time before something has to give. I just hope it isn't this.

I think they could do with introducing from NFL elements into the Premiership though - namely salary caps, and some of kind of similar trading system so the lower teams get a shot at getting some of the better plays, rather than having decades with the same good teams and the same gak teams as we have now.

**Baragash**

How about this for a conspiracy theory... look at the teams that have been picking up very rich owners... notice anything? They appear to be spread out across different leagues. If a group of very rich people wanted to create a stand-alone European Superleague, buying teams in different countries would be the way to do it.