An 18 team premier league

[alanharper]

1 hour ago, sheffield_dave said:

18 team leagues is actually one of the controversial changes I think would be a good idea.

 

..just not for the reasons casually thrown around by Talksport presenters. 

 

I think we play too much football. The Bundesliga and German lower divisions are all 18 team leagues with only 1 cup competition, and I just think that's a more sensible way to run a domestic league. For us, I think you could sensibly reduce the amount of league games we play while retaining 2 cups, and giving the League Cup the overdue rethink everybody knows it needs. 

 

For me there are aspects of the game that do need to change, and as fans I think we need to be realistic about which battles are worth fighting. I do think there's a way of selling an 18 team top flight - maybe even bringing the EFL in line - without it being about just trashing the likes of Norwich, Fulham and West Brom and what they apparently don't bring to the Premier League. 

 

But cutting the number of games in the PL means more games to play in the EFL, who already all play a 46 league game season.

 

Or should a couple of clubs lose their league status just because the big boys have decided that they should play 4 fewer matches? 

[g-owls]

Keep it as it is.

 

Get rid of the bloated European qualifying groups. Four games against Andorra and San Marino are totally pointless and time consuming.

 

Streamline the European club competitions. No one is bothered until the knockout stages begin, which contains the same old faces every year.

 

Flying to Belarus or wherever for a Thursday night group game is nonsense.

 

None of that will happen of course, as the power of money fries the brains of those responsible for governing the game.

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by g-owls

[sheffield_dave]

22 minutes ago, alanharper said:

 

But cutting the number of games in the PL means more games to play in the EFL, who already all play a 46 league game season.

 

Or should a couple of clubs lose their league status just because the big boys have decided that they should play 4 fewer matches? 

Well I did mention about cutting the EFL leagues down to 18 as well. 
 

That would mean restricting other areas of the pyramid. You could formally absorb the conference into the EFL as a League 3, and split that division into a North and South Tier made up of current conference and League Two sides. Might even help the sustainability of the some of the clubs at that level and increase their promotion chances up the league. 

 

I dunno, I’m literally just spitballing ideas. All I will stand by as a firm belief is that a.) I think the current system is unsustainable and b.) defeating the Super League to retain the status quo is not a success. 
 

Change is coming because it will have to, and I think football fans - mostly at our level - will have to get used to some creative ideas that seem unfathomable now, as well as some growing pains, in order to respond to it. 

[Orlando_Trustful]

Jamie O'Hara 

 

I bet he doesn't even know what month it is. 

 

Having eighteen sides wouldn't any difference at all. Apart from a few fewer games you would still have yo-yo clubs like normal. However, there might be other benefits to having eighteen sides in the league. 

[fudge27]

9 hours ago, sheffield_dave said:

Well I did mention about cutting the EFL leagues down to 18 as well. 
 

That would mean restricting other areas of the pyramid. You could formally absorb the conference into the EFL as a League 3, and split that division into a North and South Tier made up of current conference and League Two sides. Might even help the sustainability of the some of the clubs at that level and increase their promotion chances up the league. 

 

I dunno, I’m literally just spitballing ideas. All I will stand by as a firm belief is that a.) I think the current system is unsustainable and b.) defeating the Super League to retain the status quo is not a success. 
 

Change is coming because it will have to, and I think football fans - mostly at our level - will have to get used to some creative ideas that seem unfathomable now, as well as some growing pains, in order to respond to it. 

Could see this. Creating 5 professional leagues, then regionalising the 6th tier

 

Premier league - 18 teams

Championship - 18 teams 

League 1 - 18 teams

League 2 - 18 teams 

League 3 - 20 teams 

Conference north - 20 teams

Conference south - 20 teams

 

Keep a 3 up 3 down system for the top 4 leagues. League 3 could be 3 down and 3 up, with a play off between North and south for the 3rd promotion spot. 

 

Keep the play offs in current format, and revamp the league cup comps. Not as bad as it could be if done correct