5th Division for English Football

[Doon frae Troon]

I agree that since 1966 England have achieved little or nothing (despite the media hype about "golden generations" etc but apart from Gareth Bale what non- English players would justify a place in a GB team.

Erm....... Ryan Giggs for starters

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Erm....... Ryan Giggs for starters

What?

He's long since retired from playing. Had you not noticed?

 

[Deleted member 16999]

No..........England teams have won diddly squat in 50 years.
A British team would be more than capable of winning tournaments.

please feel free to name the first 11 that make this strong British team.

If the discussion was about including all Scottish teams I would more than happy welcome them, but it's not, it's simply a quick way to get The Old Firm more money, what about Hibs or Hearts or Morton or Elgin City, what effect would it have on them. Sorry but it's always a self centred argument on how it would be good for English teams to play Celtic and Rangers, no one ever mentions the effect on Scottish Football Clubs left behind.
What if they started in the 5th Division and one or both were relegated in the first season, were would they go? Back to Scotland tail between their legs or into the Conference North? Daft question I suppose as we'll be told there's no way they'd get relegated and within 4 years they'll be in the Premiership.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

What?

He's long since retired from playing. Had you not noticed?

Since 1966 you said.:lol:

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Since 1966 you said.:lol:

Current ​GB team!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

please feel free to name the first 11 that make this strong British team.

If the discussion was about including all Scottish teams I would more than happy welcome them, but it's not, it's simply a quick way to get The Old Firm more money, what about Hibs or Hearts or Morton or Elgin City, what effect would it have on them. Sorry but it's always a self centred argument on how it would be good for English teams to play Celtic and Rangers, no one ever mentions the effect on Scottish Football Clubs left behind.
What if they started in the 5th Division and one or both were relegated in the first season, were would they go? Back to Scotland tail between their legs or into the Conference North? Daft question I suppose as we'll be told there's no way they'd get relegated and within 4 years they'll be in the Premiership.

I said that the first two divisions should be a British League. Promotion via the regional leagues and play offs.
Quite an incentive to the likes of Hearts/Aberdeen to win the Scottish league and enter British League 2.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I said that the first two divisions should be a British League. Promotion via the regional leagues and play offs.
Quite an incentive to the likes of Hearts/Aberdeen to win the Scottish league and enter British League 2.

It may not be fair and you may not like it but the vast majority of the money in football in GB is generated by the interest in the English teams and they and their fans have no real interest in sharing that with Scottish or Irish teams.

After all the so called Big teams barely accept sharing with the rest of the English clubs so why would they wish to dilute it any further.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

I said that the first two divisions should be a British League. Promotion via the regional leagues and play offs.
Quite an incentive to the likes of Hearts/Aberdeen to win the Scottish league and enter British League 2.

And simply drop all the English clubs who are trying to reach the higher leagues of English football (Bournemouth) combined they have thousands of years of combined history and we should make it harder for them to make it better for Scottish Teams, no thanks, not for me.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Current ​GB team!

ahhhhh you should have said.

I must admit that apart from Bale it is pretty bleak. Probably a better couple of Scots goalies in Mcgregor and Marshall than your present pair. IMO
You cannot deny a team with the likes of Best, Law, Whiteside, Dalgliesh, Giggs, Hansen, Bale, Miller [not Kenny BTW] McLeish would have given a British/English team a bit of additional class

 

[TheDiablo]

At no point did I declare that I'd come up with with a full financial analysis. It seems like you have though? I simply formed an opinion that you clearly don't agree with.

How many clubs are attendances 20% higher at on weekends and across which leagues? Is this taking season tickets into account?

If they're making it more attractive for TV then how would it boost attendances?

The FL aren't trying to move it forward for the fans it's all about money.

I'm just interested in how such a strong opinion was formed in such a short space of time. 'terrible idea' causing financial difficulties for clubs, yet your response says then it's all about the money?!

I haven't formed an opinion either way, Ill wait for the proposals to analysed before forming one. But what I do applaud is not standing still and waiting to be bypassed by thinking absolutely everything is hunky dory.

I just picked the club exactly half way down the FL and looked at one Saturday game and 1 Tuesday game, in the same month and neither were derbies. It was more 20% difference. It's also been widely reported that clubs struggle to attract attendances midweek. By having more weekend games, there's also more people that will be willing to buy full season tickets!

 

[Grogger]

I'm just interested in how such a strong opinion was formed in such a short space of time. 'terrible idea' causing financial difficulties for clubs, yet your response says then it's all about the money?!

I haven't formed an opinion either way, Ill wait for the proposals to analysed before forming one. But what I do applaud is not standing still and waiting to be bypassed by thinking absolutely everything is hunky dory.

I just picked the club exactly half way down the FL and looked at one Saturday game and 1 Tuesday game, in the same month and neither were derbies. It was more 20% difference. It's also been widely reported that clubs struggle to attract attendances midweek. By having more weekend games, there's also more people that will be willing to buy full season tickets!

Which club did you pick?

Im not convinced more people will buy season tickets because of less midweek games. Season tickets would have to come down in price to attract more fans and ticket prices would have to come down as well. I'm not sure they would if there was less games.

I don't think it's going to happen anyway so I wouldn't get to excited about it.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

ahhhhh you should have said.

I must admit that apart from Bale it is pretty bleak. Probably a better couple of Scots goalies in Mcgregor and Marshall than your present pair. IMO
You cannot deny a team with the likes of Best, Law, Whiteside, Dalgliesh, Giggs, Hansen, Bale, Miller [not Kenny BTW] McLeish would have given a British/English team a bit of additional class

Certainly Best, Law, Dalgleish, Hansen, Giggs etc; wou;d have walked into a GB team but as for the two goalkeepers you mention; sorry but a pair of hapless clowns maintaining the tradition of "Nearly ten past Haffey,"

 

[TheDiablo]

Which club did you pick?

Im not convinced more people will buy season tickets because of less midweek games. Season tickets would have to come down in price to attract more fans and ticket prices would have to come down as well. I'm not sure they would if there was less games.

I don't think it's going to happen anyway so I wouldn't get to excited about it.

Port Vale. Run of the mill FL club. Exact Halfway finish in League 1 this season. Just checked 1 place down, Peterborough, again a staple FL club. Same month, 2 games. Saturday was more than 40% up on Tuesday.

I'm not saying it will work. But it certainly shouldn't be dismissed as 'terrible' on first glance.

Many FL clubs already face financial difficulties, and as a very smart man once said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. So well done to the FL for looking at ways to shake things up before local clubs die out.

I agree I don't think it will happen. Even if overwhelming evidence shows that no clubs will lose out there are too many chairmen interested in the short term and maintaining the status quo. (Im not suggesting that evidence is there or will be forthcoming!)

 

[Imurg]

No..........England teams have won diddly squat in 50 years.
A British team would be more than capable of winning tournaments.

How, when you add players from teams that have won even less than England, is a British team going to have more chance of winning..?
It's like saying if you add players from Fulham, Bristol Rovers, Wolves and Bradford to the Liverpool squad they'll be more likely to win the league next season...

 

[Liverbirdie]

It's like saying if you add players from Fulham, Bristol Rovers, Wolves and Bradford to the Liverpool squad they'll be more likely to win the league next season...

Whoa.......whats their keeper and left back like? Can't be any worse than what we have now.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

How, when you add players from teams that have won even less than England, is a British team going to have more chance of winning..?
It's like saying if you add players from Fulham, Bristol Rovers, Wolves and Bradford to the Liverpool squad they'll be more likely to win the league next season...

Nothing like that, you need to think 'inclusive' and strengthening a squad and it's support. For fifty years England have just been two or three players short of a decent team. The devolved countries have generally had at least two of those players, in some cases three or four.
Olympic year and we all get behind a British team, same for the Lions at rugby, so why not Football.