The Football League are either pure evil or pig ignorant. Knowing football personnel as I do my money is on the latter. I have seen the plans. There are some good ideas in there. I cannot agree with them.
The Football League wants to expand to four divisions, each of them with 20 teams in. The way they are going to do this is by sucking out the best teams from the National League leaving the lesser poorer teams to fend for themselves in a world where money is increasingly hard to find and is more often than not rising to the top levels.
What they have got right is the standardisation of divisions at 20 teams each. Let us set this standard and work towards achieving it at all levels. This size of division allows for two, three or four teams to be promoted and/or relegated according to how the interacting leagues view the ability and experience of the associated league. Cricket has benefitted from splitting into two divisions with the aim of giving late season fixtures some meaning.
The Football Association must stamp on the heads of the Football League and insist that the pyramid comes first which means that although we should reduce the size of divisions to 20 teams the way we should do this is by pushing the better teams lower down the pyramid to strengthen the lower levels.
Many ex Football League teams in the National League has led BT Sport to take an interest at this level and I want to see more television coverage of the lower levels. The F.A.Vase final at Wembley was a fascinating watch as Northern League Morpeth took on and beat the phoenix version of Hereford who are working their way back up to Football League level.
More National League experience in the Regional Leagues will improve those levels and so on down the line. I agree that restructuring must happen regularly to freshen things up but the restructure must benefit the pyramid as a whole, not just the Football League. What they are trying to achieve is a return to the bad old days when the Football League was an exclusive unit. They are being selfish.
Take all the money out of the National League and it is the equivalent of taking all the important people into the castle and pulling up the drawbridge leaving those outside to the whims of the invading army. If anyone survives they can be looked after once the war is over. There will be many casualties.
If the Football League get their way:
PREMIER LEAGUE : 20 teams
CHAMPIONSHIP: 20 teams
LEAGUE ONE: 20 teams
LEAGUE TWO: 20 teams
LEAGUE THREE: 20 teams
Drawbridge - Moat - Very high wall
Teams that do not matter at all
What we need for a strong pyramid is to push better teams down into lower leagues:
PREMIER: 20
CHAMPIONSHIP: 20
LEAGUE ONE: 20
LEAGUE TWO: 20
NATIONAL LEAGUE: 20
National League Isthmian: 20
National League Northern: 20
National League Southern: 20
Isthmian Premier:20
Northern Premier: 20
Southern Premier:20
With this organisation you have instantly a strong pyramid with a logical structure.
I await with interest the outcome of any restructuring but I know the propensity of football to get things badly wrong. Four divisions of the Football League is getting things badly wrong.
I want to see the National League have one minor division for each of the three level seven leagues. Look at the country people. What shape is it closest to? What should the structure be therefore?
Sadly, getting it right is something that football just does not do.
The Football League wants to expand to four divisions, each of them with 20 teams in. The way they are going to do this is by sucking out the best teams from the National League leaving the lesser poorer teams to fend for themselves in a world where money is increasingly hard to find and is more often than not rising to the top levels.
What they have got right is the standardisation of divisions at 20 teams each. Let us set this standard and work towards achieving it at all levels. This size of division allows for two, three or four teams to be promoted and/or relegated according to how the interacting leagues view the ability and experience of the associated league. Cricket has benefitted from splitting into two divisions with the aim of giving late season fixtures some meaning.
The Football Association must stamp on the heads of the Football League and insist that the pyramid comes first which means that although we should reduce the size of divisions to 20 teams the way we should do this is by pushing the better teams lower down the pyramid to strengthen the lower levels.
Many ex Football League teams in the National League has led BT Sport to take an interest at this level and I want to see more television coverage of the lower levels. The F.A.Vase final at Wembley was a fascinating watch as Northern League Morpeth took on and beat the phoenix version of Hereford who are working their way back up to Football League level.
More National League experience in the Regional Leagues will improve those levels and so on down the line. I agree that restructuring must happen regularly to freshen things up but the restructure must benefit the pyramid as a whole, not just the Football League. What they are trying to achieve is a return to the bad old days when the Football League was an exclusive unit. They are being selfish.
Take all the money out of the National League and it is the equivalent of taking all the important people into the castle and pulling up the drawbridge leaving those outside to the whims of the invading army. If anyone survives they can be looked after once the war is over. There will be many casualties.
If the Football League get their way:
PREMIER LEAGUE : 20 teams
CHAMPIONSHIP: 20 teams
LEAGUE ONE: 20 teams
LEAGUE TWO: 20 teams
LEAGUE THREE: 20 teams
Drawbridge - Moat - Very high wall
Teams that do not matter at all
What we need for a strong pyramid is to push better teams down into lower leagues:
PREMIER: 20
CHAMPIONSHIP: 20
LEAGUE ONE: 20
LEAGUE TWO: 20
NATIONAL LEAGUE: 20
National League Isthmian: 20
National League Northern: 20
National League Southern: 20
Isthmian Premier:20
Northern Premier: 20
Southern Premier:20
With this organisation you have instantly a strong pyramid with a logical structure.
I await with interest the outcome of any restructuring but I know the propensity of football to get things badly wrong. Four divisions of the Football League is getting things badly wrong.
I want to see the National League have one minor division for each of the three level seven leagues. Look at the country people. What shape is it closest to? What should the structure be therefore?
Sadly, getting it right is something that football just does not do.
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