The FA 'shaking up' football again

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27289819

They're looking in to how Premier League and Championship teams can field a 'B' team in the Football League :dismay:

 

New B League

Not sure if it's been mentioned. But noticed on sky sports this morning the FA are considering a new b league for premiership and championship clubs to field second string sides similar to in Spain and Italy. It would probably be sandwiched between league two and the conference but not for certain. I'm sure this is something the pozzo's would love considering the amount of players we normally have on the books these days. Any thoughts on whether this would be a good idea or not?

 

Ah, I just started a post on this :/ Foriegn managers in England have been suggesting it for years but the FA have always laughed it off. Now they'll make out like it was all their idea!

 

We got enough problems with the 'A' Team!!!

 

Valid point. I'm out!

 

It's an interesting one as it will anger teams who have to compete against these B teams and don't have the budget to do that.

Would conference teams be promoted to the B League then? Would anger them as they have further to climb to get to the upper echelons of the table structure. Not sure I like the idea but this should make for a good discussion, first good thread in god knows how long.

 

No. The loan system works perfectly well already, and ensures that the youngsters from the bigger clubs leave their comfort zone and really experience the rough and tumble of the lower leagues.

 

It's to improve homegrown players basically, wonder if there would have to be a very strict English contingent to each team? http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27289819

 

They have suggested an alternative of merging league 2 with the conference and then having a couple of regional b leagues instead. Either way I think it will ruffle a few feathers!

 

There's a potential for some clubs to make a bit of extra revenue out of this. Say for instance a conference side had Man Utd B at home and Man Utd firsts didn't have a game, I'm sure plenty of Man Utd fans would go to the game. I can't see many other benefits though.

 

It is just going to be reserve team football. I can't see it working that well over here. It will also pretty much put an end to domestic loans.

 

What happens when Chelsea B gets promoted all the way up to the Premier League?

 

Great idea if you ask me.

But when they say Premiership and Chamoionship it sounds like there's gonna be about 40 teams doing it!

I think it's going to be a perk of being Category 1 in the whole youth system thing.

 

There would be a cap on how far they can be promoted.

 

First and reserves aren't allowed to play competitive football against one another. At least that's how it works in the lower leagues which I play in on a Saturday. For example in the west herts league Hemel rovers play in the prem and their reserves play in div 1. The reserves win the league nearly every year but never go up. So I presume we'd have the pleasure of watching Chelsea b lift the championship trophy every season! That said I saw Hadley a beat Hadley b the other week on the fixture least but I think that was a cup game! So maybe in cups they will be allowed to play one another, to be honest with the FA, who knows!

 

Where would said games be played?

 

Which pretty much eliminates the whole need for grading academy systems and investing limits. They already have the under-21's Premier League for academies.

I really don't see it working how they want it to. If it is an incentive to get more "homegrown" players game time they are going to be playing at a much lower level than League 2 or Conference. If they want it to work it needs to be full integrated into the Football League and no "B Team" club can play higher or in the same league as their parent club. If that then means "Watford B" would hit their ceiling at League One then so be it. It is the only way I can see it working.

 

Awful, awful idea. Who would go and watch the games? Where would they play? No passion, not a real club, would be utterly horrendous.

 

Regarding the loans I don't think it will, use a player like Chalobah for instance, would Chelsea send him to the equivalent of league 2, or would it better his development to go to a championship club (especially one who would pay his wages)? It'll be down to the quality of player. Germany, Spain, all do this and it works quite well I think, would add a lot more competitiveness to the game compared to the U21 leagues, which can only help players development.

 

Bad move.

All they need to do is relax the rules about dual club ownership and transfers between.

Setting up a B league is going to kill off local teams. Allowing dual club ownership & feeder teams will inject capital into local sides from bigger parent clubs.

 

I don't think you'll see that happen as Chelsea would care more about the money they've pumped into a B team to get a return. The range of ability among a team of "B team" players is going to vary a lot in a league like that too. If they were to fully integrate it into the FL then it might work.

 

It would just encourage big clubs to hoover up all the homegrown talent just to play in this league.

 

And the underlaying reason for EPP finially becomes clear.

 

I, for one, hope that the FA finally streamline fans' access to clubs' revenue streams. A premier league of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea. A Championship of: Arsenal(A), Liverpool(A), Man City(A), Man Utd(A) and Chelsea(A). A 3rd level of Arsenal(B), Liverpool(B), Man City(B), Man Utd(B) and Chelsea(B). With a second division of Arsenal(C), Liverpool(C), Man City(C), Man Utd(C) and Chelsea(C).

All the other clubs can **** off to some sort of Aldi/Lidl/Poundland Sunday league cup knock-out competition.

 

Has to be the way the way forward but for the national team to benefit there needs to be serious thought about capping imports.

 

You're right mate - let's start with the owners. English clubs should be English owned. And when I say English I mean English: three generations of traceable English ancestry.

I want no mischlinge polluting "our" national game.

 

I think it's stupid.

Instead of creating a B league they should just stop the likes of Chelsea stock piling young talent and restrict the amount of young foreign players academies can sign.

 

They should just reinstate the football combination. Not only allows youngsters to develop, perfect for the likes of Jonathon Bond but also gives more senior players opportunity to keep fit, regain fitness after long layoffs

Would be great for us with our massive squad and most players coming in with injuries and/or no core fitness

 

This is a such a top-10 centric idea that basically says, it's okay for you to hoarde all the talent in the uk at the expense of smaller clubs. And you know what, you can have some of their gate receipts too. Insanely canibalistic and short sighted

 

I disagree that the loan system works perfectly well. Many loan players end up falling into that area of being too good for the side they are loaned to, but too poor for their parent club, yet their wages are to prohibitively high for them to move to find their level.

It widens the gulf between the haves and have nots, as the haves can afford to buy all the best players from the second tier and below, as gambles on a shot to nothing.

I don't see how the B team thing resolves this either. Better to move back to regular, reserve team football.

 

I don't think this is a good idea. For starters it will mean the end for some of the older clubs who just won't be able to afford the same as Chelsea B or Stoke B or whoever. If they are designing it to let younger players have more first team experience would it not be better to change some of the loan rules to allow this?

 

Why hasn't somebody thought of a league containing reserve players prior to this???

This has sparked an idea for me - how about we also start a league system for youth players, which varies depending on age??????

 

We all know the FA and sky would much rather the FL folded so everybody could support one of 20 teams in "the best league in the world", maximising revenue. This is just another attempt to do so with academy category rules and "super-parachute payments".

Small clubs are just a thorn in Sky's side they want to get rid of. Why show a championship relegation battle when it can be "super-sunday" every day of the week?