5% Villa - No More Relegation??

[dave.woodhall]

Do football a favour. Do it now while small heath are out of it. Wasn't MacGregor merely on our committee?

He was chairman for a year.

[Ad@m]

I wish the club hadn't released that statement.  There's dignity in silence.  That statement is the sort of thing the Blues would do, except their version would be riddled with spelling mistakes.

[dave.woodhall]

It read to me like Villa were challenging him to include them in the statement, at which time they can deny it outright.

[Stu]

Club Statement

Made me puff my chest out for the first time in months, that.

[Toronto Villa]

I wish the club hadn't released that statement.  There's dignity in silence.  That statement is the sort of thing the Blues would do, except their version would be riddled with spelling mistakes.

silence leads to people assuming we are in agreement with this nonsense. The club did the right thing in publicly challenging Bevan to come clean and ultimately distancing themselves from the assumptions made by Bevan in doing so.

[pauliewalnuts]

Last week most of us were up in arms about Liverpool's claim for more of the overseas TV money.

This, in my opinion, would be even more destructive to the fabric of the game as the Scouse telly cash grab.

[timeoutbigbar]

I wish the club hadn't released that statement.  There's dignity in silence.  That statement is the sort of thing the Blues would do, except their version would be riddled with spelling mistakes.

silence leads to people assuming we are in agreement with this nonsense. The club did the right thing in publicly challenging Bevan to come clean and ultimately distancing themselves from the assumptions made by Bevan in doing so.

Agree entirely.  I do believe there are foreign owners who would back the scheme, but I don't think it would ever be allowed to pass.  Even though these owners are businessmen and want to earn money, I don't believe they wouldn't consider the impact on public interest is this did happen.  They aren't stupid.

[TopDeck113]

The irony of the proposal is that more often than not, it is the relegation battle that sustains the interest right up until the last kick of the season.  It has all the elements of suspense, unpredictability and excitement that are lacking at the other end of the table.

[eastie]

This will not happen and whoever would propose such an idea has no real interest in the good of football and only an interest in money.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Doing away with  promotion/relegation would mean the actual results at the end of the season will have no ongoing significance whatsoever.

I therefore would like to propose an even more radical overhaul - namely eliminating the goalposts.
Instead football pitches will be very large and circular, two teams of 10 outfield players will compete to keep possession of the football during six 15 minute sessions. The clubs will of course continue with their normal season long round robin of fixtures much as today.

Large circular pitches will allow the construction of much larger stadia for our bigger best supported clubs, and the regular breaks will be a lot more media friendly to allow TV companies their advertising slots.
 
The most entertaining teams weaving the most skilful and intricate patterns with the ball will naturally enough attract the most fans. So at present that will be Barcelona on the world stage and in this country,.... errr Arsenal  .

League tables will be maintained as an added interest despite the fact that there will be no goals and consequently no results. Teams will be ranked from top to bottom on the basis of revenue generated. Those teams providing the most entertaining possession football will obviously be pulling in more fans and more revenue.

Some may mock my proposals now, but didnt McGregor have his critics ? Its time for football to move on and break out of the restrictions of 19th century thinking that thought the primary aim was not just to move the ball over a given line in a particular place, but to perform the act more times than your opponent during the game ! In my opinion, a now outdated concept encouraged by Victorian ideas of laissez- faire competition.

Under my system, when someone who doesnt like football says to you "Its just a load of people kicking a bag of air round a field" you will now be able to tell them...."Yes! It is !"

[luke25]

Doing away with  promotion/relegation would mean the actual results at the end of the season will have no ongoing significance whatsoever.

I therefore would like to propose an even more radical overhaul - namely eliminating the goalposts.
Instead football pitches will be very large and circular, two teams of 10 outfield players will compete to keep possession of the football during six 15 minute sessions. The clubs will of course continue with their normal season long round robin of fixtures much as today.

Large circular pitches will allow the construction of much larger stadia for our bigger best supported clubs, and the regular breaks will be a lot more media friendly to allow TV companies their advertising slots.
 
The most entertaining teams weaving the most skilful and intricate patterns with the ball will naturally enough attract the most fans. So at present that will be Barcelona on the world stage and in this country,.... errr Arsenal  .

League tables will be maintained as an added interest despite the fact that there will be no goals and consequently no results. Teams will be ranked from top to bottom on the basis of revenue generated. Those teams providing the most entertaining possession football will obviously be pulling in more fans and more revenue.

Some may mock my proposals now, but didnt McGregor have his critics ? Its time for football to move on and break out of the restrictions of 19th century thinking that thought the primary aim was not just to move the ball over a given line in a particular place, but to perform the act more times than your opponent during the game ! In my opinion, a now outdated concept encouraged by Victorian ideas of laissez- faire competition.

Under my system, when someone who doesnt like football says to you "Its just a load of people kicking a bag of air round a field" you will now be able to tell them...."Yes! It is !"

Fucking pathetic idea! Have you seen us try and keep the ball? ;-)

[garyfouroaks]

Last week most of us were up in arms about Liverpool's claim for more of the overseas TV money.This, in my opinion, would be even more destructive to the fabric of the game as the Scouse telly cash grab.

The problem is that the two proposals go hand in glove.

A PL protected from relegation might be prepared to offer the elite clubs ( whether Liverpool are one of those is a matter for debate) (enhanced)individual rights in a quid pro quo.

Then there is the issue of whether a reconsitituted PL would include Wigan, Swansea, QPR, Bolton, Blackburn in favour of the likes of Leeds, Forest, Southampton, one of the Sheffield (or even Bristol/ East Anglian) clubs.

It would be the end of top flight pro football as I have come to know and love it, and would be the point at which i would find something more interesting to follow.

[adrenachrome]

We were confused and surprised by Mr Bevan's remarks today stating that unnamed American and Asian owners have been talking about scrapping promotion and relegation to the Premier League.

If he intended this group to specifically include Aston Villa, as could be inferred by his comments, then we would ask him to confirm as much.

We might also add that the founding of the Football League in 1888 was led by a previous Chairman of Aston Villa, William McGregor.

It's nice to see us on the front foot. Well played Villa.

Seconded, split infinitive notwithstanding.

[The Situation]

Atleast in American pro sports there is parity and fairness unlike when it comes to football where all you need to do is spunk 300 million on players and win everything.

The worst team gets the top draft pick... it allows the teams who haven't done so well a chance to get better and compete rather than it just constantly being dominated by 3 or 4 teams because they have the most money. A team with one of the worst records can go to playoff contenders in just one season. It's not just the same one or two teams who win the Superbowl every year, its a more competitive and entertaining league than the Premier League. Oh who's going to win the Prem again this season... Man United, yawn.

[paulcomben]

No relegation? Abhorrent idea. But needs must. If we are keeping McLeish, we have to vote for that shit as one.