by BR2 »
11 Nov 2009 11:26
Vision BR2 People have been saying this sort of thing ever since The Premiership was created.
Ideally a couple of clubs would go to the wall although that might only let in Rangers and Celtic so more ideally the TV companies get together and agree to reduce what they pay by 75%.
I think the biggest problem in our football is that there are far too many professional clubs and the clubs are also too tribal.
Some time in the future I can see there being something like 16 professional clubs with 100,000 plus seater stadia (a bit like with American football)and mergers such as Brentford,Aldershot,Reading,Swindon and Oxford,the two Bristol clubs plus Exeter and Plymouth ,Southampton,Bournemouth and Portsmouth etc.
For the moment I am still suffering from the relegation hangover and don't like what I get to see on Saturdays and going back to the topic of loans I don't think they should exist-the original idea was to cover serious injury problems but I think it now just papers over cracks at the receiving clubs and means that the big clubs can afford to take on loads of players,much more than they actually need.
I think its the sheer tribal nature of football that dictates what you suggest won't ever happen, or certainly not to the extent you're suggesting.
Totally agree about the loan system. It'd be great if coaching and managing what you have and concentrating on team-building actually became fashionable again.
Not in my lifetime Vision but as I see it with people moving around so much more and sometimes they pick a club to follow or their kids grow up in a different area ,the tribal aspect might reduce.
The other day I was talking to a mate who has followed Pompey forever and he lives about 30 miles from the ground.
He let his season ticket go a few years ago and can't get another-believe it or not they are like gold-dust.
So recently he has taken his grand-children to Bournemouth where it is easy to get in.
Those kids might well grow up to support Bournemouth because that is where they live.
For my kids and grand-children it has always been Reading or nothing apart from my son who now sees Reading as his second club after moving on to Chelsea when Kerry Dixon went there.
Likewise my RFC mate from Gillingham-when he can no longer get to Reading games his grandson will probably switch loyalties to Gills because there would be no ongoing family link to Reading.
So as I see it the tribalism may well reduce.
Glad to see that we agree on something for a change

regarding the loan system.