Proposed changes to the Premier league

[kenada_blue]

From today's Times.



The EFL rejected a £375 million offer from an American investment firm for a 20 per cent stake in the league that would have helped to solve the clubs’ cash crisis, it can be revealed.
TPG Capital offered the cash as part of an arrangement that was similar to CVC Capital Partners’ deal with Premiership Rugby when it took a 27 per cent stake. It is understood that the EFL turned down the offer on Friday, two days before Rick Parry, its chairman, revealed details of the plan he is involved in, alongside the respective American owners of Liverpool and Manchester United, to revolutionise English football with Project Big Picture.
As part of the deal, TPG — previously known as Texas Pacific Group — would have been able to put in place a management team to handle the EFL’s commercial and broadcasting rights, believing it would have a much better ability to maximise its potential.
It is thought that the offer was not put to the 72 EFL clubs but discussed by the league’s commercial chiefs before being rejected. The EFL declined to comment.
The EFL, which is seeking a £250 million bailout because of the Covid-19 crisis, suffered another significant blow when David Baldwin, the league’s chief executive, quit after less than six months in the position. Baldwin, the 49-year-old former Burnley chief executive, announced his decision to the EFL board yesterday.

The EFL said the decision was not related to Project Big Picture, but it is understood it is partly linked to frustrations around dealing with the Covid-19 crisis as well as personal family issues. He is expected to work out a six-month notice period.
Baldwin, who had been involved in making the case to the government for the safe return of fans, as well as negotiating for a financial support package with the Premier League, saw through a change to the EFL’s rules so that League One and League Two clubs are subject to a salary cap.
In a statement he said: “Clearly, accepting this position pre-Covid-19 means the situation is now very different to the one I envisaged.

Simon Jordan on talksport alluded to this yesterday saying there are outside investors willing to pump cash into the league.

But Parry is a snake. Theres nothing stopping him from turning the EFL into a premier league style league from a marketing and advertising POV. But he's turned it down.

 

[Lee Smith]

Humberside Sport Live - Holloway: "Greed is disgusting, and that’s what I’m seeing everywhere. It’s absolutely vile." - BBC Sounds

Grimsby Town manager on the Project Big Picture plans for the English football pyramid.

www.bbc.co.uk

Holloway nails it

 

[DanB90]

A select number of clubs in the league should not openly be allowed to call the shots and hold all the power. I can’t even believe it’s being discussed tbh.

 

[Jacko93]

If the Prem can afford to give more to the lower levels then I'm fine with that. I don't get that the price to pay is that 11 teams get shafted & have no say in it.
After a day of thinking about it my crude idea is this...
As before, give the lower tiers more money from the Prem pot, Any team playing European footy is out of the League cup, Keep 20 teams as it's lost revenue for those outside of European places, Give all Prem teams 2 votes instead of 1 but limit newly promoted teams to 1 vote, When they stay up they are rewarded with fully equal status with 2 votes to stop yo-yo clubs from major influence until they can prove they are a fully fledged Premier team. It's a slight power grab but equal across all surviving teams & not just the so called big six. Keep parachute payments but scale them back over time to stop the yo-yo clubs from leaning on it so much as the extra new funding pot will help balance the books.
It's not perfect, there are flaws but it should keep the pyramid in tact, settle lower league finances & give mainstay Premier League teams slightly more of a say albeit a tiny increase.

My idea is, why not give the EFL a 25% cut of the TV earnings for 5 years on the agreement that a plan is in place for the EFL to work towards replacing that. In year 5 negotiations start for PL to reduce and EFL to fill in the gaps. PL give £250m as a COVID payment, £100m to FA with guidance to how it can be spent, and then.....actually, no that's it.

Lets just help out the lower league and grassroots football without expecting anything in return, we've spent years reaping the rewards from the hard work of grassroots football and the lower leagues. How much is Jamie Vardy worth to Leicester? Also, Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand, Joe Gomez to their respective clubs, all bought from lower leagues, and I am confident that 100% of them would have first played for a local club run by volunteers.

There is something very, very suss to me on the involvement of Rick Parry and the fact that he seems almost to be driving it alongside MUFC and LFC.

 

[Twinkletoes123]

Two clubs, one who is terrified of becoming what the other became for 30 years and the other managing to get back to the top and are scared of becoming themselves again, or being "a Leicester". Both coming together to try an screw the rest of the league over! Their attempt to include the rest of the "top 6" to get them on side is pathetic and if it worked would show how weak those 4 other clubs are... oh and the ridiculous proposal of giving the EFL a 25% cut of the TV rights is diabolical!! The bigger picture shows the 12 teams not in the "top 6" will have to pay the same amount to the EFL as the "top 6" yet will not have the same air time so advertising deals will be lower which will also be affected by the fewer fixtures. Everything is aimed at 6 clubs. If they want to make a change, sound, take those 6 clubs out of the league, set up a new one like the six nations where its a 1 off tournament a year...

 

[moyeslovechild]

I'm not saying people are wrong to be angry about this, at the top 6 and United and the RS

But are we forgetting that the likes of West Ham and others wanted last season to only be finished on the condition that they couldn't be relegated ?

Who out of the 20 do you think would stand in the way of a vote for the Prem to become a closed shop right now if it came to it

So I don't buy the talk of any club and associated figures talking about morality and the good of the game..

 

[Mikey O]

I hope the Blues come out against the deal before the Derby

 

[Barnfred 55]

From today's Times.



The EFL rejected a £375 million offer from an American investment firm for a 20 per cent stake in the league that would have helped to solve the clubs’ cash crisis, it can be revealed.
TPG Capital offered the cash as part of an arrangement that was similar to CVC Capital Partners’ deal with Premiership Rugby when it took a 27 per cent stake. It is understood that the EFL turned down the offer on Friday, two days before Rick Parry, its chairman, revealed details of the plan he is involved in, alongside the respective American owners of Liverpool and Manchester United, to revolutionise English football with Project Big Picture.
As part of the deal, TPG — previously known as Texas Pacific Group — would have been able to put in place a management team to handle the EFL’s commercial and broadcasting rights, believing it would have a much better ability to maximise its potential.
It is thought that the offer was not put to the 72 EFL clubs but discussed by the league’s commercial chiefs before being rejected. The EFL declined to comment.
The EFL, which is seeking a £250 million bailout because of the Covid-19 crisis, suffered another significant blow when David Baldwin, the league’s chief executive, quit after less than six months in the position. Baldwin, the 49-year-old former Burnley chief executive, announced his decision to the EFL board yesterday.

The EFL said the decision was not related to Project Big Picture, but it is understood it is partly linked to frustrations around dealing with the Covid-19 crisis as well as personal family issues. He is expected to work out a six-month notice period.
Baldwin, who had been involved in making the case to the government for the safe return of fans, as well as negotiating for a financial support package with the Premier League, saw through a change to the EFL’s rules so that League One and League Two clubs are subject to a salary cap.
In a statement he said: “Clearly, accepting this position pre-Covid-19 means the situation is now very different to the one I envisaged.

Classic case of people holding onto power. Something as important as that, especially in the current crisis, simply has to be put before the clubs to vote on.

 

[Richard Alex]

You've never been to a game in Scotland, have you?

Yes mate I have many times
Been to Both Dundee clubs as my family from my dads side were from there
Also went to Everton v Rangers Dave Watson’s testimonial and the Ranger’s fans behaviour was appalling
So I’ve seen it first hand
Also ask the people of Manchester and see what they think

 

[everton1953]

It has been known for years that a certain few club owners want a much smaller league, no cup competitions with plenty of space for a European league closed shop and lucrative trips to far away places for friendlies. The spokesmen for these aims are often but not always based in USA, and take a global not parochial view of our game. Nobody really knows if the covid crisis will sink many clubs. If a few went, so what? A few living in Bury were sad when that went, but nobody else misses them do they? There are lists of clubs who fade away down the years and others take their place. Long live Fleetwood and Harrogate. Hopefully few will fall away due to Covid.

 

[Toast]

I absolutely hate modern football.

 

[everton1953]

Far better standard now than "old" football ever was. Which does not mean that old footballers in big boots, on terrible pitches and a heavy ball did not entertain. They certainly did; it is just that athletic standards have risen in most sports.

 

[number4.]

On a totally cynical note, if these proposed changes eventually lead to the demise of football as a major, fan based sport in Europe/Worldwide then who gains? Up steps the NFL, NBA and MLB to fill the void...........maybe that's why it's called 'Project Big Picture'!!

If that was the long game, I suspect there are quicker and more effective means. Particularly if the levels of doping which are alleged where to be exposed

 

[allen]

The 3 Stooges think that they'll be on the inside pissing out. But they forget that while they may be in the 9, the shight 6ix will always out vote the 3 stooges

I'm not sure about this. I think this power grab is so astonishingly transparent that no one is falling for it - least of all Everton, West Ham and Southampton.

The world is full of idiots thinking they are geniuses just now. I put the great minds behind this scheme in that Trump/Johnson/Cummings basket.

 

[number4.]

My idea is, why not give the EFL a 25% cut of the TV earnings for 5 years on the agreement that a plan is in place for the EFL to work towards replacing that. In year 5 negotiations start for PL to reduce and EFL to fill in the gaps. PL give £250m as a COVID payment, £100m to FA with guidance to how it can be spent, and then.....actually, no that's it.

Lets just help out the lower league and grassroots football without expecting anything in return, we've spent years reaping the rewards from the hard work of grassroots football and the lower leagues. How much is Jamie Vardy worth to Leicester? Also, Ian Wright, Les Ferdinand, Joe Gomez to their respective clubs, all bought from lower leagues, and I am confident that 100% of them would have first played for a local club run by volunteers.

There is something very, very suss to me on the involvement of Rick Parry and the fact that he seems almost to be driving it alongside MUFC and LFC.

This is the ideal output, but lets be honest the entire game is motivated by greed, particularly at the top. There will be no desire in the PL the "just help" unfortunately & before people say that's just the attitude of the top 6, Sean Dyche was asked should the PL bail out the EFL post covid & his answer was ‘If the Premier League can do their bit to enhance the chances of other teams surviving possibly they may step in but does that mean every hedge-fund manager who is incredibly successful does that"