Half the League to be relegated.

[ablueclaret]

Interesting idea from Percy Chapman, if you can remember that far back, and got its merits and flaws.
Certainly make relegation more certain but then promotion again more likely.
Would make for more variety and more clubs attaining the top table.
Effect on financial planning interesting but might allow more clubs to taste the benefits of top table weath.
Many potential flaws and would probably lead to the top 10 moving away into their own Super League but then that might be no bad thing.

[simonclaret]

Been reading the Guardian?

https://www.theguardian.com/football/bl ... -but-merit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As rightly pointed out in the comments, why kill the season for 6-8 clubs in September?

[Paul Waine]

This might have worked in 1920s and all the time up until the abolition of the maximum wage.

Given the great wealth paid to the Premier League teams today and the significantly lesser amounts received by Championship, it would result in the top 10 teams becoming fixtures in the Premier with very little chance of the newly promoted teams ever breaking into this group. Similarly, you could expect the same ten teams to win promotion and get relegated again, to replaced once more by the ten teams who had been relegated the season before.

It will also weaken the top ten teams v the more competitive leagues, so English Prem league successes in Europe will become more like Celtic's current European Championship record.

[Firthy]

Just let the top 8 or so join a European super league. the majority of their players are foreign anyway with the odd token british player. I have no interest in these clubs anymore, might as well watch Barcelona or Real Madrid.

[AndrewJB]

How about - for argument's sake - a two tier system in which all the teams in the Premiership and Championship are divided into two divisions at random each season, as are those teams in the lower two divisions. The winners of each of the the top two divisions play off for the championship, and the second and third place teams from the top tier play off for the European places. The bottom three (or four) teams from each of the top tier divisions are relegated to the bottom tier, and replaced by the top three (or four) from the two divisions in the tier below.

[jlup1980]

It might be time for a change of sorts, maybe it's time to open up the possibility of 4 relegations / promotions?

How about the top 3 in the Championship gain automatic promotion in place of the bottom 3 in the PL, but the next 3 teams in the Championship (4th to 6th) and the team 4th bottom in the PL make up the play-offs.

So going off the current table you'd have Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield replacing Sunderland, Hull and Boro but the play-offs would be between Crystal Palace, Leeds, Reading and Sheff Weds.

You've still got the standard 3 changes but it opens up the possibility of a 4th.

[Sidney1st]

It might be time for a change of sorts, maybe it's time to open up the possibility of 4 relegations / promotions?

How about the top 3 in the Championship gain automatic promotion in place of the bottom 3 in the PL, but the next 3 teams in the Championship (4th to 6th) and the team 4th bottom in the PL make up the play-offs.

So going off the current table you'd have Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield replacing Sunderland, Hull and Boro but the play-offs would be between Crystal Palace, Leeds, Reading and Sheff Weds.

You've still got the standard 3 changes but it opens up the possibility of a 4th.

That's a good proposal.

[Tall Paul]

You'd think this was happening this season the way some of our supporters are worrying.

[Bin Ont Turf]

Up there with the no heading a ball suggestion.

[DCWat]

You'd end up with a pool of players that just switched teams to the latest premier batch, season after season.

Some change is good, some is just fuckin stupid.

[Holtyclaret]

I have always thought that 12 months immunity from relegation for the three promoted teams was a good idea. The three lowest 'non-immune' clubs would be relegated. Gives the newly promoted clubs a better chance of growing into the league.

[TomtheClaret]

It might be time for a change of sorts, maybe it's time to open up the possibility of 4 relegations / promotions?

How about the top 3 in the Championship gain automatic promotion in place of the bottom 3 in the PL, but the next 3 teams in the Championship (4th to 6th) and the team 4th bottom in the PL make up the play-offs.

So going off the current table you'd have Newcastle, Brighton and Huddersfield replacing Sunderland, Hull and Boro but the play-offs would be between Crystal Palace, Leeds, Reading and Sheff Weds.

You've still got the standard 3 changes but it opens up the possibility of a 4th.

Did this not happen once? Chelsea went down I think. 1980's. My teenage years are a blur

[PutTheWheelieBinsOut]

It would be like Turkeys voting for Christmas

[ontario claret]

Can't believe the mioptic view that the top 8 or 10 breaking away would be a good thing. Do you really want the equivalent of us playing Sunderland week after week? Give your head a shake.

[AndrewJB]

This is why my idea has merit. Throw forty-four teams in a hat and divide them into two divisions - then have the winners of each play for the final.

[ontario claret]

Huh? Wouldn't go over in a million years.

[Dark Cloud]

Did this not happen once? Chelsea went down I think. 1980's. My teenage years are a blur

I'm sure when the play offs first came in there was a couple of seasons where the format was different and although some clubs were still automatically promoted and relegated, other lowly placed clubs in the division above played highly placed clubs in the division below to try to preserve their status (or if they lost, NOT preserve their status) Then it all changed to what we have now.

[ontario claret]

When the Prem first came in, they had to reduce the clubs from 22 to 20. They did it over two years. Is this what you're talking about?

[ontario claret]

Chelsea WAS crap in the late '70s, early '80s, before Abramovich came along. Does anybody remember the Stein brothers? Also, they used to have a running track, and limited overs cricket was played there. The Shed End was about a mile from the pitch.

[Dark Cloud]

When the Prem first came in, they had to reduce the clubs from 22 to 20. They did it over two years. Is this what you're talking about?

No, it was a different format for the play offs way back when they were first introduced in the 80's? Well before the PL. However you are correct that the PL did start with 22 clubs and one year had to reduce by 2 and I can't remember how they did it, but it was probably a lot of fun!!!

[ontario claret]

Pretty sure it was done over 2 years.

[Dark Cloud]

Pretty sure it was done over 2 years.

I think you're right.

[ontario claret]

And I'm sure that Chelsea went down in 1980 or 81 and stayed down for a while. I saw a 0-0 draw with them against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Danish TV in 1980. They were absolute crap, and were bottom of the league.

[ontario claret]

I'm sure CT can confirm all of this.

[ontario claret]

One year, the old 4th Division only had 23 teams. It all tied in.

[Dark Cloud]

Yes, apart from winning the FA cup in 1970 Chelsea were always fashionable, well supported, crawling with hooligans and yet distinctly average/crap on the field and yo, yo'd between the top 2 divisions for many years before Abramovich took them on.

[ontario claret]

I have a friend who supported Bristol Rovers. He described the Chelsea firm climbing over a wall at their old stadium, and taking over the Rovers' own terrace. Must have been very frightening, especially if you weren't a hardened hooligan in return. And Rovers would have been outnumbered on their own turf.

[IanMcL]

If teams give off to Europe, that will be the 'Premier League'. Every other league become alsorans. Football as a travelling fan becomes impossible. TV wins, football loses.

[Pstotto]

if you want a more flexible league then you'd have say 8 teams in each section, 14 games and two up two down, three rounds a 'season'. Same withthe world cup. Have it yearly like the F.A. Cup and knockout each round, seeded no world groupings.