Improvements to football:-
1. Take all the Premier League Teams out of the League Cup and scrap the Checkatrade/JohnsonsPaint/NiveaCream/Caracas Trophy with its crowds of below 1,000.
2. Institute a Premier League Trophy in which teams have to play at least 6 players aged UNDER 23.
3. Make Five Divisions of 20 instead of the current idiot structure, and below that reduce the National League to regionalised divisions of 20.
4. With fewer non-league fixtures National League teams could be brought into the FA Cup earlier so that Qualifying could end earlier and thus the First Round Proper could get under way earlier too. This might mean getting a little tougher on minnows before they are allowed to enter the competition.
5. Byes to the third round of the Cup should be available ONLY to the sides who have performed best in the competition over the past five seasons irrespective of their division (a points system could be used taking into account losing to lower league opposition or beating teams from higher up). This would encourage teams to field a side likely to win games. Why should permanent non-triers be allowed to devalue the cup by fielding reserve teams in the third round every year?
6. When FA Cup games result in a draw after 90 minutes reduce the finishing sides by two men a-piece and play up to 45 minutes extra until a Goalden FA Cup goal is scored ending the match. Only if no Golden Goal is scored would a replay occur. Institute this throughout the Qualifying Rounds too as evening replays clog up the non-league scene too for part-time players.
7. Award THREE bonus points in League Football to each of the four clubs qualifying for the FA Cup Semi Finals. If a club outside the Premiership reaches that stage double the award to SIX.
Of course the real answer would be weld the FA and the Premier League together …. so that we might see a mid-season break which was respected and Liverpool might not be so keen to sacrifice a miniature Japanese forward to Shrewsbury defenders keen to treat him as sushi.
1. Take all the Premier League Teams out of the League Cup and scrap the Checkatrade/JohnsonsPaint/NiveaCream/Caracas Trophy with its crowds of below 1,000.
2. Institute a Premier League Trophy in which teams have to play at least 6 players aged UNDER 23.
3. Make Five Divisions of 20 instead of the current idiot structure, and below that reduce the National League to regionalised divisions of 20.
4. With fewer non-league fixtures National League teams could be brought into the FA Cup earlier so that Qualifying could end earlier and thus the First Round Proper could get under way earlier too. This might mean getting a little tougher on minnows before they are allowed to enter the competition.
5. Byes to the third round of the Cup should be available ONLY to the sides who have performed best in the competition over the past five seasons irrespective of their division (a points system could be used taking into account losing to lower league opposition or beating teams from higher up). This would encourage teams to field a side likely to win games. Why should permanent non-triers be allowed to devalue the cup by fielding reserve teams in the third round every year?
6. When FA Cup games result in a draw after 90 minutes reduce the finishing sides by two men a-piece and play up to 45 minutes extra until a Goalden FA Cup goal is scored ending the match. Only if no Golden Goal is scored would a replay occur. Institute this throughout the Qualifying Rounds too as evening replays clog up the non-league scene too for part-time players.
7. Award THREE bonus points in League Football to each of the four clubs qualifying for the FA Cup Semi Finals. If a club outside the Premiership reaches that stage double the award to SIX.
Of course the real answer would be weld the FA and the Premier League together …. so that we might see a mid-season break which was respected and Liverpool might not be so keen to sacrifice a miniature Japanese forward to Shrewsbury defenders keen to treat him as sushi.