h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

C'mon VSC, where are y'all?

Let us be discussing the two-tier Premiership.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8347341.stm

Personally, I can't see a flaw in it. Brilliant idea.

B

I assume you take that viewpoint just to stir up some controversy?

I thought we already had a two-tier premiership - the "Sky Four" and everyone else....

Well I can't see how it will benefit Scottish football.

Much as Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen cannot really compete with the Old Firm, would it help if the rest of the teams are left with a rump, a la, the League of Wales?
I also wonder if Rangers and Celtic would really like to be condemned to (likely) no European competition until they can maybe promote themselves and their teams up to the standards of the elite of Premiership I.
Why just Celtic and Rangers anyway? Why not Hearts for example?

It's also basically a redistribution of wealth downwards, allowing most of the current championship access to the TV money of the current Premiership.
Which if course is fine but I can't really see the majority of the current Premiership voting for a revenue drop.

I think what you Englishfolk don't really realise is how f**ked Scottish football is by the Premiership. (it's not just the Championship etc..).

Celtic have got plans in place to increase Parkhead's capacity to 80,000 if they get to the Premiership. They'd probably put prices up for season tickets too (it's about £600 now); they'd get (if/when promoted) about an extra £30m TV money, and probably an extra £10-15m in sponsorship due to the increased exposure, so overall we're talking about £40-50m a year extra revenue.

The fact is that football is utterly dominated by economics, by which we mean TV audiences. Dutch, Scottish, Portugese, even French big clubs are hamstrung by the fact that Sky etc. will pay more for Hull to play Arsenal (because England has a bigger population than Scotland) than they'll pay for an Old Firm game (or Ajax vs. Feyenoord/ Benfica vs. Porto etc.). Never mind the likes of Boca Juniors, Santos and all the rest.

I'm quite up for the idea of big domestic clubs being big European clubs but I don't think I like it when the likes of Spurs can afford the wage bill of Celtic, Rangers, Ajax, Feyenoord and Benfica put together. It means something is missing from European football and I don't think it's good for the game in the long term. If the Champions League means Barca, Man U and Milan winning every year it'll end up being shite. It's getting there now and I've no idea how to stop it.

Dunno if big teams from wee leagues is the way to go, but it's better than what we've got.

I think..

Why not just let Sky run the football league - they could hold a lottery each week to see who won individual games and the league title could go to the highest bidder.