"Project Reset"- It's time to reclaim English football

It’s now looking increasingly likely that the world of professional football in this country will never be the same again.

Last week saw the Premier League rocked by the proposal of “Project Big Picture” and this week news broke of plans to form a “European Premier League”.

Clubs up and down the country are suffering financially in what will be the toughest premier league season in history.

Whilst uncertainty looms within the majority of English clubs, a select few have looked instead to take advantage of the grave situation football has found itself in.

The EU-sual Suspects

Whenever there is chatter of any kind of “Super League”, Real Madrid are always involved. “Los Blancos” president Florentino Pérez has championed european expansion generating greater revenues for Europe’s elite.

As with “Project Big Picture” Liverpool & Man United are also among those in support of the “European Premier League”. Alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham.

This Super League would look to form as early 2022 and would host 18 of Europe’s elite teams, in a league format which is decided by a mini knockout competition.

Although initial reports suggest that this is a replacement for the Champions League, this would have a monumental impact on domestic leagues across Europe.

The league proposes 30+ games over the course of a season, the current Champions League (excluding qualifiers) format will see a team play a maximum of 13 games (if they reach the final).

Alongside this, the lucrative international T.V rights, which are driving this new format, favour games being played at the weekend so they are more accessible internationally.

It’s unclear how far along this proposition is. FIFA have allegedly given their backing but UEFA are unlikely to take this lightly. But, Investment banking giants JP Morgan has already compiled a £4.6Bn financial package to support the proposal.

Money talks

Modern football has shown it’s true colours since the start of the new premier league season. The socialist values and working class roots of which football was built upon have fallen by the wayside in exchange for fortune and glamour.

A combination of international ownership and vast amounts of money has led to a complete identity loss at the elite level.

The starting gun was fired when the Premier League was conceived, however the damage has been done much more recently.

Owner’s such as the Glaziers (Man Utd), Kroenke’s and FSG (Liverpool) have brought in a fresh set of ideologies which has created a culture by which football clubs are treated as businesses.

This “Franchise mentality” has seen money being at the core of decision making throughout the English game. The fact that 19/20 PL clubs voted in favour of PPV games being shown at £15 perfectly illustrates how out of touch with the fans and generally tone deaf the premier league is.

Project Reset

If the elite clubs are so eager to get out of domestic football and wish to chase this incredibly lucrative, ring-fenced European super league then let them.

Treat it as a complete sanitization of the domestic game as whole. An expulsion of the characters who are rotting English football to its core. Inevitably revenues will suffer if the league loses it’s biggest brands. But if it gives football fans a chance to reclaim the game they love, then it’s a chance worth taking.

It would mean that the first division in this country would look more like it did 20 years ago. When the game was tailored to the British market as opposed to the international one.

Naturally this would mean that the world’s most elite talent would no longer be playing in this country. Neither would we be able to boast the “The best league in the world” tagline anymore. But for me, it’s bigger than that…

Restoring Football to the core of decision making

Rather than looking at what is lost by the exit of some of the country’s most successful football clubs, it’s important to look at the opportunities a “Reset” presents:

A fairer distribution of common revenues- This would allow a more level playing field all the way down the leagues. Driving forward English football as a unit, rather than being dragged along by the elite clubs. As well as providing financial reassurance for smaller clubs during what will be a tough few years..

Greater emphasis on home grown talent- More opportunities would be provided for English talent as there wouldn’t be the same level of competition from abroad. Academies and coaching instantaneously becomes vitally important.

Restoring pride to a fanbase- More home grown talent who represent a clubs identity and fans can get behind. This will without doubt lead to a better connection between fans and their club.

Celebrate the great clubs- Newcastle, Leeds, Forest, Villa, Wolves, Everton, Sheffield Utd & Wednesday, Portsmouth, West Ham, Leicester, Norwich I could go on … There are still so many great football clubs in this country who would all have a greater chance at domestic success.

Finally, The magic of the cup- Although expelling those who would be joining the new European format, another part of this Project reset would be allowing them to remain part of the FA and entering the FA Cup. Making those big cup draws that bit bigger. This would give a unique edge to the historic competition which despeately needs a boost.

Can England sustain English football?

Make no mistake, this is all romanticised based on the football I fell in love with and what I’m seeing the game morph into.There are still practical issues which would need addressing.

One of which is how easily you could get rid of those 6 clubs. Although they all seem eager to go, would they want to remain in the current Premier league which they view as a cash cow?

Another sticking point would be whether there would be enough TV money without the big hitters to sustain a premier league.

Protecting the youth is another issue. In an ideal world this proposal would try to put a limit on the scope of each academy, with a regional approach to distributing talent. E.g. Each local FA is assigned to a specific club, allowing clearer pathways into professional football.

But this is a large scale shake up and if it isn't possible then there’s an issue around protecting academies against the “Big 6” who can offer much more money and exposure. This may however, breed innovation within the way clubs are run.

As seen with the model Brentford currently follows as a result of losing too much academy talent to the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea & Tottenham. Clubs may have to improvise and adapt to find success in the new footballing landscape

Finally, getting supporters back in stadiums is vital to the reset proposal I have put forward. There will be much greater emphasis on this stream of revenue going forward, with match-going fans forming the basis of football clubs once again. One way this could be done is by offering bonuses to clubs who sell out their stadiums (putting downward pressure on ticket prices and more emphasis on fans).

Eradicating those who provide the premier league with the lions’ share of its value is a bold move. But if we want football in this country to be in any way recognisable in years to come then it might be a vital step to take.

There is currently a chasm between match-going fans and those at the top of the game. A club's financial position has become more important than their league position.

Greed dominates football and this will not change until drastic action is taken, this might be the shot in the arm needed for English football fans to get back the game we love so dearly.