U-21 draft would help all on football’s ladder
THE so-called ‘Beautiful Game’ has morphed into a mutilated monster during this lockdown.
Everywhere you look there’s been in-fighting, self-interest, posturing, nitpicking and naked greed.
And those are the highlights.
So, just for a change, here’s one positive idea to chew over: a draft system for the Premier League’s Under-21 players , aimed at helping clubs in leagues One and Two.
My proposal is a season-long loan aimed at solving a list of problems as long as your arm, and hopefully bringing about positive change at both ends of the football spectrum.
For a start, it would remove the blockage in the path of so many young professionals at Premier League clubs.
Let’s face it, if it was good enough for England captain Harry Kane – who learned life isn’t always sweet at Leyton Orient – then it’s good enough for the current crop.
It’s a scheme that would give those youngsters proper game time, access to football that really matters, and immerse them in life at the sharp end that they will never get playing in the Under-23s.
It would provide parent clubs with a valuable insight as to whether or not these players are likely to make the grade, and place them closer to the first-team at Manchester United or Liverpool than when they went out.
The Premier League club would pay their wages while out on loan too.
For the clubs in the lower reaches it would afford them all sorts of benefits – although mainly financial.
They would receive three to five fully paid-up members of their first-team squad for the entire campaign.
That would reduce their outgoings significantly, helping with the day-today costs of keeping their club afloat.
They would receive quality players – of their choosing – thus enabling them to plug gaps in their own staff at minimal cost. And at the end of the season the process would start again.
Clubs in League One and League Two could draw lots to see who they can take players from – or it could be organised that those at the foot of the table get players from those at the top of the Premier League.
At the heart of this is the recognition that the game, in its current form, needs fixing.
To me – and judging by the views of countless football club owners on social media who have been airing their views in public during the past eight weeks – the gap between the top and bottom is just too big.
But it won’t change. The big clubs don’t want it to – and if you haven’t realised by now, these are the entities who really run the game in England.
However, it would be a win for the Premier League – and for those lower down – as this crisis has laid bare the horrible fact that most clubs outside the top league are living on a financial knife edge.
Anything that can be done to improve matters must be looked at – for the good of everyone who cares about football’s overall well-being.
HARRY KANE
For sponsoring Leyton Orient’s shirts next season on behalf of ‘Frontline heroes.’ Could be describing himself. Well done, Harry.
THE BUNDESLIGA
For restarting. Fingers crossed.
HEIKO HERRLICH
The Augsburg boss for being banned from his job for breaking lockdown to buy toothpaste. A sorry state but he accepted his punishment. Well done.
WHO’S NOT
THE FA CUP
Everyone seems to have forgotten about it in this meltdown. What’s going to happen?
FOOTBALL MATCH RE-RUNS
The social media feeds of clubs re-running memorable matches in supposed real time. It doesn’t work. Bin.
STUART WEBBER
Norwich’s sporting director saying his club won’t accept others from the Championship replacing them without the season being finished. It ain’t your decision, Stuart.