The 'R' Word

The ‘R’ Word

Football teams dare mention it during the course of a season, but get rid of it and all hell will break loose…

Football fans hate the thought of it. Players daren’t speak of it. And managers won’t entertain even the slightest possibility of it, lest they wish to lose their job. But what would we do without it? Amid allegations that many a Premier League owner is more than ready to scrap it altogether, where exactly would we be without relegation? For 72 of the 92 league clubs, the answer to that question just isn’t one worth thinking about.

            There are many professional football clubs that have never won a major trophy. By major I mean anything more than a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy – the League Cup is supposed to be the benchmark of major these days, and the majority of football league clubs have never, and may never, win such a tournament. The standard of competition is too high. There are only so many Premier League sides Accrington Stanley can beat on a wet and windy Tuesday night before they buckle to their stature as minnows and are walloped 10-0 by Arsenal in the Quarter Finals after already conquering four sides they weren’t expected to beat in the first place. Promotion is their only hope of success in any given season. Remove relegation from football, and the chance to ascend through the leagues disappears without hope. There is no way round it; no relegation means no promotion.

            Take yourselves out of Stanley’s small shoes though, and replace them with those of say, a Southampton, a Middlesbrough, or a West Ham (or not – we’ll get to that in a minute). Three of the Championship’s biggest clubs, but with no chance of ever escaping it. What do they do, merely play out the rest of eternity in a mediocre division, with no chance of progression? They’ll be no Champions League or Europa League slots up for grabs, no chances of a major trophy (the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy just doesn’t count I’m afraid). The likelihood, however, is grimmer than that. With their clubs having nothing to play for, supporters will desert these second string sides and transfer their support to their local Premier League club. ‘Glory-hunting’ will skyrocket. And those teams abandoned by the elite and, of course, their own fans, will play out their days in empty stadiums with half-hearted TV deals acting as their life support machine until the plug is finally pulled. A decade after this breakaway league is created there won’t be one professional club outside of it still standing. The standard of grass roots football, and therefore the English national side, will disintegrate. With only 20 professional sides to choose from, many talented young players will simply avoid the net.

            And how, exactly, do you select the 20 sides good enough for this ‘Super League’? Don’t think for a moment that they’ll be the 20 current Premier League sides. No, the clubs will be handpicked, for sure. United, City and Liverpool can hop aboard. Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs have got money, they’re welcome too. Celtic and Rangers may be Scottish, but they can now join the English league. Norwich, Swansea, Bolton and Blackburn may have earned their place in the Premier League, but they’re not fashionable enough for this ‘Super League’ – to the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy they go. Welcome back West Ham and Leeds – they get media attention a-plenty, they’ll help make the league some extra cash.

            This is, after all, what it’s all about – money. The foreign owners spoken about this week don’t care about football, or the common fan, or even the club in their possession. It’s all about money. If you think the game’s been ruined by pound signs already then you may be right, but the worst is still to come. Heaven forbid, however, it ever gets so bad that it may one day come to this.