What has it been, 6 months? Todd has already come over to England preaching about Americanizing the Premier League. Below is just part of an interview that he did recently.
Allstar game? Really Todd? Have you ever sat down and watched an Allstar game, it is one of the worst performances you'll ever see from most players that participate. That is not even my biggest issue with this, the issue is that it is not needed. Players already participate in their league, two cup competitions, international teams, and some play in European Competitions. Sorry, are they supposed to stop everything to watch a crossbar challenge, and see every player put 1% effort into an Allstar game?
You know why the Allstar game semi-works in America? It is because Americans go for the spectacle of the game. The teams and leagues in America do a great job of putting on a performance and keeping people entertained outside the game itself. That is because that is what most fans are looking for when they go. The culture surrounding sports is completely different in England, and the rest of Europe. Fans are not there to take selfies and have a social gathering, this is their passion, it is everything.
The second part of his statement was regarding a tournament for relegated clubs. Now, Germany does have a playoff between the 16th place Bundesliga club and the 3rd place Bundesliga 2 club. That is the closest thing to a tournament that I am aware of. I do not think this is a good idea either, why should a club that sucks all year get a chance to escape relegation through a tournament? They had 38 matches to get out of the relegation zone, do not bail them out at the end. Yes, I know the Championship playoff has a promotion tournament. You could absolutely make the argument that it works there why would it not work for relegation. The only difference I would make note of, is the fact that a relegated club is much more heavily impacted than a club that misses promotion. The biggest red flag here is pretty straight forward, if they pass a rule for relegation tournaments, we are one step away from PL playoffs to end the season. I want every match to matter, playoffs or tournaments take that away. Look back to the final day last season, with Leeds escaping the relegation zone by the skin of their teeth. If you have a four club relegation tournament, the last few weeks of the season are made up of bottom of the table clubs giving away matches, keeping players healthy for the tournament. This would also impact the top of the table, should clubs at the bottom giveaway matches.
This is England, this is the English Football Pyramid, things have been done this way for a long time. You would have better luck changing the second amendment in America, than changing English football structure. If you do not believe me, go check out what happened during the two days of the super league. He says the money from those events would go to the pyramid. SURE. It is a money grab for American owners, always has been, always will be. There is a chance 50% goes to the pyramid, but you can be sure Todd Boelgut will get his cash. If I want to see shitty clubs get participation medals at the end of seasons, I will go watch American sports hand out 1st overall draft picks to their dreadful teams. Keep English Football English, and keep American ideas in America, for MLS. (cannot believe I even mentioned that league)
At the end of the day the question must be asked. Is Todd afraid of relegation? If you change the system before you get to that point, you can save yourself. They did already say they would keep Potter if they did not get top four. Seems a little fishy to me.
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