Hobsons Choice

Fair enough. Nice discussion.

That's why fit and proper persons needs to be stronger. And I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss regulation. I spend my working life cleaning up sites that were destroyed as a result of unregulated historical industry. The same level of damage does not happen to nearly the same extent now due to industrial regulation. Without regulation people act solely to serve their own interests (or what they perceive as their own interests). Or put another way- weak regulation=super league. If regulation makes it harder for wealthy benefactors to come in and buy clubs...well we'll only get the most motivated ones- ie those who can manage in a more considered way.

Fair points, but I would add again that a 'fit and proper persons' test might have saved us from Xia, and from the financial mess of the time. Had we been liquidated, should the football hierarchy have saved us? Would they have? Tough questions, but ultimately it should never ever have got that far. Xia saw the massive increase in equity he could get from taking us up, and took the risk. He was leveraged up to the eyeballs. Again should there have been mechanisms in place to prevent that gamble with our history as you put it? In my mind definitely. That is what I mean by protection of the pyramid, not necessarily throwing money at it. You wouldn't need to throw loads of money at it if it's done right.

Thinking about it, it probably doesn't help that the Premier League and the EFL are different entities. As DDID suggests, an independent body may be at least part of the solution (if there is one).

100% agree

Well yeah, but again the amount of money involved is related to the mismanagement of lower league clubs. If you get the right folks in, who can manage responsibly, then you will not have to fork out loads to prop up mismanaged clubs. I can't tell you exactly how much money would be involved, because I honestly don't know, but what I would say is that if the disparity between the PL and lower league teams is massively high, then the risks and stakes involved with a lower league team trying to compete with them is also going to be high, as is the risk of financial collapse, and having to bail them out. TRO was right in that it has to be looked at holistically, because we are all part of the structure. We can't ignore the foundations. And for what it's worth I think the Super League in one form or another is inevitable, sadly.

Well I think some distribution of wealth is reasonable, but mostly it is providing management support, perhaps by ensuring that the right folks (ie those that can manage responsibly) are involved. To me that is a beefed up 'fit and proper persons' system. And to me, despite supporting Villa for nearly 30 years, it's about more than Aston Villa football club. Those that stood on the sidelines (including myself) decrying the creation of the super league, can't then also complain about the PL being exempt from any responsibilities to the EFL, because that would suggest that the only reason we called out the super league was because we were not invited to be in it. It would be massive hypocrisy.

The whole thing comes down to squaring what we as fans want to be a meritocracy, and what those that run the finances of clubs want it to be, which is a closed shop. To a finance guy at a top team the idea that relegation might interrupt revenue streams is a horrifying thought, and using their power to enact rules that prevent this is justifiable. To fans this is unthinkable, because this is sport, and sport has to be fair to have worth. What do we want football to be? If the answer, as fans, is a meritocracy, then we absolutely have to protect the pyramid. The PL could not have become the best league in the world without it.

Whilst I agree with you for the most part, I would ask your opinion on the Super League that was recently rejected, and how that squares with the above post (ie. we as fans shouldn't get involved with money). The Super League came about because of the folk employed to deal with high finance. From a finance perspective it made sense. But it would have killed the heart of football.

Have to say, putting the partisan stuff to one side, that on this one I agree with Jordan. The PL is a giant that stands atop the shoulders of the EFL, and would not be where it is without the historical support of the pyramid. There is an obligation on behalf of the Premier league to support lower leagues.

Like Sarr atWatford. Targett is going to have to bring the noize. That said it’s easy to wind Zaha up, so I expect some dark arts to be deployed.

As an aside, Crouchy’s autobiography is f***ing brilliant.

They couldn’t come up with a better name than ‘Bodymoor1’. Lazy. Gerrard out.

That may be true so far this year. Last year they had huge xG so they were getting in good attacking areas. They are admitedly down this year, but I don’t think it’s fair to say that defensive football is characteristic of Potters sides in general.

If that’s the case he needs to move on.

See I would have said that the type of wide players we normally field would not necessarily lend themselves well to a narrower inside forward format, as you are looking for them to get into the box, and attack the far post. We've not got the most prolific wide men. They are not natural finishers and don't really score enough. With Ollie wide though it makes more sense. Begs the question, are we going to be targeting players like Ollie for those positions, or players like Buendia, who to my mind is more of a creator than a finisher. I suppose we could go asymmetric, and play one wide forward, and one inside forward, but we'd get quite predictable.

I was a bit disappointed given how we were talking about being media darlings now that we were, what, second to last on? Mind you some good games this week.

With our confidence at the time it could have all gone wrong, but seasons change on moments like that. Rode our luck a little at times but kept working, and ultimately got the reward.

After losing 5 on the trot, today was absolutely all about getting a result, not performance. You could see the change in confidence after the goal went in.

Man. No ketchup. I’d retire.

I watch it as a drinking game. Every time someone says Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea or Man United, take a shot. I’m drinking on ‘new manager bump’ tonight, and I hope to get hammered. When Alan Hanson used to do it, I used to drink on ‘terrible defending’, and I spent 6 months in rehab.

Didn’t see it today, but great result against a decent side. Nice one Stevie. Sounds like a close affair until the last 10. Wanna see it on motd later!

I have no idea what will happen today.

2,000 years?

I think you may be right. We have pacey players who should be able to initiate off ball runs, plus our passing at times has not been the best. Slowing the movement of the ball by moving away from a rapid counter, and playing more to feet might actually suit us, counterintuitively. Can't say I'm a fan of possession for possession's sake myself, but let's see how he implements it. Could be easy on the eye potentially. Buendia could be important in that kind of system, as he can pick out a final ball.