Benitez wants to play reserves in Premiership

[turienzo's lovechild]

What would happen if one of the teams was to get relegated?

you could end up with Chelsea Res v Chelsea on a saturday afternoon.

i think in spain where it has happened, the two can't be in the same league

ie, barca B can't be promoted to la liga, and if barca were to get relegated, barca B would be relegated to the league below


still a shit idea though

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Crap idea, must be silly season after the penalty shoot outs idea of last week.

Arrogance as usual from the Premiership. They won't be happy until every slot in the top division is filled with "big clubs" ie those with large, shiny stadiums and plenty of support.

The Championship is starting to go the same way, with clubs like Palace advocating a second tier of the Premiership. That's why I love it when small clubs (especially those with really cruddy grounds) like Colchester, Southend, us, Luton, Scunthorpe etc do well, and teams like Leeds and Nottingham Forest struggle.

It's a threat to some of the more odious chairmen to see their own clubs' positions undermined by a team with 6,000 fans and a stadium that wouldn't look out of place in the Albanian second division.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Rafa Benitez et al can eat shit (Pardon my French).

My hate of the Premiership grows daily. What an arrogant bunch of money grabbing, football killing, self-satisfying, narcissitic, rotten, egotistical, glutonous, hoggish, awful, beastly, disagreeable, disgusting, loathsome, objectionable, obnoxious, egocentric, greedy, self-interested, lame, pretentious, conceited, disdainful collection of arseholes.

They will enter their reserve teams in the league, over my dead body!

 

[BensGrandad]

I've never understood why Premier League reserve teams play so few fixtures, given the size of the squads (only 13-14 so far this season). I'm living in the States now, but grew up in Australia watching Australian Rules football. There, the reserve teams play immediately before the league teams, and therefore play just as many games. Can't see why the Premier League couldn't do the same thing - reserves could kick off at 12:30, main game at 3:00.

I think that that is a good idea so you actually run 2 leagues side by side a Premiership and premiership reserves. The costs wouldnt be much more because when they play away 2 teams would travel in the team coach rather than 1.

This could even filter down to the Football League and the same be done. The drawback would be bad weather would a ground like Withdean take 2 games after heavy rain, so should the 1st play first and then the reserves.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Rafa Benitez et al can eat shit (Pardon my French).

My hate of the Premiership grows daily. What an arrogant bunch of money grabbing, football killing, self-satisfying, narcissitic, rotten, egotistical, glutonous, hoggish, awful, beastly, disagreeable, disgusting, loathsome, objectionable, obnoxious, egocentric, greedy, self-interested, lame, pretentious, conceited, disdainful collection of arseholes.

They will enter their reserve teams in the league, over my dead body!

Beautifully put BoF

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Any chance you can alter this thread title, please mods? Can't believe I wrote 'Premiership' and not 'Football League'. Numpty

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

A certain Mr Knight has also stuck in his 4 pennyworth

http://www.thefa.com/ASPXUtility/PANews/PANewspage.aspx?index=2

Bloody bandwagon jumpers-on

btw, well said, Dick

 

[Curious Orange]

from the BBC

Brighton chief criticises Benitez
Brighton chairman Dick Knight believes Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez's proposal for reserve teams to play in the Football League is "insulting".

Benitez believes the current reserves set-up in football is not beneficial to the youngsters and wants changes.

Knight said: "He's insulting Football League's history and stature.

"It's up to the Premier League clubs and the Academy bosses to sort out a reserve league which is competitive. The Academy system is very haphazard."

Knight added: "I've got great admiration for Rafa but this idea just shows the increasing gulf between the top clubs and the lower division clubs like mine who have been around for 106 years and shouldn't have to be insulted like this.

"The fact Rafa has the gall to suggest this is the same reason clubs like his are allowed to permission move from a 45,000-seater stadium to one that holds 65,000 straight away and a club like ours doesn't have a home and has been waiting 11 years to be allowed one."

Good old Dick never misses an opportunity!!

 

[eastlondonseagull]

from the BBC



Good old Dick never misses an opportunity!!

Marvellous DK

 

[Seagullible]

they can f*** right off

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Why don't they send some of their youngsters here for a seasons loan... they can pay their wages still of course

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Why don't they send some of their youngsters here for a seasons loan... they can pay their wages still of course

Exactly. If THEY are paying them mega bucks to do nowt all day, then THEY might as well pay them mega bucks to get some match practice at proper teams like us.

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Only the Germans have similar numbers as far as I know.

And that is being undermind by the introduction of big club reserve teams which as well as denying a place for other teams actually produces low attendances as not many fans of the big clubs actually bother to watch their reserves.

 

[Kent Seagull]

I've never understood why Premier League reserve teams play so few fixtures, given the size of the squads (only 13-14 so far this season). I'm living in the States now, but grew up in Australia watching Australian Rules football. There, the reserve teams play immediately before the league teams, and therefore play just as many games. Can't see why the Premier League couldn't do the same thing - reserves could kick off at 12:30, main game at 3:00.

Don't start using common sense! That would be wonderful for the keener fans of Prem clubs who want to see the youngsters on the fringes. Would also make going to games better value if you were to see two games for the price of one. The only problem I can see is perhaps the pitches would be a bit cut up for the main game.

If the above idea is unworkable, why is it so hard for the Prem to set up a reserve league where they all play each other? They could even give free admission to get the crowds in if they want to create atmosphere.

 

[The Large One]

Point in case, and I could be wrong about this, but in 1980, Real Madrid played in the final of the Copa Del Rey (The King's Cup - the Spanish equivalent of the FA Cup) against Castellana, who happen to be Real Madrid's reserve side. (Having said that, it could be their feeder club - an even worse concept).

The result? An unsurprising 6-1 to Real Madrid.