Here's the link

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7232390.stm

Thoughts?

I am stunned by it, i know American football did it, but that isn't followed anywhere in huge numbers but North America. They are going to play the same amount of games in the UK and have a draw to determine who plays who in a extra match (ie season will be 39 games not 38, and i feel sorry for the country that gets the Derby Fulham match!). The reason they give is that the UK market is saturated and they want to expand to other markets.

Edit: the reaction isn't great :lol:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A32091167

What a stupid idea.

and i feel sorry for the country that gets the Derby Fulham match

the first match to be played in iraq? :lol:

Well, it's not a bad idea to play one match abroad, I don't see anything bad in it. But the extra round and the method of choosing opponent make this a terrible idea.

Meh, the method isn't that good, and most Europeans could hop over to see a match anyway.

Well, it's not a bad idea to play one match abroad, I don't see anything bad in it. But the extra round and the method of choosing opponent make this a terrible idea.

The extra round is terrible, i don't really like the idea of it being played aboard.

What i would quite like is for teams to play in summer torunaments against local teams (they do this now, Man U have done it for ages), then come back and play in England for the domestic league. If it was promotion of the sport then fine, i would agree with it, but football is pretty much found everywhere you go (hell, i played football in Bhutan against the locals and they drew with us 3-3) I suspect this is for money, which makes it that much worse.

the first match to be played in iraq?

Oh i do hope so! :lol:

But these matches would count for the normal league, so any team drawing Derby would get a free 3 points (assuming Derby hasn't relegated to the 5th division by then :p).

And they're probably going to play far away, which is bad because players already have to play too many matches across too many continents. (Think Beckham).

Football is too commercial nowadays

That is a horrible idea!

The way matches are played now is very fair - you play each team twice, once at home, and once away. So even though a lowly team like Derby has to play Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal, twice. They know that every other team in the league has to go through the same thing.

This way you upset this balance. It's one of the most retarded ideas I've heard this week.

Why not have FA cup ties overseas, instead?

As much as I would love to see a Premiership game in Toronto, I am against this.

Why not have FA cup ties overseas, instead?


Or ordinary premiership matches for that matter. The most stupid part of this idea is the extra round.

Why not have FA cup ties overseas, instead?

Personally i would rather have the EPL go aboard than the FA cup, because it is the thing i look forward to every year, there is nothing like the FA cup and one of the reasons it so highly rated is because of the fans, moving away and you are at risk of losing the atomsphere.

Third and fourth Round weekends are always one of the best days of the year footballing wise.

Edit: although admittely the third round of the FA cup would be an awsome advertisment of the English game.

Or ordinary premiership matches for that matter. The most stupid part of this idea is the extra round.

Well, that doesn't work either, because you'd have to move both fixtures for A vs B then.. It wouldn't be fair to for.. say.. Everton, to play against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and then in Boston.

Well, that doesn't work either, because you'd have to move both fixtures for A vs B then.. It wouldn't be fair to for.. say.. Everton, to play against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and then in Boston.

Chelsea would also play Everton at Goodison. The main issue for me would be that a 39th game would be massively unfair. West Ham after beating United could then have to play Arsenal whilst Sheffield United play Charlton and Wigan play Watford. Something like this would be more suitable to a knockout tournament although I'm not sure what the world club championships and the world cup are meant to be for?

Money, Money, Money...