Keep Premier League playing through winter World Cup

[Bruegel the Elder]

To expand on my post on another thread, I would propose that the Premier and Championship leagues keep going not only during international qualifiers but should now declare their intention to maintain a full league programme during the Winter World Cup (as County Cricket teams do during Test Matches and summer Cricket World Cups).

This would give team Managers and Directors of Football some food for thought; should they keep employing expensive foreign players, who, after all, they are paying, and training to beat the English team in international competitions, if they are not going to get the benefit of their services for large chunks of the season (a bit like the African Cup of Nations, only on a much bigger scale). They might just find it more cost effective to employ and train far more British players, as only a limited number of them can be on international duty at any one time.

Now as to why it will never happen. The F.A. And Premiership could never agree, they have widely different aims and indeed goals; the premiership defending the financial might of the billionaire teams and the F.A. Trying to run an England team with the crumbs that the top teams are prepared to drop (providing that it's in their interest!)

so don't go expecting a return to 1966 any time soon, there's a great big conflict of interest in the way.

[Bruegel the Elder]

There could be a way Keith, but it would take a great sacrifice from a great many people. Most fans of Premiership teams have a second, back up, team to support, often from the 2nd, 3rd and 4rh tiers of the professional leagues. If just for a year they could swap their attendance and financial support (if not their passion) to this second favourite team it would soon show the fat cats at the top table that it is the supporters who at the end of the day prop up their millionaire lifestyles.

For the fans, they might find that supporting their local second string team is cheaper, just as (if not more) exciting and would redress much of the balance between the haves and the have nots.

Not expecting miracles, but I can dream!