Matt Maher: High time for change – but not Rick Parry’s plan

While there can be no ignoring the need to resolve the very real and immediate financial crisis facing the Football League, any solution could never be at the price of placing power in the hands of an even smaller number of Premier League clubs than already possess it.

That does not mean to say the proposal drawn up by Liverpool and Manchester United, together with EFL chairman Rick Parry, effectively kicked into the long grass at yesterday’s meeting of top-flight clubs, did not contain some interesting and – to be brutally honest – pretty good ideas.

If nothing else, it has sparked a debate about the English league system which has been needed for some time.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, it was clear the structure which has existed largely untouched for decades no longer reflected financial reality across the top four divisions. The events of the past few months have only further exposed the fault lines and difficulties which face the EFL, which when the crisis began in March had the near impossible task of coming up with a solution which satisfied the likes of Leeds on one hand and Accrington the other.

Finance, as always, is the key issue. The redistribution of wealth proposed in Project Big Picture would, on the face of it, have narrowed the gap between the bottom of the Premier League and the top of the Championship.

Yet in terms of reorganising the divisions, the changes would be pretty minor. The Premier League would be reduced from 20 to 18 clubs, yet the EFL would stay at 72 and face the same difficulties in forming regulations to cover clubs with huge budgets and those operating on barely a fraction.

There are those who argue more radical reform is required and among the myriad voices having their say on Project Big Picture in recent days, it has been possible to hear those calling for the implementation of ‘Premier League Two’.

First mooted more than 15 years ago, the plan would effectively have seen the expansion of the Premier League into two divisions of 20 clubs. Crucially, it would have seen a larger share of broadcast revenue dropping down into the second tier, removing the cliff edge to the Championship currently the cause of so many financial problems.

Despite support from a number of clubs, the idea never gained serious legs due to a lack of interest from broadcasters. Yet advocates believe the proliferation in that area, with BT Sport, Amazon Prime and others now aiming to break into the Premier League market, mean it may now be workable and present a solution to many of the issues currently facing the game.

Expanding the Premier League to two divisions would certainly bring English football into line with the rest of the major European leagues such as Germany, France and Spain.

It would, of course, require a break from tradition, the biggest since the formation of the Premier League in 1992.

Yet for all the history, the idea of ‘the 92’ professional clubs has been only that for some time. The fifth tier National League now mostly consists of full-time clubs, with their own TV deal, several of whom have larger budgets than those in League Two.

Any potential restructuring of the EFL would be well served in recognising the gap between the bottom of league and the top of non-league football is effectively non-existent.

All of these are, of course, only ideas. It remains to be seen whether anyone is prepared to put them forward or, more importantly, whether clubs in the Premier League or EFL are able to put aside their own self-interest in order to reach a resolution.

Though Christian Purslow echoed the views of many when he stressed the importance of helping out lower league clubs, while staying sceptical about Project Big Picture, it is fair to wonder whether his take might have been different had Villa not avoided relegation last term.

That is less a criticism, more an acknowledgement of how difficult getting a consensus on change might prove to be.

What the situation requires is some leadership and one might wonder exactly what the FA’s role in all of this is?

The statement delivered earlier this week by chairman Greg Clarke, opposing Project Big Picture, felt like a rare example of the governing body showing some teeth.

While revealing some uncomfortable truths about the early talks which had taken place between Liverpool, United and Parry, there was also a veiled warning to any clubs who might threaten a breakaway.

Yet whether those can be taken seriously, given the FA’s long-held tendency to bow down to the top flight’s demands, is open to question. Maybe the time really has come for independent regulation, as former FA chairman David Bernstein is expected to argue today.

Bernstein is part of a group, along with ex-FA executive David Davies, ready to unveil their own plan to bail out the lower leagues but are wary of the sport’s ability to reform itself.

For now English football continues to face a crisis and Project Big Picture was an attempt to take advantage of that. Yet the conversation it has started could yet prove beneficial.