I've argued for many years on this forum for the scrapping of the League Cup for top flight teams and the introduction of B teams. They have to be introduced at the bottom of the league structure though and work their way up.
AVB blames English football for Chelsea's failure to bring along youth players
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Second time he has come out with this, like I said the last time it's a case of another foriegn manager coming into the league and wanting things changed after spending 5 minutes here without any real understanding of English football. Maybe he isn't aware of just how competitive the second tier of english football is.
the bottom of the football league or lower than that?? if it is the bottom of the football league you refer to how many premiership sides would you allow to have a B team in there? is there a criteria a club would have to reach before been allowed a second team? and how many traditional english football teams would be a acceptable number to sacrifice to allow bigger clubs to have 2 teams? as a lot of these clubs would probably end up going out of business.
And I'm not having a go at your opinion just wondering how you would think it would work in the english game with over 90 professional clubs who are not exactly going to want to step to one side.
Tbh we've heard these arguments before.
The reserve league especially is a bit of a joke. Ultimately attitudes must change. Youth and reserve football musnt be about winning but about honing technical skills
The reserve league especially is a bit of a joke. Ultimately attitudes must change. Youth and reserve football musnt be about winning but about honing technical skills
Fantastic idea AVB......i love it 
I could see a massive crowd for Middlesbrough vs Tottenham B and it should be a live game too on Sky-Sports
But Andre why stop there?? Chelsea's A team plays in the Premier League, Chelsea's B team can compete in the Championship, Chelsea's C plays in the League 1 and of course Chelsea's D team are representing in the League 2!! Maybe we'll see one day a UEFA-Champions League final between Chelsea A vs Chelsea B!!
I could see a massive crowd for Middlesbrough vs Tottenham B and it should be a live game too on Sky-Sports
But Andre why stop there?? Chelsea's A team plays in the Premier League, Chelsea's B team can compete in the Championship, Chelsea's C plays in the League 1 and of course Chelsea's D team are representing in the League 2!! Maybe we'll see one day a UEFA-Champions League final between Chelsea A vs Chelsea B!!
Also not all the players in the B teams will make the step to the first team of their parent club, so they will end up playing for lower league or lower-Premier League teams just like they do now but the quality of player will improve.
Not saying I'm for it though
There's nothing wrong with English football itself, it's just the way that clubs are going about their business, and Chelsea are the perfect example of a club who seem to have been getting it wrong with youth development for a number of years now.
The likes of us and Arsenal have shown in recent years that it's not too hard to give younger players a chance and be successful in doing so.
I find it hypocritical of AVB to have a go at English football, when he's just sent Josh McEachran, one of Chelsea's most promising youngsters, out on loan, because he wasn't getting any game time recently. Basically, he should stop whining and give some more youngsters a chance.
The likes of us and Arsenal have shown in recent years that it's not too hard to give younger players a chance and be successful in doing so.
I find it hypocritical of AVB to have a go at English football, when he's just sent Josh McEachran, one of Chelsea's most promising youngsters, out on loan, because he wasn't getting any game time recently. Basically, he should stop whining and give some more youngsters a chance.
Before English football attempts to go down this ridiculous method why doesn't it try: Under 23's league with Promotion and Relegation, playing every 2 weeks. Under 21 league with promotion and relegation, playing every 2 weeks. Under 19 league with promotion and relegation playing every 2 weeks. Reserve league with or without promotion and relegation, playing every two weeks.
Just have divisions of 20 teams and play every team once. A youth player could play Under 23's one week and then with the reserves the next, or if he isn't that good, under 23's one week and under 21's the next, or if he isn't that good, under 21's one week and under 19's the next.
The reserves play ever 2 weeks, supplemented by under 23's, and the youth teams play at various levels. Its ultra competitive as there is a goal (avoid relegation/gain promotion), and every individual player wants to move up to the next level.
Expensive yes. Has it been tried no. The Premier League broke the youth structure and the reserve structure of the old football league so that Premier League Reserve/Youth teams only play each other and it hasn't helped them at all!
Just have divisions of 20 teams and play every team once. A youth player could play Under 23's one week and then with the reserves the next, or if he isn't that good, under 23's one week and under 21's the next, or if he isn't that good, under 21's one week and under 19's the next.
The reserves play ever 2 weeks, supplemented by under 23's, and the youth teams play at various levels. Its ultra competitive as there is a goal (avoid relegation/gain promotion), and every individual player wants to move up to the next level.
Expensive yes. Has it been tried no. The Premier League broke the youth structure and the reserve structure of the old football league so that Premier League Reserve/Youth teams only play each other and it hasn't helped them at all!
It's an absolute shit idea. Playing in the second division in Spain is not even close to the same thing as playing in second division in England. Even as far as 3 divisions down the prestige is there - the culture - the atmosphere - famous clubs - fans - everything. Even me who's not english know most teams far down the system. Having a fecking fake club just to feed the bigger clubs is not even going to be discussed. This is a serious league system and spain can keep on having their circus on their own.
Have you ever watched Segunda A or Segunda B football?
Thought not, so it's better that you keep your naive and uninformed opinions to yourself, because they have feck all merit!
Do you even bother to watch The Football League show after Match of the Day?
In this case, I don't think you even have to watch the Spanish leagues. It's widely accepted around the world that English football is generally the most successful country when it comes to having several lower leagues.
A boring post follows - you've been warned.
The Spanish structure is very different to the English one, a product of geography as well as history. Even on modern roads it's a 10 hour drive from Barcelona to Malaga say. Now add in the Spanish islands and go back 80 years or so to the founding of La Liga - a lot of those journeys would take a day or more, each way. A national league structure like England's wasn't practical except for the top teams.
So, Spain's got:
La Liga
Adelante - where Barca B and Villareal B play
- basically these are the two professional divisions.
Then come
2B - 4 divisions, Real and Atletico Madrid Bs, Valencia B and some other Bs are in here
They're basically a mix of Liga/Adelante B teams, and semi pro
3 - 18 divisions - more B teams and hundreds of semi pro / amateur clubs
Promotion/relegation takes place throughout, with playoffs as needed, but an A and B team can't be in the same division.
In other words below the Adelante, it's a very flat, regionalised structure with a mix of (mostly young) reserves from the pro teams and everyone else. It's not a preserve designed for the benefit of the mega-rich, it's just the structure.
The only real debate in Spain came when some teams got too strong - Real Madrid played its own reserve team in a Copa final. Reserve teams can't get promoted to the same division as their parent, and now they can't play in the Copa etc but otherwise they're just in the system like the other teams.
A retrofit in England? I can't see it, but I can see why AVB thinks it's a reasonable idea.
The Spanish structure is very different to the English one, a product of geography as well as history. Even on modern roads it's a 10 hour drive from Barcelona to Malaga say. Now add in the Spanish islands and go back 80 years or so to the founding of La Liga - a lot of those journeys would take a day or more, each way. A national league structure like England's wasn't practical except for the top teams.
So, Spain's got:
La Liga
Adelante - where Barca B and Villareal B play
- basically these are the two professional divisions.
Then come
2B - 4 divisions, Real and Atletico Madrid Bs, Valencia B and some other Bs are in here
They're basically a mix of Liga/Adelante B teams, and semi pro
3 - 18 divisions - more B teams and hundreds of semi pro / amateur clubs
Promotion/relegation takes place throughout, with playoffs as needed, but an A and B team can't be in the same division.
In other words below the Adelante, it's a very flat, regionalised structure with a mix of (mostly young) reserves from the pro teams and everyone else. It's not a preserve designed for the benefit of the mega-rich, it's just the structure.
The only real debate in Spain came when some teams got too strong - Real Madrid played its own reserve team in a Copa final. Reserve teams can't get promoted to the same division as their parent, and now they can't play in the Copa etc but otherwise they're just in the system like the other teams.
A retrofit in England? I can't see it, but I can see why AVB thinks it's a reasonable idea.
The problem with his suggestions, which aren't stupid, is that there's so much pride and history in lower league football in England. There are so many teams in the FA. No country has as many professional teams. It's simply too late to change and not worth it.
He hasn't addresses the youth coaching problem as much. Spain have 5 times the number than England of UEFA A pro licence coaches. Most of them work in youth coaching whilst in England there are only very very few.
He hasn't addresses the youth coaching problem as much. Spain have 5 times the number than England of UEFA A pro licence coaches. Most of them work in youth coaching whilst in England there are only very very few.
Why lower-league sides will never agree:
I don't see television revenues increasing as a result of having Reserve teams in the league system. Reserve players aim to develop, not win. Games against Reserves will be less competitive and therefore less boring.
The league system should suit the league system as a whole, not just the top clubs. Which is why I believe this idea shouldn't pass.
Revamping the Reserves is a better idea, such as having an age-limit, increasing the number of players in the leagues and encouraging international tournaments. Maybe something amongst the Home Nations to begin with.
Deloitte | European football revenue report | English Premier League | Sports Business Group
I don't see television revenues increasing as a result of having Reserve teams in the league system. Reserve players aim to develop, not win. Games against Reserves will be less competitive and therefore less boring.
The league system should suit the league system as a whole, not just the top clubs. Which is why I believe this idea shouldn't pass.
Revamping the Reserves is a better idea, such as having an age-limit, increasing the number of players in the leagues and encouraging international tournaments. Maybe something amongst the Home Nations to begin with.
I'm waiting for one of these sugar daddy owners to get one of their friends/relatives to buy a lower league club specifically so that they can loan players to a good environment. The closest foreign example I can think of is the relationship between Feyenoord and Excelsior, separate clubs but with extremely close ties.
I don't see how you would get those things at all, especially bigger gates. You aren't going to get significantly more Colchester fans turning up just because Chelsea's reserves are in town.
Not saying I agree with Sults, but while you mightn't get too many more Colchester fans...you might get significantly more Chelsea fans traveling.
No I never watched any second division spanish football at all. I have actually never even been in Spain. I watch all the games from Spain over the telli. This was all just made up from my own brain - and that's how it is. What are you going to do about it
It mirrors the English system down to the top 2 divisions, then it starts to go into a pyramid, whereas in England the pyramid starts to spread below the old conference, whatever it's called now.
You could say that United already have a B team in FCUoM. It might not be under the same corporate umbrella, but both share exactly the same support base. The old parallel league (reserves) system was seriously broken, the League Cup is a waste of time. Let any club have a B team, it doesn't matter where the A team is in the league structure, division 3 clubs should be able to have a B team if they so wish. However, what such a system brings to the table is that it allows youth players to develop far faster than they currently do or would do in a parallel reserve league, playing in the League Cup or going out on loan (which is ridiculous). Make it under 23 only (allow say older players to be used if they have not played for their A team for more than 8 weeks - allows them to come back from injuries), lock it down to English players only if must be. If United had a B team in say Division 3, those teams they play against would get far larger gates than they currently get, so Sultan is right, it would increase revenue across the entire league structure.
Ok so some teams may or may not get a larger gate, don't see what benefit that would be for the clubs who are kicked out of the league
You cannot say that FCUM are United's B team! They are a splinter team, the same way Liverpool broke from Everton and Inter broke from Milan!
Yeah I found that comment quite outrageous aswell