There doesn’t seem to be much doubt in anyone’s mind - we’re going to go down.
We knew that before the season started – but of course we hoped against hope that somehow we would make a decent fist of it and either survive by the narrowest of margins or go down but with heads held high.
In the event, we have been well and truly found out and Sunderland supporters are praying that we continue our dismal run so that they can lose their unwanted label of the “worst” team to ever play in the Premiership.
My personal view is not that we cocked up big-time or that Billy was useless, or even that the players were total rubbish, but that the system has been so badly skewed in favour of the fortunate few at the expense of everyone else, that sooner or later, even if we do get the unwanted label of “worst team ever” – another team will come along and take that away from us.
Watford, Sunderland and now Derby County – the list of teams failing spectacularly will get longer if we don’t do something about it. Those in favour of the present system will say: “Good, let’s weed out the weakest” or something similar. But surely a more equitable system would ensure that teams that come up after winning the play-offs at least have a fighting chance of surviving. The present system as it stands means that you cannot buy players in the transfer window until you know whether you are going to be competing in the Championship once again or in the Premiership. And once you know you will be competing in the Premiership – all the players that you need have already gone to other clubs or are unavailable for one reason or another.
So for me a good start would be to get rid of the transfer window – it not only stops smaller clubs with slimline squads from adding to the squad if injuries bite, it also hurts clubs lower down the food chain who might suddenly need to find some extra cash by selling one of their players.
Another would be to get rid of some of these self-serving people at the top of the FA who seem to collude with the big boys and smile benignly on their sins. I am still waiting for them to ban a player for another match for frivolous appeals from one of the top teams and for them to come down hard on this cheating business that goes on unpunished.
And yes, we should have a salary cap along the lines of the American sport model. It would at least stop the bigger clubs from creaming off the best talent by tangling a bigger salary in front of people’s noses. For every player who thinks like Matt Le Tissier who put happiness before money, there are at least ten who go for the money and the medals. And if I were in that position I would do exactly the same – my reasoning would be – my career could be over in a flash, or if I’m lucky I might survive until I’m 35 and then I’m finished. That’s another 40 years of life before the official retirement age so I don’t begrudge anyone trying to earn as much they can. What I do begrudge is the bigger clubs using their financial muscle to spoil it for other clubs.
And finally – why don’t we have an European League? In other words, why don’t the Manchester Uniteds, Real Madrids and Bayern Munichs of this world b*gger off and leave the rest of us to play each other? It would at least be more competitive with clubs more evenly matched.
None of this of course is going to help Derby County in our present plight but if we start putting our house in order and in the process help our national team improve then I’ll willingly accept the title of “worst team ever” for evermore.