Premier League trying it on, again.

[Massimo Giovanni]

AND some more thoughts:
Great moments/games for me being a Shrimper? yes, after beating Manure, drawing Chelski, beating Spam, Freddie's debut, Stan, Ricki Otto, Fry, Bilel's hat-trick, the Swansea and Bolton games of 20+ years ago, drubbing N'castle 4 nil, Champions of Div 1 with Tilly and Brush etc etc.................the two play off wins..................the play off semi losses....................the JPT semi wins.......................AND the JPT final defeats.
ONE year, NEXT year, WE WILL WIN the darn thing BUT more likely not if the U21 thing happens.

 

[rigsby]

One option might be to allow them in if the lower league team keeps the gate and the TV money, which would be higher if they were in. We would earn far more money by playing at West Ham rather than Crawley.

 

[MK Shrimper]

One option might be to allow them in if the lower league team keeps the gate and the TV money, which would be higher if they were in. We would earn far more money by playing at West Ham rather than Crawley.

But it'd be West Ham U21 and your average Hammer wouldn't give a ****.

 

[rigsby]

But it'd be West Ham U21 and your average Hammer wouldn't give a ****.

Would still be enough interest for us to make some extra money. A chance to see Southend play at a big stadium most fans will have not seen us play at.

The big clubs put out understrength sides in the League and FA cup but there is still interest by the fans. We could, for once dictate the terms to them as they want to step into our cup. If they don't agree then that club can't enter. Besides we have more chance of beating an under 21 side at home than we do of Millwall.

 

[Beefy]

Maybe, maybe not so directly on us, or others with the "sell out" BIG BIG clubs; BUT how about the likes of Crystal Palace and Charlton? or areas of similar competing middle order clubs? - Or Wet Spam and us when they get into "their" public funded new home and are discounting to fill it?
ALL and any more unbalancing of finances towards the bigger clubs WILL have a ripple down the leagues AND each small, negative change is another nail in the coffin of the league structure as the base crumbles (sorry about the over use of metaphor/symbolism).

I don't really agree to be honest. I suspect the same people complaining about Premier League clubs 'selfishly' cutting ticket prices would bemoan them if those same clubs kept charging fans £60 or £70 a game too.

Let the Premier League clubs do what they want and charge what they want. There's 90 English League clubs in a country of 53m people. There are a lot of supporters to go around. If Southend United, or any other club for that matter, want more people through the turnstiles they are better off concentrating in the quality of the football on the field and the work in the community and other marketing off of the field than they are looking enviously at mega-rich clubs 40 miles away.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Rigsby makes a good point about possibility of going to see our club at these big clubs - certainly that would draw me to the emirates on a wet Tuesday more than going (again!) to Crawley.
If there is not the huge money for the upper league clubs would they have "hoovered up" potential top players from all over Europe? Is it a good thing that these players can't make their 1st team careers at the big clubs and that there they get paid so much they won't ply their trade down the leagues to get games in? In truth it is a hugely complex set of issues with out an answer that can work for both sides BUT the power and money is flowing to the big clubs.