https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/efl-agrees-new-595million-sky-2237500
I’ve just been looking at this story and and according to Dan Roan’s (BBC sport editor) tweet, it seems there is going to be a meeting for the rebel clubs at Villa park today.
Hence it’s safe to say that Villa are definitely involved, even though it was said we weren’t, by Christian Purslow.
They make the point that the 72 EFL clubs will receive £119 million a year.
Pretty much the same as what Burnley got last season.
That can’t be right.
But the rebels also go on to deny greed and say they want a better deal for all EFL clubs.
This, in my opinion, is the way to go.
I’m all for an equitable agreement that favours the whole EFL, as much as I suspect that many of you will just want us to get as much as we can, as a club.
Else we just end up looking like a PL top six club MK2 and we create an even bigger gap than already exists in the EFL and are playing even more into Sky’s hands.
Apparently, the Championship representatives for the EFL are Brentford, Bristol City and Reading.
Do we think they have enough muscle to haggle with Sky?
Or are they fairly representative of the Championship on the whole and probably reasonable choices?
Keeping my neutral head on, I have to say I think it’s the latter, although that doesn’t suit the bigger clubs.
But keeping my common-sense and business head on, I smell a split seriously being threatened by the rebels.
The gulf is just too big and the top 6/7 in the EFL, in Villa, Leeds, Boro, Forest, Derby and the Sheffs (top of my head guess) probably outweigh the rest of the league.
But then, there are currently an inordinate amount of big clubs in the EFL, I’d say.
Sky would be in the proverbial if those clubs were to be promoted, while the likes of Bournemouth etc were to be relegated, in the next couple of years.
It’s a tricky one, but given our tradition, I just don’t want us to be seen as abandoning the smaller clubs in the pursuit of a short-term advantage.
I’m proud of the fact that we’re very much perceived as a club that does the right thing and plays fairly.
Is that an old-fashioned way of thinking?
Perhaps it is, I don’t know.
I’m just playing devil’s advocate, before anyone wants to shoot me.