Some European Super League thoughts...

The European Super League has FINALLY arrived and despite the predictable shock, outrage and widespread backlash that it has caused, nobody should be surprised.

Quite simply, this day has been a long, long time coming!

A packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for a Premier League game! But how many would turn out in the European Super League?

Whilst a lot has been said across the football world which generally fits into the same rhetoric; that the proposed ESL is a power-grabbing disgrace from a few clubs fuelled on a dream of increasing bank balances and that it needs to be prevented, the events of the last 24 hours or so should instead be perceived as a fantastic opportunity for everyone to pause, take stock and for the whole football agenda in this country to be reset!

If we're being honest, the so-called 'working man's game' as most people like to perceive football, has been anything but a level playing field for many years now. The same clubs seemingly dominate everything but it's not just the self-proclaimed 'big six' that are the problem - they're part of a wider issue whereby clubs right across the country have been self-serving, chasing money and neglecting their fans in the process. How many clubs, whether it be in the Premier League or the divisions below, have gambling institutions associated with their brand - something which is a moral issue for so many people? How many clubs have grossly excessive ticket prices which, quite simply, stop the average working man from going to a game to support whichever team he pledges his allegiance to? The rich, the greedy and the ruthless have long since become infested at all levels of our game.

That's why this moment, amidst so much debate and concern, is a great opportunity to press the reset button and fix what is broken.

Though its hard not to perceive Prime Minister Boris Johnson as being a complete hypocrite given that he's the sole reason why fans haven't been allowed in stadiums for the vast part of this season, it's good that senior Government figures, amongst others, have at least come out and voiced their opinion on the ESL proposals - something which has led to mooted talk about restructuring the entire manner in which football clubs are owned and run in this country anyway!

That is long overdue and if, consequentially, a policy comes to fruition which is similar in any shape or form to the '50+1' model that's in operation in Germany, then it can't be a bad thing.

Having travelled extensively across Europe watching numerous matches over the past few years, but especially in the Bundesliga, the whole matchday experience there is light years ahead of the UK. For example, fans groups are respected and listened to, ticket prices are very affordable (about €20 to watch a top division game), access to local transport is often included in the price of your match ticket, terracing is available for fans who want to stand and watch a game, plus you can have a beer in your seat.

Who wouldn't want to see that in this country?

Standing up, having a beer on the terrace and watching the football at your fan-owned club... what's not to like about the German football structure?

The owners of the 'big six' (though I'm not sure how Spurs fit into that description as they've never been a 'big' club) seem adamant that they want to create their own Super League and deem a closed-shop franchised structure to be the way forward. If they can get the financial backing, the TV audiences from the Far East and everything else required for it to be a success in their eyes then good luck to them! 

What is actually the point in trying to keep them in our English pyramid when, clearly, their true intentions are no longer in the domestic product which they've dominated for so long? Eventually, the owners of these clubs are going to get their own way and change will happen. Their true intentions, their greed and their desire to achieve it aren't just suddenly going to become different because their proposals have been met with fierce resistance. 

If it was a marriage, would you try and keep hold of a cheating partner who is openly wanting to cop off with a richer, sweeter and more lucrative sugar daddy who lives in what's perceived to be a perfect world, or would you wash your hands instead? 

It's easy to see why Premier League clubs and those further down the pyramid should feel concerned as marketing a 'Manchester United vs Arsenal' fixture is quite clearly much easier than 'Burnley vs Fulham'. TV deals would drop in value if any breakaway did come to fruition as would sponsorship deals, revenue streams, general income and everything else and clubs would need to cut their cloth accordingly in order to survive. 

Nevertheless, fewer riches on offer in the Premier League isn't necessarily a bad thing.

For starters, it would end the ridiculous scenario whereby more than half the clubs currently in the Championship commit to reckless and unsustainable spending every year in an effort to get Willy Wonka's Golden 'Promotion' Ticket to the top flight! Whatever happens in the weeks and months ahead, the level of expenditure in that division needs to change otherwise its only a matter of time before a club ceases to exist!

The bubble has to burst at some point if football is to ever, meaningfully, connect with its working class roots again. Right now, the entire fabric is broken, the disconnect between clubs and supporters at many levels of the game (not just at the top!) is huge and has been in need of being fixed for an awfully long time. Should this be the landmark event that results in changes and reforms on ownership to give fans more influence and more of a say, and prevent a similar situation to this from ever happening again, then bring it on. It can only be a good thing!

Football can certainly flourish without the 'big six' - it certainly won't die because a select few want to go and create their own franchised environment for the elite. There was life before Manchester City had Arab millions ploughed into them and won trophy upon trophy, or before Roman Abramovich rocked up at Stamford Bridge and made a load of promises. 

Granted, it may not be the same but with change comes hope of better and fairer competition with a variety of clubs being in with a realistic chance of earning 'success' on the pitch. Football can be fresher, brighter, more affordable, more competitive and more popular with clubs connecting better with the 'legacy fans' (to coin a phrase used by the elite) than at any point in recent times.

Here's hoping for a brighter future! Amidst the outcries of condemnation, there is a big opportunity there to be grasped by the 'big six' freezing themselves out of what needs to be an exciting new chapter for English football.