English football: it is incompetence and a lack of leadership that is the problem.

You and Christophe have hit the nail squarely on the head in your articles. When we look at the lack of leadership and incompetence of both the sweet FA and the EPL, we know that the required organisation, management nous and conviction won’t come from that quarter.

That leaves the EPL club management and Boards as well as their owners, to come up with a viable solution. Since self-interest is the EPL motto and profit-taking seems to be the business model for so many clubs from Liverpool to Leicester, what can we hope for? Here are a few rays of hope for the sport:

3) All supporters and lovers of football band together and put extraordinary pressure on their local, county and especially national political representatives to start taking the game seriously and stop playing ¨talking head¨ politics where what is said is vacuous and insincere.

Taking the game seriously means much more strict and focussed supervision and surveillance of the ¨competent¨ football authorities like the PIGMOB, the sweet FA, the EPL and particularly the setup for amateur football in England. Starting with the national teams and evolving to the training and protection of match officials, the need for decent football pitches nationwide, the absurdly ill-managed coaching certification fiasco as reported by UA and other sites, the urgent need for reform at all levels of the game and a serious examination of the ridiculous FA’s obsession with spending taxpayers money for World Cup fantasies, etc.

4) Encouraging and supporting the players to participate in the above reformation of football. Most, if not all the players enjoy being with their fans and supporters and with anyone who loves football. Why can’t they be encouraged to participate more fully and extensively in rejuvenating the game in England? When they join a club they should be told that part of their contractual obligations includes possibly some promotional and coaching, training opportunities at the amateur club levels, and for those that feel ready to try it… perhaps officiating.

Every player should also be told that they will have to take a basic coaching course or alternatively a referees’ training. They could even be told that a small percentage of the millions they make will be put into a fund to promote and support their local amateur football organisations. 1% of the billions of pounds/euros they earn would still be a tremendous boost to local football.

5) The useless twit media could be encouraged to run articles and stories about the above activities and to promote grassroots football at the same time. In so doing they might actually see firsthand what a cock-up the sweet FA has made of English football and what a narcissistic band of trolls the PIGMOB really is.

Honestly, I haven’t a hope in hell that any of the above proposals will be taken seriously or even noticed. Will the partisanship and tribalism of fans and supporters sink any possibility of collaboration and united efforts to redeem Football….maybe?

Will the sweet FA and the EPL put self-interests aside and agree to update, upgrade and improve the Game, not likely! Will the PIGMOB be exposed to the light of day by the media or political scrutiny? Highly unlikely!

Will the politicians suddenly grow a backbone and demand full accountability for the sweet FA’s incompetence and stupidity?   Very unlikely as they’d have to do the same for themselves.

Will the owners work together to finally corner the authorities and demand major improvements to the game in the interest of their fans, players and themselves, maybe?