SOS Pompey: Powers that be can't have it both ways

Neil Allen quizzed the Football League chief executive on the new competition and you can see what he said here.

BOB BEECH of SOS POMPEY: A lot of Shaun Harvey’s explanations are typical ‘The Thick Of It’ double speak that doesn’t actually say anything.

It reminds me of when we were complaining about the Pompey Sondico shirts and were told by someone at the club “We’ve had almost zero complaints”.

It means absolutely nothing.

It is about time the Football Association and Football League accepted they no longer have any control over football in this country and are reduced to begging for scraps from the Premier Leagues table.

The only time anything will change with regards to young English talent and the England international side is if foreign broadcasters reduce or stop paying for Premier League rights as a direct result of poor England performances at tournaments.

Until then they will pay lip service and pass the buck by making it an issue for clubs further down the pyramid.

Let’s face it, the Premier League have been allowed to hoover up all the young talent and dress it up with fancy titles like EPPP that are meaningless.

Why isn’t there a rule for this competition which states only young English players can play?

Or a limit on players who aren’t eligible to play for the English national side?

The powers that be can’t have it both ways. I am all for developing young players, yet hardly see how playing in a competition cobbled together in order to achieve something entirely different will do this.

Leagues One and Two are not there for the convenience of the Premier League.

Fans of clubs up and down the country are protesting against this competition because they’ve had enough.