Is Relegation a bad idea?

[Mystic Force]

So I live in the US these days, and we don't have a system of promotion and relegation currently. One league system is going to do it without a clear outline and it will be closed within it's own set of clubs, and will not include the current top teams. Mexico stopped it as a consequence of Covid and are resisting bringing it back.

 

As (including me) fans of a team that just sent down, would you rather have Southampton in a league we couldn't get demoted from or is sporting merit essential?

[The Kraken]

No way.

The football pyramid is one of the best things about the whole game. We are also somewhat blessed in this country that we have such strong support for sides down to levels 5 or 6 and beyond.

[Divergent]

Premier League would be even more of a closed shop than it is now. If there’s no promotion or relegation what is the point?

[saint michael]

Premier league closed shop is exactly what the clubs in the premier league want. Greed where nobody but them benefits and no risk to their income allowing owners like glazers to load debt… the premier league is already little about sport. This would be the final nail. 

[gurru991]

Promotion & Relegation is the life blood of the EFL but unfortunately the money attached to the Premier League is turning it into a closed shop.

Southampton & Leicester will now need to completely revamp their culture to be able to return with competitive teams. Patching up the existing teams will result in relegation again.

[sockeye]

The problem isn’t promotion and relegation it is how the money flows through the pyramid. Due to the Premier League being a seperate entity its constituent clubs can vote for measures that serve them but not clubs outside of the league.

Edited Wednesday at 15:11 by sockeye

[revolution saint]

36 minutes ago, Mystic Force said:

So I live in the US these days, and we don't have a system of promotion and relegation currently. One league system is going to do it without a clear outline and it will be closed within it's own set of clubs, and will not include the current top teams. Mexico stopped it as a consequence of Covid and are resisting bringing it back.

 

As (including me) fans of a team that just sent down, would you rather have Southampton in a league we couldn't get demoted from or is sporting merit essential?

I'm not massively up on US sport but from what I can gather, while they may not have relegation in a lot of sports they do have strict controls on trying to make the competitions as fair and even as possible with things like the draft system.   So I guess another question would be would you accept no relegation if a level playing field was enforced and each team was, for example, limited on transfers and wages?   That, in theory, would give everyone a realistic chance of winning the title based on merit, not the wealth of owners.   Obviously there's the enforcement angle and I doubt it could ever be properly implemented so it's a bit hypothetical but makes the argument a bit more interesting.  Personally I think I'd still have promotion and relegation.

[badgerx16]

1 hour ago, Mystic Force said:

So I live in the US these days, and we don't have a system of promotion and relegation currently. One league system is going to do it without a clear outline and it will be closed within it's own set of clubs, and will not include the current top teams. Mexico stopped it as a consequence of Covid and are resisting bringing it back.

 

As (including me) fans of a team that just sent down, would you rather have Southampton in a league we couldn't get demoted from or is sporting merit essential?

If you stopped relegation from the PL, what happens to the other 3 Football League divisions ? Do they remain a "competitive" league, but with less trickle down funding for m the PL ?

US sports are set up differently, with the drafts and salary caps intended to give every team a chance of glory over a period of time.

[VectisSaint]

I'd be in favour of scrapping relegation from the Championship next season as a one-off (unless it affects P*mpey). 

[Turkish]

hey Buddy! i would absolutely love series with no pre-motion or relegation! Imagine the world class roster you could build if the Premier Soccerball league only had 20 permanent franchises! From the worlds greatest goal tenders and their superb goal hand denials through to de-fense and offense players who could play soccerball without the added stress of dropping down into a lower series. It's be awesome for clubs like the Southampton Saints and the Leicester Foxes as our franchise leaders could invest in their soccerball teams with future revenue secured. We'd also be able to take the best soccerballists from all of the United Kingdom teams not in the Premier league like Paris Saint Germans and Amsterdams Ajaxes. All in all it'd be fricking awesome.

Edited Wednesday at 16:34 by Turkish

[die Mannyschaft]

For Saints fans YES. Many of the games gave been a complete waste of time, no entertainment, no shots or movement into opposition box. No VAR so that's good in championship. Lots more hoof into box again good as that creates goals. Less players brought for £20m plus so if need backup can get anyone in from championship or league 1.  Some of the other Prem teams have been as boring as Saints so more wasted money and travel. Two tier rules with 115 City, £1billion Man U, buying the title. Its not like Div 1 when we were competitive and could beat any team.

[SaintsBarry74]

By all means, let us cling to the PL so we can continue to be weekly cannon fodder.

[Mystic Force]

Thanks you gave me ammunition to argue, as the people who would like to deny promotion and relegation should exist will say that promotion sounds great but what about relegation. And here we are after experiencing one of the worst ever seasons, wouldn't change the system.

[Colinjb]

Remove the jeopardy, remove the elation.

The fact that any club with the right backing/direction could in theory become champions gives the prize more value.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

Only way to make the PL more competitive is to let the so called big four/five fuck off and form a European League with the other greedy clubs around Europe. 

[CB Fry]

8 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Only way to make the PL more competitive is to let the so called big four/five fuck off and form a European League with the other greedy clubs around Europe. 

I know people like saying this but if that happens (it won't) then what you are left with is not the Premier League but a version of the Championship where Leeds, Everton or West Ham win the league. The TV money doesn't stay in that league, it "fucks off" with the big clubs.

[S-Clarke]

Let's not do a Rasmus and break something that isn't broken.

Relegation and promotions are the lifeblood of the entire league structure. If we lose that, and PL teams are guarenteed survival, what on earth do you have? 

The teams with the most money battling it out for the trophies all season, and the rest just hoping to finish 15th or 16th so they can get a few more in prize money.

It would entirley kill the lower leagues. You need the stories where Luton, Ipswich, Blackpool, Huddersfield etc can rise through the leagues - and that only happens if there are relegations. Otherwise it all dies.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

12 hours ago, CB Fry said:

I know people like saying this but if that happens (it won't) then what you are left with is not the Premier League but a version of the Championship where Leeds, Everton or West Ham win the league. The TV money doesn't stay in that league, it "fucks off" with the big clubs.

Doesn't particularly bother me. I think more teams than you think would realistically be in with a chance of winning the league. The money might disappear but there will still be a market for watching a league minus the elite clubs. 

[Andrew Watson]

The yanks are not just satisfied with trying to run the world,they want to run our national game as well. [ Boehley, the Glazers and the Liverpool owners would love to scrap relegation from the premier league ] . What a total bunch of arrogant c--ts.

[Jeremy Corbyn]

Promotion and relegation is a hugely valuable part of the game in this country at least.

The part I would take from US sport is salary caps - just put limitations on teams to bring down the overall cost of football and evens up the playing field.  Would need to be europe wide to work though and probably wouldn't be in the interests of the commercial types.

[Saint Fan CaM]

17 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

Let's not do a Rasmus and break something that isn't broken.

Relegation and promotions are the lifeblood of the entire league structure. If we lose that, and PL teams are guarenteed survival, what on earth do you have? 

The teams with the most money battling it out for the trophies all season, and the rest just hoping to finish 15th or 16th so they can get a few more in prize money.

It would entirley kill the lower leagues. You need the stories where Luton, Ipswich, Blackpool, Huddersfield etc can rise through the leagues - and that only happens if there are relegations. Otherwise it all dies.

This ^. 

Plus, to be honest I don’t mind Saints being an ‘underdog’ particularly when there is enough about the team to achieve the occasional upset. This season has been so shite, not because of individual games, but because after the first few matches, there’s not one we’ve started where I’ve thought “yep, we’ve got a chance to draw or win here’. They say it’s the hope that kills, but most of this season has seen no hope.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

On 21/05/2025 at 15:57, saint michael said:

Premier league closed shop is exactly what the clubs in the premier league want. Greed where nobody but them benefits and no risk to their income allowing owners like glazers to load debt… the premier league is already little about sport. This would be the final nail. 

It is what a lot of premier league clubs want and it wouldn't surprise me if it happens. Too many clubs want to protect their investments and what better way than to stop promotion and relegation.