An end to the madness as Football League suspends Whole Game Solution
The news that the Football League has ceased talks about the Whole Game Solution should be greeted with relief by football fans.
The grandiose Whole Game Solution was proposed by controversial new CEO Shaun Harvey, a man whose speech seems to consist entirely of incomprehensible marketing babble and who is at least partially responsible for the shambles of the new-look EFL Trophy.
The grandiose Whole Game Solution was proposed by controversial new CEO Shaun Harvey, a man whose speech seems to consist entirely of incomprehensible marketing babble…
The “Solution” would potentially have involved restructuring divisions, rescheduling fixtures and alterations to the FA Cup. Most damagingly it may also have seen the introduction of Premier League B sides into the league as a result of the expanded divisions. The new divisional structure would mean clubs would have a reduced fixture list and lose the income from around eight games. Harvey dismissed fears about how clubs would cope with this loss of revenue by commenting that clubs had to take a “broader view of English football.”
However, many fans would argue that it would substantially alter the lower leagues for the worse and was a raft of wholly unwanted changes.
The stumbling block was the FA’s objection to midweek scheduling of FA Cup ties which has now caused talks to cease. Perhaps with the Whole Game Solution now shelved, the EFL can look at sorting out the appalling mess which is the EFL Trophy.
Here, in typical management-speak is Harvey’s reaction to the news. He issued a statement saying: “As a result of the FA’s decision, the board has been left with no option but to end the Whole Game Solution discussions as, in its current form, it is no longer viable.
“The stance the FA has adopted has brought the discussions to a premature end, before fully understanding what the financial outcome from the creation of a new distribution model could be.”