Sheepy No to ÂŁ100m Place - Ipswich Town News
Town chairman David Sheepshanks has come out against Gordon Taylor's suggestion that a place in the Premiership should be sold for ÂŁ100 million.
PFA chief Taylor sees his suggestion as a solution to the increasingly large gap between the Premiership and First Division: "The Premier League should want to avoid one of their members being relegated, as they have seen how hard-hit clubs like Derby and Leicester have been since they were relegated.
"But the price of a relegated club from the Premiership would be high, as high as ÂŁ100 million.
"We would be talking about only ÂŁ5 million per Premiership club and that would make a massive difference to the League's finances after the collapse of ITV Digital. The League would be left with one automatic place and then could extend the play-offs for the second spot.
"I put the idea forward to the League and was surprised no one had even given the suggestion consideration. It is radical but the League is in urgent need of restructuring.
"I see the Premier League as being the only possible saviours of the League with this plan which is in both their interests."
However, Sheepshanks is very much against a move of this type: "All ideas are welcome to the debate and it is good Gordon Taylor is trying to draw attention to the very real crisis that exists in the Football League now and the virtually unbridgeable gap between the Premiership and Division One.
"But this particular suggestion is not one I would follow, it would set a very dangerous precedent.
"If it costs ÂŁ100 million for one promotion place then how much is it for two or even three promotion places?
"I would worry that this suggestion would be the thin end of the wedge. I'm a vehement supporter of promotion and relegation and three places up and down is right.
"Furthermore, I doubt there would be any support for this idea in the Premiership. They wouldn't feel any kind of price should be put on a promotion place. It is a non-starter."
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