Buried in "Look at the norks on that" Scudamore's interview yesterday, with most of the press talking about his views on Suarez, is his view that the 39th game issue will be back on the agenda after 5 years. At the time the fans railed against it, and even that bastion of fairness Sepp Blatter thought it was a ludicrous idea.

He claims most clubs are now for it, although concedes that with the likes of the ICC tournament in USA attracting 109,000 to watch Manchester Utd v Real Madrid recently, it may no longer be necessary.

Five years ago he claimed the clubs would earn around £5m each from it, therefore they'd be in favour.

But no-one at the time questioned the integrity of the league. Does that not matter?

It means each team will play 1 team 3 times, the third time at a neutral venue overseas (although the crowd may be partisan if it's a media favourite).

  • Who decides the draw? What if one team chasing the title draws a bottom feeder, and the other a team chasing Europe? (I'm assuming they will keep the top teams apart somehow).
  • Who decides the location? A fixture played in the humidity of Singapore, or the extreme heat of Qatar, or coolness of South Africa, if it's held late in the season?
  • When would it be played? Early on, mid-season or near the end when things are up for grabs?

I think the whole thing is shambolic and would ruin the integrity of the league structure: two games versus everyone else, home and away.

He rightly points out that the TV distribution model in the EPL is more equitable than any other in Europe, but the other impact of the global appeal of the league is the top clubs are now raking in fortunes off commercial deals that are not there for the rest of the league.

I'm at the stage where I think he needs to be replaced. He's been there since 15 years now — time for new ideas / fresh blood.