The World's Stupidest League Is BACK

The Sky Bet Championship is the highest quality and most lucrative second tier in world football, yet it's also among the most reckless and unsustainable.
A year ago, I made a video about the craziness of the Championship, and since then, if anything, the situation has only gotten worse.
So in this video, HITC Sevens revisits the subject of Championship finances, the Championship and the EFL's new television and Premier League solidarity payment deals, and answers some of the biggest questions ahead of the 2024-25 season.
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[@xkumanekox]

"The Championship is like crystal meth" - Alfie, circa 2024.

[@frankiefourfingers911]

🤣🤣

[@adamdickinson2894]

Under the radar but North End's campaign for an eighth finish between 9th and 14th in 9 years has got off to a cracking start btw

[@stevencooke6451]

It is a fine art. Like playing Wizard or Bridge and wondering when you should take tricks.

[@franohmsford7548]

Just admit you're cursed, ever since Sir Tom Finney retired!

[@cambradley7694]

Was us at Millwall for a bit until dropping a stinker last season

[@guanxvi]

It’s a shame Freddy Adu never played in the championship.

[@rasmuserikandersen4786]

#Sad

[@quizzical2023]

He plays in all of our hearts.

[@w_observer]

Dude even played in the Turkish Super League lmfao

[@jimshelley8831]

He wasn't even good enough for League 2 never mind the Championship.

[@dwaynekeenum1916]

@@jimshelley8831casual

[@hiroprotagonest]

"It's easy to paint the Premier League as the bad guys in all of this, primarily because they are." - Alfie Potts-Harmer, 2024

[@Ghetto_Meadow]

I love The Championship, its the perfect blend of disaster and disaster ...teams eating them selves to stay alive , teams eating other teams to stay alive , all in the hopes to be fodder for The Prem and to go right back down. Right now I think the story of the league is the Sammie Szmodics situation.

[@hjmmanning]

Could you expand on what the Szmodics situation entails?

[@Ghetto_Meadow]

@@hjmmanning I am going to try to simplify this.... He had a great year last year and looked to move on, Ipswich was in talks, the owner of Blackburn was kinda talking down on his play and his quality, his move was pretty much done and then he gets Shortlisted for PFA award and the owner back tracks on statements saying he just needed to show more consistency and wants him to stay and show it, The Ipswich deal seems to fallen apart due to Blackburn owner, Szmodics seems to not be on the same page as manager , he sits the first half of the first game, comes in and scores in second half, gives one of those "told ya" looks and now Leeds has interest. The owner really tried to downgrade his best player thinking he had the power and now if Szmodics leave...when he leaves... Blackburn are going to have a rough go producing at the same level without Szmodics.

[@hjmmanning]

@@Ghetto_Meadow well explained, cheers

[@Abdulmalik7Sarip7]

​@@Ghetto_MeadowHe just went to Ipswich for 10.8 😂😂😂😂😂.

[@12thMandalorian]

Ironically it could all be solved with a salary cap like the USA employ, sorted

[@TylerAven10]

That ending to the Leeds Portsmouth match was everything my soul needed. So fucking back

[@ja1295]

The premier league has made english football boring. i see more and more people every year getting sick of the prem and go to their local lower tier sides for a more authentic football experience

[@T.E.S.S.]

borning? boning?

[@antizerooneonefour]

@@T.E.S.S.the Prem has boned English football quite a bit tbf

[@TheRedBaron1917]

Bournemouth* ​@@T.E.S.S.

[@exarion2239]

Watching a tier 2 or 3 team is so much more fun. Then u have ur favorite club at the championsleague and then ure good.

[@ja1295]

@@exarion2239 nah ucl is also crap bow same couple of teams all the time in the same spots

[@robertgammon-ross9983]

League 1 is slowly becoming the championship, having that bit of unpredictability but the football is much worse and there is still a deft of money and infrastructure in the rest of the EFL, but that is a lot less than the rate of which the championship is becoming uneven

[@nothanks3236]

Only unpredictable from 2 to 20. #1 is rarely unpredictable in that league the last decades.

[@JayKayCrookedMysteryJazz]

@@nothanks3236 "Only"

[@MikeGcdi]

Just look at the crazy money Birmingham are spending. No FFP rules

[@JayKayCrookedMysteryJazz]

@@MikeGcdi FFP isnt just what you spend.

[@Linesjointspenaltypoints]

@@MikeGcdithey sold their whole squad and spent all that money on a new one? Do you expect them to just sell and not buy?

[@Veaseify]

Its a weird cocoon in the Championship, the two times Newcastle went down in the last ten years I remember not giving a crap about anything that was happening in the Premier League and not missing it at all.

[@ccityplanner1217]

"Solely for infrastructure projects" - I can see why the Premier League would want to take away lower leagues' selling point of getting to watch fooball in an old, characterful stadium rather than a modern, bland one.

[@Evemeister12]

The EFL never truly recovered from the collapse of ITV digital in the early 2000s.

[@THELEICESTERFOX]

And now propped up by Sky. Laugh when fans get upset that the new tv deal means most games are on at 12.30 but forget they wouldn't get money that is keeping some clubs alive😂

[@thomashopper8616]

Your comment on American food regulation was hilarious and spot on.

[@nicestoriesnottherealstori3006]

Eh, I am an American, and I still live well with that stuff. Though I am probably obese.

[@maciejbala477]

@@nicestoriesnottherealstori3006 I've heard stories of non-Americans going to the US, eating like normal, and still gaining a lot of weight very fast. And I've also had Americans tell me that they avoid entire sections of the supermarkets, which sounds wild to me as a European. Like, okay, I get it, you can live with it, and you can also buy plenty of great food (if you pay enough), but there's definitely a kernel of truth in that.

[@Obri55]

British guy talking about other country's food is crazy

[@gm2407]

​@@Obri55 Yeah, I also avoid sections of the supermarket. Have to pay attention to meat and water having artificial sweateners, as I want to avoid that. Am in UK. It is like we want to emulate the crap show going on in USA.

[@jonfnm3076]

Many of the foods in Europe are actually illegal in the us. Both are very bad.

[@chrisguardiano6143]

In addition to Sky Sports, the EFL has also signed a deal with CBS Sports here in the US (I am American) to greatly increase the number of games that are on TV & make it easier for a growing number of fans to watch. The EFL is smart to do this as they join the Premier League, other European leagues like the Bundesliga, the NWSL, Liga MX & USL (which is basically the American version of the EFL minus the promotion/relegation aspect) in terms of being more accessible when it comes to watching games than our top domestic league MLS which thanks to Apple is behind a paywall. When it comes to leagues that are reckless & unsustainable, MLS is right up there with the Championship though some in the US soccer community would argue they are more reckless given the fact that in the past 6 months, MLS has threatened to pull its clubs out of the US Open Cup due to "fixture congestion" & further expanded its partnership with Liga MX to grow Leagues Cup into an alternative competition that would effectively end it & cutting off a source of revenue for USL. This is definitely a topic for HITC Sevens to look into and do a video on in the future.

[@TylerAven10]

It is such a W

[@thomashopper8616]

Interesting point. I’m also American and I almost never watch MLS for that reason. I subscribed to ESPN+ to get EFL matches and watch the USL games religiously (I split my days living in two USL markets Oakland and Sacramento). I subscribed to Paramount+ for the Champions League and Europa League/Conference. I watched Paramount’s coverage of the EFL yesterday and their coverage was far superior to that of ESPN’s.

[@vaporterra]

@@thomashopper8616It helps that Paramount Plus covers more than one EFL Championship game a week unlike ESPN+

[@justinwarthen]

@@thomashopper8616I’m an Inter fan and watching Serie A go from BeIN to ESPN to Paramount has been such a huge improvement. Paramount has by far the best coverage and actually provides pre and post match coverage, making it more in line with American sports. Now if only they could take over the international tournaments from Fox…

[@WyldStallion-bs9oo]

@@thomashopper8616 Funny I got a the replay of Norwich vs Oxford as I type this. Paramount has really stepped up their game getting the EFL. I don't have ESPN plus/Disney at all anymore. I only have Peacock because I have a $2 a month deal. I'll drop it when that ends. Paramount I am keeping. I can watch just UEFA, EFL and Italy leagues all year and be happy. And oh yeah I did like MLS in the 2010s. but I have lost total interest in it in the 2020s.

[@lune_dba]

your standard of journalistic integrity for a youtube channel is really impressive and admirable alfie, i'm a big fan of everything you do here. thank you for continuing to covering genuinely insightful topics on a platform that seems to incentivise anything but!

[@chrisomarm]

Babe wake up, HITC sevens just uploaded

[@LunchSays]

crrrriiiiinnnngggggeeee

[@L1am21]

Babe: Shut up you geek.

[@joegannon4212]

I will never forget the look of horror on my (southern) girlfriend’s face the first time she heard Alfie’s East Yorkshire drawl and her utter disbelief that I would spend hours listening to it

[@falagarius]

Get your 1.75X speed ready!

[@antr7493]

yup, me too

[@ifan_1234]

Alfie, the champions of the Welsh premier league are only a win away from qualifying for the Europa league/Europa conference this season. if they can beat petrocub by 2 goals or more at home then they will have secured a spot, if they can't beat petrocub then they'll fall to the Europa conference playoffs where they'll most likely face a side that are currently last in the Lithuanian league. if they qualify for a European competition, it will change domestic Welsh football completely. could you please make a video about the league and the predicament it's in?

[@andymanser2523]

It won't change it at all, it will mean it's even more 1 sided then ever before. The Welsh FA need to put steps in place to make the league full professional to even start to make the league competitive. Only then will the teams start to catch TNS and stand a chance of 2 of them getting into a European competition. Hopefully in a few seasons time Newport City will be there to do so.

[@robertgregory9896]

How about a video on Bangor City's adventures against Napoli in the Cup Winners' Cup in the sixties?

[@ifan_1234]

@@robertgregory9896 i wouldn't enjoy that as a Caernarfon fan 🫣

[@ifan_1234]

@@andymanser2523 you have a point, it will just give TNS even more money, but I do think that a Welsh prem team qualifying for Europe could change attitudes about the league, i feel like people will begin taking it more seriously and the league may gain some new fans, this might incentivise the faw to invest more in the league

[@RyuzakiTaiyou]

Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 665) I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored. If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.

[@SwanRonsonDonnyJepp]

Already done it.....Go back and check yourself

[@zubatterrorincarnate3206]

@@SwanRonsonDonnyJepp I looked it up, and you're lying. Also wohooo, day 666 the next time!!

[@Bale4Bond]

Mucho pathetico

[@T.E.S.S.]

I believe in you, buddy

[@PresidentSquigglyMiggly]

Michael ballack at 1

[@sumandark8600]

I've never tried crystal meth, so I can't really comment on it that way, but the blue version in Breaking Bad looks pretty

[@primateboogaloo]

Bristol City's first game set a wonderfully predicatable precedent for the rest of the season.

[@GeliCarlosJ]

Prem fans complain about the Super League when the EPL is essentially a Super League in all but name. End parachute payments & increase money being sent to all EFL clubs instead.

[@fairphoneuser9009]

Well, it's just an English Super League...(with some Welsh guests 😁)

[@jackbennett2269]

👍

[@WyldStallion-bs9oo]

Thank goodness for Ipswich. Otherwise it would have been 3 up and 3 down for the same 6 teams and that would have SUCKED!

[@maciejbala477]

@@WyldStallion-bs9oo yeah I think every neutral was rooting for them all season. I hope it doesn't get "normal" that all 3 promoted teams go down and all 3 relegated go up... you need at least 1 to be different, or else you'll get sick of it really fast

[@ctrl9439]

A mate once described it as the wild west of football and nothing has ever made more sense

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Love these videos especially when you cover the Championship. Keep up the good work.

[@itzbouncy8048]

Who lends all these clubs this non existent money if every club is already in debt. And where do I find them?

[@spmoq]

The Championship is so stupid that it took an American media conglomerate’s backing (CBS Sports) to get scoreboards on their extended highlights

[@zscout370]

2:57 touche with the Belarus remark

[@Dexterswfc08]

Parachute payments need to be scrapped , with the money being distributed to EFL clubs instead

[@josephfoulger9628]

Prem clubs would never vote for that

[@1977Futre]

The three teams coming up would never spend a penny. Meaning they'd be relegated before Christmas. Making the league much worse.

[@jackbennett2269]

They would never do that because that actually helps people and doesn’t outright bootlick the rich.

[@maciejbala477]

yeah, I think most people agree. But as Alfie says, it'll never happen because the premier league clubs won't agree to do that.

[@EisernRob]

Greed has ruined English football

[@user67999]

Greed ruined everything.

[@DC-YTC]

Greedy has ruined the Planet in general

[@ccityplanner1217]

What if the EFL were to make a rule that for every million pounds a team gets in parachute payments, it is docked 1 point?

[@nicestoriesnottherealstori3006]

You know, in the US, it's on the same streaming service that has the rights to Seria A and the Champions league.

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

So on one site you can watch Europe's greatest annual football competition, the Italian top flight and the UEFA Champions League. Not bad.

[@subparnaturedocumentary]

we have efl championship and league 1 on paramount plus now, although we did have selected matches on espn + plus last year, but now paramount has a panel of people know to talk about the goings on and whatnot they also have serie a, scottish premiership and argentina premiership

[@dnukess]

All the best, everyone (whichever EFL team you support). League One is looking to be wild and unpredictable, even by league one standards. I'd say there's a good 10 teams in that running

[@ashooaway]

I see the championship now is like the Premier League say about 30 years ago

[@WyldStallion-bs9oo]

I agree. When I watch EFL Championship games today it feels like what I experienced watching Premier League games in the 2000s. EFL Champ seems like the top English league now. As the Premier League is more like a global league that happens to be in England.

[@frumiousgaming]

Alfie should make a video about Oxford United. As he mentioned they would like a more sustainable situation to allow them to compete - but at the same time they would probably not be allowed to enter the premier league anyway considering their stadium only has 3 sides and Peter Crouch could watch their matches for free standing by the fence behind one of the goals

[@holdenchute7883]

Portsmouth vs Leeds was honestly one of the best championship games I’ve ever watched (I’m 15 and don’t watch much championship football) (plus I’m American)

[@andrewdopple6946]

I understand why they did parachute payments. Championship clubs when promoting would have to increase wages, pay bonuses, modify pitches and stadiums, not to mention make bank breaking signings to be able to compete in the premier league. If they immediately get relegated after one season, that would be gg to the clubs finances. If promoted clubs didnt take this gamble, you would just end up with a bunch of Norwich's and |West Broms , who test their luck with their championship budget, and just be happy with whatever they earn with the one or two seasons in the premier league. And worse case, you would end up with more QPRsand Sunderlands who get bankrupt from relegations.

[@StatesideFooty27]

The EFL just inked a deal with CBS sports to broadcast the Championship, League one, and League Two here in the States. Don't get me wrong, I love English football, but there should be no reason for EFL clubs to be losing money

[@OfficialFingazMC]

I've done crystal meth and believe me football is the last of your worries!

[@philpatch]

Didnt see it coming that Alfie would end a video about the state of the championship with "I never done crystal meth"

[@Lee-k9y]

I think Luton Town have shown how to be financially stable, but we had to learn the hard way.

[@ashooaway]

13:50 as a swansea fan I can confirm the early start at 5am to Middlesborough was pure dissapointment I won't lie. I totally agree with everything you say here.

[@maciejbala477]

I'll still completely disagree with you on VAR. It makes the game infinitely better and more fair, even with less-than-perfect implementation. I think it's the only thing I really disagree with you on

[@dwijdesai1021]

Thanks, Alfie, I have learned so much about the football leagues in England, I became a Big Six Club fan in my childhood 'cause obviously their games are more televised overseas and they have more brand exposure. Regardless I do love the EFL and the amount of info and knowledge I have gained just because of your videos is amazing, I do feel the unfairness towards the lower leagues and its clubs. I just wish more EFL leagues were being televised overseas.

[@mclew1234]

The problem is the amount of money required to be even remotely competitive in the EPL is so high that if you scrap parachute payments those clubs relegated would likely go bust immediately or have to sell their best players for literal pennies on the £ to the EPL top 10. The simple fact is that the football bubble is going to burst soon & when it does it will be as big as the banking crash of '08 because there is so many small companies attached reliant on business from football clubs

[@christophercopley6474]

Very interesting video as always always learn something with your videos great job

[@connor4435]

The problem with parachute payments is whilst they might seem unfair they are essential to ensure that some teams aren’t completely crippled by relegation (or even have the threat of liquidation for more established clubs like Leicester or Southampton)

[@Hasunosuke7]

Oh my Alfie, you talking about the championship is always gold, thank you

[@franohmsford7548]

Of the 24 Championship Clubs only 7 {Bristol City, Coventry, Millwall, Oxford, Preston, Plymouth, and Sheffield Wednesday} haven't played a single season in the EPL since 2006 when Parachute Payments were introduced. So 17 have benefited at least once from Parachute Payments! Derby got Parachute Payments when they were relegated with 11 points in 2008! Cardiff got Parachute Payments after just a single season in the Prem in 2019! Luton have EARNED their Parachute Payments just the same as Derby and Cardiff! West Brom and Norwich are constantly getting Parachute Payments as they yo-yo between the Prem and the Championship!

[@franohmsford7548]

Reading, Bolton, QPR, Derby and Wigan {and Portsmouth} all had Parachute Payments when they went down from the Prem! That they got themselves into trouble anyway should tell you that Parachute Payments are NOT the problem! And if you want to mention Bury, they haven't even been in the second tier since 1999 when they went down alongside Oxford and Bristol City!

[@EthanSierra48]

@@franohmsford7548 The Prem actually withheld Portsmouth's payments for over a year due to being in administration. When we did eventually receive them, it all went to paying off our creditors and trying not to dissolve as a club

[@Itchyknee88]

13:42 “a 12 and a half kick off” sorry what?! I mean obviously we know what you mean…but still 😂

[@Darwinek]

I prefer Zweite Bundesliga from the second tier divisions in Europe. More fun.

[@MontgomeryBarncaly]

I keep having to retreat further and further down the football ladder to find real football but it still exists! League 1 and down is great fun to watch and support. The only problem is that if your team does too well you'll end up in the championship and if they do great they'll end up going Bankrupt getting demoted from the Prem. It's a strange situation when the best case scenario for a fan is that your team lives forever in the top half of League 1 but here we are lads.

[@Zanduk05]

And we top it! Can only go downhill from here 😅

[@EKNYR]

“I’ve never done crystal meth… anyways” 😂😂😂

[@jeohist]

Parachute payments need to be scrapped, instead they should be wired to Alfie

[@montanaprime]

Pompey are 1 division away from the promised land

[@GiftedGaz78]

If you don’t give the relegated clubs, parachute payments then how can they invest in players when the get promoted to the premier league ? If they were relegated with no payments, they would bankrupt instead.

[@eavyeavy2864]

Good, their greed cost them

[@edotball]

as a fan of a league 1 club who has never even got close to getting to the championship it really is the promised land

[@kleptrep94]

Wait unless you’re a glory hunter I don’t really know who you’re referring too, like heck even my side has reached the second division and we’re pants on toast. (Walsall.)

[@eavyeavy2864]

​@@kleptrep94everything is glory hunter for minor

[@kleptrep94]

@@eavyeavy2864 Y'all do know that there's an actual glory hunting side in the third division right? Like literally a worthless side that's only there due to who they know, Starfuckers Inc who got promoted from League 2 last season alongside Stockport, Mansfield and Crawley, right? Unless he's supporting Stevenage.

[@JFlorey03]

I agree with you about the kickoffs. Oxford fan and so pumped to watch championship football but my god I’ve no idea how to get to half of the games 😅

[@cdeford2]

The EFL could simply make parachute payments illegal, which would make it irrelevant what the Premier League does. Or bring in a rule that the spending of all clubs must be within a certain range.

[@King_Goat_JJ]

As an Oxford United fan, I’m just gonna enjoy our season. Already thrashed Norwich, the favourites to go up. Looking forward to seeing Hull City at the Kassam. I just hope Oxford is much smarter with the finances

[@RSB180]

Norwich favourites to go up? Yeh they would be if Leeds, Burnley, Luton, Boro, Sheff Utd, Cov, Stoke, WBA, Sunderland and Sheff Wed weren’t in the league. What a comment lol.

[@SVRCountach]

I would consider the dutch 2nd league more stupid considering it has 4 youth teams with changing line-ups depending on the first team schedule and 1st team players coming back from injury. Also you can't get relegated from it.

[@cameronrogers6829]

Alfie with some swagger when he talks

[@starguy321]

13:50 *laughs in Plymouth Argyle*

[@ramiroivanrybczuk3407]

At last, a video about the Kings League

[@joepoolman94]

Great video. Not sure that Oxford do have the smallest budget in the league though

[@sirtwiz]

you should do a comparison with the 2. Bundesliga lol

[@adolfocoy7516]

As a Norwich City fan I am just happy we are mentioned.

[@Zeerse_Chef]

I'm not saying it's right or good, but it's incorrect to call it unsustainable. The entity that is the club can sustain itself by changing ownership whenever it gets so bad it's existence comes under threat. Either a rich individual fan or fan collective have historically bailed out clubs to keep them alive. While there are examples where a few clubs couldn't be saved, Derby is yet another zombie returning to life in football.

[@forzaacmilan36]

Not if the club is laden with millions of debt

[@Sigurd-r5]

What happened to QPR? When Briatori and Eclestone where in charge they were going places. Then, they suddenly left and it all went to s**t.

[@footballfumb5495]

they pulled out, never really invested, whereas as Amit Bhatia etc. did, spent on wasters, got done with ffp, still recovering

[@saxbend]

I have an idea for how the EFL can mitigate the parachute problem without needing approval from the premier league. Introduce a rule saying that clubs relegated from the premier league must pay for their parachute payments with points. Let's say for simplicity of illustration one point for every ten million received, though this ratio can be refined with a bit more research and calculation. The clubs can then accept the entire parachute payment offered by the premier league, or some fraction of it, or none of it, and take the corresponding points deduction for their championship season.

[@CxAgar]

25:00 Steve Gibbo is the reason why Derby almost went Bankrupt for over spending finishing in the playoffs over us and in doing so broke FFP.. Has also made it very clear with having Middlesbrough become an incredibly well-ran and sustainable club while competing at the very top of the Championship through long-term investments in players and academy products. He made the mistake before with spending alot in the hopes on becoming a Top-7 Premiership club and it though ended with 1 League Cup, many top 10 Prem Finishes ending with 1 Europa League final.. It all still came crashing down with Relegation and he won't dare make the same mistake again.. Especially after he intrusted Garry Monk with a decent sum of money a few seasons back and it ended with us almost going down in the 19-20 season He's much more in favour on capping the sending that newly relegated clubs as the means to have a higher chance with promotion without loosing too much money across the campaign

[@lennard9331]

I have a question. Do we have any information on how much of the wage bill of a promoted consists of the bonuses paid to incentivise players? For example, Ipswich's losses last year and this year might've been and might be so large because of the bonuses in question. Is it irresponsible for a club to make a "loss" in the case of promoted teams at the end of the year when it's the result of a bonus paid to players because they've just increased the revenue of their club and deserve to benefit from the upcoming revenue increase?

[@chazmaru9583]

30:23 hmm which is worse for one’s health, Crystal Palace or Crystal Meth 🤔？

[@shohaibnawaz4432]

Rise of Stockport county please

[@BJPFFC]

I doubt anyone cares

[@gwheregwhizz]

Genuine football fans know Dave Challinor is a serial winner.

[@F1Krazy]

@@BJPFFC They went from the 3rd tier to the 6th tier and back up to the 3rd tier again, all in the space of 15 years. I'd say that's worthy of a video.

[@TimOyoIta]

Here's a fix - take one of the Premier League's FIVE spots from next season, and give it to the EFL champion.

[@gazzadona]

As you said but for Hull city we have only 3 home games at 3pm on a Saturday till the end of 2024

[@ezvioc]

"What's not to like?" Ipswich isn't there anymore.

[@BJPFFC]

Why was the picture used to show the premier leagues financial dominace, a picture of bobby reid signing for Leicester

[@r2dad282]

Not that anyone in the UK cares, but back in the USA (which doesn't have pro-rel but does have a salary cap) this instability in the Championship is identified as proof socialized football leagues are more sustainable than all that crazy capitalism in the UK.

[@darraghgibbons2329]

7 most boring league seasons, whether due to a team dominating from early on and a lack of any real 'title race' (Chelsea 2014/15), lack of surprises, low goalscoring across the board, lack of memorable moments. Etc

[@jamesdelisle3555]

11:40 Was that a picture from the penalty swansea gave up literally on Saturday? Jeez man, that's harsh

[@Uzair_Of_Babylon465]

Great video keep it up you're doing amazing things 😁👍

[@mrjesabi]

I've said it for years, the championship is the most entertaining and competitive league in world football.

[@244Jackster]

You need to do a video on the threatened sanctions by FIFA and how it could destroy English Football.

[@nicholastricarico2957]

F*** yes, I love watching insanity! If at least half a league isn't on a speedrun to potential financial ruin, is it really a league?

[@Jimmo85]

So what you're basically saying is, Fally Mayulu is the next Pele? Fair enough.

[@gm2407]

Any club that does not have their transfer and wage budget for the first team set to x% or less hard cap of their league TV revenue or something akin to that is playing a dangerous game. They should have been doing it for a while now. It might be a detriment in the short term, but long term sustainability it would be better. Anything else is gravey on top of day to day club expenses being covered and would be a club emergency fund. But no club really operates that way, so until they do, it is just theory observed only in breach.

[@sos_legio_primus]

I like VAR. It has proven my long held theory. That except Argentina, all Latin American Football teams are not good at football, they are good at cheating in football. Look at the cliff Brazil has fallen off of; since VAR has been introduced.

[@jimbob-robob]

Norwich blimmin City... why did I have to be born there and therefore follow such a laughable team... even when they're winners, they feel like losers... and here they are losing their opening game to a promoted Oxford... 😖

[@TheHoldenmcgroin]

Not getting promoted is a club killer.

[@86kickass]

As a Hull fan what is your take on Jean Michel Seri why does he did he sign with Hull instead of a PL club

[@Lewis1995]

hmm maybe get rid of the 3pm blackout then the new tv deal wont be a problem for fans as games could be played at 3p and also televised, radical thought i know

[@sonnysalopian5405]

If the EFL had any backbone they'd break away from the prem and return to the old div 1- 4 with every club forced into sustainability.

[@dysplasiagiraffe4845]

great video Alf, dissolve the premier league. those twenty teams are, for the most part, the amalgamation of frivolous posho scabs who exist outside of the social reality of this country. i would like my own club to not be dragged down to their level

[@francislancedavid629]

Then how did Ipswich get promoted then? A team that didn't even get parachute payments and just recently got promoted from League 1?

[@SkyHighSkylar]

if i remember correctly they were the first club to win back to back promotions from league 1 to the premier league since Southampton did so in 2012

[@LordZontar]

This kind of bullshit is why I follow the non-league game and leagues like the Cymru Premiership as well as Regionaliga Nordost and USL 1 and 2. I get my football fix far cheaper off KZbin, enjoy the games, and it's pleasant to follow leagues where the business side of football is vastly overshadowed by the actual on-field product. And I like viewing football played in smaller stadiums that are cozier and wide open rather than inside claustrophobic corporate megaliths like the Etihad where the fans are packed in like cattle. The farther I get away from the so-called "top tier" divisions and closer to lower-tier leagues where sport is at a more sane and comfortable level, the better I like it. Same reason why I've abandoned both MLB and the NFL. I find alternatives for enjoying those sports, and they do exist.

[@jez4900]

Alfie, what do you actually think of the idea of the 70% spending cap? It seems to me that it’s just a way to ring fence 30% of revenue for profit.

[@aleblasco39]

Before finishing watching this video, I'm gonna say that the most crazy league in the world is gonna start soon, I'm talking about LaLiga Hypermotion nicknamed LaLiga Hipertensiones due to the craziness of last season

[@sos_legio_primus]

With how Man U. are playing. With 18 more games to go. Sitting at 13th place. They could be relegated this season.

[@MikeGcdi]

These new tv games moving the fixture times is awful!!!!!! It’s dumb and stupid

[@RaggedDan]

Brilliant; "It's easy to paint the Premier League as the bad guys in this... because they are"