After the collapse of ITV digital, Simon Tindall believes that Division One clubs are acting fast to betray all those below them, without doing themselves any particular favours either

The latest plan for restructuring the Football League is now up for discussion. A report from management consultants KPMG, commissioned by the First Division clubs, is now being circulated to the Second and Third Division. The gist of its contents was made public in August, and when the lower division clubs get their hands on the full ver­sion they are not likely to find it attractive reading.

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UEFA's freshest plans to renovate the Champions League are yet again satisfying few. Perhaps more dangerously, they are isolating Europe's smaller nations and if the G-14 had its way, they'd be forgotten altogether

As this issue of the magazine goes to press, an unholy row seems to be brewing over the future composition of the Champions League. The self-styled G-14 group of clubs were due to meet on August 30 to discuss, among other things, UEFA’s announcement that they plan to dispense with the second group stage of the Champions League, thus reducing the amount of games played in the latter stages of the competition.

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Brendan Fatchett, the former station manager of Teamtalk 252, says football clubs have become too greedy in their demands over radio rights

While a great deal of attention has been paid to football’s problems with television, many fans may not have considered whether they are getting a good deal from radio broadcasters. Is there enough competition, or are we on the verge of finding too many sporting rights in the hands of too few broadcasters?

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Paul Ashley-Jones is hopeful that the competition can become as big as that in Scotland – just without the elite few dominating it

What were the aims of the LoW when it began? Have they been achieved?
The principal aim was to have a league that covered the whole of Wales and this was achieved. With the UK having long been criticised in international circles for having four represenative teams it was felt Wales needed a league to justify retaining the national side.

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Dear WSC
While I was not one of the 100,000 “strange folks” that travelled to Phoenix Park to welcome the Irish team home from the World Cup – the event had become less of a homecoming and more of a bad cabaret night – I do not agree with Paul Doyle that those that made the trip were basking in mediocrity (WSC 186). It’s true to say that our players, most of whom are very ordinary, might have gone further. It is also true to say almost every other country is thinking the same thing, from Italy and Spain feeling robbed, to Costa Rica missing a sitter in the last min­ute against the eventual third place side. The people who did go to the park may have done so for any number of reasons, the most obvious one being to thank the players for giving everything and entertaining us along the way. For many kids it was just the chance to see their heroes. (They may even have gone just to see Westlife.) Showing support for your team is what supporters do, and Irish fans have always appreciated it when a team has given their all. Just because Roy doesn’t like it doesn’t make it wrong.
Rónán Barrett, Dublin

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