I’d love to be able say “farewell” to them all.
For supporters of the 14 Premier League clubs who aren’t signatory founders of the European Super League, as well as those who make up the Football League in England, it’d be a satisfying feeling to wave them on their way. “Go on then, off you pop.”
Those at the top of those clubs—Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur—have acted out of self-service and greed a long time before Sunday’s huge announcement.
In some ways, a Premier League without the vices so many of them now unashamedly hold would be a better place and potentially a route towards a more level playing field. With a fresh start, there would be an opportunity to refresh and rethink, which has been long overdue.
But one of the perils in this plan is what it would possibly leave behind. What kind of Premier League would we be left with without the dirty half-dozen and their global gravitas?
It’s why, as an Evertonian, the prospect of cutting tie with the Big Six, while no doubt satisfying to think about, is laced with apprehension and uncertainty.
How would clubs like Everton, who have become used to getting by on the vast sums of money that the Premier League brings in through various revenue streams, move forward on what would surely be reduced packages?
What would this mean for projects like Bramley Moore Stadium, which the club have invested years’ worth of effort, research and planning in?
What kind of team would remain if some of the best players opted to jump ship to the breakaway competition?
There will be supporters of so many clubs of similar stature to Everton feeling the same way this morning. Torn between the pride of their teams not being involved and unsure about the future of the Football League structure their clubs have been part of for more than a century in many cases.
It remains to be seen how this develops, with the football news wheel churning faster than ever. Answers to questions held by clubs like Everton will likely be answered a long way down the line; maybe being further back in the queue is something we will all need to get used to?