[Shaun]

What are your thoughts on this?

West Ham are against radical plans by Liverpool and Manchester United to reform the English football pyramid, according to a club source.

The Project Big Picture proposals have been put together by Liverpool owner John Henry and United co-chairman Joel Glazer.

Everton, Southampton and West Ham would be granted special status in the plans, along with the so-called 'big six'.

However, a Hammers insider has told BBC Sport they are "very much against" it.

It is understood the club were unaware of the proposals, even though they were named in them - and were shocked when they emerged into the public domain on Sunday.

The source said they were of the view Liverpool and United were the instigators but that they had been told talks have been going on since January and what has emerged is the 17th version of the proposal.

The plans also include special status for Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham.

The Hammers feel the obvious negatives - the loss of two home games - will hit their finances, while at the same time creating space for more European games and lucrative pre-season friendlies, which would disproportionately benefit the 'big six'.

The plans include reducing the Premier League to 18 clubs and scrapping the EFL Cup.

In return, the EFL would get 25% of all future TV deals, which would be negotiated jointly, plus the £250m bail-out many clubs have been demanding since May.

This is the fourth season in a row where the 'big six' have all qualified for European football. In the past 10 seasons, one of them has missed out on only four occasions.

Over the past decade, West Ham have had two European campaigns, both of which ended during the qualifying rounds. Southampton and Everton have also qualified for Europe twice in the same period.

"The big six are using Covid for a power grab," said the West Ham source. "If this goes through, over time they will just use more and more for themselves."

It is not known what will happen if the plan - which has drawn criticism from supporters' groups, the government and the Premier League executive - is rejected.

The Premier League said "individual proposals" in the plan "could have a damaging impact on the whole game", and that it would continue its own work on a "resolution to the requirement for Covid-19 rescue funding" for the EFL.

However, one theory - which EFL chairman Rick Parry refused to dismiss when questioned specifically about it twice on Sunday - is that the six clubs have been told they could play within the Football League if their Premier League status was threatened.

One source with detailed knowledge of running clubs at both Premier League and EFL level says the plan has merit but the fear of how the 'big six' might rewrite the rule book - potentially including halting relegation or blocking new owners whose investment may threaten their own status - was likely to be regarded as too big a price for many to accept.

The 'Project Big Picture' proposals

- The Premier League cut from 20 to 18 clubs, with the Championship, League One and League Two each retaining 24 teams.

- The bottom two teams in the Premier League relegated automatically with the 16th-placed team joining the Championship play-offs.

- The League Cup and Community Shield abolished.

- Parachute payments scrapped.

- A £250m rescue fund made immediately available to the EFL & 25% of all future TV deals

- £100m paid to the FA to make up for lost revenue.

- Nine clubs given 'special voting rights' on certain issues, based on their extended runs in the Premier League.

I personally think it's a load of bollocks There's absolutely no need to scrap the two cups mentioned; 20 teams in the PL is ideal, and the very idea that the "special 9" don't include Leicester who literally won the league 4 years ago, or Aston Villa and Newcastle when they've been in more Premier League seasons than Manchester City, is laughable

[Nicky91]

18 teams is what we got in our eredivisie for many years, decades

why be against it


Leicester are not part of the ''premier league elite'' just yet, Aston Villa are just relegation material, adding nothing to premier league

[The Slim Reaper]

With all that extra time off, all that would happen is teams would be travelling across the globe to play glamour friendlies to earn more millions.

I don't think power should be given to a few teams at the top either, but I do think parachute payments need to be reworked because that's a crazy system.

[bitontheslide]

i think it's a slippery slope. The moment the top 6 control the league, they will be negotiating a super league and the rest will get left behind

[Shaun]

It's also baffling that there's something of a presumption that none of the elite 9 clubs will ever be relegated. Especially when two of them are West Ham and Southampton, who've been flirting with relegation for the past 3 seasons

[Shaun]

it's reportedly been abandoned

[bitontheslide]

Premier League clubs have "unanimously agreed" that 'Project Big Picture' will not be "endorsed or pursued".

The controversial plans, proposed by Liverpool and Manchester United, were rejected at a meeting of the 20 clubs in England's top flight on Wednesday.

Instead, the clubs agreed to "work together" on a new "strategic plan" for the "financing of English football".

They also decided on a £50m rescue package for League One and Two clubs at the meeting.

A Premier League statement said "discussions will also continue with the EFL" over financial support for the Championship.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54545053