Game 39 - Is It A Good Idea?
Monday, 25th Aug 2014 09:45 by Planet Swans (Follow us on Twitter @swansnews)

There were interesting comments over the weekend from Huw Jeknins about Game 39 and the fact that it seems to be getting more support from Premier League Chairman after the idea came back to the forefront over the past few weeks.

The concept of Game 39 is that the Premier League will take an extra round of fixtures outside of the country to spread the 'brand' thus potentially removing football one step even further from the people that supported it through the dark days when it was not the publicity hungry business that it seems to be now.

We already have escalating prices pricing many people out of watching their teams on a regular basis and we have money being talked about as wages that is more in a week than many people can earn in a ten-year period. Even this morning there is talk of Manchester United paying more than £60m for a single player as they panic over a start to the season that has seen them win just one point out of the six available. Panic buy? Bloody expensive one at that!

The only concept of the 39th game is to increase support for the teams outside of the country but you can guarantee that if it ever came off then it would not be to the advantage of teams like Swansea City it would only be something to benefit the 'bigger teams' all of whom generally spend large chunks of their pre season out of the country anyway.

One of the arguments is that the NFL plays games every season outside of the USA so why should the Premier League not follow suit. NFL teams are franchises that can be sold city to city anyway so it is not a comparable viewpoint. Football has always been about people supporting their team and following that team around the country when they can do so. Not finding out that they are to play a domestic league game thousands of miles away.

For many people if the 39th game would be introduced it would be another nail in the coffin for the traditional football fan. The authorities that run the game have long since sat back and forgotten the people who have bee there long ago. £50+ for league tickets, kick off times that never lend themselves to away fans getting there or back with ease and even average players picking up £40k+ per week wages. At some point it all has to end and there is only so much money to go around.

Huw Jenkins though is taking a stance that says the Swans should back it and he told the Evening Post "The way the Premier League is trying to advance all around the world, I think it's going to get bigger and bigger,

"They are looking to attract a bigger audience and in turn more revenue.

"I think there's a majority who will look to go along with the idea of a 39th game and if we're going to grow our club, I think we have to go along with that.

"Personally I think we are miles behind the majority of Premier League clubs in terms of moving into that area (of marketing around the world) to help us compete and bring extra money in.

"We have got to develop, and perhaps an extra game can help us find the extra millions we need to compete in the Premier League."

I get what Huw is saying but actually backing it does not make us any more competitive than anyone else in the Premier League on the basis that everyone will get the same advantage of the 39th game and sometimes it is nice to see some sides standing up against a proposal that I don't think work.

I always remember Phil Gartside at Bolton stating that there should not be relegation and promotion from the Premier League. He said that when Bolton were in the Premier League. Now they stand at the bottom end of the Championship I wonder if his view would be the same. That is the same for the Chairman of clubs currently in the Premier League who could easily drop out. Support now is one thing but support if they dropped out I suspect would diminish in their head.

Personally I would hate to see the 39th game idea get off the ground. The thought of having the team travel halfway around the world to play someone like Hull or Stoke just does not appeal and I am not sure it would appeal to that many whilst the TV companies excite themselves with the Manchester derby or Arsenal v Chelsea as the bigger fixtures of Game 39.

It's a no from me, how about you?