Sorry son, you’re in the B Team this week…

The Phantom

So last week Jose Mourinho last week proposed that English football should adopt a similar system to Spain & France where by some of the top teams field ‘B’ teams in the lower leagues.

Mourinho said: "I would love to see it. I can tell for sure that if that happened players like Lassana Diarra, Mikel John Obi, Salomon Kalou, when they are not selected for the first team, they have a competition to play in a different level. So they should have a look."

Wenger echoed Mourinho's call, saying: "It's a very good idea. I've said it many times because it happens in France. In France there is two divisions difference and you cannot come up.�

Meanwhile Brimingham chairman David Gold is on the other side of the fence. "Jose often talks about requiring respect, but this is disrespectful to Football League clubs. It's not the Football League's problem if his players aren't getting enough competition.�

So my question is… What are your thoughts on the proposal? Would you like to see it, or are you dead against it?
Let’s discuss…

Tyler Durden

I can see the big clubs with the big squads seeing it as a good idea. But (as well as being one that I wouldn't want to see) it's also an idea that has loopholes attached to it.

For starters, there are 24 teams in each of the three lower divisions. This in itself is already a huge number of games to fit in including play offs. So the first thing Jose should clear up is, is he actually saying increase the Championship to 28 teams (since surely all the big four would want the same thing) or is he saying that four teams have to potentially go out of business so that Chelsea's reserves can play more competitive football.

Secondly, thinking purely of the amout of games involved (at least 46) it should be remembered that a lot of the top Prem teams actually avoid playing their players on the outside of the 1st Team in competitive reserve fixtures, purely as they are so very keen to avoid incurring injuries in their squads in light of the absence of being able to recruit further bodies until the next transfer window. So in essense, is Jose suggesting that he actually wants his reserves to incur the same injuries and suspensions as his first team squad (in fact more likely to incur such things due to the physicality of the lower leagues in addition to the game quantity).

Thirdly, every team in the Championship (like teams in the Prem) has to declare their "squad" of players for the season before the transfer windows close. If he names a squad for Chelsea B, then those players would not (under English rules) be able to switch on a willy nilly basis between the Prem side and the Championship side, they would be locked in to the next window. Therefore, he may get those players more games and more experience but he wouldn't then be able to call them up to his side till the next window opens.

The Phantom

Some excellent points there TD, some of which I hadn't thought of.

I think the main reason why it works elsewhere is because the second and third tiers of football on the continent isn't that strong as it is in England. The Championship is one of the most competitive leagues around. I can just picture it now... Jose complaining, because Championship sides aren't taking it easy against his 'reserves.'