People have got it in one. It will work if the game's authorities stick with the rules and no longer accept IOUs from certain clubs instead of seeing tangible, positive transformations in terms of stadia, academies etc.
The fact is, this IMG business is not really about pushing the game forward into imaginary sunlit uplands, it's about survival. When you're not going forwards, you're going backwards ... and we've definitely not been going forwards for a very long time.
Someone mentioned the smaller clubs voting it down. That underlines the problem. Many of our so-called professional clubs are only professional because of the money they're given each year. That has to end. It's a drain on the game. We need a slimmer competition that rewards excellence.
I know, by the way, that most of the criteria for A-grading have not been revealed yet, but look on Twitter and you'll see the fans of lower level clubs trotting out the usual 'it's just protection for Wigan, Saints, Leeds, Wire' b######s. From what I can see in this IMG outline, there is scope for promotion if you actually get your house in order, sort out your ground, get the money in place etc ... and that's the way it should be, because if you can't do that, what use are you to the rest of the game?
