Griffiths must bin four-year moritorium

Time to ‘cuffo’ time wasters

- NICK CAIN

THE English Championship Proposal put forward by Ed Griffiths is an intriguing 76-page document that outlines a way forward for the English second tier based on it becoming a model professional league.

Many of the ideas in the proposal are well framed and make good business and administrative sense, despite Griffiths being under fire on various website comments forums for being a Premiership fifth columnist.

Most of the hostility centres on his recommendation to the 11 Championship clubs that they accept a four-year moratorium on promotion and relegation – and while I share the dislike of the concept, the personal attacks are pathetic.

Unfortunately for Griffiths, it means that an otherwise professional proposal is holed beneath the water line, because he has failed to grasp the most important issue of the lot. Namely, that it would be suicidal for any club with any ambition to progress in a professional sport to accept the portcullis coming down on the principle of annual promotion and relegation.

This is particularly the case with Ealing Trailfinders, who will be hellbent on upsetting the Saracens applecart when the Championship season gets underway.

Whether Ealing will have assembled enough clout to trouble Saracens is unlikely – but it will not be for lack of trying. What is surprising is that some reports have suggested the Griffiths proposal has met with unanimous approval already, with the implication that it is about to be rubber-stamped by the Championship clubs.

My understanding is different. The proposal, submitted to the 11 clubs in early July, has a three stage process.