OPINION: EFL is in need of drastic change

You might think ‘why bother?’ But what other choice do Blackpool fans – or football fans in general for that matter – have?

They are powerless in a game ultimately run for the benefit of those rogue owners who cause so much anger and division.

We know the story at Blackpool inside out, but they’re far from the only club to have suffered from the EFL’s reluctance to intervene.

Charlton Athletic fans are being urged to join in with Blackpool’s protest down in London, with the Addicks fans continuing to suffer under Roland Duchatelet.

Crowds at Hull City are dwindling under the Allams, who recently caused anger with comments made to a national newspaper.

“We must be one of the most attractive clubs in the Championship because we have been so well managed,” Ehab Allam told The Guardian. Does that remind you of anyone? Perhaps a certain Karl Oyston, who famously claimed Blackpool were the “envy” of the Football League.

Of course you get the odd success story. Portsmouth got lucky with their former Disney owner, but a lot of the time that’s what it is: a complete lottery.

For every Andy Holt at Accrington Stanley, there’s an Edin Rahic at Bradford City. For every Steve Gibson at Middlesbrough, there’s a Ken Anderson at Bolton Wanderers, Sisu at Coventry City, Venky’s at Blackburn Rovers and so on and so on.

That simply isn’t good enough. Do the EFL do enough to stop bad owners from getting their hands on our historic clubs? Of course not. But will they be the ones to oversee radical change? Again, you’d have to say no. Change must come from above.