NOT A STEP TOO FAR

The controversial 39th step was in the media almost constantly during my recent trip back to the UK. If you're not sure what I'm talking about I'll give you a brief summary. The UK's Premier League is looking at introducing an extra match at the end of the season, to be played outside the UK. The aim is to widen the global appeal of the Premier League. The 39th step refers to the fact there are currently 38 games played by each team during the course of one Premier League season. American football and baseball already have similar schemes and, yes, at the end of the day it is all about money. But I think those in the UK don't really understand just how popular English football is in other parts of the world. I had the perfect example here on Thursday when my taxi driver started talking to me about the greatest ever Liverpool team, making references to names like Ian Rush, John Barnes, etc. You have to be pretty into football to do that, and he is certainly not unique in Thailand. I'm in favour of this, but I am in the minority when it comes to English football supporters.