The Imperfect 10: Changes Fans Want to See in the EPL.

5) The Champions League

A great competition of course, once you get to the final few rounds. Come late February, the second round matches, featuring Europe's best teams and many of Europe's best players. From September to December however, it's more like the millionaire professionals against the bankrupt part timers, as Liverpool proved against Besiktas, or Manchester United proved against Dynamo Kiev, a match which Wayne Rooney described as 'boring' because the opposition didn't come out and play. Thank god, Liverpool's 8-0 win against the Turkish side may have been eclipsed if they had. As it was it was the most comfortable victory since Fieldmarshal Haig ordered troops to fight directly from his armchair during World War 1. As for the aforementioned Reds', they lost their opening three games, yet still comfortably qualified for the last 16, and will probably now go all the way in the tournament just to irritate everybody who identifies the problems with the 'Champions League' format. Instead of allowing teams who have absolutely no chance of winning the competition in it, and erstwhile preventing four English clubs entering every year, why not just make it the 'Champions League' again, thus being like the old European Cup and restoring the prestige of the competition, and also bringing back a bit of credibility to that Carling Cup of Europe, the once important UEFA Cup. This of course also means a fairer spread of money to the UEFA cup winners, i.e. not playing games on Thursday nights the night after Champions League games, and encouraging bigger teams that it's not an embarrassment to be in the tournament. If Bolton are determined to play a reserve team in the UEFA cup, there is definitely no hope for it.

6) Cheating Players

Yes there are more foreign players in the EPL these days, and yes there are more cameras capturing every moment of every game. But, football is suffering from a horribly contagious hypochondria which appears to be spreading to the English players. Players continually dive, wave imaginary cards in the referee's face, feign injury, protest offside decisions, free kick decisions, almost any decision in order to cut corners. Then there are those unwritten rules which players don't abide by. A corner for example should be taken from the corner quadrant amazingly, not just outside of it; shirt pulling is illegal and should not be allowed; free kick's should be taken from where the offence took place, not a yard infield from the incident, or even a foot further forward from it. This all needs to be clamped down on. Footballers at the top level on the money they are on should be good role models and play the game in the right, professional way. Rugby, Tennis and Cricket all put football to shame when it comes to questioning authority of the men in charge. Footballers should not be allowed to bend or break the rules in order to gain unfair advantages, and it comes down to respecting themselves, the fans, the other players and most importantly, the referee.

7) Referees

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