Paul MacInnes with some big news that will certainly affect the Premier League.
Proposed changes to the football regulator that would ensure clubs could not be sold to nation states are to be put before the House of Lords, as legislation returns to parliament this week. Nineteen changes to the football governance bill have been proposed by Fair Game, an organisation of 34 men’s clubs that argues for a more sustainable approach to running the national sport.
Other proposals include the addition of a human rights component to owners’ and directors’ tests and a mandate to disclose the source of an owner’s funds. The text of the proposed amendment on state ownership says: “The Bill must exclude the possibility that an owner of a club could be a state or state-controlled person or entity.
Nottingham Forest are now third in the Premier League table, a feat not many predicted at the start of the season. Jonathan Wilson believes it is because Nuno Espírito Santo is where he is comfortable and his plan – amid all the background turmoil – is not especially complicated.
Forest have had the third-lowest possession in the league this season – but it works. Or at least, works for them. A club with a more heightened sense of self-worth might insist on having more of the ball, on something more sophisticated, but simplicity has its own charm.
Our afternoon matches see Leicester head to Old Trafford for Ruud van Nistelrooy’s last game in charge, an in-form Forest side hosting Newcastle and Spurs hoping to bounce back from European embarrassment against a desperate Ipswich.
Join me for all the goals and the big moments in the 2pm GMT kick-offs.
And, as always, send any thoughts, predictions, questions, or complaints you would like to share to me via email.