Morgan pleads for Premier revamp

Morgan says Wales should follow Ireland's example

The Welsh Premier League is in dire need of a radical overhaul, according Welshpool manager Tomi Morgan.

TNS boss Ken McKenna re-ignited the debate over restructuring the season after his side's defeat in Europe, but Morgan says changes should go further.

"The league's at a crossroads and going nowhere fast," Morgan told BBC Sport.

"The FA of Wales needs to seriously look at choosing 12 teams to compete in the league for the next three years without the threat of relegation."

McKenna suggested the league should be extended by three weeks to accommodate a winter break after the New Year.

Why don't we do it for two or three years and see how it goes? Llanelli manager Peter Nicholas

He argued that clubs who qualify for Europe would then have a better chance of maintaining the players' fitness levels for their matches in mid-July.

But Morgan believes the changes should go even further.

He is adamant that the results in Europe would significantly improve if Wales followed the structure adopted by the Republic of Ireland since 2003 of playing the season from March to November.

"Until things change and we play in the summer, the results of Welsh clubs in Europe won't improve," said Morgan, who has been involved in the Welsh Premier as a player and a manager since its inception in 1992.

"If you look at Ireland, their results have improved significantly since they changed their season.

"TNS only lost by two goals over two legs, but to give clubs the best chance they must get proper preparation.

"That's not happening because the players aren't getting competitive football before they play in Europe."

Llanelli are well positioned to become only the fourth Welsh Premier to win a European tie when they play Sweden's Gefle in the home leg of their Uefa Cup first qualifying round next Thursday.

The Reds won 2-1 in Stockholm on their European debut, and manager Peter Nicholas said he would fully support changing the structure of the Welsh Premier season.

He said: "Why don't we do it for two or three years and see how it goes?

I have argued for change on this and other initiatives until I'm blue in the face Welsh Premier secretary John Deakin

"If we have to go back to winter football then do it. But playing games on summer evenings and Saturday afternoons would be great for everyone.

"And it would give fans who watch the English Premiership a chance to support the Welsh Premier."

Welsh Premier officials have travelled to Dublin to meet their Irish counterparts to discuss the finer points of summer football.

A report was then presented to the clubs last year, but a vote for change was strongly rejected.

Consequently, league secretary John Deakin says he cannot understand why the issue has now been raised again.

"I am somewhat mystified by these comments, given the fact that we undertook a long consultation period, prior to the decision to reject summer football was taken by the clubs last season," said Deakin.

"During the process, we invited a number of managers to attend a seminar on the issue and none bothered to turn up, which I found to be more than disappointing."

He added: "I have argued for change on this and other initiatives, which would in my opinion take our League forward, until I'm blue in the face.

"But it is very difficult to change the entrenched views of many clubs.

"Perhaps these statements from the Managers will re-ignite the debate and that their views will hold more sway with their clubs than was the case last season."