THE release of the new season’s fixture lists used to be one of the most exciting days for a football fan as they scanned down the forthcoming games and dreamt of glory.

Now, it passes with an almost boring predictability as, with the exception of the Premier League new comers, the glamour of trips to Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, Anfield and the Emirates has completely disappeared.

The average fan doesn’t look forward to these days any more, in fact a lot mark it down in their diary as a day to do something else.

Now is the time to get rid of the division’s big guns and let them join their European super league – which is ultimately inevitable anyway – and bring some competitiveness back to our once great game.

It may sound controversial but surely Rovers’ away following to places like this these days tells the whole story. No one wants to pay ridiculous prices just to see their team outclassed.

We all know United, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea – perhaps Liverpool – will be challenging for the title next season and the rest will just be fighting for Premier League survival. Where is the fun in that?

I can already hear the arguments about being deprived of watching the world’s best footballers, some are a joy to watch, but we can watch them on television.

As a football fan, I would prefer to see my team being able to challenge for silverware on a consistent basis rather than just making up the numbers while getting the chance to pull of a shock result once in a blue moon.

The Premier League, in its current format, is also killing our national team. The top team are driving up the prices and more and more foreign players are arriving.

An English-player quota needs to be introduced – none of this home grown rubbish they are trying at the moment – and it needs to be a significant number in each team as well, certainly no less than six.

Then we might just have a chance of producing the players needed to challenge on the world stage, because at the moment we are so far away it is ridiculous.

People will argue a European breakaway would ruin the beautiful game but that was ruined a long time ago.

It now depends on what we all want.

If you are happy with your team merely surviving, while watching the best players then, fine, leave it as it is.

But if you want a league where anyone can win it and all start on a level-ish playing field, then changes have to be made.

I know the end to last season was exciting for a lot but do we really want to be excited about who is the best out of a bad bunch?