Greg Dyke put the issue of a winter break back on the agenda on Wednesday as he laid out a wide-ranging plan to bring English football out of intensive care.
In a hard-hitting maiden speech as Football Association chairman, Dyke made it clear that he believes the English game is not in a healthy state.
He reeled off a number of statistics, all of which underlined just how few English players are starting regularly in the top flight.
He spelled out his grim diagnosis by telling a captivated audience in central London: "The situation is very serious.
"English football is a tanker which needs turning.
"And we all have a responsibility to do our best to reverse this frightening trend because if we fail we will be letting English football down and we will be letting the nation down."
Dyke, who assumed his position in June, will chair a commission that he hopes will also include representation from the Premier League.
The commission will hear evidence from players and managers from past and present, academics and journalists in the hope that they can come up with a plan to remedy the dwindling number of home-grown stars in the Premier League.
A quota system will be discussed and the commission will also debate reform of the loan system.
Intriguingly, Dyke then added: "I would also expect the commission to evaluate the pros and cons of a mid-season break."
Source: PA
