Is this football's stupidest idea ever? Bonkers Football League plan revisited in viral video

Football history is littered with controversial ideas that never came to fruition, from the Premier League's '39th game' to the European Super League.

In a parallel world where the sport's governing bodies went through with these plans, English clubs would be jetting off around the world once a season for an extra match, and the Premier League's 'big six' would be facing the likes of AC Milan and Barcelona every week instead of Aston Villa and Bournemouth.

But there is also a world in which two EFL clubs in the south of England would not exist today, thanks to a bonkers idea that was announced exactly 43 years ago.

The bonkers idea that almost killed two EFL clubs

In April 1983, Oxford United and Reading were both in the third tier of English football. The U's were owned by millionaire publisher Robert Maxwell and about to embark on the most successful period in their history, winning the Third Division, Second Division and the League Cup in consecutive seasons.

But the future looked very different on April 16, 1983, when Maxwell announced he was close to taking a controlling interest in Reading, with a view to merging the two clubs into one team called the Thames Valley Royals which would play at a stadium to be built between Oxford and Reading.

Maxwell had come up with the plan - which was revisited by TikTok creator dillbucklefooty - to "secure league football in the area", with the two clubs struggling financially.

There had already been detailed discussions with the Football League in the months leading up to the announcement, with proposals in place for the team to alternate home games between Reading's Elm Park and Oxford's Manor Ground until the new ground was built.

Meanwhile, U's boss Jim Smith would manage the side - despite finding out about the plan only when the news broke - and Maurice Evans, who was then in charge of the Berkshire outfit and went on to lead Oxford to League Cup glory, would be his assistant.

Unsurprisingly, it was met with fierce opposition by fans of both clubs. Oxford supporters called it a "crazy and unworkable idea", while their Reading counterparts branded it a "crackpot scheme".

In the weeks that followed, 2,000 U's fans staged a sit-in protest on the pitch before a home game against Wigan Athletic, while Reading supporters carried a coffin with their side's colours through the town centre ahead of a fixture with Millwall.

Maxwell was undeterred, saying: "If they want to become supporters of someone else, they're entirely welcome. If the deal does not go through, both Reading and Oxford will be dead before the beginning of next season.

"Nothing short of the end of the earth will prevent this from going through."

While the opposition among supporters remained strong, the idea collapsed due to an admin error spotted by former Reading player, Roger Smee.

Smee had tried to buy Reading the previous year and noticed that chairman Frank Waller, who had agreed the merger with Maxwell, did not actually own a controlling interest in the club, so did not have the power to make the decision.

The U's owner made a bid to the remaining shareholders at Reading to push the deal through, but they refused and news came through on Friday, May 13 that the merger was officially off.

The season ended with Reading relegated to the fourth tier and Oxford narrowly missing out on promotion, but fans of both clubs were united by a feeling of relief that their clubs had been saved.