They don't specifically hold any places back, they just don't all go in priority. As far as I'm aware they only did it the once which was the year before they tightened up the criteria for priority
I'm assuming you didn't get the bog-standard non-priority "places open" email either, which went out later the same day?
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In which case it's probably going to be an email issue, something that Oxfam seem to have quite often.
Feels like a fairly appropriate metaphor tbf that Southampton and Wolves' non-UK owners brought in European managers as their new picks after British managers they had couldn't hack it. I'm not sure it'll strictly work, mind, given Southampton are on course for a Derby 07/08 season and Wolves seem to be at the end of an era with their ownership's unpopularity.
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It's not for nothing that I've heard the Premier League described as a de facto European super league.