Controversial, but are we a realistic premiership club?

[Sam-]

I have seen numerous people claim our clubs infrastructure and so on is premiership standard (some even go so far as to say European competition level).
BUT is it really?
The championship is a high quality, competitive league. There is no stand out club that is "bigger" than the others by very much. Apart from Newcastle a couple of years ago.
Clubs is the championship next year that are similar to us if not larger include Leeds, Derby, Forest, Leicester, Wolves and Middlesborough. Not to mention play-off teams that don't make it so pick 3 from Cardiff, Birmingham, Blackpool and West Ham. As well, as 2 from QPR, Blackburn, Bolton or Wigan (although I think Wigan and Bolton will survive).

Hard too make a case that Brighton deserve premier league football.

 

[Simster]

We don't "deserve" it until we get there.

We are one of about 35 clubs that wouldn't look out of place in the Premiership or the odd season in league one. The Premiership probably has about 8 of these clubs at any one time.

 

[Mellotron]

We don't "deserve" it, but I can see us being a side that flits between Championship and Premiership football over the next 20 years, a la West Brom.

 

[Northstandite]

Stadium - yes
Finances (no interest bearing debt) - yes
Other facilities, superstore - yes
Management team - yes

Acadamy & training facilities - no
Playing staff - mostly, a big 'no' at the moment, if we are honest. But will radically change in the next 3 transfer windows.

 

[Silent Bob]

No one is saying that we deserve it, but that we are capable of it now. As those other clubs are. Being in the Championship any club has a chance of it (Burnley, Blackpool, Derby recent examples who went up that no one really expected on relatively small budgets), but we are well set up in almost every aspect of the club now, which a couple of those other clubs may not be, and we're on an upward trend.

 

[Sam-]

Would say stadium is top championship/bottom premiership. Standard of grounds in England is very high compared to countries like Spain.

 

[Trigger]

Playing staff - mostly, a big 'no' at the moment, if we are honest. But will radically change in the next 3 transfer windows.

That's the big sticking point, genuinely I would only say no more than three of our current first team squad could be classed as having 'premiership potential'... And obviously there are a couple of youngsters that may have that too... But as for the rest, no chance.

 

[Sam-]

Maybe people havn't been saying we deserve it, but they have been saying we should be this and we should be that. Think were trying to run before we can walk.

 

[Northstandite]

Would say stadium is top championship/bottom premiership. Standard of grounds in England is very high compared to countries like Spain.

The 30,750 will in terms of capacity, corporate seating, income, modernity, media facilities; be better than the stadia of:
Norwich
Bolton
QPR
Fulham
Blackburn
Reading
Swansea
Wigan
Stoke

 

[Northstandite]

Maybe people havn't been saying we deserve it, but they have been saying we should be this and we should be that. Think were trying to run before we can walk.

In terms of players yes. Van Persie, Nani, Rooney, Gerrard & co would embarrass us. It would be no fun watching frequent heavy defeats.

Swansea's promoted team had about 6 class acts on big money, plus a tried and tested academy.

We're not at that level yet.

 

[Sam-]

The 30,750 will in terms of capacity, corporate seating, income, modernity, media facilities; be better than the stadia of:
Norwich
Bolton
QPR
Fulham
Blackburn
Reading
Swansea
Wigan
Stoke

Interesting was aware QPR's ground was pretty small and Wigan, Blackburn etc. struggle to fill stadium's.

Many of the clubs listed aren't sustained through their normal revenue streams? I mean gate receipts, club shop sales, advertising and prize money?

 

[Badger]

Other facilities, superstore - yes

Crystal Palace also have a superstore but I don't think it's a plus point for them

 

[arfer guinness]

We have potential to be Premiership, to compete for domestic cups, and to qualify for the mickey mouse Europa cup. But forget ever doing as Ipswich or Forest did in the past and be able to compete at the top. Mega money and mercenary footballers has finished that dream.

 

[ees complicated no?]

Crystal Palace also have a superstore but I don't think it's a plus point for them

Sainsburys doesnt count.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

I have seen numerous people claim our clubs infrastructure and so on is premiership standard (some even go so far as to say European competition level).
BUT is it really?
The championship is a high quality, competitive league. There is no stand out club that is "bigger" than the others by very much. Apart from Newcastle a couple of years ago.
Clubs is the championship next year that are similar to us if not larger include Leeds, Derby, Forest, Leicester, Wolves and Middlesborough. Not to mention play-off teams that don't make it so pick 3 from Cardiff, Birmingham, Blackpool and West Ham. As well, as 2 from QPR, Blackburn, Bolton or Wigan (although I think Wigan and Bolton will survive).

Hard too make a case that Brighton deserve premier league football.

This is a very confused post. You are mixing various subjective terms such as 'deserve', 'bigger' and 'premiership standard' together without being clear about what you mean.

It's very simple, really. If we get enough points to win promotion or we win the play-offs, we deserve Premier League football. If we don't, we do not. Factors, such as the size of the ground or the history of the club, can have an impact on our ability to attract or generate the income to sign quality players. They also have an impact on our ability to develop our own players that could get us or keep us in the Premier League. But those factors, in themselves, do not automatically deliver Premier League football.

We are capable of achieving Premier League football, but then so are all the other clubs in next season's Championship.

 

[Blackadder]

The 30,750 will in terms of capacity, corporate seating, income, modernity, media facilities; be better than the stadia of:
Norwich
Bolton
QPR
Fulham
Blackburn
Reading
Swansea
Wigan
Stoke

On a pedantic note, I think Blackburn is actually larger.

 

[swindonseagull]

Crystal Palace also have a superstore but I don't think it's a plus point for them

Poundland is a superstore as well..

Thats the same class as Palace

 

[ROKERITE]

I'd say the answer is "yes, you are". However, so are a dozen or more clubs currently outside the top flight.
Providing you hold onto Poyet I'd expect you to be promoted within two seasons, quite possibly next season.
What's the situation with your training facilities? I thought there were deveopments well under way to improve them.

 

[Guinness Boy]

During the Withdean years we simply could not have sustained Premiership football - it actually would have been dangerous in my opinion. Now everything apart from the team is ready but as others have said we need quite a few new players before the team will be ready. When the team are ready then so will the club as a whole be.

The only way you 'deserve' to be in the Premiership however is to get promoted in to it and stay there. No one has a divine right. Wigan were a joke of a football club in a Rugby League town before Whelan's money. However you could say they deserve their Premiership status precisely because they do survive season in and out on relatively small gates. Having history / big fan base is no guarantee of success any more.