Possibly the first and only time I've agreed with Kevin Keegan

[Zesh Rehman]

Exactly

Spoke to them to some Premiership fans about it and the view was it's "unfair" and a "rubbish" would get into Europe.

Typical - what it could do (to a certain extent) it generate a bit of cash for the other teams and help the league be a bit more competitive...

.. possibly.

If the system is good enough to the Football League, it's good enough for the Premiership.

Surprised it hasn't been talked of before.

Im not sure what year the play offs were started, but im sure people thought they were unfair to start with, but they are BRILLIANT. And it would mean the big heads at Liverpool can finally be brought back down to earth and realise that they havent won the league in 20 years.

 

[Gritt23]

I think KK hasn't gone far enough. I think the Premiership HAS been boring for the last few years now. It's not "in danger of becoming" it has well and truly become boring.

No-one can seriously challenge the top 4, and even 2 of them don't seem all that fussed about pushing for the title, they are content with securing a Champions League spot and concentrating their efforts on challenging in Europe.

Once upon a time we'd see the likes of Norwich, Southampton and Watford make a valiant assault on the title only to ultimately come up short in the run-in due to a lack of strength in the squad. Arsenal this season were the modern-day Norwich, and that is not a good thing.

Even this "exciting" title run-in is painfully predictable as you really struggle to see games where the top teams can drop points other than against each other. We may no want to admit it, but we are as dull as the SPL has been for decades. If Chelsea or Man Utd get a 6 point lead - at virtually any stage of the season - you kind of think it's all over. 2 years ago Paddy Power paid out on Chelsea before the end of August! How boring can it get?

 

[The Large One]

I could see a scenario when, say, Spurs win the UEFA Cup and Levy uses the extra funds to put distance between himself and Villa / Everton / City / Newcastle. Provided they were more consistent than at present and the Big 4 all continued to have good cup runs you could see how they'd sneak into 4th place.

But getting to the UEFA Cup Final didn't exactly do Middlesbrough much good in the short to mid-term did it?

Even losing their RFP manager made no difference.

 

[johnny jigsaw]

I don't doubt he's on a lot but I really can't believe he's on that every week!

You're right, he's not.

He's actually on £94k a week.

Obscene? Damn right.

http://www.shieldsgazette.com/nufc/United-striker-in-football39s-top.3886140.jp

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The top 4 is the top 4....and the vast majority of the other clubs seems to no discernible ambition beyond staying in the Premiership.

To be honest I'm not overly fussed. I get a lot of enjoyment watching the Albion and I'm happy with that.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

to be honest i think the premier league and the f.a would prefer the 'big 4' in the champions league as it looks good on them when they get far in it (ie. this year)

and they rake it in in tv money

 

[NMH]

I see that recent newspaper stories include Micah Richards to Man Utd, Gareth Barry to Liverpool, Berbatov to Chelsea.

Like Carrick, Wright-Phillips, Joe Cole and Rooney before them the worry is that the other 16 will just feed the Top 4.

Spurs are still the best bet to break into the Top 4 but is Luka Modric really the man to help do it? Like Newcastle, Spurs have a habit of paying over the odds for players.

Spurs would do well to get rid of Dawson asap, and not have below-average players like Tainio in the roster either.

If they bought Jimmy Bullard and could keep Ledley King fit (or replace him with like kind) then they'd fare a lot better imo.

 

[Gully]

Well Chelsea only became one of the top four when Abramovich took over. So I guess if some other mind bogglingly rich person took over another club then that's the only way the top four will change any time soon.

Fair comment, possibly the only club outside the top four with such bogglingly rich backers is QPR, who aren't even in the Premiership and who barely set the Championship alight this season...might take them a few seasons to get there if the people funding them really put their money where their mouths are.

 

[clapham_gull]

Im not sure what year the play offs were started, but im sure people thought they were unfair to start with, but they are BRILLIANT. And it would mean the big heads at Liverpool can finally be brought back down to earth and realise that they havent won the league in 20 years.

I do wonder whether the pressure to get into Europe at Liverpool bigger than the other usual suspects because of the financial situation at the club before and even after the take over.

 

[clapham_gull]

to be honest i think the premier league and the f.a would prefer the 'big 4' in the champions league as it looks good on them when they get far in it (ie. this year)

and they rake it in in tv money

Not sure whether the Premiership as an entity itself actually benefits.

TV rights are paid to UEFA who then distribute prize money to the clubs (not the league) involved.

 

[Wozza]

are other leagues any different? its always the same names in the champions leauge.

The Champions League is CAUSING the problem - the fact that up to four teams per country quality, and that clubs gets 10s of millions for reaching the latter stages. The most successful clubs are getting richer and more sucessful.

The old European Cup was far more unpredictbale... which is why the big clubs forced UEFA to adopt a league format.

 

[Questions]

Arsenal have become one of the big four through years of good management from the top to the bottom. Hill-Wood and Dein ran the club for many years and always saw the bigger picture.
There is no reason why Spurs, Man City, Everton or Newcastle cannot break into the elite top group because they are big enough and have a similar fan base to that of Arsenal. What they all need is stability in the boardroom and patience but I fear Man City are going the same way as Spurs and Newcastle in that they want instant success.

 

[Lethargic]

My only disagreement with Keegan is that this situation is already with us, the Premiership as a spectacle is boring now and will remain so for sometime. My opinion is that Liverpool are actually slipping back towards the rest of the also-rans making it big 3.

I wonder who will win the league next year Man Utd or Chelsea boring!!!

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

Not sure whether the Premiership as an entity itself actually benefits.

TV rights are paid to UEFA who then distribute prize money to the clubs (not the league) involved.

yes you're correct


still i'm sure it looks better for the FA if 4 english teams get to the quarters, rather than crash out (everton didn't qualify when they came 4th)