Premiership beginning to resume normal play

[Simon Morgan]

I would actually LOVE it if City won the league

 

[Paxton Dazo]

Pardon?

City to finish above Liverpool for me.

Spurs will come 6th/7th.

Where do you think Villa will come HseagH?

 

[The Large One]

But when has it ever been different. From 75 til 90 Liverpool won 10 titles. At least now there is a good selection of teams that could win it, rather than it being Liverpool vs one other or Man Utd vs one other

But Liverpool's success was largely indigenous, and they won their run of championship with a more level playing field.

If you're talking about their run of championships starting in 1976, they weren't necessarily the biggest club (though they were the best), although they happened to do well when most of the bigger rivals were having a poor time. Tottenham and Manchester United had been relegated, Arsenal were nowhere and Leeds' best days were coming to an end. The 1970s were diabolical for Everton (the League in 1970 and League Cup runners-up in 1977). The main challengers were Derby County, Ipswich Town and QPR.

But the time the others caught up, Liverpool had been dominant for 10 years.

 

[HseagullsH]

Spurs will come 6th/7th.

Where do you think Villa will come HseagH?

From now, I'd say..

Chelsea
United
Arsenal
City
Liverpool
Spurs
Villa

I have six quid on City to win the league though so I hope they stay in contention and spend big in January

 

[HseagullsH]

My big potential winnings is Le Fondre top scorer/City to win the league W/O big four.

250 quid I think if it comes in, and Le Fondres only 1 off top:yahoo:

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

But Liverpool's success was largely indigenous, and they won their run of championship with a more level playing field.

If you're talking about their run of championships starting in 1976, they weren't necessarily the biggest club (though they were the best), although they happened to do well when most of the bigger rivals were having a poor time. Tottenham and Manchester United had been relegated, Arsenal were nowhere and Leeds' best days were coming to an end. The 1970s were diabolical for Everton (the League in 1970 and League Cup runners-up in 1977). The main challengers were Derby County, Ipswich Town and QPR.

But the time the others caught up, Liverpool had been dominant for 10 years.

So it's far better now then right? I'd certainly wouldn't want to go back to a "competitive" league if it meant getting rid of all the players that make it so entertaining. Maybe you would get more gritty games, but they would be gritty shit games. You only have to go back and watch some of Big Match revisited to see how crap the football wasback in the 70's and early 80's

 

[WhingForPresident]

Liverpool not finishing in the top four is utter tripe.
When Aquilani comes in they'll get back to where they were last season.

Chelsea
Manure
Liverpool
City
Arsenal
Villa
Spurs

 

[Simon Morgan]

Where are Everton is everyone's predictions? Finished 5th last season don't you know

 

[The Large One]

So it's far better now then right? I'd certainly wouldn't want to go back to a "competitive" league if it meant getting rid of all the players that make it so entertaining. Maybe you would get more gritty games, but they would be gritty shit games. You only have to go back and watch some of Big Match revisited to see how crap the football wasback in the 70's and early 80's

It was FAR better then in so many ways.

There were entertaining players back in the 1970s - it's not as though they're a new phenomenon magically invented for the Premiership Gravy Train.

 

[HseagullsH]

Where are Everton is everyone's predictions? Finished 5th last season don't you know

Sorry I take back my previous top 7.

Everton 7
Villa 8

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

It was FAR better then in so many ways.

There were entertaining players back in the 1970s - it's not as though they're a new phenomenon magically invented for the Premiership Gravy Train.

Let's hear then then. Genuinely interested.

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

there's no way a drafting system would work in football...........and a salary cap would only ever get the go ahead if every 'big' league in europe went for it

why would the premiership implement a salary cap knowing full well if would lead to a fair number of it's best players leaving to other leagues

the reason there's shit loads of money in the premiership is because shit loads of people watch it.........what are they supposed to do? stop people watching it?

 

[Guy Fawkes]

The best teams are at the top of the league? Why on earth is this the case?

Money, Money and err money.

The introduction of the Premier League and the resulting sky TV money has resulted in the big clubs getting bigger, while smaller clubs struggle to compete.

European football too has a major part to play in this, because the extra income generated from this means that those clubs can afford the better players, maintaining their high league position and making it even harder for other teams to break into.

The English top flight used to be one of the best in the world, based on how many different team could and did win the league over the years, but it has now become a stagnent league, like Scotland, where just a few of the same teams compete at the top year in, year out and the rest are looking at survival, which is why i have completely lost interest in it (until we get there that is)

 

[Guy Fawkes]

So it's far better now then right? I'd certainly wouldn't want to go back to a "competitive" league if it meant getting rid of all the players that make it so entertaining. Maybe you would get more gritty games, but they would be gritty shit games. You only have to go back and watch some of Big Match revisited to see how crap the football wasback in the 70's and early 80's

Maybe watching the same few teams dominate season after season isn't entertaining to alot of people, in fact they find that quite boring.

You mention entertainment, but there are plenty of boring matches in the Premiershite where little action takes place despite those "entertaing players"

For comparision, the following teams have finished in the top 3 between 1970 and 1992:
Arsenal, Leeds, Spurs, Derby, Liverpool, Ipswich, QPR, Man Utd, Man City, Nottingham forest, Everton, West Brom, Aston Villa, Watford, Southampton, West Ham Utd, Crystal Palace, and Sheffield Wednesday

And since the Premiershite started in 1992:
Man Utd, Aston Villa, Norwich, Blackburn, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds

And Since 1995, there have been just SIX teams that have finished in the top 3, they are Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Leeds. How does that generate interest in the league for those who don't follow those teams, its all become very stale to me.

Alot of the matches have gone from who will win the game, to by how many goals will someone like Man U, Chelsea, etc win by, and to me thats not entertaining.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

The best thing about the Premier League is Arsenal. Absolutely fantastic to watch.

 

[South Yarra Seagull]

Then it should become common place, maybe one country should start off by implimenting the Draft system, in AFL there's a different champion every season, i'd rather that (and im sure most fans of other teams) than the current hierarchy bollox

THis is not strictly true, Geelong have been in the Grand Final the last 3 years and won it twice.

The Draft system in AFL rewards medicrity. Finish last, get first pick of the best kids the next year. Towards of the end of the season, teams realise they aren't gonna come anywhere near winning it, so they 'tank' it. Not allowed, but they dress it up with 'experimentation etc...

It stinks, IMHO.

Any salary cap would have to be introduced UEFA wide and i can't see the turkeys voting for Xmas, can you?

 

[Gwylan]

And Since 1995, there have been just SIX teams that have finished in the top 3, they are Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle and Leeds.

... and the two from outside the big four have been punished for their hubris by being relegated.


I don't really care how good the football is, a league that's not competitive is not really a good league. In my first 12 years of watching football, eight different teams won the League; in the last 12 years, there have been three. That's not progress.

 

[saafend_seagull]

Chelsea
Man u
Arsenal
Man city
Liverpool
Spurs
Villa
Sunderland
Everton



------
west ham
hull
pompey

and that bottom 3 was my pre season prediction too.

 

[User removed 4]

You are probably too young to remember what it used to be like in the old days.
Some of us can even remember Chelsea as a mid table side.

i dont know how old you are, but some of us can remember when chelsea were a shit second division side , who came within a whisker of being relegated to the third division.

 

[The Large One]

Let's hear then then. Genuinely interested.

Because of the lack of a level playing field, and the dreadful way in which money is distributed through football, where once you had players being loyal to 'lesser' clubs, now the same big four clubs gather, store and hold the best players - principally because they can. There are several instances of players' careers stalling because they've gone to a bigger club just to become bench-warmers, while denying the player a chance to play and improve, or any other club from utilising their services.

For instance, there is little chance, under the current method of wealth distribution, for anyone like Ipswich to have the sustained levels of success they achieved on account of the fact that the same 'traditionally' big clubs will cherry-pick their best players.

The result is that the best players all play for a small handful of clubs, rather than be wider spread and be playing for their home-town or first club - but this still in no way guarantees quality performances time after time. What you have is an anti-competitive league where vying for fifth, not first, is your goal.

There has always exciting games and always been boring games. But is football more boring now than then? Doubt it, but it is more predictable. And that's not good for the game as a whole.