Is the Premiership that good?

[Harry H]

Given the poor results from the Premierships finest in Europe.
Is it as good as they say it is?

 

[Eeyore]

It's a missed opportunity. Especially as the winners of that tournament are guaranteed a place in the Champions League next year. There is no excuse for passing over that opportunity, given that finishing in the top four, well third and fourth, are not an easy task.

 

[Surrey_Albion]

Its a bit like the old 1st division but with more foreign players, overpaid players, out of touch with fans players, hyped up without really achieving much and over publicised overly commercialism. If man utd had a cock the bbc would suck it

 

[carteater]

If man utd had a cock the bbc would suck it

they already do, they've shown every Man Utd FA cup game live, bbc sport is based in Manchester so they're practically ****ing them on the centre circle at Old Trafford.

 

[Eeyore]

they already do, they've shown every Man Utd FA cup game live, bbc sport is based in Manchester so they're practically ****ing them on the centre circle at Old Trafford.

I'd say it's more to do with viewing figures. You and I probably treat Manchester United with indifference, but they are in great demand elsewhere.

 

[GingerBeerMan]

The Premier League, it's been almost ten years.

As for the question, yes I think the Premier League is the best league in the world. The top two teams might not have the same quality as the German and Spanish leagues, but the level of teams spread through the league is much higher than any other league in the world. Most games below the top 8 in the Spanish, French, Italian and (somewhat) German leagues are almost near certainties. They don't have the close matches or number of upsets we have in the Premier League. On their day, most teams in the PL can beat any other team, and that's what makes it the best league in the world.

I'd say Germany are a very close second to the PL, but the fact there is only ever one team in it (in recent years) lets it down a lot. I love their footballing ethos though, cheap tickets, vocal fans who create an atmosphere and a league that is financially sustainable and stable.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Competition is best but not the top teams.

 

[KZNSeagull]

No, of course it isn't that good quality wise. But people watch it at is the most competitive (4/5 teams have a hope of winning it instead of 2/3), and the clubs at the top of it have a huge global presence, hence the money chucked at it.

But if you look at English clubs performance in Europe, they were better in the 70's and 80's than they are now. Only 4 Champions League wins and 2 Europa League wins (I think) in 20 odd years is not very good. The "greatest coach ever" only won the Champions League twice which, with the resources at his disposal, is a very poor return.

 

[DumLum]

People get upset when you call it the premiership on here. On a positive note it really winds Robbie Savage up when people call it this.

I think the premiership is rugby, so it isn't that good.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

No it isnt really. Lets be honest Stoke v Hull or Leicester v West Brom doesnt get the pulse racing.

Its all about Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Yoo, Citeh, Liverpool and probably Spurs versus each other. Even Chelsea v QPR is meh for me.

BUT because of the money being thrown at it then its the only place to be.

 

[onepostwonder]

most clubs in europa see finishing 4th more important than winning the europa league - which is a bit stupid as both qualify one for the Champ League.

 

[Stat Brother]

No.

 

[Czechmate]

Also going on the FA Cup results it isn't that special . It's all about individuals furthering their career these days and not team spirit .

 

[pasty]

No it isnt really. Lets be honest Stoke v Hull or Leicester v West Brom doesnt get the pulse racing.

But you can bet your bottom dollar Sky would still hype it as ANOTHER SUPER SUNDAY if those were the 2 games on the tellybox.

I must admit I'm pretty indifferent to the Premier League nowadays. I rarely watch MOTD and only watch the live games on Sky if I happen to be in the pub and it's on, although I do like watching Goals on Sunday with my (more than occasional) hangover.

 

[Brighton Mod]

As it was in days gone by with John Vinecombe writing about our matches in the Argus and making them sound so exciting, so it is with the Premier League, when you actually witness the skill levels, stamina and vision you realise that it is not what it is hyped to be. However it is the best on offer, but with its massive over exposure and now nothing seemingly nothing being able to be validated in this world without a football link, politicians, first world war, sport aid etc, its becoming a bit mundane if not boring. Sorry , just my view

 

[Seagull58]

Given the poor results from the Premierships finest in Europe.
Is it as good as they say it is?

Yes, it's great. I love watching Sale, Harlequins, Tigers, London Irish, Wasps etc. battering each other on a Friday evening. They struggle to beat the French in Europe because of the vast amounts of money the French throw at the top players but I would say the Premiership is on a par with the French league and it's great entertainment. No "simulation" either.

 

[BigGully]

I think the English game doesnt really know what it stands for.

We imported foreign owners, foreign managers and coaches and foreign players and we dont know whether to stick or bust.

No longer do we tolerate a passionate gung ho approach to the game, those in charge wouldnt understand it anyhow, nor can we play a purely technical game as we the fans dont understand that either.

Either way the diminishing number of English players means that in the immediate future it will never have a truly relevant identity, so at grassroots level and within the academys they dont really know what they should be coaching.

 

[GreersElbow]

I prefer rugby league, I just can't get into union.

 

[Lethargic]

I would say that the Premier League is definitely over rated it is all about generating as much money as possible so the marketing team go into over drive to tell the average Sun reading Sky subscriber it is. However I do disagree with some when you say about the appeal of teams at the both of the Premier League as I think this is where it is better than overseas comparisons. We do have some (rare I grant) upsets and in my view the bottom team of the Premier League would beat the bottom teams of the other leagues in Spain, Germany, Italy etc 9 out of 10 times. It is at the top that we are kidding ourselves as the top English teams are streets behind their foreign equivalents and ultimately running around lots does not make it the best, otherwise Macca would be a world class player.

 

[Simster]

The Premier League, it's been almost ten years.

As for the question, yes I think the Premier League is the best league in the world. The top two teams might not have the same quality as the German and Spanish leagues, but the level of teams spread through the league is much higher than any other league in the world. Most games below the top 8 in the Spanish, French, Italian and (somewhat) German leagues are almost near certainties. They don't have the close matches or number of upsets we have in the Premier League. On their day, most teams in the PL can beat any other team, and that's what makes it the best league in the world.

I'd say Germany are a very close second to the PL, but the fact there is only ever one team in it (in recent years) lets it down a lot. I love their footballing ethos though, cheap tickets, vocal fans who create an atmosphere and a league that is financially sustainable and stable.

I pretty much agree with all of this.

Although, with Richard Scudamore's bollocks ("we're not a charity - we're a great success story") ringing in my ears, it pleases me that the top flight teams have all been made to look a bit second rate this week.

That bloke is such a twunt. Ultimately, the Premier League's success is nothing to do with him, and yet he's a greedy **** when it comes to giving something back. It's entirely down to the changes in in the broadcasting industry over the last 20 years and the demand for football (and the new willingness to pay) in nations that have always traditionally been in our sphere of sporting influence. Any old tosser could make a fortune in those circumstances.