Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,274
Interesting point re the make up of the prem and the also rans, I have long held that view too about the media’s bias very evident to the bigger clubs outside the prem, the amount of times Leeds are on tv being a very obvious example.
I have a slightly different point on that though, and it concerns the longevity of clubs the size of the Albion in prem. in short the longer we remain, the harder I think it is to manage relegation and sustain an immediate promotion challenge the following season. This is because the income base of a club like BHA will never materially change, and yet the pay structure etc. will naturally come under greater and greater pressure the longer that we stay in the prem.
Palace are a good example of a club that is spending well beyond its income and whilst it could be offset by selling Zaha having lots of players on ever greater and longer contracts are an economic death sentence had they been relegated.
That is not to say I want BHA to be relegated, however I think the basis of the club has to be that relegation is likely and therefore our playing staff have to have a core that would give us the best chance of getting back up; I think Cardiff have done exactly that this season. Key to that strategy is also keeping a manager who you trust to get you back up.
Time will tell if this is the right decision, I hope this is not symptomatic of raising the stakes, we are not Villa or Leeds and we never will be.
Good point. I think you can apply that theory to Stoke City too. However, Leicester have shown how to raise the bar and stay at that second quartile level for a 30K attendance club. Part of that is having a style of play that is dangerous.