Dr Balls Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 While looking at our posts about playoffs & promotion, the sacking of the Watford manager, prompted me to look at the Premier League table. It makes you realise how unbalanced it has become due to money. By the end of this weekend, 5 teams will be averaging more than 2 points per game. Only 7 teams will have a positive goal difference! Only 3 points will separate 10th & 17th. So over half the table is haunted by fears of relegation. Also of the 3 teams promoted last season (14th-16th) there has only been 1 win in their last 15 matches combined and only 7 points out of a possible 45. If it wasn't for Swansea, you could easily see all 3 coming straight back down again. So do I still want promotion? Hell yea! Would it be that enjoyable? Not necessarily. Probably it would be more like the first half of our first season back in the Championship: odd flashes of something good but poor results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chivs Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 2 minutes ago, Dr Balls said: While looking at our posts about playoffs & promotion, the sacking of the Watford manager, prompted me to look at the Premier League table. It makes you realise how unbalanced it has become due to money. By the end of this weekend, 5 teams will be averaging more than 2 points per game. Only 7 teams will have a positive goal difference! Only 3 points will separate 10th & 17th. So over half the table is haunted by fears of relegation. Also of the 3 teams promoted last season (14th-16th) there has only been 1 win in their last 15 matches combined and only 7 points out of a possible 45. If it wasn't for Swansea, you could easily see all 3 coming straight back down again. So do I still want promotion? Hell yea! Would it be that enjoyable? Not necessarily. Probably it would be more like the first half of our first season back in the Championship: odd flashes of something good but poor results. LJ has this spot on. We can't compete on money so we have to become world class with other attributes. e.g. purchasing the support of referees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Popodopolous Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Here's another. Top 6 are averaging nearly 2.4 points a game vs the other 14 teams. Nearly 2.4 per game is approaching 80 percent. Grandly competitive league where all have a good chance...don't see it tbh. Incidentally, last season and this... Big boys v the rest. Probably the worst in PL era. Leicester was but a glorious abberation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorenzos Only Goal Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 I think if you thought about it you could quite easily predict the relegated teams, for instance I think in the next few seasons Southampton will end up dropping out of the top flight, teams seem to fall into a couple of categories, The big boys with silly amounts of cash resources that just buy the best talent (Man City, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs) and they only look set to get wealthier. Then you have a group of clubs that seem to be perpetually rebuilding (West Ham, Everton, Newcastle, Sunderland) some of whom (get it badly wrong Sunderland) Then you a few clubs that seem to get promoted though good governance (Southampton cracking youth setup & Swansea, Leicester well run) who seem to get perpetually picked clean of talent season after season, and I think for Swansea this season might prove one to many, they look bereft of any creativity in midfield. Then you have a teams like Burnley, Brighton, Huddersfield who are not massively talented but the Manager gets the best from the players he has, and buys well. Then you have a whole load of teams that focus on not getting beat, and counter attacking with a few good players. Sometimes we get a situation where things click and a team pokes its head above the water like Leicester, but they then get systematically picked clean by the big boys. I personally think the best run clubs are those like Southampton who haven't sold their souls to stay there but have reinvested their income in good players and managers, but you can't keep doing that forever. I think over time its weakening the premiership the number of good young talents that get cherry picked by the big teams and then benched on big salaries (See Jack Rodwell etc) only to never see their potential had they stayed as their club see (Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers, etc). Success is a double edged sword, too much and you get picked clean, too little ie if we fail to get promoted this year there is a strong possibility we will loose players in the summer. And most of it all comes down to the wealth of the premier league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Balls Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 41 minutes ago, Lorenzos Only Goal said: I think if you thought about it you could quite easily predict the relegated teams, for instance I think in the next few seasons Southampton will end up dropping out of the top flight, teams seem to fall into a couple of categories, The big boys with silly amounts of cash resources that just buy the best talent (Man City, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs) and they only look set to get wealthier. Then you have a group of clubs that seem to be perpetually rebuilding (West Ham, Everton, Newcastle, Sunderland) some of whom (get it badly wrong Sunderland) Then you a few clubs that seem to get promoted though good governance (Southampton cracking youth setup & Swansea, Leicester well run) who seem to get perpetually picked clean of talent season after season, and I think for Swansea this season might prove one to many, they look bereft of any creativity in midfield. Then you have a teams like Burnley, Brighton, Huddersfield who are not massively talented but the Manager gets the best from the players he has, and buys well. Then you have a whole load of teams that focus on not getting beat, and counter attacking with a few good players. Sometimes we get a situation where things click and a team pokes its head above the water like Leicester, but they then get systematically picked clean by the big boys. I personally think the best run clubs are those like Southampton who haven't sold their souls to stay there but have reinvested their income in good players and managers, but you can't keep doing that forever. I think over time its weakening the premiership the number of good young talents that get cherry picked by the big teams and then benched on big salaries (See Jack Rodwell etc) only to never see their potential had they stayed as their club see (Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers, etc). Success is a double edged sword, too much and you get picked clean, too little ie if we fail to get promoted this year there is a strong possibility we will loose players in the summer. And most of it all comes down to the wealth of the premier league. It's not just even the wealth of the Premier League, it's also the wealth created by the Champions League. Leicester have been able to hold onto most of their title winning team (Kante & Drinkwater excepted) and been able to reinvest in good replacements (Harry Maguire) because the money they made from the Champions League has given them extra to spend on salaries. When you see the wage bills for the top clubs & realise that with exceptions of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich & PSG, the rest are all English down to Juventus in 10th place you appreciate the issue. We might bemoan American sports with their franchises but at least they have a draft system for new young players where the lowest ranked teams get first pick. Despite the UEFA Financial Fair Play "rules" there is nothing really in football to stop clubs buying their way to success and more TV money, although it's amazing how few actually turn a profit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorenzos Only Goal Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 2 hours ago, Dr Balls said: It's not just even the wealth of the Premier League, it's also the wealth created by the Champions League. Leicester have been able to hold onto most of their title winning team (Kante & Drinkwater excepted) and been able to reinvest in good replacements (Harry Maguire) because the money they made from the Champions League has given them extra to spend on salaries. When you see the wage bills for the top clubs & realise that with exceptions of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich & PSG, the rest are all English down to Juventus in 10th place you appreciate the issue. We might bemoan American sports with their franchises but at least they have a draft system for new young players where the lowest ranked teams get first pick. Despite the UEFA Financial Fair Play "rules" there is nothing really in football to stop clubs buying their way to success and more TV money, although it's amazing how few actually turn a profit. "Juventus in 10th" that made me chuckle The champions league does make matters worse. What does annoy me with the Premier League is teams that are loaded up with mediocre overseas players like Arsenal they get rid of Gibbs and keep Monreal who is not as good a defender, they have started a number of games this season without a single Englishman, if it was the case that they were all world class it wouldn't bother me but more often that not they are simply average. It does make my blood boil that most of the players from the world cup winning youth sides this year will have their progress stubbed out thanks to the "English" premier league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.