Why Is It?

[Guest LFD]

My god we're doing well.

 

Just a shame we didn't take our chances against Spurs and we had our goal against Stoke not disallowed. Then we'd be laughing! :D

[Paul]

I think it's a combination of things. Firstly, money is a clear factor. The new PL deal has allowed most clubs to spend significant sums on better players. Obviously not everyone can afford the very best, but the next level of player is now a realistic possibility for most Premiership clubs who can pay more than their equivalent Spanish or Italian competitors for players.

 

The second thing is the quality of manager in the league. There are now a lot of very talented young managers around with energy and ideas. I see far fewer of the predictable and lame old school that seemed to be going through the motions as in the past. Also, quite a few clubs seem to be giving these younger managers the time and space they need to succeed. The likes of Moyes, Bruce, Southgate and Keane are all doing good to excellent jobs for the clubs they serve, in my view. Mark Hughes is also worthy of mention in this bracket; it's not his fault the circumstances, expectations and buying policy at City changed so radically and quickly.

 

The final thing is that I see far more clubs eschewing the cautious tactics employed by nearly everyone below the top six over the last few seasons. Teams are now more up for it, getting on the front foot and having a go. In fact that has been the most distinctive thing about the season so far, for me. Hull City are the prime example, but there are clubs throughout the league that are trying to be more offensive. They seem to have realised, like us, that draws kill you. A shit or bust policy can be far more lucrative in terms of points, assuming you're not mindless about it.

[Catch22]

Below the top 4 the League is utter shite compared to the rest of Europe, especially considering the cash floating about.

 

Spurs are the only team who might attempt some kind of tactical football, although that chance has probably gone now they've got 'Arry.

 

The rest are variants of route 1, alehouse scrappers looking to score from set-pieces.This correlates with the fact that there are so many British managers outside the big 4, which can only be a bad thing for the development of football in this country.

They can motivate a team but that's it (how much money has Keane wasted?)

 

The resources gap is even greater here: although the big 4 have a lot of cash, so do RM/Barca & Milan, but the budgets of the next level are much higher than comparable teams in Europe.

 

Yet they serve up very poor football.

 

The result is our appaling record in the Uefa Cup with annual footballing lessons being handed out.

 

Spurs at least acknowledged it & looked round Europe until they correctly alighted on the most over-achieving club who played some lovely football.

Problem is, they misunderstood who was responsible & made Ramos not Monchi into a very rich man.

 

After that they panicked & went for good-old-fashioned 'Arry which means they'll get a short-run boost & lots of favourable comments from his friends/offspring in the media before he ups the wages so much on shite that he almost bankrupts them. (he increased Bournemouth's debts from £150k to £4.4m in the early '90's which was a very good flavour of how he operates... whole chapter on him in Tom Bower's "Broken Dreams", worth a read)

So they'll be no progression there.

 

A possible light in the tunnel is City if they really do inject a lot of money: However, before they go out & spend it they need to get someone in from abroad... no point telling Hughes to pick who he wants in world football when his main criteria is how well a player can use his elbows.

 

The League is not abnormal: In most 3 for a win leagues, 2/game wins it & 1/game puts you in the bottom 3.

It is because we are so used to the inequality of the PL that the bottom looks weird when in fact it should be normal.

Needless to say the top 2 are averaging way more than 2 pts & i can confidently say it will re-assert its uneven look before the season is out.

[WaltonRed]

I've always believed anyone can beat anyone on any given day.

 

Its why its so hard and so special to win the league and why the Premiership is the best in the world for me.

[Catch22]

I've always believed anyone can beat anyone on any given day.

 

Its why its so hard and so special to win the league and why the Premiership is the best in the world for me.

 

Sorry but I can't really see your logic here.

 

The old division 1 teams could lose 8 games (in 42) in a season & still win the League

In '74 Leeds set the record with 4... Now Arse had 0 or the Chavs 1

So if your criteria is that the bottom can beat the top then the PL is not as hard nor as special as it used to be.

 

Similarly, we are certainly not more equal than Sp or It, so again on your criteria it is not the best in the world.

 

(The best league is easy to find as they compete against each other in Europe & then Uefa work out coefficients. For the 1st time since the ban, we just sneak ahead of Spain, although that would have changed had Seville or RM won their CL ties last year so it shows how tight it is.

We get more of our points from the top guns than they do, which shows we have 4 big teams, they have 2, but their strength in depth is better (hence have more teams gaining points))

 

The most enetertaining is of course subjective, but i would put La Liga a long way ahead as i think its better to watch

[WaltonRed]

Sorry but I can't really see your logic here.

 

The old division 1 teams could lose 8 games (in 42) in a season & still win the League

In '74 Leeds set the record with 4... Now Arse had 0 or the Chavs 1

So if your criteria is that the bottom can beat the top then the PL is not as hard nor as special as it used to be.

 

Similarly, we are certainly not more equal than Sp or It, so again on your criteria it is not the best in the world.

 

(The best league is easy to find as they compete against each other in Europe & then Uefa work out coefficients. For the 1st time since the ban, we just sneak ahead of Spain, although that would have changed had Seville or RM won their CL ties last year so it shows how tight it is.

We get more of our points from the top guns than they do, which shows we have 4 big teams, they have 2, but their strength in depth is better (hence have more teams gaining points))

 

The most enetertaining is of course subjective, but i would put La Liga a long way ahead as i think its better to watch

 

Catch, I wouldnt trust UEFA to empty my bins let alone work out the best leagues and players with that system of coefficients.

 

We are better than Italy or Spain, I truly believe that.

 

And as for trotting out stats I meant the Premiership as opposed to the old 1st division, the switch defo raised the level of the teams competing.

[Unrighteous]

Catch, I wouldnt trust UEFA to empty my bins let alone work out the best leagues and players with that system of coefficients.

 

We are better than Italy or Spain, I truly believe that.

 

And as for trotting out stats I meant the Premiership as opposed to the old 1st division, the switch defo raised the level of the teams competing.

 

I disagree. In terms of quality, our top four are the best in the world at the moment but the rest of the league is pretty bog standard.

 

Barca and RM apart, the rest of La Liga pisses all over our 16 down...

[WaltonRed]

I disagree. In terms of quality, our top four are the best in the world at the moment but the rest of the league is pretty bog standard.

 

Barca and RM apart, the rest of La Liga pisses all over our 16 down...

 

I dont think so, but you are all entitled to your opinion!

[hamstrung]

The Uefa cup is a pretty good gauge of the level of the "rest" of the premier league.

[Red Nick]

The influx of cash from the new PL deal allowed all clubs to grab enough talent to effectively beat each other.

 

There are few squads of True quality in the PL.

 

 

Thats pretty much it for me too.

 

Man City are underperforming with the players they have But Spurs will go from bottom to 5th or 6th IMO because they easily have the 5 best squad in the PL. Look at the players they had on the bench yesterday