Propelled by the latest transfer deadline madness, the Premier League has really taken a step backwards and lost some of it's attraction for me. It appears to be accelerating away from any view of normality or acceptability and, if you draw this out to a logical conclusion, it cannot continue to thrive in it's historical format.
Manchester United are one of probably three or four clubs at a push in Britain who could afford to pay £30.75m for a sulker who only seems capable of playing to his full potential intermittently. I think Berbatov is a class act but he doesn't justify that transfer price and, unless he can change his approach to the game (hard to see if he hasn't been able to before), he may never give anything like value-for-money.
Manchester City have done what Richard Murray thought was highly unlikely when he addressed the Bloggers in the Summer and attracted a buyer with deeper pockets than several Russian oligarchs put together. Good for them, but something is serioulsy amiss when they lash out a British transfer record £32.5m on a player that their manager has never spoken to within hours of purchasing the club. Maybe it was a one-off extravagant gesture but the bluster on future money-no-object purchases continues.
The clamour for success is relentless and the chances of serious silverware going to anyone outside the top 4 are zilch. I say the top 4 because I am not sure the market can sustain a top 5. If Citeh can buy their way in, I suspect one of the existing big four might decide that their money is better off in their pocket and will take their chances or simply be unable to compete. After all, there is no Champions League place for 5th.
So what difference does this make to the rest? Quite a lot I'd say. It rams home the near impossibility of the task of being ultimately successful and brings additional pressures of it's own. Financial prosperity becomes an even greater priority in order to compete and the threat of relegation an even bigger disaster. The pressure on Managers to deliver first season success is becoming huge and to do that they want assurances of large transfer funds and freedom to operate; Curbishley and Keegan have proved that this week.
The Top 4 will continue to stretch away from the rest and when the time comes, only a permanent Champions League competition will sate their greed. That might bring a sense of relief to those left behind and we might finally again see the prospect of a genuinely open and exciting domestic championship.
For clubs like ours, the promise of the Premier League looks increasingly false. Beaten week-in, week-out and the financial headache of relegation to come. Doing a "Derby County" looks like becoming the new scare phrase and I can see West Brom, Hull and Stoke following them this year.
Another season in the Championship isn't the worst thing in the world and we can at least view the title challenge in our division as truly open and exciting, especially if we are part of it. And no, I wouldn't turn promotion down, but the prospect of the PL has definately lost some of it's appeal for me this week.
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Dave
ReplyDeleteI cannot see the so-called 'big 4' expanding to a 'big-5' either for the same reasons as you quote.
As a supporter of Arsenal I can see the potential for us being the likely drop out.
On one hand I would miss the regular matches against the likes of Milan and Madrid, maybe not Galatasaray away!
On the other the thought of a young Arsenal team having time to rise through the ranks and play in a meaningful 'premier' league does appeal, or am i just being sentimental?
Whatever happens I doubt whether the likes of us 'old-school' supporters will have much to say in the matter.
One bright spark in the rise of Citeh is that the west london money launderer might just throw his toys out of the pram as he is no longer the biggest boy in the playground and then Chavski can return whence they came. One of the funniest stories I have heard in recent days is the one about the Chavski fan shaking his head at the Robinho news and coming out with the line 'How could he sign for a club with no history'!
Keep up the good work always entertaining reading and hopefully we can have a few more beers in years to come at AFC v CAFC games.
Olly
Would have to say I pretty much agree with the both of you. I think Curbs got it right years ago when he said he hoped the "Big 4" (which included Leeds at the time)would go into a European League and leave the premiership for the rest of us and their fans.
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