Is it Time?

[anfield11]

To cut the Premier League in half.

 

I'm watching the Arsenal vs. Reading game at the moment and I'd categorize it as embarrassing. Arsenal are a good side, but Reading are literally beat before they start. They're standing watching them play. They have 10 men lined up in two banks in their own half and aren't even marking a red shirt.

 

I'm fed up watching these teams methodically fold to the top sides. Why bother. A 10 team league and play each team twice at home and away has to be better than this dire sh*t.

[Benitez]

don't think it needs cutting in half. But getting the league down to 16 or 18 would make sense.

 

This league bores me. And part of the reason for that is the abject s***e football that's played by so many teams. Don't watch much of it these days if I can help it.

[John am Rhein]

don't think it needs cutting in half. But getting the league down to 16 or 18 would make sense.

 

What would be the reason for that, though?

 

I'm not sure it would be the intention, but it would have the effect of making almost all clubs perceive the whole season as a relegation battle - unless they reduced the number of teams relegated to 2, which wouldn't be a bad idea either way, IMO.

[anfield11]

What would be the reason for that, though?

 

I'm not sure it would be the intention, but it would have the effect of making almost all clubs perceive the whole season as a relegation battle - unless they reduced the number of teams relegated to 2, which wouldn't be a bad idea either way, IMO.

 

 

I'd say if you cut it in half, one relegated.

 

If you reduced it to 16, then two relegated.

 

There's now a 5 point gap between 11th and 12th an 7 between 11th and 14th and I only see this getting bigger

[libero]

I'm fed up watching these teams methodically fold to the top sides. Why bother. A 10 team league and play each team twice at home and away has to be better than this dire sh*t.

 

Like it used to be in Scotland you mean, before that mental split they have now with 6 games to go.

 

Now that was dire!!

[Guest Kaizer]

I made a thread on RAWK about the direction football was taking about a year ago.

 

This was the opening post back then.

 

Football is developing, but is it developing into someting better? We keep hearing that the Premier League is the best league in the World, but is this the truth, or will it be more correct to say that the Premier League actually is developing into a league where it will be impossible for more than a selected few to get into the top three.

 

I have listed the teams that have finished in the top three during periods of 10 seasons the last 40 years below, only three teams have been in the top three in every period, Liverpool, Manchester Utd and Arsenal, and I guess these teams will always be there, unless something real strange happens to one of the clubs.

 

1996/97 - 2005/06 (6 teams):

Liverpool, Manchester Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, Leeds

 

1986/87 - 1995/96 (13 teams):

Liverpool, Manchester Utd, Arsenal, Newcastle, Leeds, Everton, Tottenham, Blackburn, Nottingham F, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Norwich, Sheffield Wed

 

1976/77 - 1985/86 (13 teams):

Liverpool, Manchester Utd, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham, Ipswich, Nottingham F, Aston Villa, Manchester City, West Ham, Watford, Southampton, West Bromwich.

 

1966/67 - 1975/76 (12 teams):

Liverpool, Manchester Utd, Arsenal, Everton, Tottenham, Leeds, Nottingham F, Manchester City, Ipswich, Queens Park Rangers, Derby, Chelsea.

 

Chelsea have been the pace setters in the last two seasons, but as we can see, they only figure in two of these periods, the first and the last.

 

English football has seen takeovers from foreign investors in the last couple of years, Abramovich/Chelsea, Glazer/the mancs, Lerner/Aston Villa, Gaydamak/Portsmouth and ourselves are also on the verge for a takeover, how will this affect the football in the long term, or lets say in a 10 year period, it could have a positive effect and make the PL more competitive again domestically, but its hard to tell, let me remind everyone of my fellow countrymen Røkke/Gjelsten who bought Wimbledon.

 

Next season the prize money will increase again, I don't have the exact amounts in front of me now but I am sure someone else will help me out.

 

Looking into the future is always difficult, but with the development we have seen above where its only a small number of clubs who seems able to break into the top three, the foreign owners invading the Premier League, the money because of the new TV deal and with more and more foreign players earning their wages in the country, now also in the reserves, how will this look like in 10 years time?

 

Are UEFA/FIFA right when they want to have restrictions regarding foreign players to stop parts of this development?

Are those who say all these foreign investors will ruin the game right or is it more possible that they will finally make the league competitive again?

Are those who are lobbying for wage caps like in USA rigth, will a drafting system for new players be the way forward, or will things like these ruin football totally.

 

I don't know, I`m just asking the questions, but I guess only the future can give us the answers.

 

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=161870.0

 

There were suggestions that it would take a new Abramovich to break into "the top three", well Man City have got their Abramovich now and a good manager, it will be really interesting to see what they will do in the upcoming transfer window to stay in the race untill the end.

Edited November 14, 2007 by Kaizer

[Guest SpiritualWarrier]

The timing of this has to be looked at ?

 

The last weekend of the Euro qualifiers..........England will probably not qualify.............get excuses in early...........blame the foreigners.

[growler]

well, you have man city and west ham backed by big money, and you then have villa, spurs and pompey looking to push ahead. In a couple of years, I would expect a real battle for the CL spots.

 

I think to 'fix' the top, have the top 3 into the CL and use the play off method for the 4, 5, 6, 7 with the other 3 into UEFA.

 

Reducing the numbers wouldn't change anything. The issue is the time it takes for a team to consolidate in the PL.

[surf]

2 less teams = 34 games instead of 38 = 10% less money

[Alonso]

well, you have man city and west ham backed by big money, and you then have villa, spurs and pompey looking to push ahead. In a couple of years, I would expect a real battle for the CL spots.

 

I think to 'fix' the top, have the top 3 into the CL and use the play off method for the 4, 5, 6, 7 with the other 3 into UEFA.

 

Reducing the numbers wouldn't change anything. The issue is the time it takes for a team to consolidate in the PL.

The Eredivisie has a similar method for both CL places and relegation

 

CL Link

Relegation Link