Worst premier league team

[YES Blade]

Until that starts impacting the value of the TV contracts - they won`t change anything.

Relegation being a foregone conclusion could very easily see the TV companies starting to supress the amount they are willing to pay. Far too many matches with nothing at stake.

You would think the TV companies might have a word after this season.

It’s more than likely than with 3 or 4 matches to go, Liverpool will have won the title and relegation will be done and dusted.

I suppose Sky will be selling the battle for European places, but it’s not quite as exciting as the league title or relegation.

 

[Panini]

Agree….also to be honest why should they care?

They should care because the 'product' on offer is expensive dross. They don't notice because of the insane marketing around it all. Listen to how commentators throw hype on plainly normal moments, and how Sky promote shit like Super Sunday with Bournemouth v Ipswich or whatever.

The Premier League is much less fun and entertaining than it was 10 years, and in turn 10 years before that. That effect trickles down, so you have teams in League 2 (the worst value for money division in the world) playing at 100mph because they've been sucked in and don't know any better. Occasionally some football is played but it's become an athletics competition.

It's higher quality, no doubt. But who gives a shit? It taps into people's self-esteem, they need to feel they're part of the best league or whatever, and that distracts from how dull and expensive their experience actually is.

I'd rather be involved in a good game where teams are trying to play rather than 22 athletes trying to out-stamina each other. Creativity and flair has plummeted, very few personalities in the PL and they don't last long when they do come along, eg Jhon Duran.

 

[Selly]

You would think the TV companies might have a word after this season.

It’s more than likely than with 3 or 4 matches to go, Liverpool will have won the title and relegation will be done and dusted.

I suppose Sky will be selling the battle for European places, but it’s not quite as exciting as the league title or relegation.

I think there is a good chance that all the relegation spots are confirmed with 5 or more matches remaining - the gap is currently 9 points and Wolves have WHU and Ipswich in the next 2 - both winnable games for them.

The gap could quite feasibly be 15 points with 7 games remaining. Anyone wanting some form of drama needs to hope for a couple of quick Ipswich wins (including against Wolves) - as a supporter of a team hoping to go up I hope one of the bottom 3 does stay up AND Man C's punishment for the 115 charges is levied next season.

 

[YES Blade]

They should care because the 'product' on offer is expensive dross. They don't notice because of the insane marketing around it all. Listen to how commentators throw hype on plainly normal moments, and how Sky promote shit like Super Sunday with Bournemouth v Ipswich or whatever.

The Premier League is much less fun and entertaining than it was 10 years, and in turn 10 years before that. That effect trickles down, so you have teams in League 2 (the worst value for money division in the world) playing at 100mph because they've been sucked in and don't know any better. Occasionally some football is played but it's become an athletics competition.

It's higher quality, no doubt. But who gives a shit? It taps into people's self-esteem, they need to feel they're part of the best league or whatever, and that distracts from how dull and expensive their experience actually is.

I'd rather be involved in a good game where teams are trying to play rather than 22 athletes trying to out-stamina each other. Creativity and flair has plummeted, very few personalities in the PL and they don't last long when they do come along, eg Jhon Duran.

All good points, but do viewers outside of the UK feel this way about the product? That’s the biggest consideration for the Premier League. Also, match attendances don’t seem to suggest there is an issue.

It’s probably a case that “real” fans don’t enjoy the product but the casual fans and foreign viewers love it and as those fans are in the majority, there isn’t a problem for the Premier League that needs to be solved.

 

[loyalblade95]

Might have already been mentioned on this thread but it's not just the EPL that don't care about the football pyramid but also the FA.

We used to have the best pyramid in football (in some ways we still do but it's not as good as it used to be), main problem is that owners (specifically PL owners) forced changes to a system that didn't need changing at the time.

League Cup 1st and 2nd round exemptions for EPL teams, the recent subs rules, time wasting, these new goal kick rules.

Take the FA Cup replay situation from the other year, where only the current 20 EPL clubs at the time could vote to scrap replays, without consulting the EFL teams.

This led to a lot of backlash from the EFL clubs who opposed the scrapping of replays, Middlesbrough, Plymouth and Rotherham just to name a few that I remember.

Do the EPL and FA want a closed shop in the premier league, eventually I think that is the long term goal but it will be a very long time before that happens, if it ever does.

It's similar to what they have in America where there are roughly 90-94 teams spread across Basketball, Baseball and American Football, which has turned it into a closed shop in all three sports.

 

[Selly]

Do the EPL and FA want a closed shop in the premier league,

If you take the "EPL" as being made up of 20 member clubs then I would say the answer to that is almost certainly yes - if they thought they could get away with voting to make the league a closed shop from a PR angle they absolutely would.

The FA - suspect they don`t but they cowtow to the PL too many time to be confident.

 

[loyalblade95]

If you take the "EPL" as being made up of 20 member clubs then I would say the answer to that is almost certainly yes - if they thought they could get away with voting to make the league a closed shop from a PR angle they absolutely would.

The FA - suspect they don`t but they cowtow to the PL too many time to be confident.

It was only when they voted to scrap Cup replays that I found out that in order to pass/reject new rules/changes, they only need a majority vote of 14 out of 20 PL clubs.

That doesn't seem too bad when it just applies to the premier league (as it only affects them most of the time, like the VAR vote last year), but when those changes apply to the EFL and national league, you have 14 PL clubs making decisions that affect 92+ clubs.

Had the EFL and national league clubs been allowed to vote on the FA Cup replays being scrapped, I'm confident that we would still have replays as the lower league clubs would have out voted the clubs who wanted to scrap replays by a large margin.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

We're in March and there still hasn't been one single mention of Southampton being bottom of the Premier League yet this season.

The media only hate the Blades!

And fuck the BBC!

And the Premier League is corrupt!

And, and they just add minutes on until the best team scores!



Did I do it right?

 

[JayGreen17]

5 subs in 7 has effectively killed the game in the Premier League….

It needs changing back but they won’t because only the promoted 3 would vote for it, as has a;ready been said they’ve created a closed shop, with 3 teams buying the shopping from Waitrose before moving back to Aldi a year later.

 

[Zero dark thirty]

Might have already been mentioned on this thread but it's not just the EPL that don't care about the football pyramid but also the FA.

We used to have the best pyramid in football (in some ways we still do but it's not as good as it used to be), main problem is that owners (specifically PL owners) forced changes to a system that didn't need changing at the time.

League Cup 1st and 2nd round exemptions for EPL teams, the recent subs rules, time wasting, these new goal kick rules.

Take the FA Cup replay situation from the other year, where only the current 20 EPL clubs at the time could vote to scrap replays, without consulting the EFL teams.

This led to a lot of backlash from the EFL clubs who opposed the scrapping of replays, Middlesbrough, Plymouth and Rotherham just to name a few that I remember.

Do the EPL and FA want a closed shop in the premier league, eventually I think that is the long term goal but it will be a very long time before that happens, if it ever does.

It's similar to what they have in America where there are roughly 90-94 teams spread across Basketball, Baseball and American Football, which has turned it into a closed shop in all three sports.

Nailed it..Great post

 

[CPB]

5 subs in 7 has effectively killed the game in the Premier League….

It needs changing back but they won’t because only the promoted 3 would vote for it, as has a;ready been said they’ve created a closed shop, with 3 teams buying the shopping from Waitrose before moving back to Aldi a year later.

You could argue it helps any club with stronger depth in quality.

For instance for us it works out well in this division because we can have another roll of the dice.

But I'd be in favour of scrapping it back. Sadly it was always suggested it was for fitness and injuries. Remember wilder kicking off about it and being slated by klopp.

Yet again CW had a point, he usually does with things like this.

 

[Bladesman]

 

[Sheffsteel]

They should care because the 'product' on offer is expensive dross. They don't notice because of the insane marketing around it all. Listen to how commentators throw hype on plainly normal moments, and how Sky promote shit like Super Sunday with Bournemouth v Ipswich or whatever.

The Premier League is much less fun and entertaining than it was 10 years, and in turn 10 years before that. That effect trickles down, so you have teams in League 2 (the worst value for money division in the world) playing at 100mph because they've been sucked in and don't know any better. Occasionally some football is played but it's become an athletics competition.

It's higher quality, no doubt. But who gives a shit? It taps into people's self-esteem, they need to feel they're part of the best league or whatever, and that distracts from how dull and expensive their experience actually is.

I'd rather be involved in a good game where teams are trying to play rather than 22 athletes trying to out-stamina each other. Creativity and flair has plummeted, very few personalities in the PL and they don't last long when they do come along, eg Jhon Duran.

They only care about profit and money.

You think it’s expensive dross but me and you are in the minority….the economic facts suggest otherwise……the PL has never been as popular, especially abroad.
It’s actually taking over the world and some say destroying domestic leagues.
Tim Vickery (an English Rio De Janeiro based football journalist) was on Talksport last year and he said the Brazilian kids no longer wear Brazillian club shirts anymore.
They all wear Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal shirts….he said the PL is incredibly popular and watched in all the bars.
There’s been concerns in the MLS, their league is doing really well but the PL is watched by more Americans with many supporting English PL clubs.

Many teams in the PL have large season ticket waiting lists. Arsenal and Newcastle are hoping to expand to 75-80K.
Man Utd look likely to expand to a 100K stadium and will fill it….even at high prices.

If it was expensive dross it would be less popular not more popular
…..the PL executives will all be convinced they are on the right track because they can produce evidence about the PL increasing in popularity.

 

[Panini]

All good points, but do viewers outside of the UK feel this way about the product? That’s the biggest consideration for the Premier League. Also, match attendances don’t seem to suggest there is an issue.

It’s probably a case that “real” fans don’t enjoy the product but the casual fans and foreign viewers love it and as those fans are in the majority, there isn’t a problem for the Premier League that needs to be solved.

Exactly this.

I read something recently suggesting that if all genuine Man United fans stop going to Old Trafford and each overseas-based fan made just one visit for a match, they would make 10x as much matchday revenue and it'd take theoretically take 180 seasons.

I've no doubt the PL and its member clubs see this is the opposite of a problem.

There is one benefit to this - the replacement of local fans with tourist fans at the level is pushing local fans to non-league, which is absolutely booming.

 

[Frank the tank]

I mostly agree, but Bogle, Trusty and Holgate would walk into our starting XI

Most ridiculous post I've ever seen on here

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Other than the formation of a European / Saudi lead breakaway super league I think it’ll become inevitable that the EPL will become a franchised league if the current pattern continues .

As said earlier in the thread one of the main factors was the change in the maximum permitted subs on the day which gave the established clubs a massive advantage .

I think the FA have realised they are looking at a broken product now of a competitive league that clubs can aspire to get promoted to & compete in .

The FA have now took a lot softer approach to points deductions for FFP & Leicester & Forest being the latest prime examples with fines issued which are not even remotely a slap on the wrist .
I think FFP will be even more relaxed & eventually voted out by the large European clubs with a threat of a breakaway league as a leaver to push this through .

The formation of a EPL 2 for the Championship with structured financial rewards from the PL money might go a long way towards balancing things out in respect of 2 competitive leagues with sides capable of holding their own in the top level but none of the existing PL clubs are ever gonna vote for a pay cut but also this would then create a similar situation with League One sides gaining promotion into the EPL 2 .

It’s a crying shame of how greed has completely ruined the the modern game , there has never been so much money coming into football but also never been so unevenly distributed & I fear where our game will be in 10 years time

 

[MobileBlade]

It was only when they voted to scrap Cup replays that I found out that in order to pass/reject new rules/changes, they only need a majority vote of 14 out of 20 PL clubs.

That doesn't seem too bad when it just applies to the premier league (as it only affects them most of the time, like the VAR vote last year), but when those changes apply to the EFL and national league, you have 14 PL clubs making decisions that affect 92+ clubs.

Had the EFL and national league clubs been allowed to vote on the FA Cup replays being scrapped, I'm confident that we would still have replays as the lower league clubs would have out voted the clubs who wanted to scrap replays by a large margin.

For the FA Cup that is not actually true. The decision on replays etc is made by the Proessional Game Board of the FA. This is made up of 8 representatives - 4 from the Premier League and 4 from the EFL. Rick Parry from the EFL is the chair. There is also one observer from the National League and one from the supporter representatives.

At least one of the EFL reps must have voted in favour of the change for it to have gone through.

Suspect when the independent regulator comes in, it will the the PGB they will have their eyes on first.

 

[Kozzy_is_my_Dad]

Such is the ever-increasing gap between promoted sides and premier league survival, I'd go as far as to say our 2019 side were the last 'plucky side' to be promoted on minimal resources and make a success of it, in that first season.

I may be misremembering but I don't think another side has done quite the same since.

 

[John Street West Terrace]

Such is the ever-increasing gap between promoted sides and premier league survival, I'd go as far as to say our 2019 side were the last 'plucky side' to be promoted on minimal resources and make a success of it, in that first season.

I may be misremembering but I don't think another side has done quite the same since.

Brentford probably the last

 

[Midland Blade]

With the three promoted teams going down last season and very likely this season, this means now that all PL teams next year outside the three promoted teams will all have had at least 3 years in the league with all the financial benefits that come with it. This is only making the gap larger and if this happens again next year, it is difficult to see how the gap between promoted teams and the other 17 is going to get closed.

 

[Gimli]

For the FA Cup that is not actually true. The decision on replays etc is made by the Proessional Game Board of the FA. This is made up of 8 representatives - 4 from the Premier League and 4 from the EFL. Rick Parry from the EFL is the chair. There is also one observer from the National League and one from the supporter representatives.

At least one of the EFL reps must have voted in favour of the change for it to have gone through.

Suspect when the independent regulator comes in, it will the the PGB they will have their eyes on first.

It’ll have been Parry then. Didnt they also strong arm the National League into voting for it?

 

[Tickhill Blade]

It’ll have been Parry then. Didnt they also strong arm the National League into voting for it?

Ah yes, former CEO of the Premier League and CEO of Liverpool Rick Parry, will of course have the best interests of the EFL clubs at heart.

And Ridsdale is on the committee ffs

 

[Yewsman]

Although were shit last season we could have got off to a better start. Only lost 1-0 to CP then against Everton on 2-2 Pickford made an unbelievable save from McB in extra time. That goes in and we get 3 points not 1. Against Man City we are 1-0 down Bogle scores for 1-1 then Rhodri hits a worldwide when ball drops perfectly for him in pen area. Against Forest its 1-1 and we give away a soft headed goal in 89th min and lose then concede 2 goals in 9 mins extra time v Spurs after being 1-0 up. All those could have been slightly different. We then get thrashed 8-0 at home and from then on I think the players never recovered and teams also worked out that our defence was completely shit. We would still have been relegated but might have made more of a fight if those early games had been marginally different?

 

[loyalblade95]

Worth a watch about the ever growing gap between the championship and the premier league, also comparing it to the gap between championship/league 1 and league 1/league 2.

Does focus a lot on Ipswich and Forest but there's some good points and research into this.

 

[programmechap]

Although were shit last season we could have got off to a better start. Only lost 1-0 to CP then against Everton on 2-2 Pickford made an unbelievable save from McB in extra time. That goes in and we get 3 points not 1. Against Man City we are 1-0 down Bogle scores for 1-1 then Rhodri hits a worldwide when ball drops perfectly for him in pen area. Against Forest its 1-1 and we give away a soft headed goal in 89th min and lose then concede 2 goals in 9 mins extra time v Spurs after being 1-0 up. All those could have been slightly different. We then get thrashed 8-0 at home and from then on I think the players never recovered and teams also worked out that our defence was completely shit. We would still have been relegated but might have made more of a fight if those early games had been marginally different?

I agree entirely. The Start to that season was surprisingly OK and with things going only marginally different, we could have had 7 points from the first 4 games.

I reckon the late collapse at Spurs followed the next week by the 8-0 was what did for us.

 

[Alex Cheeseright]

Three words.....recruitment recruitment recruitment. HAVE to find those hidden gems that are there but take alot of effort to find. Our recruitment iner the Prince was almost akin to throwing spaghetti against a wall and seeing what sticks. Recruitment has to be spot on to stand a chance of survival. Not only in player ability but availability. That first year, only year, we stayed up we had a consistent line up, few injuries. Second year, injuries galore and poor recruitment. It can be done and hopefully ownership has the right people in place to achieve a run in the big boys league. Time will be the judge of that. The signing of Cooper and Burrows gave me at least faith, Choudhury and Cannon gave me pause for thought.
But like someone else on here mentioned, cart before the horse?

 

[Gimli]

Although were shit last season we could have got off to a better start. Only lost 1-0 to CP then against Everton on 2-2 Pickford made an unbelievable save from McB in extra time. That goes in and we get 3 points not 1. Against Man City we are 1-0 down Bogle scores for 1-1 then Rhodri hits a worldwide when ball drops perfectly for him in pen area. Against Forest it’s 1-1 and we give away a soft headed goal in 89th min and lose then concede 2 goals in 9 mins extra time v Spurs after being 1-0 up. All those could have been slightly different. We then get thrashed 8-0 at home and from then on I think the players never recovered and teams also worked out that our defence was completely shit. We would still have been relegated but might have made more of a fight if those early games had been marginally different?

Agree. On both making a better fist of things and also that we would have been relegated anyway.

On the other hand, our squad was dire, worse than our championship squad not only this year, but also the squad that got promoted which is laughable really.

 

[YES Blade]

With the three promoted teams going down last season and very likely this season, this means now that all PL teams next year outside the three promoted teams will all have had at least 3 years in the league with all the financial benefits that come with it. This is only making the gap larger and if this happens again next year, it is difficult to see how the gap between promoted teams and the other 17 is going to get closed.

Money is only good if it’s invested wisely, so you’ve got to hope that there is a club that has pissed away a lot of money on poor signings and they’ll be closer to the promoted teams than the established clubs.

Even if that happens the promoted clubs still need to have a cracking summer of recruitment to be in the mix to stay up.

 

[SB_90]

you know what looking at some tables after 29 games in 23/24 & 24/25. for how terrible we were & forget southampton because theyve left us & now in derby territory. we are only 2 points worse of than Ipswich & leicester, also have won the same amount of games as ipswich. if it wasnt for that useless ivo grbic i would say we wouldve had more than the 3 promoted teams as we wouldve beaten fulham & burnley, going on to 20pts

 

[MayorOJC]

Most ridiculous post I've ever seen on here

I think that Bogle and Holgate are better than Clarke and Trusty is better than Robinson, it's not that controversial.