Will we ever make the big four

[el león Benidorm]

No, as the amount of money being pumped in by bored billionaires is ruining the game. I had a row yesterday with a Chelsea fan who says that the money that $KY Chavski and Citeh pump into the clubs is good for the game. He could not see how it makes the national teams and the game in general poorer for anyone outside the top four.
His argument was ask any of the top clubs - yes he has a very short memory, it started in 2003 - and they will agree that it has improved the game. What about the other 88? to which he had no response other than I knew nothing about football.
Until idiots like this become bored or the billionaires find another plaything, we have no hope of competing on a sustainable level.
Or
UEFA/FIFA put a wage cap/squad value cap on players, but we can but dream.

[pauliewalnuts]

It depends what you mean by "make the top four".

I think the best we can hope for is a Tottenham style top four thing, ie get there one year, but not with any consistency. Not unless we get taken over by someone with huge amounts of money and the brains to get around the FFP rules.

I honestly think that you can split the Premier League up into five groups of clubs. There are the "genuine title contenders", the "CL most year" clubs, the "don't get relegated" ones and the "fuck me, we're in the top flight!" recently promoted ones.

The fifth group is made up of clubs who, historically, have challenged for things, have won stuff in living memory, but now have absolutely zero chance. The two best examples of this type of club are us and Everton. Add in maybe Newcastle.

I honestly Villa and Everton are the two clubs which have suffered most from the recent (10-20 years) reshaping of football. Both clubs which won the domestic title in relatively recent memory (and European trophies too), but now have zero chance, absolutely zero of winning the league.

[prmort]

Yes.

The game and hierarchy has changed before. It will change again. Our time will come......again.

[Ads]

It would be interesting to see what would happen if England lost the 4th Champions League place.

[SirSteveUK]

If this European Super League ever happens then the Prem would lose Chelsea, Arsenal, Man U, Man C and more than likely Liverpool.

Yes, the Premier League would be diluted but at the same time would become more competitive.

This - Ive been saying this for some time.

I detest the current PL setup. I care more about the competitveness than the quality of the football

[SirSteveUK]

It would be interesting to see what would happen if England lost the 4th Champions League place.

I'd like us to lose at least 2 - but it will never happen - UEFA will fix it

[edgysatsuma89]

It would be interesting to see what would happen if England lost the 4th Champions League place.

We would finish 4th the year after. Or I would laugh at the team who has recently spent over £100m+ to finish 4th.

[Percy McCarthy]

It would be interesting to see what would happen if England lost the 4th Champions League place.

I'd like us to lose at least 2 - but it will never happen - UEFA will fix it

I think UEFA's fixing operations will be aimed at helping European clubs compete with their much richer English rivals. Finishing bottom of the PL rakes in more TV income than winning the German league.

[Dave]

It would be interesting to see what would happen if England lost the 4th Champions League place.

I'd like us to lose at least 2 - but it will never happen - UEFA will fix it

I think UEFA's fixing operations will be aimed at helping European clubs compete with their much richer English rivals. Finishing bottom of the PL rakes in more TV income than winning the German league.

Quite. Although to be completely accurate (and to make it even more eye-opening) it rakes in higher prize money - most of which is made up of TV income.

So Cardiff picked up £62m for finishing bottom of the Premier League a couple of years ago, whereas Bayern Munich picked up £30m for winning the Bundesliga.

After last season, Burnley are now a bigger club financially speaking than Ajax.

[claretandbeer]

It would be interesting to see what would happen if England lost the 4th Champions League place.

The Champions League makes the situation worse.It gives a huge financial boost to the clubs who are already the richest and most successful.
Change is needed for other clubs to have a realistic chance of breaking the boring monopoly.

A European Super League ?
Amalgamate the Europa League and Champions League and make it a  Cup knock out competition .
The FA cup winners or finalists get the last spot or just the winners and then they are not allowed to enter for 4 or 5 years.
The Champions League is also becoming predictable .What chance now have previous winners from Holland,Scotland,Portugal and Rumania ?

[warleyboy]

I gotta have hope, and although I feel it requires some rich Arab prince to spend his pocket money on us, the likes of Swansea, Southampton have to give us hope.
The big teams do not tend to roll clubs over anymore, only Man city seem to be on another level at this moment in time.
Look at the recent tesco stripes vs Chelski game, very fortunate to win that, but the baggies deserved something out of it and they didn't look out of sorts.
I didn't feel we deserved to lose to yanited, it was close, even with our new team.
So is the money from telly rights levelling out the playing field a little.

[PaulWinch again]

It depends what you mean by "make the top four".

I think the best we can hope for is a Tottenham style top four thing, ie get there one year, but not with any consistency. Not unless we get taken over by someone with huge amounts of money and the brains to get around the FFP rules.

I honestly think that you can split the Premier League up into five groups of clubs. There are the "genuine title contenders", the "CL most year" clubs, the "don't get relegated" ones and the "fuck me, we're in the top flight!" recently promoted ones.

The fifth group is made up of clubs who, historically, have challenged for things, have won stuff in living memory, but now have absolutely zero chance. The two best examples of this type of club are us and Everton. Add in maybe Newcastle.

I honestly Villa and Everton are the two clubs which have suffered most from the recent (10-20 years) reshaping of football. Both clubs which won the domestic title in relatively recent memory (and European trophies too), but now have zero chance, absolutely zero of winning the league.

Yes possibly the greatest indication of what's gone wrong in football is that Aston Villa and Everton, who have been in the top division all of the last couple of decades, have as much chance of winning the Premier League title as Kidderminster, Wrexham, Grimbsy etc.

[Percy McCarthy]

I gotta have hope, and although I feel it requires some rich Arab prince to spend his pocket money on us, the likes of Swansea, Southampton have to give us hope.
The big teams do not tend to roll clubs over anymore, only Man city seem to be on another level at this moment in time.
Look at the recent tesco stripes vs Chelski game, very fortunate to win that, but the baggies deserved something out of it and they didn't look out of sorts.
I didn't feel we deserved to lose to yanited, it was close, even with our new team.
So is the money from telly rights levelling out the playing field a little.

I think it is. I think the main reason our clubs are crap in the Champions League is because they can't rest players in the league these days.

Other evidence is that PL clubs are very reluctant to sell their best players now because they don't need the money. Players have to agitate for moves now or rely on the manipulation of contracts/release clauses.

[el león Benidorm]

I gotta have hope, and although I feel it requires some rich Arab prince to spend his pocket money on us, the likes of Swansea, Southampton have to give us hope.
The big teams do not tend to roll clubs over anymore, only Man city seem to be on another level at this moment in time.
Look at the recent tesco stripes vs Chelski game, very fortunate to win that, but the baggies deserved something out of it and they didn't look out of sorts.
I didn't feel we deserved to lose to yanited, it was close, even with our new team.
So is the money from telly rights levelling out the playing field a little.

How many years have we been saying that we should have gotten something out of the Yanited game.
The stripey filth couldn't press the advantage when Terry got sent off.
Southampton and Swansea, yes give us hope but have no way of breaking the top 4 for a sustainable amount of time.
The gulf between 6th and 4th is enormous and the void will only get bigger so long as $KY have a wankfest every time one of them play.

[Comrade Blitz]

Yes possibly the greatest indication of what's gone wrong in football is that Aston Villa and Everton, who have been in the top division all of the last couple of decades, have as much chance of winning the Premier League title as Kidderminster, Wrexham, Grimbsy etc.

Loyal to the old ways and punished by the Premier League for not buying-in to the company line soon enough. I dare say that Lerner's acquisition of the club probably didn't fit the league's plan either.