Will we ever make the big four

[warleyboy]

Since the o'neil era, we have not come close to breaking into the top four.
Is there any chance over the coming seasons we could do it.
Could Tim be the man to bring constant trophies and top four finishes or is it just a land of make believe.
Do we need a sugar daddy who can just plough money into the club, for the hell of it, or can it be done, through clever buys, bringing players on through good coaching etc.

I know o'neil caused a hell of a mess, and why it has been a miserable few years, but we were so close to breaking into the elite four.
Everybody started to believe in our great team.

And then suddenly, thump, straight down to earth.

I cannot see any hope over the horizon as of yet or in the not to distant future.

[KRS]

No chance unless we become some kind of play thing for one of the mega rich. Theres no reason why we can't compete for a Europa League place but without continued high level investment season after season our potential success is very much limited.

You only have to look at Liverpool as an example of a team that has spent ridiculous amounts but still fails to buy success or Champions League qualification...no doubt they have quality players in their squad but they lack the strength in depth and consistency of the current top 4.

Its nice to dream that we could develop a squad full of talented young players and hope that one or more of the big spenders have a poor season, but the reality is that the best of the bunch would be snapped up by the money giants and the process starts over again.

Lets also not forget that Europa League qualification in its current format is actually a drain on resources and league performances suffer as a direct consequence...its almost as if its been intentionally designed to prevent teams from taking the next step to progress particularly for PL teams where the difference between success and failure is marginal for those teams competing for the same places (but that would be just cynical!).

[Californian Villain]

Will we ever make the big four ?

Nope. Next....

[ChicagoLion]

no because as soon as we have players any where near capable of playing at that level they will be taken off our hands.

[Deano's Mullet]

This is a depressing thread.

[silhillvilla]

Will we ever make 5th - 7th

[Salsa Party Animal]

It is doable but you need serious investment like Man City plus brilliant manager and excellent youth production line and 25,000 extra stadium capacity.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Maybe we could fluke it for a season but its very unlikely long term. Its all about money and the rich getting richer. Unless we get a stupidly wealthy owner then our ambitions need to be lower. Sadly.

[nigel]

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.

[OzVilla]

Mid table and a Cup win would do me.  'Ever' is a long time so I'd presume we will one day but not sure I'll be alive to see it or all the reasons above. 

Modern football is very shit.

[Yossarian]

The league is ossifying; until there is some sort of black swan event that shakes the whole league up we will not be finishing in the top four. The money in the league also means that there will be no European Super League either. The Premiership is more popular than Champions League.

[OzVilla]

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

I'd love to see this happen but the way it's all set up with Premier League and Champions League these clubs can have their cake and eat it financially. 

[Meanwood Villa]

The truth of the matter is none of us know what the league will look in 10-20 years so maybe some big change will have happened to the league or us to make us compete. Short to medium term there is zero prospect of it happening. That's why the cup final was so important. That was it. That was our chance to reach the pinnacle of what we're currently capable of. And we were shit. (Sorry for bringing it up again)

[Ross]

No. financial fair play is the wolf in sheeps clothing.  Rather than working to protect the future of football, those clubs who had a mega rich owner and spent well beyond their means for years e.g. Chelsea and Man City are now established clubs with huge incomes.  The drawbridge has been pulled up now, the cozy club members are safe. The rules now prevent the front loaded spending that would be needed to gate crash the top 4 and means our role is to be cannon fodder for them as well as to provide the odd star player to sit on their bench.

Maybe pessimistic but I fear true.

[Witton Warrior]

There is a saying in Buddhism that "this to will change" so never say never but under the currrent situation of 4 very powerful clubs and the rest feeding on scraps then no - we won't.

Should we see a collapse in revenue for the League then maybe with a level playing field relatively well supported and financially sound clubs like us stand a chance