Say what you like about the Premier League

[SuffolkWhite]

Just been reading the exciting news that Sky are going to screening an extra 70% more games, with more Friday night games and more Monday night games and even more Sunday 2pm kick offs,
Worth considering if you are in two minds about renewing your season ticket.

That isn't good news, I will buy a ST for next season and share my ticket, hopefully I can do most weekend games, Friday nights are doable but Monday's are a nightmare.

[YankeeJim]

As I see it, the thing that makes sports so attractive to the fans is the competition. The Championship has it in droves while the Prem is essentially three leagues. You have the top 4 or so that have the big name stars that treat the Prem as a practice league for European football. The second team for the likes of Liverpool would probably challenge for the top spot in the Prem as would a few others. The next 4-6 flit in and out of competition for the top spots but seldom reaching those heights. And there is the rest that flit between the bottom of the Prem and the Championship. If something could be done to even the playing field then I think it would make for more enjoyable football. If the size of the team could be regulated such as a total limit of players instead of teams like the scum grabbing up every young player with potential and then using the loan system to train, prep and evaulate future prospects How much further along would Sess be if he had stayed here rather then collect splinters at Tottenham? Maybe the quality would be more balance if loans were limited. Say a player comes with two loans. After his second loan he must either make the team or be gotten rid of. That would discourage players being grabbed up for for future potential or simply to keep them away from a rival. A good manager fits his system to the players he has available rather than horde players to fit a system he envisions.

[blingo]

Get rid of ffp end of problem

[Fulham Tup North]

Get rid of ffp end of problem

... and the EPL would end up like the Scottish Premiership... a few top teams winning the title and everyone else fighting for the scraps ... not for me.
COYW

[RaySmith]

The Burnley fan I speak to at Park Run doesn't think they will stay up.

A bit of a contradiction  saying  it'd be better in the Champ. with  more entertaining games, and we'd have a chance of winning the  league.
which we  likely would; but that's the contradiction:
teams like ourselves and Burnley, probably the richest in the division, aspire to do as well as possible, be in promotion spots - well, all the teams  aspire to do that - you need to do as well as you can, otherwise you'll likely go in the other direction.
You cant just coast in mid-table: every game is fiercely competitive, with all the riches of the Prem available to the most successful sides. You need to be competitive just to stay in the league, rather than the financial cost of relegation.

And if you're one of the best teams, then you'll go up to the Prem, where you likely won't do so well, unless you get the financial investment to match the top teams riches, and ffp is a fact mitigating against this, for a start, as well as the fact that millionaire investors, such as the Saudis, only want to invest in the teams already at the top.
They're unlikely to take a chance with a less successful team and a smaller club, that doesn't attract the TV money of the top teams. We were lucky to have the Khans take over form Al Fayed.
Without a rich  owner we would likely have dropped like a stone, as many once successful clubs have.

Its all down to money in the modern game, basically.

[C Block]

The Burnley fan I speak to at Park Run doesn't think they will stay up.

A bit of a contradiction  saying  it'd be better in the Champ. with  more entertaining games, and we'd have a chance of winning the  league.
which we  likely would; but that's the contradiction:
teams like ourselves and Burnley, probably the richest in the division, aspire to do as well as possible, be in promotion spots - well, all the teams  aspire to do that - you need to do as well as you can, otherwise you'll likely go in the other direction.
You cant just coast in mid-table: every game is fiercely competitive, with all the riches of the Prem available to the most successful sides. You need to be competitive just to stay in the league, rather than the financial cost of relegation.

And if you're one of the best teams, then you'll go up to the Prem, where you likely won't do so well, unless you get the financial investment to match the top teams riches, and ffp is a fact mitigating against this, for a start, as well as the fact that millionaire investors, such as the Saudis, only want to invest in the teams already at the top.
They're unlikely to take a chance with a less successful team and a smaller club, that doesn't attract the TV money of the top teams. We were lucky to have the Khans take over form Al Fayed.
Without a rich  owner we would likely have dropped like a stone, as many once successful clubs have.

Its all down to money in the modern game, basically.

To slightly contradict all this, rich owners ARE investing lower down,look no further than Birmingham and Wrexham, if Charlton join them as well (they have the potential to be bigger than Fulham and Palace) it makes for an ultra competitive Championship next season, the likes of QPR need to be on their guard next season.