Think he was talking about from 06-09 United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool were mopping everyone up in the CL.
Your own logic does not work here! If there was a European Super League, LFC would be in Div1. The justification would be their European pedigree but the real truth would be their economic size and their ability to attract a crowd (tv viewers)
Yeah I've just checked the stats - England's Champions League record 1999-2000 Quarter-finalists: 2 Semi-finalists: 0 2000-01 Quarter-finalists: 3 Semi-finalists: 1 2001-02 Quarter-finalists: 2 Semi-finalists: 1 2002-03 Quarter-finalists: 1 Semi-finalists: 0 2003-04 Quarter-finalists: 2 Semi-finalists: 1 2004-05 Quarter-finalists: 2 Semi-finalists: 2 2005-06 Quarter-finalists: 1 Semi-finalists: 1 2006-07 Quarter-finalists: 3 Semi-finalists: 3 2007-08 Quarter-finalists: 4 Semi-finalists: 3 2008-09 Quarter-finalists: 4 Semi-finalists: 3 2009-10 Quarter-finalists: 2 Semi-finalists: 0 2010-11 Quarter-finalists: 3 Semi-finalists: 1 2011-12 Quarter-finalists: 1 Semi-finalists: 1
Think it's more top 3, then next 3. You can't put us, Spurs & possibly Arsenal in the same group as City & Chelsea on last few years evidence. However I think this year is going to be a lot tighter, with United possibly being more involved in a fight for CL places than a fight for title.
I agree its a 3 and then another 3. But it really is outstanding to have 6 very good clubs, there seems to be a "Big game" every other week now.
An Interesting point made by the article is that it maybe that the PL itself that has revived the CL in terms of competition. With 450m being spent on overseas players this summer by the PL we are effectively filling the funding gap between the rest of Europe and the PL, without really securing the best European players.
Do you realise that the PL clubs spent over £100M MORE than is being spent in Japan to stop te contaminated water at the nuclear power station seeping into the sea. Just how obscene is that?
You can settle this by looking at odds to win the title: top 3: City 15/8 Chelsea 2/1 United 4/1 Next 3: Us 12/1 Arsenal 12/1 Spurs 20/1 Next: Everton, 400/1 At least this is what Will Hill is saying. It's a top 3 AND a top 6
Interesting that we are above arsenal as 4th favorites to win the PL. Think the bookies are just trying to make up for the our long odds at the start of the season
2005-2009 the prem was rampant!!! Finals had: 05- Liverpool 06-Arsenal (I believe) 07- Liverpool 08- Chelsea and united 09- United ( I believe) pretty damn dominant.
Man City, Utd and Chelsea all have new managers which might exaggerage the appeareance of competitiveness at this early stage in the league. THFC have a new team. Arsenal are the basically unchanged (hint: no trophies for 8 years...) We should have been the most settled (even the Suarez unavailability was known far in advance) going into the start of the season. It's really pleasing that we actually made that count for something.
Odds don't mean too much. All that shows is that more money has been placed on us then Arsenal and Spurs.
And 2011 - Utd. Tho' in fairness we might as well not have been there As for the OP, it's good for the PL if there actually does become a proper big six or even big eight, with annual competition for CL places. Because as of right now it is still the 'Big Four', just with City replacing Liverpool. The last three years have been no more competitive than any of the period from 03-09 when if was the old big four. If anything, the PL has gotten less competitive since City replaced Liverpool. From 03-09, the CL places were predictable but the rest of the places weren't. You had Newcastle, Villa, Charlton, Bolton, Everton, City, Boro, Spurs, Blackburn and Fulham all finishing in the top seven, with positions 5-8 often changing every season. But since 2010 it's been Spurs, Liverpool and Everton as three of the top eight every season, with only Newcastle and Villa making a brief push into the Europa places. The league seems to be segmenting out into the top 4+3 (arguably 3+1+3 with Arsenal monopolising fourth) with only the occasional club breaking into the top seven places, only to fall back the following season. It may well all change this year what with four of the 'Big 4+3' changing managers, and Utd and Everton having the most adjustment to make, but it may well end up with exactly the same outcome as before - City, Chelsea and Utd in the top three, Arsenal securing fourth, followed by Everton, Liverpool and Spurs. That certainly seems to be what the betting odds suggest. And that kind of predictability isn't really good for the league imo.
I think a lot of people are unfairly writing Liverpool off this season. All the signs were there in the second half of last season that they were turning things round and I think you'll probably carry on a good start this time. No particularly outstanding players in the squad apart from Suarez but looks a good team. I don't think any of Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool will have enough to win the league but all 3 of us are getting closer
We just have to be there in the final 10 games of the season for the final push. We fell behind from the start of the season last year. Sir Alex Ferguson no more there, City and Chelsea with new managers. You never know.
