Is the Premier League getting stronger or weaker?

You've got the wrong end of the stick Notso. I love the Championship, proper league and proper football clubs. I watch the FLS every week and have been saying for years that it is closing the gap on the PL each year. Went to Wolves v Birmingham last month A combination of the Lower Leagues getting stronger and PL getting weaker is what has bridged the gap.

I detest the PL and everything it stands for but as long as my team are in it I'll take an interest, love/hate relationship with the PL.
Teams like Brighton, Watford, Palace and Derby really try and play

 

The PL is not stronger or weaker but it is getting softer.

 

The only thing getting weaker is DL's reasoning.

 

Premier league is stronger now then what it was in the mid 2000's that's for sure.

 

Robin forgot to vote, never mind, his opinion tips the balance...you've got nothing left now DL!

 

Its a bit of a moot question, ‘strong’ could mean any number of things.

Standard of player in comparison to other leagues?
Depth of competition?
Reputation?

These are all intrinsically linked.

Some argue that the prems inability to attract the best players shows its weakness. I'd say the three most highly rated players in the world right now are Messi, Ronaldo and Falcao. I personally don't think this is a coincidence, La Liga is very uncompetitive, ¾ Of the teams are easy to beat which makes these players look better than they are, they are only so 'good' because of the lack of competition. If any three of them played in the premiership I'd expect them to score far less goals.

I think that the strength of the league is illustrated by its competitiveness, which is why the bundesligas reputation has improved so dramatically since the days when Bayern Munich won everything, the same is beginning to happen in France since Lyon stopped being so dominant. That we have 3 teams who began the season with expectations of winning the league, and a further 3 who hoped to be in the mixer can only be a good thing.

 

He clearly had a lot to drink, clear typo if you ask me

 

I don't see how the lower leagues being stronger necessarily makes the PL weaker.

All the leagues are stronger. Bottom half Championship teams have international players who would fetch millions on the open market. Many League 1 & 2 clubs have players with PL experience or were trained by PL clubs or are loaned out by them.

The PL teams have few squad players these days who are not internationals or future internationals. And it takes more than being a hardworking clogger to make it even in the Championship, unlike the PL in the Wimbledon or Watford days.

 

Premier League Norwich lost at home to Non-League Luton today.
Premier League QPR lost at home (badly) to League 1 Franchise MK today.

Some very interesting results

Edit: Sorry wrong thread, perhaps better off in rival watch

 

Sorry DL but this thread is simply getting irritating now, we all know where everyone stands on this by now. Maybe worth opening it on the general PL board if you want a range of new opinions on it