Portsmouth FC are just there to make up the numbers. And so are Everton FC, Bournemouth, Stoke and West Ham. So are Southampton, Chesterfield and Sheffield Wednesday. We are all equal, in that we are all equally here just to make up the numbers. Frankly the only clubs that matter are Manchester United, City, Chelski, Arsenal and Liverpool. The rest of us are just there to provide opposition, players and fixtures and someone to show on TV when they're playing one of the clubs that matter. Maybe a little bit of excitement when one of us pointless clubs beat one of the teams that matter allowing the Premier League to market itself in China to gain more money to give to Manchester United, City, Chelski, Arsenal and Liverpool. Aside from that, not at all. Every season is more pointless than the last as all but a few clubs hurtle towards a meaningless position in the league table, unless you get relegated or reach Europe and if it's the Europa League, you don't even care anyway. Regardless, finish 5-17 does it matter? Does it matter the season after that? Or the season after that? What are you progressing towards? What's the end goal? Winning the Premier League? Ha, fat chance. Not unless you want to fire up the cash furnace, make sure you have enough cash to incinerate though. What good is a five year plan when a team can just buy their way into the top 4 and the media metaphorically suck them off while they do it? What's the point in playing a game where all the die are loaded? Before anyone mentions Leicester, that was a total fluke and will never happen again. At least being in league 2 there's some illusion of a point to all this.
In Australia both the national rugby league and soccer competitions operate under a salary cap system which limits the total amount that can be paid to the players of any one team. it is a flawed system as some clubs appear to manage to arrange 'third party' payments. However, the gap between the top and bottom teams in a competition appears to be less and over the years there is more rotation of the championship winning teams.
In the NFL there is a salary cap, as well as a draft system whereby the team that does worst overall gets the first pick, then the next worst gets the second pick and so on. It means that if a team draft well, over a few seasons, they can rise from rubbish to pretty damn good. Teams rise and fall based on their own merit, not simply because they can buy their way to the top. As a result, each year there are often different teams competing at the top, but there will be some consistent teams such as the Patriots and Seahawk, but even that won't last forever... but they happen to have a good team at the moment and a good quarterback. And even still, different teams have won the super bowl in recent years. The Baltimore Ravens, the Seattle Seahawks, the New England Patriots, The Denver Broncos... Compared to football in this country, it's a complete breath of fresh air.
