Just to try and be a bit more positive*, I thought we could consider the strength of the prem this year. I'd argue it is quite a bit stronger. Last season: - Wolves, Villa and Blackburn were in self-destruct mode, Bolton were abysmal, QPR were nearly as bad as this season - Further up the table, Liverpool early in the season were poor which allowed us to nick a point and Chelsea were far less consistent This season - Swansea and West Brom are considerably stronger and have invested very wisely - All three of Southhampton, Reading and West Ham had serious money to spend and, Reading aside, invested very well (West Ham were helped by having a substantially Premier League player first team) - Top clubs have not dropped as many points this season (though admittedly we have done quite well against them) It's obviously impossible to be certain and I accept that some teams have gone backwards (Newcastle and QPR), but I feel that this season has been a tougher league. Certainly no teams have been in full self-destruct mode (QPR a little, but that hasn't changed much). So while I am positive that our team is stronger overall (Bassong, Snodgrass and Turner represent significant steps up), I think this helps explain why the season has been more of a struggle. What do people think? Is it a tougher premier league season overall? *THIS IS NOT A THREAD TO DISCUSS OUR TERRIBLE STYLE, HUGHTON'S (LACK OF) MAN MANAGEMENT SKILLS OR ANYTHING ELSE RELATED TO OUR TEAM OTHER THAN THE QUALITY OF INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS AND THE SQUAD AS WHOLE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR. Terms and conditions apply.
On one hand Manure could have won the title with record points if they had prevailed over Arsenal but two teams no matter their seemingly impossible position played out dull 0-0 draw and walked off smiling. So I don't think it has been any stronger this year, just the strong getting stronger. And I fear the gap between the teams will get wider. To be honest, £60M over 4 years for the weakest teams is a stupid reward for failure. That means it will be possible for half of the Championship to be starting the season with more cash than the yearly turnover of others. And I doubt it will be much longer before the "talent" money for the position you finish in the Prem will be changed so that the percentage is greater the higher you finish.
Next year, whatever happens it should be an easier league. Cardiff have a fighting chance, but the other two will be relegation fodder IMO.
Redruth, on the topic of altering the amount each position pays, I think we have to be grateful things aren't worse already. the big sides could easily do a Barcelona/Madrid if given the choice and sell their rights independently, that would lead to an awful lot less money for the rest of the league. I agree the gap to the championship is going to get wider and wider, I don't mind the money coming in, but it's use needs tighter control. Allowing it all to go to agents and players is ridiculous. I know wage caps hurt the teams that are run well, so I'd rather see the Premier League siphon off a decent sized chunk of the TV income to be solely invested in grass-roots and academy football. The football league should get a far larger share too.
