On days like today, nothing beats being in the Premier League! But Days like today may be hard to come by so my question is.. Do you prefer the championship where wins come a little more often and the league is hugely exciting, not to mention a lot more affordable, or would you rather the lows of the Premier league which, now and again, are overwhelmingly overshadowed by intense highs like today's. Over to you!
It is a good question. Life in the championship is fun, but without the possibility of promotion the real aim of it is lost. So you get to the Premier League and once again you are trying to be successful, but it is that much harder. No one would really be wanting to go straight back down, but would hope that the upheaval of players coming and going gives you a fair shot of building a team that will stay up. It is a progression as I see it, one that could take two or three seasons. However when listening to Football Focus today I didn't really like what I heard. "The Premier League is purely about having the money to build a side that can challenge for the title." True I suspect, but it does take away some of the stardust when it becomes difficult to gain promotion and finish second in the top division of English football.
Off the pitch it is better this time because I guess I am not alone in being much more relaxed about the future of the club regardless of what happens. On the pitch it's great. We are a work in progress but the solidity is a very pleasant surprise.
For the sake of our club we must try and stay in the PL just to receive the vulgar amount of money on offer!
Actually, it's not really about us the fans. First, all Players would like to play at the highest level they can, regardless of the outcome for the club. To them it's a means of maximising career status, money, opportunity-things we all want in our careers ( Jeremy Corbyn excepted -and he is an unusually humble/noble person, but I digress). Second the owners need to maximise their return, even moneybags Arabs or dodgy Russians, and that is no disgrace in our case, especially given the standards our owners aspire too, and their realistic but attractive attitude to the long term. Thirdly, the 'club' advances with the stadium, interest in the local area, better chance of getting the best youngsters away from the clutches of Chelski (33 players out on loan!) Arsensl etc Finally, most supporters care first about the team winning, then scoring goals and then the club staying in business-which they assume will happen anyway until hell freezes over. BUT, for reasons 1,2,3 above, only the fans think like that. The fact is to succeed at the top level we have to play better football with better players and watch better players try to outwit us. To me that is BETTER enjoyment than Tuesday nights inChesterfield ( no disrespect intended, but believe me Saltergate was grim) whatever the result. For me achieving EPL status is brilliant, even though I find the media hype quite nauseating! The club I have supported since 1960 is progressing on All fronts. COYH! Sorry for th long post, but the question is interesting and one all fans should ask themselves.
For me I enjoyed the ups and downs of the championship... and am missing the little club visits etc.... However i have already been to see us three times this season ... and going to Newcastle..... Whatever happens i am determined to enjoy... and of course the 80s were out Golden years.... possible again....
It's great to see the club in the Premier League and competing against the best but from a purely personal point of view I still hanker after the Championship and in some ways even the dark times of League One etc. It's not easy to pin down exactly why. Some of it is not about WFC but about the PL itself...the money, Sky, Murdoch, rapid turnover of overseas players etc. Some of it is the sense that unexpected clubs still emerge triumphant in the Championship, though that's becoming less frequent perhaps. The juxtaposition of news items about £200,000 a week to be a goalkeeper and then families walking across Europe to try and get a better life are the reality in front of me but it still feels very uncomfortable at times. I'll happily admit there is an age issue here too and some rose-tinted spectacles...we still often talk about driving to Chesterfield (watered down beer!) and further afield and it always brings a smile. Ah well, better settle down to MotD recorded while we were out on the town last night (well, dining in the pub with a couple of friends!).
Ah, the old question. For me, there is no choice but to strive to be in the promised land, but for the simple reason you have to strive to stay above those around you - in football you cannot stand still. So as much as I dislike being in the Prem for many many reasons, I am prepared to put up with it because there is no real choice
That is another reason I was very happy with promotion and last season as a whole. Little Miss W_Y has heard all the stories and read the books and was at the play off final in Cardiff. But to get automatic promotion in her time as a supporter made me so happy.
Ditto for Mlle Yorkie... she is a more distant supporter and she has had a lot of disappointments over the past few years.....
I do miss having some mid-week games to talk about in a way but then it saves money on travelling etc.
I liked the Championship but I am happy we have left it for a short period. The money reward to stay in the premiership should keep the club in a good position for many years if looked after. I am just glad we did not rise under Bassini or the money would disappear into his pockets.
On another note, is there really much difference between the top six of the Champ and bottom six of the Prem at the end of any given season? I doubt so. Where the bigger differences are is at the top of the Prem, it is a different world to the one Watford is used to.
