Premier League closed shop

[Toronto_Motors]

How apparent is this when fans from West Ham to Everton are creaming themselves over LUFC return,all stating big club/history/fan base stuff.

Please God,let Brentford go up and stay there for a few seasons anyway.

I truly feel for the likes of Burnley ,Watford,even Sheff Utd as they are seen as interlopers in the big boys union.

It males one wonder if it is worth striving to reach the Prem as the utter contempt for clubs not seen as "big" or famous is so obvious.

 

[Baron Goblet]

Most would want the top league reduced to around twelve teams and more competition across Europe. That Spurs and Arsenal are mid table says a lot about football not just being about big clubs and closed shops though there is a mentality with fans to go for the brand when shopping round for an identity. For years before Cruyff worked on Barca, they were unsuccessful for a long period. Playing more games in Europe would be good for the better teams and footballers in general. It is a bit like my mates from Wycombe and Brentford who support Leeds and Arsenal. Glory hunters, it is in all of us in various degrees. Leicester can still win the League, Swansea can get promoted and Wolves, Sheffield U and Burnley can finish in the top half and upset someon's apple cart along the way.

 

[Toronto_Motors]

Most would want the top league reduced to around twelve teams and more competition across Europe. That Spurs and Arsenal are mid table says a lot about football not just being about big clubs and closed shops though there is a mentality with fans to go for the brand when shopping round for an identity. For years before Cruyff worked on Barca, they were unsuccessful for a long period. Playing more games in Europe would be good for the better teams and footballers in general. It is a bit like my mates from Wycombe and Brentford who support Leeds and Arsenal. Glory hunters, it is in all of us in various degrees. Leicester can still win the League, Swansea can get promoted and Wolves, Sheffield U and Burnley can finish in the top half and upset someon's apple cart along the way.

Sir,
That is one superb posting.

Really sad that yours is the only reply to a subject that is at the core of modern football-ie,Brand Chasing ,ie,why kids form town 300 miles away "support" a club .Its ok for the playground and kick about with mates but we have thousands of grown men proudly wearing replica shirts of far away town and cities and referring to those clubs as "us". They aren't.

 

[Simulacrum]

My son (aged 11) is a Swansea fan...by parental pressure but he has a Barcelona kit or two. I won't allow him to support another English league team though! He's born and raised Swansea.
The Premier league is a bit of a closed shop even to the big teams who go back up. Sides that used to be big nd have a chance of winning it are now left behind by the current top 2/3 maybe 4. Anyone outside that doesn't have much of a chance anymore. Newcastle get 50k every week and get nowhere near, Spurs in their spanking new 62k are (like Arsenal) going to struggle for years.

It's all about the brand, the size of the income and fans across the world. Fans in your actual stadium pay the most to watch you and get little in return. Clubs complain about too many games but can't wait to head off on foreign tours to grow their fanbases.

To pinch a line from Jerry Maguire..."show me the money" is what it's all about.

 

[Dr. Winston]

If people think that the Premier League is non-competitive just be thankful they're not part of some of the other major European leagues.

PSG - Seven out of the last eight French titles
Bayern Munich - 8/8 German titles.
Juventus - 8/8 Italian titles.
Real / Barca - 14 out of the last 15 Spanish titles between them

6 different teams have won the PL in the last 16 years. Holland the next best with four. In comparison the PL is fairly open in contrast to most of the other leagues that matter.

 

[The.Taz]

The tv companies for sure have little interest outside of Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal

Clubs line Newcastle and Everton are tolerated because they are big clubs with big fan bases. Outside that I reckon they’d be happy with another 4 clubs like Leeds or West Ham who have good fan bases and would be whipping boys for the top clubs. The rest they couldn’t care less about

 

[Manselton Jack]

Most would want the top league reduced to around twelve teams and more competition across Europe. That Spurs and Arsenal are mid table says a lot about football not just being about big clubs and closed shops though there is a mentality with fans to go for the brand when shopping round for an identity. For years before Cruyff worked on Barca, they were unsuccessful for a long period. Playing more games in Europe would be good for the better teams and footballers in general. It is a bit like my mates from Wycombe and Brentford who support Leeds and Arsenal. Glory hunters, it is in all of us in various degrees. Leicester can still win the League, Swansea can get promoted and Wolves, Sheffield U and Burnley can finish in the top half and upset someon's apple cart along the way.

Sir,
That is one superb posting.

Really sad that yours is the only reply to a subject that is at the core of modern football-ie,Brand Chasing ,ie,why kids form town 300 miles away "support" a club .Its ok for the playground and kick about with mates but we have thousands of grown men proudly wearing replica shirts of far away town and cities and referring to those clubs as "us". They aren't.

It's not just modern football though is it?
I remember most of the kids in school with me in the mid/late 70's were Liverpool/Leeds/Man Utd supporters not Swans fans.
No connection with these clubs at all but would still drone on about how great 'their' team was.

 

[Fireboy]

Most would want the top league reduced to around twelve teams and more competition across Europe. That Spurs and Arsenal are mid table says a lot about football not just being about big clubs and closed shops though there is a mentality with fans to go for the brand when shopping round for an identity. For years before Cruyff worked on Barca, they were unsuccessful for a long period. Playing more games in Europe would be good for the better teams and footballers in general. It is a bit like my mates from Wycombe and Brentford who support Leeds and Arsenal. Glory hunters, it is in all of us in various degrees. Leicester can still win the League, Swansea can get promoted and Wolves, Sheffield U and Burnley can finish in the top half and upset someon's apple cart along the way.

Sir,
That is one superb posting.

Really sad that yours is the only reply to a subject that is at the core of modern football-ie,Brand Chasing ,ie,why kids form town 300 miles away "support" a club .Its ok for the playground and kick about with mates but we have thousands of grown men proudly wearing replica shirts of far away town and cities and referring to those clubs as "us". They aren't.

It's not just modern football though is it?
I remember most of the kids in school with me in the mid/late 70's were Liverpool/Leeds/Man Utd supporters not Swans fans.
No connection with these clubs at all but would still drone on about how great 'their' team was.

No leeds fans in my school (dynevor) in the early 80s supported lids, only yernited and the bin dippers, made my blood boil and that's why I still have so much angst against both teams.

 

[Manselton Jack]

I'm a bit older so the Don Revie dirty Leeds team meant they still had a decent following around here at that time