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Monday, May 4, 2015

Money is Ruining the Premier League!


The Premier League has never been in ruder health.

A record 5.14 billion pound deal along with the biggest viewership figures in its history - and the money is set to keep coming in as long as football remains as popular as it is now.

This flood of revenue is very positive for the English clubs who are now head and shoulders ahead of the rest of Europe in terms of wealth and spending power.

Indeed, it has come to the point that the likes of Leicester City and next season's newbies, Watford and Bournemouth are more likely to be able to afford the wages of the best players in the world than Italian giants, Juventus or Dutch champions, PSV Eindhoven.

There is a clear inequality in European football that is firmly tilted towards the Premier League - and is one that Spain's La Liga is desperately trying to balance with the new law ensuring that TV revenue and rights are no longer monopolised by Real Madrid and Barcelona.

So you'd think with all the money and good players set for England, the quality of football would be up there.

I'm not so sure.

Yes, there are still plenty of goals being scored but I question the quality of football played this season compared to say 5 years ago, at a time when English football clubs were dominating the Champions League and ensured a Premier League presence in every Final between 2005 and 2012 bar 2010.

Indeed, the plight of the English clubs not just in the Champions League - and second tier Europa League - this season has been very apparent. You'd think with all the money at their disposal, there would at least be one English club in the semifinals. In fact, no English club made it to the quarterfinals of the Europa and Champions League - all were knocked out in the round of 16 or 32.

Some might say, that it is a sign that the English Premier League has become so competitive, the fight for Champions League football or relegation so much tougher, that it has meant clubs are no longer able to devote any energy to extramural matters like winning Europe, or even the FA Cup.

While the battle for the top 4 spots in the Premier League has undoubtedly never been more competitive and open, I believe that the quality of teams fighting for those spots is not as good as it was.

Ironically, it is money that is possibly costing the likes of Man United, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham the best players in the world - Ronaldo, Suarez and Bale have all been bought in record deals by Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

At the other end, the battle to stay up is just as fierce - but the quality of football is also a bit questionable.

Nevertheless, it is the competitive nature of the Premier League that is making it the most entertaining and most watched league in the world. Moreover, the fight to be in the Premier League has had a positive effect on the Football League with the Championship receiving more attention and investment than it ever has had.

Indeed, a clear positive from this massive influx of cash is the rise of genuine minnows like Bournemouth, Blackpool, Blackburn, Hull City, Burnley and Wigan in recent years - Brentford could be on that list too if they can overcome Middlesbrough and Norwich or Ipswich in their playoffs. Bournemouth's promotion to the Premier League should be sufficient to guarantee their future now as long as they stay on budget - a remarkable turnaround after being almost liquidated 5 seasons ago.

However, I think the issue of quality needs to be addressed - and I'm sure it will in the years to come. Such is the cycle of football that the balance of football will return to England.




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