retired_littlegoldielocks

and the arguement that someone like big geordie will say is, 'the top 4 get too much money now pet for us to challenge', but that is a poor arguement. maybe it is true in the short term, e.g. newcastle are in no way going to win the league this season, but if they look at it as a long term goal, it is achievable.

retired_duchesscaitlin

I might actually start looking at Soccer again if this happens.

retired_kpr

Bad solutions in the opening post but the top four's dominance is a problem and it is spoiling things a bit in my opinion, no matter how much OTF tries to deny it.

DebSchiff

Russia's had four different champions this decade. What of it?

The guy's ideas are balls, but it's hardly idiotic to say that the same four teams fighting over the top four places every season is dull, is it? Because, for those of us who aren't fortunate to support one of the big four, or one of the clubs perpetually on the verge of breaking the big four, the Premiership is pretty ****ing tedious as a league. Individual games have interest, but as a season I find it hard to care.

There's nothing that can be done about it though, we just have to hope that somehow one of the big four ****s up in hilarious fashion a la Leeds/Newcastle. Sadly the people running Arsenal/Man Utd/Liverpool have more business sense than Ridsdale or Freddie Shepperd and the bloke who owns Chelsea has bottomless pockets.

retired_heidus17

perhaps, but i think the point that is often missed is that, like ben said, its much more down to bad management at other teams than problems with the top 4. everyone wants instant succes and some horrible managerial and financial decisions have been made due to this

retired_nini59

Russia's had four different champions this decade. What of it?

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we've had 3, not exactly a major difference, I doubt there's many countries who've had more, especially successful ones.

retired_nini59

the point being, national success has almost nothing to do with the competition ratios within the domestic leagues. It's about the top 11/18/23 players, having Reading challenging for the title isn't going to alter that much.

retired_rmschaffer

If you have a few world class teams in your league. Inevitably there is going to be disparity.

I don't think their position is insummountable. They have all had moments where they look vulnerable. In recent seasons, people have tipped Manchester United and Arsenal to decline because they lost key players and seemed to have holes in their squad. People thought Chelsea might go backwards once Mourinho left. And Liverpool have always struggled to be consistent in the league.

I think it is hard to maintain your high league position each season. Because all it takes it one bad season. which can set a team backwards.

And the challenging mid table teams are better financed now which means they have access better players and more squad debth so they are less likely to fade at the end.

And there are quite a few mid table sides. Tottenham and Newcastle would have been expected to be up there. Yet you still have Blackburn Portsmouth Everton Man City doing well. Aston Villa and West Ham have money now also.

retired_Pantora

salary cap ftw

set a slary cap for each division, stops clubs having stupidly high wage bills and also by doing it for each level will stop lower league sides spending way above their means to try and push higher like Luton did (and with 3 other teams close to administration at the moment)

thetaoofshawn

Find the top 4 being the same every year incredibly dull but those ideas are quite awful.