Man City will win the Premiership within 5 years...

[Seal]

It just reiterated how much bullsh1t this whole 'big 4' things was. It's not an insurmountable gap, you just need someone to come in with LOTS of money.

I think its shown exactly how big a deal it was, to be contrary. The only way you can close the gap is to be taken over by a multi-millionaire. Great.

Exactly - and you don't "break a monopoly" by adding another club to it - all we now have is a monopoly with 5 clubs instead of a monopoly with 4.

I think you missed my point; I'm just saying that the myth that only one of Arsenal, Man U, Liv or Chelsea can win the Premiership has been broken in 24 hours. Who saw that coming?

I also think that having 5 at the top is actually better for the rest of the Premiership than 4, as it means that they can't all be guaranteed a Champions League place, meaning there isn't this mental ('the big 4') and physical (4 Champions League spots) gap between them and the rest.

This in turn means that Arsenal and Liverpool in particular (as they don't the same level of financial backing), would actually be more vulnerable to being caught by other teams in the future. If one of them missed out on Champions League football, their income will be significantly reduced, as would their appeal for players, therefore the gap between them and say, Spurs & Villa, could be closed further.

All in all I would say a Big 5 is much less likely to be a monopoly than a big 4, so no need to start writing the obituary of the Premiership just yet.

[Focher]

You just know that the Dubai Royal family are gonna buy a club now to out do their Abu Dhabi counterparts, its gonna be Camel racing at half time and a public stoning after the game for entertainment.

[Dirk Gently]

It just reiterated how much bullsh1t this whole 'big 4' things was. It's not an insurmountable gap, you just need someone to come in with LOTS of money.

I think its shown exactly how big a deal it was, to be contrary. The only way you can close the gap is to be taken over by a multi-millionaire. Great.

Exactly - and you don't "break a monopoly" by adding another club to it - all we now have is a monopoly with 5 clubs instead of a monopoly with 4.

I think you missed my point; I'm just saying that the myth that only one of Arsenal, Man U, Liv or Chelsea can win the Premiership has been broken in 24 hours. Who saw that coming?

I also think that having 5 at the top is actually better for the rest of the Premiership than 4, as it means that they can't all be guaranteed a Champions League place, meaning there isn't this mental ('the big 4') and physical (4 Champions League spots) gap between them and the rest.

This in turn means that Arsenal and Liverpool in particular (as they don't the same level of financial backing), would actually be more vulnerable to being caught by other teams in the future. If one of them missed out on Champions League football, their income will be significantly reduced, as would their appeal for players, therefore the gap between them and say, Spurs & Villa, could be closed further.

All in all I would say a Big 5 is much less likely to be a monopoly than a big 4, so no need to start writing the obituary of the Premiership just yet.

I understand what you're saying, but I'm afraid I don't agree with it.

My reading of it is that the CL money will be pretty insignificant to the owners - it's the kudos of the CL place that's important, and which means they will pour stupid money into their teams in a race to get that place. And that can only increase the financial gap between even the 5th placed team and the likes of Spurs, Villa and everyone else all the way down the pyramid.

Not sure about obituaries - for 15 out of the 20 PL teams the chances of ever actually winning the thing are now even more dead and buried - their only hope of winning the league they're in is to find their own super-rich Arab or whoever.

[papereyes]

You just know that the Dubai Royal family are gonna buy a club now to out do their Abu Dhabi counterparts, its gonna be Camel racing at half time and a public stoning after the game for entertainment.

Do we get to vote?

[Streets]

Arsenal's commitment to what debts? They are one of the best run clubs in the Premiership financially

Paying that stadium off is a huge debt isn't it? That was posted very recently about how they need to fill their exec boxes each week and such and such to make those repayments...?

[Ozymandias]

What happens when the rich Arabs actually look at the finances and realise the clubs are a very expensive plaything, which cannot sustain itself, and they pull out and go put their money elsewhere ?

You just know that the Dubai Royal family are gonna buy a club now to out do their Abu Dhabi counterparts, its gonna be Camel racing at half time and a public stoning after the game for entertainment.

[sheshnu]

.

[sheshnu]

Not sure about obituaries - for 15 out of the 20 PL teams the chances of ever actually winning the thing are now even more dead and buried - their only hope of winning the league they're in is to find their own super-rich Arab or whoever.

Yet for large portions of large season we had the likes of Villa and Everton occupying a Champions League spot. Will Villa be more likely to compete for longer after spending a ton of money this summer? Seems unlikely that Everton will but you never know I suppose. People bang on about Spurs being 'nearly there' as well and they might be, what with having an enormous pile of cash and a decent manager.

This isn't the end for the Premier League, I'm just not sure I'd like to be supporting a team like Reading when they try and compete in it. Although they did come 8th that year, which was nice.

[Focher]

You just know that the Dubai Royal family are gonna buy a club now to out do their Abu Dhabi counterparts, its gonna be Camel racing at half time and a public stoning after the game for entertainment.

Do we get to vote?

Yeah they are gonna get a new button fitted on your sky remote, a bit like who wants to be a millionaire.

[RTFC Drummer]

Man City will win the Premiership within 5 years...then go into administration after collecting huge debts and then the ground is sold to KFC.

[Dirk Gently]

Man City will win the Premiership within 5 years...then go into administration after collecting huge debts and then the ground is sold to KFC.

Why would Manchester City Council - who own the stadium - have to sell it if their tenant got into financial trouble?

[Starfish]

Arsenal's commitment to what debts? They are one of the best run clubs in the Premiership financially

Paying that stadium off is a huge debt isn't it? That was posted very recently about how they need to fill their exec boxes each week and such and such to make those repayments...?

But isn't this only until the housing developments are finished? Or something.

Suggesting that Arsenal will drop out of the top 4 because 'they can't compete financially' has not been relevant over the past few years though. Would Wenger even spend the money if he had it? Wasn't it said (only last week) that he had 30 million to spend on one player if it wanted it?

[RTFC Drummer]

Man City will win the Premiership within 5 years...then go into administration after collecting huge debts and then the ground is sold to KFC.

Why would Manchester City Council - who own the stadium - have to sell it if their tenant got into financial trouble?

That was my attempt at a joke

[cmonurz]

Man City will win the Premiership within 5 years...then go into administration after collecting huge debts and then the ground is sold to KFC.

Why would Manchester City Council - who own the stadium - have to sell it if their tenant got into financial trouble?

That was my attempt at a joke

I think you thought they owned it.

[Seal]

I understand what you're saying, but I'm afraid I don't agree with it.

My reading of it is that the CL money will be pretty insignificant to the owners - it's the kudos of the CL place that's important, and which means they will pour stupid money into their teams in a race to get that place. And that can only increase the financial gap between even the 5th placed team and the likes of Spurs, Villa and everyone else all the way down the pyramid.

Not sure about obituaries - for 15 out of the 20 PL teams the chances of ever actually winning the thing are now even more dead and buried - their only hope of winning the league they're in is to find their own super-rich Arab or whoever.

I think your point is valid re: Chelsea & Man City, but Liverpool and Arsenal are not operated as 'playthings' at this current time, but as businesses, therefore failure to qualify for the Champions League is a BIG DEAL for them, making them vulnerable to the competition in a market that has 5 players and 4 places.

I'm also not sure how having 5 big spenders makes the situation even worse for the rest of the premiership, I can't follow that logic at all.

Indeed, I really can't buy into this 'the future is so bleak stuff', it's been like this for years, even before Blackburn bought the title in '95. When exactly did a non traditionally 'big' club (i.e. Arsenal, Liv, Man U) or non-big spender (Chelsea, Blackburn) acutally win the top division? Leeds maybe? That's 17 years ago.

I for one think it would be incredibly refreshing to have another challenger up there, regardless if it's because of a rich arab, russian, or because their stadium's twice the size of other clubs.

[RTFC Drummer]

Why would Manchester City Council - who own the stadium - have to sell it if their tenant got into financial trouble?[/quote]

That was my attempt at a joke [/quote]

I think you thought they owned it.[/quote]

Na I knew the council owned it but I was having a laugh.

[LoyalRoyalFan]

Why would Manchester City Council - who own the stadium - have to sell it if their tenant got into financial trouble?

That was my attempt at a joke [/quote]

I think you thought they owned it.[/quote]

Na I knew the council owned it but I was having a laugh. [/quote]

You thought the burger joint KFC owned it

[Dirk Gently]

Na I knew the council owned it but I was having a laugh.

And I'm the Queen of Sheba.

[Stranded]

Having a potential big five isn't that great for the Prem I'm afraid.

What it'll mean is that not only will the 4 CL places go to same cartel of clubs each year but so will one of the UEFA cup places. That means the rest of the division will be left to play for a Cup Final apperance or the hope that any additional UEFA places trickle down the division. Great.....

[Thaumagurist*]

And why would KFC want to buy a stadium?