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The inevitability of the Premier League 06.11.12 - 20.05.13



Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
In writing a thread bemoaning the point gaps within the Prem:-

11 points between 1st & 2nd.
9 between 5th & 6th.
12 between 7 & 8th
64 between top and bottom.

I remembered this thread, from November.

And in fairness the inevitability of me droning on, on an anti EPL thread.

But nevertheless, other than minor shuffling of Liverpool, Newcastle and Arsenal at the expense of Fulham, West Brom and Everton, I contend this league is pretty much sorted.

Man Utd 10 12 24
Chelsea 10 12 23
Man City 10 9 22
Everton 10 6 17
West Brom 10 4 17
Tottenham 10 3 17
Arsenal 10 7 15
Fulham 10 5 15
West Ham 10 2 15
Newcastle 10 -2 14
Swansea 10 1 12
Liverpool 10 -2 11
Wigan 10 -5 11
Norwich 10 -10 10
Stoke 10 -2 9
Sunderland 9 -3 9
Aston Villa 10 -6 9
Reading 9 -6 5
QPR 10 -11 4
Southampton10 -14 4

Compare that with this one.
Who's going to win this bad boy:-

Cardiff 14 10 28
Middlesbrough14 6 28
Crystal Palace14 4 27
Leicester 14 7 25
Hull 14 3 25
Blackburn 14 3 23
Huddersfield14 0 23
Nottm Forest14 3 21
Wolves 14 2 21
Brighton 14 7 20
Derby 14 3 20
Leeds United14 1 20
Burnley 14 -1 20
Millwall 14 2 19
Watford 14 -3 19
Blackpool 14 1 18
Bolton 14 -2 18
Birmingham 14 -7 16
Sheff Wed 14 -4 15
Barnsley 14 -6 15
Charlton 14 -4 14
Peterborough14 -5 12
Bristol City 14 -5 11
Ipswich 14 -15 10

Southampton success and Newcastle's failure seem to be the only surprises.

Greatest league in the world, my arse.
 


Tyrone Biggums

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2006
13,498
Geelong, Australia
Pile of shit league.

La Liga isn't much better.

Other sports organisations leave it for dead in trying to creative competitive leagues.
 


Bladders

Twats everywhere
Jun 22, 2012
13,672
The Troubadour
I agree, all top leagues are like this, you have to go to the 5th biggest league in Europe (The Championship) for some proper sporting competition.

I only want the Prem for the money to help secure our future. Take that out of the equation and I'm much happier watching us play in the Championship.
 




joeinbrighton

New member
Nov 20, 2012
1,853
Brighton
In fairness, quite a number of Europe's major leagues have been rather monopolistic this season. Even the much vaunted Bundesliga was a procession for Bayern Munich this season with Dortmund a mile behind and an awful lot of mediocrity below them, while Juventus who were outplayed by Bayern in both legs of their quarter-final strolled Serie A again.

Overall, it was a poor renewal of the Premier League. Manchester United scored exactly the same number of points as they scored last season when they lost the title on goal difference, yet win the title by 11 points because City have regressed so badly this season and rested on their laurels. Tottenham scored more points than any other 5th placed team has done in the history of the Premier League but it wasn't enough to make the Champions League because the lower teams provided less competition than in previous years and so all of the top 5 were taking points off them. Also, United's 89 points that won them the league was more than what any of the other divisional champions - Cardiff, Doncaster and Gillingham, managed to score to win their leagues, but in 8 games less. That's a pointer to how less competitive the Premier League was as a whole this season, but also a pointer to how the lower leagues lacked any exceptional standout teams this season.
 




Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,110
Surrey
Portugal was pure chuckles. Two teams unbeaten until last weekend and everybody else about 30 points behind. :facepalm:

A bit like Scotland, only with the two dominating teams actually being quite good.
 




JOLovegrove

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2012
1,998
With a lot of the managerial jobs changing, Mourinho coming in and no more SAF, I thik next season could be far more open and exciting.
 




Gritt23

New member
Jul 7, 2003
14,902
Meopham, Kent.
So dull. But last season was exciting to see how it unfolded.

Not really, as the "unfolding" was just so predictable, and what little uncertainty was between so few clubs.

Man U or C, 1st or 2nd.
How close will Spurs push Arsenal for the open-top, bus ride "celebration" of 4th.
Will anyone even pretend to care about winning a Europa League spot.
Very early on the wheels looked to have come off at QPR and Reading, so there was only 1 relegation spot up for any serious deabte.

As has been said by Bladders, all top Leagues are like this. La Liga was great about 10 years ago, but the top two dominate too much, the Bundalisga was great until quite recently, but the dominance of Bayern will be hard to break from here. PSG will dominate the French for many years to come.

#yawn
 


Gritt23

New member
Jul 7, 2003
14,902
Meopham, Kent.
With a lot of the managerial jobs changing, Mourinho coming in and no more SAF, I thik next season could be far more open and exciting.

I bet you could predict the top 4 now, with Arsenal 4th. Which way round the top 3 finish, when there is no-one else who can even get close (other than Arsenal who don't even strive for more than 4th), really doesn't signify excitement for me.
 


crodonilson

He/Him
Jan 17, 2005
13,487
Lyme Regis
Next season is going to be EPIC.

New managers at Man U, Chelsea, Man City, plus Arsenal looking to spend big, Tottingham going for a Champions League spot, a Liverpool side who are ever improving. It's wide open for me, only a fool would pick the top four places now.
 






MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,689
Not really, as the "unfolding" was just so predictable, and what little uncertainty was between so few clubs.

Man U or C, 1st or 2nd.
How close will Spurs push Arsenal for the open-top, bus ride "celebration" of 4th.
Will anyone even pretend to care about winning a Europa League spot.
Very early on the wheels looked to have come off at QPR and Reading, so there was only 1 relegation spot up for any serious deabte.

As has been said by Bladders, all top Leagues are like this. La Liga was great about 10 years ago, but the top two dominate too much, the Bundalisga was great until quite recently, but the dominance of Bayern will be hard to break from here. PSG will dominate the French for many years to come.

#yawn

I meant the 11-12 season, specifically the last minute title deciding goals. But totally agree with you on all your points above.
 


Dec 29, 2011
8,014
Next season is going to be EPIC.

New managers at Man U, Chelsea, Man City, plus Arsenal looking to spend big, Tottingham going for a Champions League spot, a Liverpool side who are ever improving. It's wide open for me, only a fool would pick the top four places now.

Chelsea, City, United, Arsenal.

Ooops
 




Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
For me the real tedium of the Premier League is those mid-table positions. No team can really kick on beyond 8th spot, and so they plateau. Expectation is raised by relative success and then when it can't be sustained the team enters "The Drop Zone". Sky TV hypes up "the battle to avoid relegation" when often it's a decent club who have hit a ceiling, don't know how to handle it, teeter with danger before refocusing and saving themselves.

Newcastle finished 5th last season, almost went down. Fulham started OK under Jol, hit a wall and lost most of their final 14 matches. Look back to Villa under Martin O' Neill, look what's happening to Stoke. I confidently predict that West Brom will struggle next season and Swansea will dip too.

These teams a between 4th - 8th from bottom aren't shit, they're just realising that there actually ISN'T anything to play for other than personal gain and a big fat pay cheque or signing-on fee.
 


beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,264
next season should make for far more interest. Chelsea with decent squad already settled should do well even if it isnt Mourinho managing (which it will be), Arsenal should finally buy some players and resemble a squad challenging for the top again (but depends on those purchases), Man City will have still excellent squad managed by someone new to the English game, while Tottenham should improve their squad and Liverpool must shirley be settled to compete now too. it will be closer run thing at least.
 


Stat Brother

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Jul 11, 2003
73,365
West west west Sussex
it will be closer run thing at least.
Obviously I side with the doom-monger Derek's.

It may well be closer but it won't be any different.
29 points separating 8th from 2nd.

You can only score a maximum of 114 points.

Utd or QPR could have drawn every single game and still not been relegated.
 


gordonchas

New member
Jul 1, 2012
230
I agree, all top leagues are like this, you have to go to the 5th biggest league in Europe (The Championship) for some proper sporting competition.

It's actually 7th biggest in Europe by a true measure (average attendance) and it vies with Bundesliga 2 for that, but your point is well taken. The Spanish Segunda is also a highly competitive league throughout.
 



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