The Premier League: Emperor's New Clothes?

[shaolinpunk]

I watch the Albion and I watch live games on TV but beyond that I can't be arsed these days. I'd much rather just watch a short montage of all the goals than watch MotD and the FLS

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I've said it before and I know I'm not alone, but:-

I just don't like football, anymore.

The Albion is different that's DNA, without it I would have no interest in football, other than watching The Big Match Revisited.

Watching England is a chore and a duty, for as long as I can manage.
I certainly can't just sit through any old game.

My colleague came into work telling me of the matches on his 'so close' football bet.
I looked blankly at him saying 'I don't know any scores'.
I think he thought I was winding him up but, I genuinely had no idea what had happened in the 4 matches he said.

You are not alone. I am the same, Albion for sure, the rest is just back ground noise. Most of my friends are the same as well. I think part of it is getting older and finding other things to do with your life. I have other passions which I enjoy far more than watching some random football match on tv. That said I do love the international tournaments as I find the footballing culture clashes interesting and there is often a good standard of play. I am deadly serious when I say I'd rather read the newspaper with a CD on than watch a Premiership game.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

The thing that would bug me if we made it to the PL is that, in terms of ambition, that's really it, isn't it?

If you're in the Football League, no matter how crap your team, there is always that glimmer of hope that one year, just maybe, it's going to be your year, that promotion & titles are within your grasp.

You go to the PL and what's left to aspire to? Finishing ninth? Well crack open a bottle, the drinks are on me.

Obviously promotion up there is what everyone aspires to, but I can perfectly well understand why the actual experience could be underwhelming. It's like once you're there & have worked out how to avoid relegation, you accept that years upon years of mid table mediocrity are yours to enjoy.

 

[Icy Gull]

Like all Albion fans I was gutted to lose to Palace and then see them promoted but now the new season is under way I can't help thinking that I am going to get far more enjoyment watching the Albion this season than they are likely to get watching Palace once the novelty of mixing with the big boys has worn off. Not sure a couple of lucky/famous victories, which they will inevitably get, can make up for watching a team that will be outplayed more often than not. Put aside the money issue and seeing your team, in the second tier, able to match most opponents whilst being much better than others makes for a far more enjoyable scenario imo. Do I want us to get promoted? Of course I do but I doubt I'd enjoy it at the top level unless we could do a Swansea.

 

[Goldstone1976]

The thing that would bug me if we made it to the PL is that, in terms of ambition, that's really it, isn't it?

If you're in the Football League, no matter how crap your team, there is always that glimmer of hope that one year, just maybe, it's going to be your year, that promotion & titles are within your grasp.

You go to the PL and what's left to aspire to? Finishing ninth? Well crack open a bottle, the drinks are on me.

Obviously promotion up there is what everyone aspires to, but I can perfectly well understand why the actual experience could be underwhelming. It's like once you're there & have worked out how to avoid relegation, you accept that years upon years of mid table mediocrity are yours to enjoy.

Yes, I've been thinking the same recently.

The things I've consoled myself with are, initially, for say the first 2-3 seasons, avoiding relegation (which can be exciting in its own tortured way); then perhaps a run at the League Cup, followed by a FA cup run as we consolidate; then, finally, in the 5-10 year horizon the outside prospect of fighting for a European place. Ambitious? Sure, but I don't think Tony Bloom lacks ambition.

So, a promotion to the PL, a while consolidating, a couple of cup runs, with the outside hope of a distant possibility of playing Galatasary away. Doesn't sound dreadful, does it? To me, it's better than Yeovil away, but I accept it won't be to every fan's taste....

 

[Stat Brother]

The thing that would bug me if we made it to the PL is that, in terms of ambition, that's really it, isn't it?

If you're in the Football League, no matter how crap your team, there is always that glimmer of hope that one year, just maybe, it's going to be your year, that promotion & titles are within your grasp.

You go to the PL and what's left to aspire to? Finishing ninth? Well crack open a bottle, the drinks are on me.

Obviously promotion up there is what everyone aspires to, but I can perfectly well understand why the actual experience could be underwhelming. It's like once you're there & have worked out how to avoid relegation, you accept that years upon years of mid table mediocrity are yours to enjoy.

For me The PL is all about Europe.
I don't care about the PL but I would love, properly love, Europa League football.
The only way we are getting that is mid table PL and lucky cup draws.

 

[Saint Lennard]

You go to the PL and what's left to aspire to?

Obviously promotion up there is what everyone aspires to, but I can perfectly well understand why the actual experience could be underwhelming. It's like once you're there & have worked out how to avoid relegation, you accept that years upon years of mid table mediocrity are yours to enjoy.

If we get promoted i can only hope we would do a Swansea and play attractive football irrelevant of the result. That is what i want out of following us. Years of experience teaches you that it doesnt necessarily give you the result you deserve. I think we may be doing that in this division anyway for the next few seasons. I can understand TBs inclination not to get promoted and saw it as the silver lining to losing to THEM.
If we did go up I would look forward to some different away days like I do every season but would not be happy with the ridiculous ko times. I do think I would miss our tag of being ultra underachievers though.

I also used to take no interest in the EPL not watching MOTD etc because it's too predictable and soul less with too many people not engaging with it but just having transmitted to them through a tv screen. I didn't miss anything through doing this. But since my stroke I have SKY and live EPL provides good background noise. I look forward to having Soccer Saturday in the background though.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

The thing that would bug me if we made it to the PL is that, in terms of ambition, that's really it, isn't it?

If you're in the Football League, no matter how crap your team, there is always that glimmer of hope that one year, just maybe, it's going to be your year, that promotion & titles are within your grasp.

You go to the PL and what's left to aspire to? Finishing ninth? Well crack open a bottle, the drinks are on me.

Obviously promotion up there is what everyone aspires to, but I can perfectly well understand why the actual experience could be underwhelming. It's like once you're there & have worked out how to avoid relegation, you accept that years upon years of mid table mediocrity are yours to enjoy.

Spot on. A Reading mate of mine absolutely loved every second of their first season in the prem under Coppell, and why not, must have been great. But the second season started to wear on them as their relegation became obvious and the away trips that were so much fun the first year became very expensive exercises in futility.

Then they got to the play-off final a couple of years later, and several of them were commenting that they hoped they could win the game but not get promoted. When they did go up, they found the same expensive, always losing, never a Saturday 3pm, experience that they'd had before. He for one has had his taste of the premier league and prefers the championship .

 

[Greg Bobkin]

When we win the league, can we opt to stay in the Championship and do it all again the following season?

 

[SweatyMexican]

Sadly..a common view these days. This ' elitist ' attitude is to be found everywhere. I start talking to people about football and find out who they follow....Man Utd or Liverpool or Arsenal or Chelsea are the usual replies......the next question is...." what division are Brighton in?...followed by..." Oh, I don't pay any interest to football outside the PL "
Does this Liverpool fan study his club's history. Does he not know that Liverpool were an ordinary Div.2 ( Championship now ) side when Bill Shankly took over ( approx 1957 ) and it took the great man 5-6 seasons to get them promoted.
This elitist insularity manifests itself when one of the big boys signs a player from lower down the pyramid. A lot of fans have no idea what level he has been playing at and some wouldn't even know the club he came from. This immediately breeds the attitude..." well he's only come from so and so..he can't be much of a player "
When I get in on saturday evenings, I study all the results down to at least Conference level. You want to get a feel for how different teams/managers are doing....' have Orient won again?...what's happened to Sheff Utd?...Cambridge and Nuneaton still going well...Akinfenwa's scored again for Gillingham ( thought he was at Northampton...he was...twice....hasn't he been at Gillingham twice....think so...have to look it up ) Sad, I know but I've always been like that. Always wanted a feel for all the divisions...looking out for goalscorers, managers performing well/badly, quirks, stats, etc.
I suppose its an innate love for the game that you've either got or you haven't. The Cup clearly has no romance for this Liverpool fan as he expects and wants the big team to win every time. When they don't, its time to slag off the competition. I heard regular comments re Pompey v Cardiff FAC Final...I'm not watching that crap etc.
Hey ho..each to their own....didn't watch Swansea v Liverpool last night...more interested in the Championship this week....there's reverse elitism for you.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[Superphil]

I'm constantly told by my Liverpool supporting friend how crap the championship is, he actually believes that the predictability of the top 6 makes it better than our league, he thinks big teams should beat small teams and that's that.

So he's happy to lose week in week out to top 6 sides ?

BTW I know they are temporarily at the top of the division

For me The PL is all about Europe.
I don't care about the PL but I would love, properly love, Europa League football.
The only way we are getting that is mid table PL and lucky cup draws.

So many matches i see in the Europa league seem to have very low interest from fans. Would you expect the Amex to be half empty for the majority of games until/unless we make it to the semi finals? The WSM will be empty as UEFA will demand all the seats then find no one to sit in them, the front 3 rows on the lower tiers will be meshed off to ensure the fans don't interfere with the UEFA sponsored advertising boards, and they'll refuse to let us call it the Amex for the games. The corporateness of the European tournaments makes the Premier League look like Sunday League by comparison .

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I would love us to be in the Premier League for many years.

After a year or two fighting relegation, start aiming for a top ten finish.

Much more TV coverage, outside chance of winning a cup to add to the charity shield, trying to take a Europa League place - european awaydays to enjoy.

It would be incredible.

 

[Stat Brother]

So many matches i see in the Europa league seem to have very low interest from fans. Would you expect the Amex to be half empty for the majority of games until/unless we make it to the semi finals? The WSM will be empty as UEFA will demand all the seats then find no one to sit in them, the front 3 rows on the lower tiers will be meshed off to ensure the fans don't interfere with the UEFA sponsored advertising boards, and they'll refuse to let us call it the Amex for the games. The corporateness of the European tournaments makes the Premier League look like Sunday League by comparison .

In answer to the thread title I don't see the problems.
We are not Spurs et al, looking down on the Europa Cup.

We'll not and never will be looking enviously at the Champs League.

As highlighted here, take the top 6 out of the PL and there isn't a great deal to get excited about.
I don't see much of a difference in going to see my Albion against Birmingham or WBA, Southampton or Bournemouth.
Esp as promotion will price me out of my seat.

If I can get to see The Albion v Usbukistan Utd on a Thursday night, I'll be more than happy.

 

[Stat Brother]

This is what I'm talking about:-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...e--admits-main-aim-return-Premier-League.html

Imagine 2.5k Albion fans in Bruges, getting ready for our first night in European football.
I doubt any of those Wigan fans would swap that, and the expectation building up to it, for finishing fourth from bottom in 'The Greatest League in the World'.

‘If you are suggesting no-one ever expected to hear Wigan and Europe in the same sentence, you are probably summing up the scale of our achievement and what it means to everyone at the club,’ said Coyle (above).
‘To have 2,500 following us on a Thursday night in Belgium, when those people have their work and family to think of, is a huge commitment.
‘It’s a huge adventure for everyone at Wigan, and our supporters have demonstrated they want to be there at the outset.