The Premiership: Anybody else going to give it a miss this season?

[Pavilionaire]

My growing disillusionment with top flight football has peaked, and I've decided I'm not going to waste any time watching live Prem matches until there is a radical overhaul of the competition.

I simply don't care anymore. Alex Ferguson bleats about Real Madrid tapping up his player but is happy to do the same to Berbatov. Spurs season will be over before it begins if the Bulgarian were to leave now, and they are 5th favourites for the title at 66-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Drogba, Lampard, Terry - the bigger the player the bigger the ego.

Toss a coin between Man Utd and Chelsea for the winners, toss another for Liverpool and Arsenal for 3rd spot. As for the rest - who cares? Spurs had a run, Everton have had their moments so maybe Villa might finish 5th. Big deal.

Stoke, WBA and Hull are nailed on to get relegated. And even if one of them manages to stay up, so what? Am I supposed to lap up a month of hype over it?

Then there's the usual spate of managers getting the sack in October / November to look forward to, and plenty of pundits claiming how short-sighted and outrageous that is despite heaping the pressure on for two months solid.

The idea that Villa's best player and Spurs best players are about to be sold to the Big 4 at the 11th hour tells you all you need to know about what is about to transpire.

I already plan to spend more time with my family and go on more trips out. f*** the Premiership.

 

[pasty]

Very good assessment, and totally agree with you. I haven't really watched MOTD for a couple of seasons now, and only find myself watching the "big" games because I happen to be in the pub on a Sunday afternoon anyway.

 

[Simster]

It's been like this for far too long now, but I suspect I'll watch it given the chance.

 

[Easy 10]

Can't disagree with any of your points Pav, but I like watching football, so I'll still watch the Premiership. I've invariably got money riding on something or other, be it on a season-long bet, an accumulator, or an individual game. And I also carry a plethora of irrational hatreds and prejudices against various teams, managers, players and fans. So thats usually enough to keep me interested.

 

[Pavilionaire]

The amazing thing is that Hull can still make it in. I suspect that in 3-4 years time we'll be in a position when the yo-yo-ing will stabilise to the exclusion of the Stokes and Hull of this world.

Bolton, Birmingham, Wigan, WBA, Sunderland and Derby will probably be alternating on a more regularised basis.

 

[Easy 10]

The amazing thing is that Hull can still make it in. I suspect that in 3-4 years time we'll be in a position when the yo-yo-ing will stabilise to the exclusion of the Stokes and Hull of this world.

Bolton, Birmingham, Wigan, WBA, Sunderland and Derby will probably be alternating on a more regularised basis.

I think if that was going to happen, it would've done so already. The Championship is still an absolute basket case to try and predict. You can always rely on a poorly run ex-Premiership club to completely stuff things up and disappear without a trace - its not too hard to think of several prime examples.

 

[sully]

What's taken you so long?

I can't remember the last time I watched a Premiership game "live". I've never had Sky and only watch European or International matches down the pub.

The top clubs have been killing the game for too long now for it to have been of any interest to me, sadly.

 

[chez]

If Berba signs for ManUre this season I will lose all interest in the Premiership and therefore not watch any of it.

I much prefer Sentanta's non eague coverage to Sky's Premiership stuff anyway so I'll stick with that.

 

[Trigger]

If Berba signs for ManUre this season I will lose all interest in the Premiership and therefore not watch any of it.

I much prefer Sentanta's non eague coverage to Sky's Premiership stuff anyway so I'll stick with that.

Setanta's non league coverage is SUPERB, especially with Paul Parker on the mic!

Regarding the Premiershit, I shall avoid the big four as their games are usually dull and boring with the exception of the ARSE... I certainly won't be going out of my way to watch any games but if they are on then I will watch them, especially Newcastle & West Brom as I reckon they will be the two entertaining teams this year!

 

[coventrygull]

Setanta's non league coverage is SUPERB, especially with Paul Parker on the mic!

Looking forward to all those sussex teams

 

[simmo]

My growing disillusionment with top flight football has peaked, and I've decided I'm not going to waste any time watching live Prem matches until there is a radical overhaul of the competition.

I simply don't care anymore. Alex Ferguson bleats about Real Madrid tapping up his player but is happy to do the same to Berbatov. Spurs season will be over before it begins if the Bulgarian were to leave now, and they are 5th favourites for the title at 66-1.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Drogba, Lampard, Terry - the bigger the player the bigger the ego.

Toss a coin between Man Utd and Chelsea for the winners, toss another for Liverpool and Arsenal for 3rd spot. As for the rest - who cares? Spurs had a run, Everton have had their moments so maybe Villa might finish 5th. Big deal.

Stoke, WBA and Hull are nailed on to get relegated. And even if one of them manages to stay up, so what? Am I supposed to lap up a month of hype over it?

Then there's the usual spate of managers getting the sack in October / November to look forward to, and plenty of pundits claiming how short-sighted and outrageous that is despite heaping the pressure on for two months solid.

The idea that Villa's best player and Spurs best players are about to be sold to the Big 4 at the 11th hour tells you all you need to know about what is about to transpire.

I already plan to spend more time with my family and go on more trips out. f*** the Premiership.

I do tend to agree with you. I used to love all Premiership games but an overkill of anything makes you get fed up with it (and Sky certainly knows how to do that). I no longer watch MOTD any more. For a live game on a Sunday it may be on but I am not really watching it, I am doing something else (reading a paper etc) and will look up only when a goal is scored and if it is a shocker like Boro v Wigan I won't have it on at all.

I quite enjoy watching Arsenal though, in my opinion if you can't enjoy the way Arsenal (try to) play football you don't like football, Man U also try to play football as it should be played, but Chelsea are like watching paint dry. I think I would draw the curtains if Chelsea were playing in my back garden.

The Champions League at the knockout stage as well I quite like as I think that it is the only tournament (apart from the Euros and World Cup) where you are unsure whom is going to win, there have been 4 different winners in the last 4 years at least. Let's hope the money men don't change that, but I am sure they will.

 

[Napper]

can't wait for the new season. football is great !

 

[Mellotron]

The Premiership - Everyone's a back-stabbing t***er just out for the money, and you know you shouldn't but you can't help watching it, even though every year you lambast it as it comes round.

Sounds a bit like a certain channel 4 'reality' show.

 

[Hiney]

I love watching the Premiership

 

[Easy 10]

Blimey, crodo would be all over this thread like a rash if he wasn't 'spreading the word' in eastern europe.

 

[Icy Gull]

Gave up Sky years ago so haven't watched many games anyway. I have a passing interest in MOT early Sunday morning but haven't been bothered one way or the other for years. I do watch and enjoy the Champions League though and won't give up on watching that whilst it's on terrestial.

 

[lost in london]

Have MOTD set to record each week, sometimes watch it, more often don't, but will generally try and watch the decenet champions league games if I get allowed. The quality of football is sometimes superb, and makes you forget about all the bullsh*t that comes with the Premiership.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I agree with pretty much everything Pavilionaire has said - but I'm not sure what you do about it.

It seems to me what would make it a better, more 'real' and accessible league would be to tone down the TV hype; reduce admission prices across the board (perhaps on a percentage basis, so that the worst offenders ie Chelsea/Arsenal/Spurs would have to cut most); spread the money better both between Prem Lg teams, and also across all four divisions; and have more sensible coverage in other media. Depressingly, I can't see any of that happening.

The pages and pages devoted to the 'transfers' of Lampard, Ronaldo, Drogba, Adebayor et al have made this summer one of the most ridiculous ever.

The Championship was superb last season, and not just at the top. The Leicester v Sheffield Wednesday match (pretty much a relegation decider) at the end of last season was a great example, two big clubs, incredibly tense and in front of a frenzied full house.

We have a situation where those in charge are too close to it, too obsessed with making money, and can't see the wood for the trees. And they're not listening to those telling them the wheels will come off at some stage.

One other thing - the quality of the pundits isn't helping. I heard Ray Wilkins dragged onto to talkSPORT today to tell the nation: 'Frank Lampard has en eye for a goal.' FFS, how much is he being paid for that?

The one thing where I would slightly disagree with Pav, or at least in terms of how things are any different now, is over the transfers. Surely, it was ever thus? Players went to bigger clubs. Maybe they were different clubs 20 years ago, and maybe the power was more evenly spread so there was more of an auction, but the same rules applied.

 

[Wozza]

No Premiership for me.

It's all about the PREMIER LEAGUE these days.

 

[Joshski]

Will still be watching MOTD of Saturday Nights I'm afraid - Not the same as watching B righton FC tho