Is this the worst league in 25 years

[Supagoon]

I live in mancland SteveO and you are right that their midfield is heavily criticised by fans. It still took a dubious red for Real to knock them out of the CL with Mourinho acknowledging they were the better side over 2 legs. For your mate's dad to say they haven't a prayer in the CL seems harsh.

Our top 3 teams have the resources to take players from any club apart from 2 in Spain and 1 in Germany. I have no idea how PSG and Monaco will fit into the equation because the French league has a lot of catching up to do in terms of prestige. Our league has fallen slightly but it is still in a very healthy position. The Bundesliga has a lot of young talent but Kagawa and Schurrle show we can still cherry pick exciting potential from that league.

PSG and Monaco stole Chelsea's and City's transfer targets.

[g88ner]

It is too easy for some fans to state the standards have dropped from 6 or 7 years ago but as Gooners nothing will ever reach the standards we had back then I will go back further and say that last seasons manure team wouldn't have beaten any of our title winning teams going back to GG's teams. I will say with certainty that last seasons manure team wouldn't have beaten any of the scouse winning teams in the late 70's and 80's (and I include everton in that). Different style and era's I know but I would rate the forest and villa title winning teams higher too. As far as my memory recalls, that only leaves the leeds title winning team to which you refer - granted they were not the greatest team ever but I would certainly take the leeds midfield of Strachan,batty,mcallistar and speed (RIP) than any midfield manure put out last season

I think it's an interesting debate whether last years United team was the worst title winner in 25 years (or more), but what you said was that it's the worst LEAGUE in 25 years, and I still find that quite an astonishing comment.

Do you really believe that? or, as your post above seems to suggest, are you now backtracking?

By the way, personally I think the United team last season showed an astonishing consistency based around a world class striker (or 2) and a very determined, focussed squad. In many ways, it showed what's possible when a team gathers momentum and has an injury free match winner + decent supporting cast.
- I honestly think they would have pushed many of the 1990's title winners all the way. Certainly 1988-1998, which is the first 10 years of the 25 years you mentioned.

[SteveO 35]

I don't even think last season's PL was as good as the one in 1998. The Mancs had their home grown lads all in their prime, not to mention Keane, and we played some of the most breathtaking football I've seen with Overmars, Bergkamp, Vieira and Petit. Gary Neville said in his book that was the greatest domestic side he'd played against, even more so than the Invincibles, and 16 years on the Mancs and us have worse teams than back then, and we are supposedly 2 of the biggest clubs around.

Its got nothing to do just with our own standard. City's team was weaker last year than the season before. United's not a patch on the Ronaldo side. Chelsea's level way way down from Mourinho's 2005-2006 sides and ours way down on all years up to and including 2009.

If none of the top teams have their best sides I can't see how it can be improving

The half baked argument that clubs are full of international players these days is just that. I heard that said about Wigan by Lord Wenger but with all due respect a team in the Championship could fill their squad with players from Oman and Honduras

The league is better than the earliest Premier League years of the early 90s because the money has been running through it for 20 years........but lower than it was 10 years or even 5 years ago because the top clubs in France, Spain, Italy and Germany can all compete now

[northbank123]

Might just be nostalgia but I seem to remember that back in 1998 teams made you fight a lot more - yes there were plenty of shit teams in the division but generally they weren't so happy to roll over against the likes of United as they are now.

[afcforever]

Football will never be the same, when all these youngsters are getting so much money.

[SteveO 35]

Football will never be the same, when all these youngsters are getting so much money.

I wouldn't mind them earning huge sums if they were good enough to deserve it. If we had the next Messi waiting in the wings then pay him 100k at 18 years old. Its when we dish out 50k per week salaries to useless shite like Denilson, Djourou, Bendtner etc who we then spend years trying to offload because they are so overpaid relative to their ability

[afcforever]

Football will never be the same, when all these youngsters are getting so much money.

I wouldn't mind them earning huge sums if they were good enough to deserve it. If we had the next Messi waiting in the wings then pay him 100k at 18 years old. Its when we dish out 50k per week salaries to useless shite like Denilson, Djourou, Bendtner etc who we then spend years trying to offload because they are so overpaid relative to their ability

Me neither, good luck to anyone what they earn. But most of them are thick as shit and think theyre better than what they are.
Try educating a youngster, with a few million in the bank

[QuartzGooner]

The league is better than the earliest Premier League years of the early 90s because the money has been running through it for 20 years........but lower than it was 10 years or even 5 years ago because the top clubs in France, Spain, Italy and Germany can all compete now

Agree, plus add in:

Russia, Ukraine, Dagestan and Turkey.

The European elite of the last 30 years - Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Ajax (and dare I say it, Liverpool and Man Utd) has been joined by billionaire owned clubs - Paris St Germain, Monaco, Man City, Chelsea, Anzi Makhachkala, and a few Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish sides - the playing and coaching talent is spread around more than it was 10 years ago.

[Clash]

Whether the standard is the worst in 25 years is hard to say but considering the money that gets pumped into the game now, the standard is pretty dire.

I also think some of the scorelines we get these days are a poor reflection on the game. In recent years we've seen Arsenal win 7-5, 7-3 and draw 4-4 three times. There was also a 5-5 game last season and a few seasons back, Portsmouth won a game 7-4. Sky will hype that up and bring out the tiresome ''only in the Premiership'' line as though we are privileged to see how crazy and exciting our game is but for me, it just shows how amateurish and unprofessional English football has become. Those scorelines are from pre-war football or a Sunday league.

It's not as if the quality of strikers has improved. Around 10-15 years ago we had Wright, Cantona, Bergkamp, Henry, Zola, Beardsley, Cole, Shearer, Sheringham, Fowler, Owen, Ferdinand, Collymore etc. Now there is Aguero, RvP, Torres, Suarez, Giroud. I’d say the standard has deteriorated so for the goals to be flying in must mean the defending has got a lot worse. And I think it has. If we did a comparison or defenders, midfielders and goalkeepers over the same period I think we would see those areas have also deteriorated.

Whatever the answer, for me football was much better to watch at any time in the past than it is right now. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but something is missing in the game now.

The Premiership was at its best when it had a mixture of players who had started in the old first division who had done the apprentice thing mixed with the top quality foreign players. Now every player who plays has only know the PL and its riches.

I think whenever anything goes commercial it becomes plastic, contrived and too polished, meaning it loses its raw quality as a result. What has happened to F1 since the 60s, 70s and 80s is another example of that.

[Swifty]

It's just playing style. It goes in cycles, like it does in business. Each new boss has to make his mark so if it was a defence orientated attack on the counter type game then the next guy wants free flowing ping it around the box then the next bloke is possession and build fom the back and the next bloke is get it into the mixer. It's always just moving the deck chairs. You can over think this stuff - I remember Mourinho's game plan at Chelsea not so long ago - "quick throw ins" he had on his note pad - sometimes simplicity rules.

[Nos89]

It is too easy for some fans to state the standards have dropped from 6 or 7 years ago but as Gooners nothing will ever reach the standards we had back then I will go back further and say that last seasons manure team wouldn't have beaten any of our title winning teams going back to GG's teams. I will say with certainty that last seasons manure team wouldn't have beaten any of the scouse winning teams in the late 70's and 80's (and I include everton in that). Different style and era's I know but I would rate the forest and villa title winning teams higher too. As far as my memory recalls, that only leaves the leeds title winning team to which you refer - granted they were not the greatest team ever but I would certainly take the leeds midfield of Strachan,batty,mcallistar and speed (RIP) than any midfield manure put out last season

The difference for utd last season was simply RVP. Does it make it the worst, certainly not. That leeds team of '92 top scoring striker was Lee bloody Chapman. Cantona was the man that made the difference to Leeds that season, not the midfield. I would argue that had our team of '92 not been pissed for half the season celebrating the '91 league win, it would've have pipped leeds to the title that season. Looking around Europe Bayern, Barca and Juve pissed their domestic leagues does it make their leagues the worst in 25 years? Are we in the worst period of European football in the last 25 years?
Giggs an scholes gave the team the guidance and experience in how to win the league. Something we lost when the invincibles were disbanded by 2007. I would say the PL was at its worst between 93-98. It was awful. If you are talking post war the league was at its strongest between '67- '75. No team was able to hold onto the title for consecutive season's, that's a competitive league. Yet if you are using Europe as a barometer easily the best period was '75 - '85. The European cup didn't leave the country for 6 consecutive years. No other European nation can claim a run like that.

[Nos89]

Whether the standard is the worst in 25 years is hard to say but considering the money that gets pumped into the game now, the standard is pretty dire.

I also think some of the scorelines we get these days are a poor reflection on the game. In recent years we've seen Arsenal win 7-5, 7-3 and draw 4-4 three times. There was also a 5-5 game last season and a few seasons back, Portsmouth won a game 7-4. Sky will hype that up and bring out the tiresome ''only in the Premiership'' line as though we are privileged to see how crazy and exciting our game is but for me, it just shows how amateurish and unprofessional English football has become. Those scorelines are from pre-war football or a Sunday league.

It's not as if the quality of strikers has improved. Around 10-15 years ago we had Wright, Cantona, Bergkamp, Henry, Zola, Beardsley, Cole, Shearer, Sheringham, Fowler, Owen, Ferdinand, Collymore etc. Now there is Aguero, RvP, Torres, Suarez, Giroud. I’d say the standard has deteriorated so for the goals to be flying in must mean the defending has got a lot worse. And I think it has. If we did a comparison or defenders, midfielders and goalkeepers over the same period I think we would see those areas have also deteriorated.

Whatever the answer, for me football was much better to watch at any time in the past than it is right now. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but something is missing in the game now.

The Premiership was at its best when it had a mixture of players who had started in the old first division who had done the apprentice thing mixed with the top quality foreign players. Now every player who plays has only know the PL and its riches.

I think whenever anything goes commercial it becomes plastic, contrived and too polished, meaning it loses its raw quality as a result. What has happened to F1 since the 60s, 70s and 80s is another example of that.

Hardly say F1 has lost it raw quality. Safety has made sure we are less likely to see top driver killed. Surely that has made it a better spectacle as a sport.

[arseofacrow]

Whether the standard is the worst in 25 years is hard to say but considering the money that gets pumped into the game now, the standard is pretty dire.

I also think some of the scorelines we get these days are a poor reflection on the game. In recent years we've seen Arsenal win 7-5, 7-3 and draw 4-4 three times. There was also a 5-5 game last season and a few seasons back, Portsmouth won a game 7-4. Sky will hype that up and bring out the tiresome ''only in the Premiership'' line as though we are privileged to see how crazy and exciting our game is but for me, it just shows how amateurish and unprofessional English football has become. Those scorelines are from pre-war football or a Sunday league.

It's not as if the quality of strikers has improved. Around 10-15 years ago we had Wright, Cantona, Bergkamp, Henry, Zola, Beardsley, Cole, Shearer, Sheringham, Fowler, Owen, Ferdinand, Collymore etc. Now there is Aguero, RvP, Torres, Suarez, Giroud. I’d say the standard has deteriorated so for the goals to be flying in must mean the defending has got a lot worse. And I think it has. If we did a comparison or defenders, midfielders and goalkeepers over the same period I think we would see those areas have also deteriorated.

Whatever the answer, for me football was much better to watch at any time in the past than it is right now. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but something is missing in the game now.

The Premiership was at its best when it had a mixture of players who had started in the old first division who had done the apprentice thing mixed with the top quality foreign players. Now every player who plays has only know the PL and its riches.

I think whenever anything goes commercial it becomes plastic, contrived and too polished, meaning it loses its raw quality as a result. What has happened to F1 since the 60s, 70s and 80s is another example of that.

Wingers!

Watch an old match and you'll see genuine wingers willing to take people on and use trickery and pace. I watched a match and it was so noticeable, the wing play, compared to today's football.

I miss wing play.