The Myth of the Premier league

[GranadaJoe]

For a few years I've thought the general quality of teams in the PL has been going backwards. We've only held our own in the top 4 because the teams around us are just as average.
However, the PL and Sky especially (but the BBC and ITV are nearly as bad) forever prattle on about 'the BEST league in the World', '... every player wants to play in the PL' and people seem to buy it. They eulogise average players and talk about them as the new Pele, Hazard, Vieira etc (one Mr.H.Kane for example).

Now, there are no PL teams in any European competition. Spain has 4, Italy 3, Germany 2, Russia 2, even fucking France have 2.

Someone needs to point out that the King is stark bollock naked, not resplendent in the finest threads. There are some good players (although maybe we should start to question that as well), but maybe only one good team.

I don't know what the problem is, but there is definitely a problem.

[g88ner]

It happens a lot but people misunderstand the "best league in the world" tag the Premier League (quite rightly) prides itself on.

You only have to travel to far reaching parts of the world to understand. Whether it's Thailand, Peru or Timbuktu, you'll see the Premier League is the most popular.

The stadiums are usually full, the fans are close to the pitch, the games are usually fast paced and entertaining, with little teams beating big teams not a rare occurrence, and you have a host of teams who are popular all over the world: Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, and sadly... Chelsea and Citeh.

I hate to use a business term, but the Premier League brand is very strong even if a few other teams across Europe are currently better.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are huge all over the world, but La Liga isn't. Nor is Serie A, Ligue 1 or the Bundelsiga. The Premier League is therefore, surely the best.

[gp543]

The bottom teams in the prem would also comprehensively beat the bottom teams in each of the other major leagues. Of this I am certain.

It's not really accurate to judge a whole league on their top 2-3 teams.

[augie]

It happens a lot but people misunderstand the "best league in the world" tag the Premier League (quite rightly) prides itself on.

You only have to travel to far reaching parts of the world to understand. Whether it's Thailand, Peru or Timbuktu, you'll see the Premier League is the most popular.

The stadiums are usually full, the fans are close to the pitch, the games are usually fast paced and entertaining, with little teams beating big teams not a rare occurrence, and you have a host of teams who are popular all over the world: Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool, and sadly... Chelsea and Citeh.

I hate to use a business term, but the Premier League brand is very strong even if a few other teams across Europe are currently better.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are huge all over the world, but La Liga isn't. Nor is Serie A, Ligue 1 or the Bundelsiga. The Premier League is therefore, surely the best.

I was actually going to bring up that point - people always say that the premier league is great because the smaller teams can beat the bigger teams, but yet as soon as a smaller club (burnley for example) does beat a bigger club (citeeh for example), it sparks a national enquiry and inquest into how it happened

[GranadaJoe]

So why are our clubs so shit in Europe?

And can Burnley beat Citeh because Burnely are good or because Citeh aren't as good as people make out?


I'm also not convinced that QPR, Sunderland and Leicester would beat the teams at the bottom of La Liga.

[augie]

So why are our clubs so shit in Europe?

And can Burnley beat Citeh because Burnely are good or because Citeh aren't as good as people make out?


I'm also not convinced that QPR, Sunderland and Leicester would beat the teams at the bottom of La Liga.

I would say that it is down to a few different reasons -

1. Arrogance - tell a player, manager or team enough times that they are the mutts nuts and eventually they will believe it. English clubs have been hyped up way above reality by the media (and especially sky) and they really believe that they are better than their European counterparts

2. Lack of football intelligence - the English league is a league built on energy and work-rate and that makes it exciting but easily counteracted. The European leagues are built on technique and very much on tactics which provides different game options for their teams whilst ours only really know one way You only have to look at our dinosaur to see how a lack of tactical intelligence can derail any team

3. Money - players in England are by and large paid way more than those playing in European leagues. This brings up the old issue of how hard it is to motivate many of the current footballers because they are multi millionaires by the time they are in their mid 20s In contrast European players are still playing for that big pay day or are playing for the fame and attention that winning brings and maybe that difference shows up in determination

I think that a lack of harmony in a club will certainly contribute to results like citeeh's defeat to burnley

[g88ner]

And can Burnley beat Citeh because Burnely are good or because Citeh aren't as good as people make out?

But that's exactly the point isn't it?

You talk about the "myth" of the Premier League being the best, but that's only because you misunderstand what's meant by that.

If anything, the very fact that Burnley beat Citeh reinforces the position of the Premier League as the biggest, most popular league in the world.

Nobody is saying Barca, Real and Bayern aren't better teams. But it's surely a fact that the Premier League is far and away the most loved league on the planet - and that's why it's the best.

[Nuggets]

Perhaps its because of the entertainment value? not the best teams in respect of ruling the roost so to speak, unpredictable that's what the prem is, little teams can beat the so called big teams on times.

[northbank123]

Every time I've heard somebody on TV trot out the 'best league in the world' line on TV its been quickly followed by the caveat that perhaps not quality-wise but in terms of entertainment.

[VoiceOfReason]

The PL may be the most popular, but I'd say La Liga now has the best quality. There's a reason that all the world-class players are now going to Spain, rather than England.

[Bradywasking]

The Myth of the Premier League is a perfect title for this thread.. As an Arsenal fan I am obviously biased but in my opinion the quality of the Premier League has dropped alarmingly since the Invincibles season.
England had a head start in ways as people across the world view it as the birthplace of the game. That is up to questioning, but the relationship between English working class people and football in the post war years cannot be questioned.
The "Myth" is exploited by the media, and in doing so the media are hypocritical. By this I mean they will and certainly have boasted about the league but in the next breath try diminish the influence of those that may have made it the best. Cantona, Zola, Henry, Bergkamp , Suarez etc made the league but with the possible exception of Zola the other truly great foreign players never got the respect and treatment they deserved from the media. Yes they got faint or false praise but were never truly appreciated by the media for they brought to the league. Instead the likes of Gerrard (very inferior to Keane and Vieira) were lauded as World Class players where six major championships for his country proved otherwise.
Eighteen months or so ago we were sold Andros Townsend as a World Cup Winner by the media, now it is Harry Kane. I am not doubting the quality of Gerrard etc but to any half impartial person to say , especially, ten years ago, that he was as good as Keane or Vieira is a joke.
The Premier League is sold as a package , it is not just about the game between the white lines on green grass. It is about merchandise , stadium experience and hype.
It is sold worldwide as such, I cannot speak for other countries but I can speak for the influence of the Premier League in Ireland. There are genuine supporters of many clubs in this country. But they are outnumbered by many who have a Premier League team as an accessory. If Ireland were playing Rugby at the same time as a Premier League game most would watch the rugby as it would be the flavour of the day. Genuine football fans wouldn't have to make such a decision, even if they had a passing interest in rugby or whatever sport is on that day.

As I began with saying the quality of the League is falling and has been for a good few years, I don't know why. When thee are no English Clubs in Europe after mid March raises the questions..Old cliches like a mid-season break giving German and Spanish clubs etc an advantage are trotted out. I believe if Premier League Clubs had a mid-season break then most would head to Asia to flog merchandise.
For all that I would rather watch a Premier League game than most La Liga games.

[SteveO 35]

I see the same old tired arguments being tripped out about the 'winter break' and cutting down the league to 16 or 18 teams but neither of those things will make the slightest bit of difference.

The reality is that, Man City apart, every one of our top teams has gone backwards in the past few seasons. We are a shadow of the 2004 vintage, and I don't even think we're up there with the 2008 side yet. Man Ure despite Peppa Pig's trolley dash can't compete with the side that had Vidic and Ferdinand at their peaks with Ronaldo and Tevez up top, and even the Chavs (who will walk the league) aren't as solid as the Mourinho teams from 2005 and 2006. Even the Spuds aren't as good as Melted Cheese Face's lot that reached the CL quarter finals with Bale and Van Der Fart.

The real top players play for Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, with the possible exceptions of Alexis and Aguero.

And don't even start me on the "everyone else in the PL is closing the gap" nonsense....when we've got shit like Stoke with Crouch and Walters up front sitting in 8th place and two abysmal teams like Newcastle and Palace sat in midtable.

The PL produces some exciting matches and surprise results but that isn't down to the quality improving - its down to the top teams going backwards and that is absolutely undeniable when you look at how they performed in Europe

[DB10GOONER]

All these lovely theoretical arguments are great, but drop the football snobbism and what it comes down to is which league's matches would you watch more of (even if your team isn't playing) and for me it's the PL every time. It's certainly the most exciting and entertaining league in the world.

All this bullshit about the Spanish league and the German and Italian leagues is based on the top 2 or 3 teams playing each other mostly, when the truth is you will on average see more shit games in those leagues per season than you will in the PL.

PL every time for me. It's not perfect but nothing is.

[g88ner]

All these lovely theoretical arguments are great, but drop the football snobbism and what it comes down to is which league's matches would you watch more of (even if your team isn't playing) and for me it's the PL every time. It's certainly the most exciting and entertaining league in the world.

All this bullshit about the Spanish league and the German and Italian leagues is based on the top 2 or 3 teams playing each other mostly, when the truth is you will on average see more shit games in those leagues per season than you will in the PL.

PL every time for me. It's not perfect but nothing is.

Absolutely.

And what's more, the vast majority of the world agrees. It genuinely opened my eyes when I've visited South America and Asia because the Premier League is everywhere. I'm sure Africa is the same.

There's obviously debates to be had about the quality of our league because we haven't done as well in the CL and UEFA Cup as one would expect over the last 2 seasons, but before 2013 we had a team in the final 7 years out of 8 so I think people are going overboard a little when criticising the Premier League. Outside of Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid, I don't think we need to look enviously at the rest of Europe. It's cyclic, and we'll come back.

[rodders999]

In Spain all the TV money is divvied up between Barca and Real, it's a totally uneven playing field (which makes what Simione is doing at Atletico even more incredible). Same in Germany, an player who raises their head above the posse is gobbled up by Bayern.

Certainly the standard has dropped in the PL since the days there was an English team in the final pretty much every year but there's no doubt the Spanish and German teams are better able to concentrate more on the champions league when they're winning glorified exhibition games against dross like Elche, Granada most weeks.