The Premier League has gone from a two-team competition whereby it was contested between Manchester United and Arsenal, to a two-team competition whereby Arsenal were replaced by Chelsea. It then became a three-team competition when Manchester City woke up one morning to find they had won the lottery.
In fairness, they didn’t become serious contenders overnight and it wasn’t until they had spent many millions that they won the title back in 2011. They have since won it a further twice.
Then Tottenham Hotspur decided they would have a tilt at the top four and, since appointing Mauricio Pochettino as manager, have never really looked back despite the fact that they have won nothing.
Liverpool also began to step up their challenge with the arrival of Jürgen Klopp and so the Premier League, which had once always been a two-horse race, had become a six-horse race.
Will it ever become a seven, eight or nine-horse race?
The problem is that the top six are the biggest and richest clubs in the division and, the way football tends to reward the ones who least need it, they are likely to stay that way for a very long time to come.
Leicester City managed to gatecrash the party in spectacular fashion a couple of years ago and, this season, little old Burnley have finished best of the rest, qualifying for Europe in the process!
These, unfortunately, are feats which will occur occasionally and are most definitely the exception rather than the rule!
All that means is that clubs such as Everton, West Ham United and Newcastle United need to spend an absolute fortune just to stay a reasonable distance behind the big boys!
Everton’s majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, practises his Daniel Levy look. He’s got it nailed!
In fairness, Everton and West Ham have made some attempt at trying to narrow the gap. Everton have a relatively new benefactor in Farhad Moshiri who wants to see the club move to a new ground and compete for the title whilst West Ham have already, and some would say prematurely, moved to a new ground. They now need to get a manager and a team to fulfill the potential they obviously see at the club.
The appointments of Sam Allardyce and David Moyes at the two clubs sent out entirely the wrong message to the fans but, in fairness, were both made with the clubs in trouble and needing a quick-ish fix.
Newcastle United is the equal and opposite to the two aforementioned clubs. They already have the stadium, the fans and the manager, they are just short of an owner with money. Mike Ashley has said he will give every penny generated by the club to Rafa Benitez for transfers but, unfortunately in this day and age, that may just be enough to keep them in the Premier League.
Ashley needs to sell the club as soon as possible so that Newcastle can also begin an assault on the top six.
As things stand at present, these are the three who represent the biggest threat to the top six dominance but, as of yet, they are some way away from carrying out that threat.
Meanwhile, en route to Russia…..
So England’s participants in the jaunt to Russia have been selected. Like excited little boys before a school trip they will all be telling their mothers what to pack for lunch and which of their favourite clothes they want to take with them.
Their mothers, on the other hand, will be reminding them they need to behave and that, as this is only to be a short visit, they don’t need to take too much spending money in case they lose it.
Joe Hart and Jack Wishere react to Gary Neville telling them that their England days are numbered!
Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere haven’t been chosen for the trip so they will spend their time in an empty field kicking a ball around whilst enviously wondering what their mates are getting up to. They, apparently, didn’t fill the criteria of playing regularly and well for their clubs.
Fortunately for Arsenal fans their Mr. Consistency, Danny Welbeck who, of course, is never injured, hasn’t missed a game in years and is regularly their best player IS going to Russia to shout encouragement from the bench.
What is surprising about this squad is that anybody actually thinks they can achieve anything. What is not surprising is that they will return, early, to the waiting arms of their mothers.
And finally…..
The transfer window is now open! It has been brought forward to May 17th from June 1st because of the need to close the window before the season starts. This means that it will now close on August 9th rather than the old date of August 31st.
Very, very occasionally, common sense prevails, eventually.
Your favourite club can now start wasting money even earlier than ever before!
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 