Is The Premier League Tougher Than It Used To Be?

[Rex Stone]

They do but those other teams weren’t in the top half of the table.

Sheffield Utd were for sure. Swear they finished top 10 two years back.

Also Norwich after piping City were probably in the top 10 at the time.

 

[A_G]

This argument has been done to death in the Arteta thread. There’s been no evidence that stands up to scrutiny that the league is harder.

Sky can't do Grand Slam Sunday anymore because there's six traditionally big clubs instead of the usual four.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Any example where other than usual top 6 + Everton, teams like Leicester, west ham, Aston Villa, Brighton so many teams playing well n challenging for top 7. Brighton haven't yet, but look like doing it this season.

In 2010 I swear Sp**s, City, Villa, Liverpool were all fighting for 4th spot. Everton usually pretty close too.

This is without even going back to the 90's when things were a lot tighter. I also don't think any of those teams are as good as many thing. Leicester got knocked out of the EL to Slavia Prague ffs.

 

[Rex Stone]

In 2010 I swear Sp**s, City, Villa, Liverpool were all fighting for 4th spot. Everton usually pretty close too.

This is without even going back to the 90's when things were a lot tighter. I also don't think any of those teams are as good as many thing. Leicester got knocked out of the EL to Slavia Prague ffs.

Don’t forget Alan Curbishley’s Charlton pushing top 4 before it. Moyes finished above Liverpool to get fourth in 2005 as well.

There’s more money than ever before but it’s such a subjective argument.

 

[A_G]

Yeah but the rich have still got richer in that time. The levels between the clubs are the same they were before except just scaled up.

Big clubs underperform from time to time. Liverpool spent years in the wilderness post Rafa.

I wouldn't necessarily say that, the effect it has on someone like Man City is negligible whereas it's been transformative for the likes of Leicester who have established themselves as a regular European contender rather than being a one season wonder like Blackburn.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Also O'Neill's Villa side >>>>>> this current Villa side. They didn't have many sexy foreign names but the days of Milner, Young, Agbonlahor, Carew, etc they were pretty exciting and were fairly competitive got several good results against the bigger sides.

 

[Makingtrax]

Sheffield Utd were for sure. Swear they finished top 10 two years back.

Also Norwich after piping City were probably in the top 10 at the time.

OK, you’re right, lets see how it plays out.

 

[Rex Stone]

I wouldn't necessarily say that, the effect it has on someone like Man City is negligible whereas it's been transformative for the likes of Leicester who have established themselves as a regular European contender rather than being a one season wonder like Blackburn.

Aren’t they just where Everton were a decade ago?

I mean you say they’re a “European contender” but they’ve done nothing in Europe while Fulham made the Europa League final over a decade ago.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Don’t forget Alan Curbishley’s Charlton pushing top 4 before it. Moyes finished above Liverpool to get fourth in 2005 as well.

There’s more money than ever before but it’s such a subjective argument.

Wigan under Paul Jewell took the league by storm ffs. West Ham that same year did the double over us and Blackburn did the double over United. Why on earth are we pretending that newly promoted sides or mid-table sides making an impact is something new?

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Aren’t they just where Everton were a decade ago?

I mean you say they’re a “European contender” but they’ve done nothing in Europe while Fulham made the Europa League final over a decade ago.

Boro and Fulham both reached the EL finals. Portsmouth got a draw vs Milan with Ronaldinho and Kaka in the side.

I'm meant to be impressed by a side that can't beat the mighty Slavia Prague????

 

[Makingtrax]

Wigan under Paul Jewell took the league by storm ffs. West Ham that same year did the double over us and Blackburn did the double over United. Why on earth are we pretending that newly promoted sides or mid-table sides making an impact is something new?

Spot on. But there’s something different about the way Brentford are takling transfers, more moneyball-ish.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

Spot on. But there’s something different about the way Brentford are takling transfers, more moneyball-ish.

Tbf I'm more on about the use of the result as evidence that the league has gotten tougher. I don't know a great deal about the way Brentford is run tbh.

 

[A_G]

I mean you say they’re a “European contender” but they’ve done nothing in Europe while Fulham made the Europa League final over a decade ago.

A contender for a European place in the league if you want to focus on semantics. I don't get what pointing out individual results in Europe has to do with the difficulty of the PL.

 

[UpTheGunnerz]

Wenger was never the level Pep is, or Klopp imo.

Preach

 

[Rex Stone]

Spot on. But there’s something different about the way Brentford are takling transfers, more moneyball-ish.

Didn’t Wigan sign unheralded players like Palacios, Valencia, Chimbonda, McCarthy, van Aanholt, Maloney, Baines, Moses and Boyce for pennies before flipping them for way more?

Moneyball before the Sky hype train imo. Nothing new under the sun.

 

[Blankety Blank]

Wenger would walk the league this season with our current squad btw.

There is no manager on the planet, living or dead that would walk the league with our current squad.
If you seriously dont think there are 4 teams vastly stronger than us you honestly need to get yourself down to specsavers my friend.

Arsène would get top 4 with any of the current top 4.

 

[Rex Stone]

A contender for a European place in the league if you want to focus on semantics. I don't get what pointing out individual results in Europe has to do with the difficulty of the PL.

But Everton were consistently pushing the top four under Moyes then Martinez?

They just fell away in May like Leicester have done in recent years.

 

[Blankety Blank]

Their football was a million miles better than ours though. You think we’ll get 3-3 with Pool.

Never had you down as a hoofball fan being such a wenger purist

 

[Makingtrax]

Didn’t Wigan sign unheralded players like Palacios, Valencia, Chimbonda, McCarthy, van Aanholt, Maloney, Baines, Moses and Boyce for pennies before flipping them for way more?

Moneyball before the Sky hype train imo. Nothing new under the sun.

Their owner Matthew Bentham, is an Oxford physics graduate, and has spent years becoming a sort of football scientist. He made his millions through a company called Smartodds: a team of statisticians who calculate the outcome of football matches to gain an edge over bookmakers.

He’s using data and models to try and overcome the money disadvantage. It’s the closest thing to moneyball the Prem’s ever had and I wish him luck because the odds are stacked against him. But I respect people using ‘smart’ to try and level a very sloping playing field.

 

[Makingtrax]

Never had you down as a hoofball fan being such a wenger purist

Oh no I’m not snobby about exciting football, it comes in various disguises.