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Is The Premier League Tougher Than It Used To Be?

Is It?


  • Total voters
    148

Farzad Stoned

Self-appointed Deprogrammer for the Cult of Mik 🟥

Country: USA

Player:Havertz
No difference to Newcastle blowing £10m on Albert Luque back in the day. Inflation would be the term I guess.
Except inflation for players has not been nearly a 400 percent increase in fact since Covid transfer prices have not grown nearly as fast. It isn’t one purchase by one team it is the fact that teams like Everton, Leicester, Villa, and West Ham can spend more on transfers and can retain their best players more easily. The objective numbers are there to show it these clubs spend more now than any other club in Germany other than Bayern. More than all but 3 Spanish clubs and a more than all but 3 or 4 Italian clubs. I forgot the eyeball test is conclusive, funny how these stats don’t matter.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
Why did Liverpool and Chelsea do everything to bottle top four? They could get away with a few injuries and still win a few years ago, but now you have the likes of Fulham and Newcastle going to Anfield and coming away with something.

Well Chelsea had a manager who was a total dosser for six months :lol:

Doesn’t help the “league is stronger” narrative when you have Fat Frank in the dugout.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
A-M CL Draft Campeón 🏆
Well Chelsea had a manager who was a total dosser for six months :lol:

Doesn’t help the “league is stronger” narrative when you have Fat Frank in the dugout.
How would Chelsea's managerial choice effect the toughness of the league as a whole? 😭
 

Farzad Stoned

Self-appointed Deprogrammer for the Cult of Mik 🟥

Country: USA

Player:Havertz

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
How would Chelsea's managerial choice effect the toughness of the league as a whole? 😭

You go from prime Fergie, Wenger and Mourinho to Mikel, Lamps and Ole.

Then you have a top four race with managers who weren’t good enough for Utd or Liverpool half a decade ago. Hardly the best it’s ever been is it?

As to your point about Fulham getting a win at Anfield that looks more of a one off due to empty stadiums.

They’re unbeaten at home this year and have only dropped points to City and Chelsea.
 
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Oxeki

Match Day Thread Merchant
Trusted ⭐

Country: Nigeria

Player:Saliba


West Ham and Leicester spent more than Munich in last 5 years on transfers, I am sure that was a regular occurrence in the nostalgia based golden age, of whenever that was.
This doesn't prove anything. Bayern can bully any Bundesliga clubs and take their players for peanuts. They don't need to worry about paying huge fees when the Bundesliga is practically their own Hale End ffs. Look at how much they signed the likes of Sule, Kimmich, Gnabry etc.

Joke league!
 

Farzad Stoned

Self-appointed Deprogrammer for the Cult of Mik 🟥

Country: USA

Player:Havertz
This doesn't prove anything. Bayern can bully any Bundesliga clubs and take their players for peanuts. They don't need to worry about paying huge fees when the Bundesliga is practically their own Hale End ffs. Look at how much they signed the likes of Sule, Kimmich, Gnabry etc.

Joke league!
Yes stats that fit your agenda matter but stats that rebut it don’t matter
 

Makingtrax

Worships in the house of Wenger 🙏
Trusted ⭐

Country: England

Player:Saliba
I don't see how anyone can still argue this seeing how awful all the teams outside the top 4 are, fcking West Ham are one of the best teams. Sp**s and United sacked their managers for being awful but still in the race for top 4. All the teams outside the top 4 being on negative goal difference. Look at how many amateur coaches we have as well.
Spot on, the last few pages are joke. In terms of revenues the gap between the so called top 6 teams and the rest is getting ever wider every year. The top 6 earned a lot more more than the whole of the other 14 put together. And the gap between the top and the bottom is the widest it’s ever been. Most teams spend around 70% of income on salaries which means the rich teams can be so much more attractive.

The fact that Arsenal, Sp**s and United shot themselves in foot with regard to management and let some of the lower teams into the top 6 is neither here nor there. Sp**s and United have corrected their problems and should rise back into their rightful positions. For those 6 the league is getting easier year on year.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
A-M CL Draft Campeón 🏆
You go from prime Fergie, Wenger and Mourinho to Mikel, Lamps and Ole.

Then you have a top four race with managers who weren’t good enough for Utd or Liverpool half a decade ago. Hardly the best it’s ever been is it?

As to your point about Fulham getting a win at Anfield that looks more of a one off due to empty stadiums.

They’re unbeaten at home this year and have only dropped points to City and Chelsea.
Why do you keep saying "best" or "strongest"? The thread title is about the league being tougher, as in there's more parity than there has been in the past.
 

mirrorstares

Active Member
No, tougher doesn't mean parity. It means increased quality

It Arsenal declined along with everyone else except Chelsea, Pool and City, the league got tougher for Arsenal but is actually weaker.
 

Rex Stone

Long live the fighters
Trusted ⭐

Country: Wales
Why do you keep saying "best" or "strongest"? The thread title is about the league being tougher, as in there's more parity than there has been in the past.

Tougher necessitates a strong league.

If you take Covid out the picture I’d argue the top of the league are still as dominant as they’ve ever been.
 

A_G

Rice Rice Baby 🎼🎵
A-M CL Draft Campeón 🏆
Tougher necessitates a strong league.

If you take Covid out the picture I’d argue the top of the league are still as dominant as they’ve ever been.
You have to look at the totality of the league, I don't think you can judge a league solely based on the best teams. Otherwise the Bundesliga wouldn't have been slandered as much even during the years of Bayern + Klopp's Dortmund.
 

Trilly

Hates A-M, Saka, Arteta and You
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Country: England
Hate this debate but just in case it hasn’t been posted in here, Gary Neville seems to think the league is better now in terms of depth. I think that’s kind of where I stand on it.

Former PL player and all that, opinion might hold a bit of weight.
 

AberGooner

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Scotland

Player:Gabriel
Except inflation for players has not been nearly a 400 percent increase in fact since Covid transfer prices have not grown nearly as fast. It isn’t one purchase by one team it is the fact that teams like Everton, Leicester, Villa, and West Ham can spend more on transfers and can retain their best players more easily. The objective numbers are there to show it these clubs spend more now than any other club in Germany other than Bayern. More than all but 3 Spanish clubs and a more than all but 3 or 4 Italian clubs. I forgot the eyeball test is conclusive, funny how these stats don’t matter.

Again the PL clubs have had big cash to spend a lot longer than the last couple of years. You had clubs like Middlesbrough and Villa spending over £10m on players as far back as the early 2000's, Fulham another one. You wouldn't have found many mid table clubs in Germany or Spain spending that kind of dough at that time period. It really isn't a recent development.
 

Farzad Stoned

Self-appointed Deprogrammer for the Cult of Mik 🟥

Country: USA

Player:Havertz
Again the PL clubs have had big cash to spend a lot longer than the last couple of years. You had clubs like Middlesbrough and Villa spending over £10m on players as far back as the early 2000's, Fulham another one. You wouldn't have found many mid table clubs in Germany or Spain spending that kind of dough at that time period. It really isn't a recent development.
You are delusional if you think the financial advantage was like this 20 years ago. As others explained the foreign TV deals handed league a huge cash cow. Real always doesn’t most on transfers in 2000s they have fallen off. Barca this year can’t even retain Messi. The players once at these clubs are either going to Paris or the Pl. No way Everton and Villa used to outspend Nadrid and Munich in 2000s or clubs.
 

Farzad Stoned

Self-appointed Deprogrammer for the Cult of Mik 🟥

Country: USA

Player:Havertz
You guys go for the eyeball test through nostalgia tinted lens, for me I look at 3 more objective criteria:

1. How has league played in European competition

2. Strength of National team as indicator of quality of domestic players

3. Financial resources being spent by the various clubs

Today’s Pl in any objective measure is more advanced than 20 years ago
 

AberGooner

Established Member
Trusted ⭐

Country: Scotland

Player:Gabriel
You are delusional if you think the financial advantage was like this 20 years ago. As others explained the foreign TV deals handed league a huge cash cow. Real always doesn’t most on transfers in 2000s they have fallen off. Barca this year can’t even retain Messi. The players once at these clubs are either going to Paris or the Pl. No way Everton and Villa used to outspend Nadrid and Munich in 2000s or clubs.

I've never once compared clubs like Everton/Villa spending to Bayern or Real, that's just silly.

I'm pretty certain that the spending of clubs like Everton/Villa has been much higher than a Sociedad or a Stuttgart for a lot than the last couple of seasons though.
 

Farzad Stoned

Self-appointed Deprogrammer for the Cult of Mik 🟥

Country: USA

Player:Havertz
I've never once compared clubs like Everton/Villa spending to Bayern or Real, that's just silly.

I'm pretty certain that the spending of clubs like Everton/Villa has been much higher than a Sociedad or a Stuttgart for a lot than the last couple of seasons though.
Yes but last 5 years they beat super clubs in spending that never happened before
 
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