The English Premiership. A league in decline.

[Ted Hughes]

2/4 in the second phases.

I cant see the remaining two getting to the semi finals.

I somehow don't see this proving the original point. Each clubs position has to be taken into consideration, not just some random 'We're all the same' line.

Obviously he didn't watch Valencia, the 3rd best team in Spain, doing their impression of West Brom reserves at the Bridge or Villareal in every game they played.

We are new to the game & got 10 points in the hardest group for yonks, in spite of dropping a load of bollocks in our away games, Spurs who are the second form team in our league, (who dumped Inter & AC Milan this time last year) didn't get through, Chelsea & Arsenal are both struggling like fuck in the Prem & in a state of rebuilding yet both have made it through, rags were in the final last year.

Does a decline not have to involve more than one team over more than one season ? Several teams over several seasons even ?

[1950]

And how did the German champion perform while we're at it?

[Michigan Blue]

The Meteoric Rise of Cypriot Football

[Tokyo Blue]

And how did the German champions perform while we're at it?

And in a group won by an English team as well.

[Socrates]

So what do you folks call 'La Liga' then, La League?

I call it the la liga league

Excellent, why use only 2 words when you can use 3 :O)

[smurfsdabomb]

The premiership has been on the decline for a few seasons now. Chelsea have fallen off a proverbial cliff since the Mourinho days and are still one of the closest contenders for winning the title year after year, that says it all.

Remember that excellent Liverpool midfield of Alonso/Mascherano/fit gerrard with a world class Torres in front of them? Back then those guys were the 4th team in the league, they're pretty much still battling for 4th with a shadow of that side. Harry Redknapp can even have a chance at top 4 these days for christ sake. Not to mention how mediocre united are now and they're still the reigning champions. Arsenal the same, haven't spent anything, no cesc, no henry. Still a top 4 side.

Hasn't really been helped by the fact that the likes of Everton and Aston Villa who at one time were the main challengers to the "elite" sides have crumbled to pieces as well.

I mean every one of the old big four have been in rapid decline the last couple of years yet bar City nobody has been able to fill their void. Its turning into what Serie A was a few seasons ago, a few old big name teams permenantly at the top bracket because the challengers are too crap and poor to displace them.

Lets not forget that both Chelsea and Arsenal weren't a million miles away from being eliminated in the group stages too and english sides never did well in the UEFA/Europa, the old top 4 were the only real europe presence the country had and since that ship is sinking the league will suffer until new sides emerge. City will lead the pack but I do wonder where the other English superpowers are going to come from looking at the ageing sides of Chelsea/Liverpool/Arsenal/United.

Still a top 4 league but the days of calling itself the undisputed best league are certainly gone. La Liga has the two best teams in the world, Bundesliga is the most competitive.

[smurfsdabomb]

And how did the German champion perform while we're at it?

The bundesliga is so competitive that the winner changes a lot, theres been 4 different winners in the last 5 seasons which is pretty incredible for a top league. The problem with that and sides going in and out of champions league football is its difficult to build a pedigree for it. Bayern have because they're the most consistently in the top 3 spots, if you're in and out of those spots its going to be difficult to perform in the champions league. City found that out in their first season, a lot of the Dortmund lads were relatively inexperienced at high intensity European games too. Not to mention that they won't get favourable seeding being part-timers in the competition.

[Ted Hughes]

Those teams are good at playing European football & the top sides in our country are being rebuilt & will have to learn it again.

The Premier League is a different kettle of fish entirely. We have so far shown we've come to terms with the Prem but not europe. Most European sides would have the same culture shock in the Prem. Bayern, who are supposed to be the dog's bollox, played a naive inexperienced City team & mugged them. If that had been a PL game, City would heve been 2 up before Bayern scored as we had 2 stonewall pens (dodgilly) refused, which we would have got in our league.

Seeing as Spurs are so shit & proof of the decline of our league, how do you explain the Milan teams' performances against them & if you can write off their performances as a one off, why are you using the same kind of evidence as proof of the decline over here ?

How do you explain the rags getting to the final only last year ?

There are three top sides in Europe this year : Barca, Real Madrid & Bayern. Non of the rest would win the PL. Bayern are not much better than City if at all.

[PeterParker]

I don't think the Premier League lost its value in the past years. Imho, a foreigner will love to watch a West Brom vs Norwich game, rather than a Rayo - Levante or Cesena - Chievo match.
If we watch the Spanish League, the past 6 years has been more like the Scottish League. Only Barcelona and Real mather, the others are in a totally different league. The italian league was extremly poor in the last decade in Europe, only Ac Milan made a world class appearence on some UCL seasons & Inter with Mourinho. The german league as it was said is an extremly tight league, with competitive teams. An example is Mainz. Mainz had an incredible season last year, they won the both games with Bayern, were in the Ucl places almost untill the end, but they went to Europa League, where Gaz Metan eliminated them.
Imho this is just a poor year for England that is all, the next year they will be on top again.

On the other hand, i would like to point the UCl problem. First of all, we saw teams like Bate Borisov in the third pool of group stage, while Napoli, or Dortmund were in the last pot. We had extremly poor groups like the ones that Barca and Scum had and we have incredible groups like us or Arse.
Beside that, this is the first year when i've heard such a scandal involving match fixing like the ones that were this season. What happend last night with Ajax is a disgrace for football and the other night with Olympiacos. Lyon needed to win with 6 goals ahead and they did that. I won't talk about the performance of Villareal's defence last night, altough they were a disgrace, Altough this format of UCL is more correct for the participations of the real football champions from all Europe, the old format was way better because then we had football and not this fixing crap

A little image of Dinamo Zagreb - Lyon, after Gomis scored for 4-1:



A disgrace.

[smurfsdabomb]

I dunno, I'd like to think the Zagreb players have greater integrity and respect for their fans than to allow a rollover like that to take place.

[carl_feedthegoat]

We are the most watched league in the world........by a long shot.

I wonder why that is ?

[ross.mcfc]

We are the most watched league in the world........by a long shot.

I wonder why that is ?

Why are Maroon 5 so popular?

[Dameerto]

I don't think the Premier League lost its value in the past years. Imho, a foreigner will love to watch a West Brom vs Norwich game, rather than a Rayo - Levante or Cesena - Chievo match.
If we watch the Spanish League, the past 6 years has been more like the Scottish League. Only Barcelona and Real mather, the others are in a totally different league. The italian league was extremly poor in the last decade in Europe, only Ac Milan made a world class appearence on some UCL seasons & Inter with Mourinho. The german league as it was said is an extremly tight league, with competitive teams. An example is Mainz. Mainz had an incredible season last year, they won the both games with Bayern, were in the Ucl places almost untill the end, but they went to Europa League, where Gaz Metan eliminated them.
Imho this is just a poor year for England that is all, the next year they will be on top again.

On the other hand, i would like to point the UCl problem. First of all, we saw teams like Bate Borisov in the third pool of group stage, while Napoli, or Dortmund were in the last pot. We had extremly poor groups like the ones that Barca and Scum had and we have incredible groups like us or Arse.
Beside that, this is the first year when i've heard such a scandal involving match fixing like the ones that were this season. What happend last night with Ajax is a disgrace for football and the other night with Olympiacos. Lyon needed to win with 6 goals ahead and they did that. I won't talk about the performance of Villareal's defence last night, altough they were a disgrace, Altough this format of UCL is more correct for the participations of the real football champions from all Europe, the old format was way better because then we had football and not this fixing crap

A little image of Dinamo Zagreb - Lyon, after Gomis scored for 4-1:



A disgrace.

coupled with the two legitimate goals Ajax scored in the other fixture which were ruled out... (the one which would have made it 1-1 was vital for them if it had been allowed)

[carl_feedthegoat]

We are the most watched league in the world........by a long shot.

I wonder why that is ?

Why are Maroon 5 so popular?

Shite comeback.

[gillie]

I don't think the Premier League lost its value in the past years. Imho, a foreigner will love to watch a West Brom vs Norwich game, rather than a Rayo - Levante or Cesena - Chievo match.
If we watch the Spanish League, the past 6 years has been more like the Scottish League. Only Barcelona and Real mather, the others are in a totally different league. The italian league was extremly poor in the last decade in Europe, only Ac Milan made a world class appearence on some UCL seasons & Inter with Mourinho. The german league as it was said is an extremly tight league, with competitive teams. An example is Mainz. Mainz had an incredible season last year, they won the both games with Bayern, were in the Ucl places almost untill the end, but they went to Europa League, where Gaz Metan eliminated them.
Imho this is just a poor year for England that is all, the next year they will be on top again.

On the other hand, i would like to point the UCl problem. First of all, we saw teams like Bate Borisov in the third pool of group stage, while Napoli, or Dortmund were in the last pot. We had extremly poor groups like the ones that Barca and Scum had and we have incredible groups like us or Arse.
Beside that, this is the first year when i've heard such a scandal involving match fixing like the ones that were this season. What happend last night with Ajax is a disgrace for football and the other night with Olympiacos. Lyon needed to win with 6 goals ahead and they did that. I won't talk about the performance of Villareal's defence last night, altough they were a disgrace, Altough this format of UCL is more correct for the participations of the real football champions from all Europe, the old format was way better because then we had football and not this fixing crap

A little image of Dinamo Zagreb - Lyon, after Gomis scored for 4-1:



A disgrace.

coupled with the two legitimate goals Ajax scored in the other fixture which were ruled out... (the one which would have made it 1-1 was vital for them if it had been allowed)

I said to my 2 eldest boys after watching those highlights that something smelt decidedly wrong about both games

[Slim]

We are the most watched league in the world........by a long shot.

I wonder why that is ?

Why are Maroon 5 so popular?

Because Maroon 5 are awesome.

[JamieMCFC]

Maroon 5 is still popular?

[Pretty Boy Lee]

Currently England have 4 teams in the top 20 ever performing champions league table, Italy also 4 and Spain 3.


They are the 3rd highest ranked nation for winners/runner up behine Spain and Italy.

Historicaly that's our place, to look at more recent times to try and spot a decline lets check the last 5 years.

Winners
Spain 2
Italy 2
England 1

Finalists
Engand 5
Spain 2
Italy 2
German 1

To me this says we're still high up in the reckoning, but not winning as many trophies as Spain or Italy. Same as it has always been, talk of decline is still a tad premature.

[Evenmydoghatesunited]

Who are Maroon 5? Are they a popular beat combo?

[LookMumImOnMCF.net]

This thread has taken its toll on me