PREMIERSHIP VS. CHAMPIONSHIP

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

So, the much vaunted Premiership this weekend includes such delights as:

Bolton vs Watford

Portsmouth vs Wigan

Sheff Utd. vs Blackburn and

Reading vs Man City

The Championship has:

Coventry vs Norwich

Derby vs Sunderland

Ipswich vs Southampton

West Brom vs Leicester and

Leeds vs Wolves

In many cases there are higher attendences and more competitive matches.

In addition to that there are the expected wins by the big clubs, although Everton might raise their game in the local derby and the lack of a competitive match involving the Chelseas and Man Utd''s is hardly enticing to the neutral.

If The Championship received equal television coverage to the Premiership (for example, if there was a match of the day package) then it would often provide better viewing.

If Norwich were in the Premier League how excited would you get about the visits of Watford, Reading, Fulham, Portsmouth, Blackburn, Wigan, Sheffield Utd (Colin aside), Bolton, Charlton, Middlesborough? And that''s half the Clubs. Well worth the inflated costs......not!

Whereas, how much do you enjoy the visit of Ipswich, Palace, Leeds, Wolves, Birmingham, Leicester, Southampton,West Brom, Coventry, Derby instead?

The Premiership should be the best league. It is a crap league for real fans and if you are paying megabucks to support the likes of Arsenal you might feel even more miffed with the quality and tradition of the opposition.

In it''s current format the Premier League is doomed. The Championship might be poor but it''s more like real football should be.

We might get promoted this year: so enjoy it while it lasts.

[Dean Coneys boots 1,406]

For me the lure of the Prem is not so much the matches but the media coverage....

[nutty nigel 7,598]

Top post and I agree with the points you are making! I am beginning to believe the Premier League is doomed in it''s present format because the top clubs will soon be looking for guarantees of their league status and Champions League qualification and that can''t be given with the league stuctures we have now. So I can see the day where the G14 (which is 18 now!) break away and form a Europeon Super League with all the TV rights that go with it, probably with american style playoffs at the end of the season. No championship as such because there would be no Champions League. And no relegation either!

But if it happened would it be good or bad for clubs like ours?

 

 

[Yellow Rages 0]

Great post Rude.

In my opinion, not only do the Champ games look better prospects by they all look harder to predict than the Prem ones on the whole. Surely that also make this a more entertaining proposition. As you say, pound for pound, I bet their are better viewing figures to be had in that Champ combo than the Prem one.

I wonder what the attendances of all of these clubs averaged at so far this season?

For me, that tells us what the current fan base is like and therefore, who is more likely to tune in. But then again, maybe the prem ticket prices encourage some fans to wait until match of the day.

[The Great Drinkell 50]

Very good post this I have thought this for a couple of years now, I''m not critisising the Wigan''s and readings who have done extremely well, but for me I''d rather see a competitive match any day.

 IMO this league is far more competitive due to the lack of depth in any squad, If all teams put out he first 11 for all games then it would leave a few teams ahead of others but once injuries and suspensions take effect then as we know anybody can and does beat anyone.

 If Chelsea, Man utd, Liverpool or Arsenal lose 2/3 players they still have players of a higher ability that the likes of the Watford, Reading and Wigan''s of this world, so the results are still predictable.

 A good run in the league cup and a fight against relegation or a competitive League and a possibility of a shock cup run - I know which I would have.

 Having said all the above - I hope desperately that we are back in the Premiership next year. ( I hate contrdictions!)

 

[In Dubious Battle 0]

If Chelsea/Man Utd/Arsenal/Liverpool all bugger of and play in a european super leauge there would be less media coverage of the premiership and therefore less money. This can only be a good thing as i truely believe that the vast sums of money invloved in the game today are ruining it.

Who pays for the vastly inflated transfer fees & wages? we do the fans!

[The Voice of the Thorpe Area 0]

We all know what the Premiership consists of; overpaid divers and people who don''t care about their club, and of course the odd overseas Billionaire. The Championship is full of real football and real people.

[YankeeCanary 0]

Rudolph, your input is akin to what one might read from an agent of the club, which is odd given that you decided not to renew your ticket for this season because of the dross that was on display last season, yet now say the Championship is poor but more like what real football should be. If it did not encourage you to renew why are you suggesting others should enjoy it while it lasts? 

Despite its warts, the top division is still the place to be and to aspire to for a club with the size and potential of Norwich. Some of the positive responses to your post suggests some supporters are easily led and, I suspect, the club has been counting on that. In another thread Gazza says that there is much to be proven yet about the progress that has been made and refers to "what could have been" over the past two seasons. Her assessment is absolutely correct in my opinion.

 

 

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

The Premiership is great for armchair fans and overseas audiences like yourself Yankee but the football in it can be quite dull and predictable. It might be financially greater too but that all goes on players anyway.

I would have expected you to have come back with some ideas as to how to improve a Premier League as an entertainment package, surely you cannot believe it is doing anything like what it could in it''s current format?

Yes, I did decide not to renew my season ticket. I never do anything for one reason though and tend to weigh up the balance for and against. I made my decision and have few regrets. I will go back in the future I am sure and despite what some may think consider myself a supporter.

[Ian 1,136]

Rudolph, you make some very interesting points. My take on the situation is that the Premiership is, on the whole, not so entertaining for the neutral supporter. Yes, you see some great football, but the majority of games are predictable and boring. In fact, I rarely even watch Match of the Day anymore -- I''m just not interested. The Championship is far more competitive, as can be seen from some of the results so far this season - which by definition makes for greater entertainment, at least for me, as I''m not really interested in the whole fashion/media aspects of football.Having said that, for Norwich to get into the Premiership and hold their own, without the assistance of an "investor", would make me proud! As an ambitious club, we still have to aspire to the top level - but I truly believe the amount of money in that league nowadays is destroying any chance the smaller clubs have of becoming truly competitive.

[YankeeCanary 0]

Rudolph, I agree that I have watched some Premiership games that I regarded as poor. That''s also true of World Cup games, European Championship matches, and certainly true of lower levels in the English league.Generally speaking, however, I really enjoy watching the games at the Premiership level even when, as you say, there is an element of predictability. What appeals to me is when football players put in the right amount of effort to support their skill level and wits have to be matched at a pretty quick pace. I also enjoy the upsets, which we are already seeing this season, e.g. Arsenal losing to Manchester City, Everton today sending Liverpool back down the street with their tails between their legs. I agree it''s not perfect but until a better idea surfaces any tinkering with the format that has stood the test of time is fraught with danger.

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Fair enough, Yankee, but I think you are displaying a lack of understanding of what I am actually saying.

[plan b 0]

absolutley spot on post,  i have been saying that the premier is doomed, but not just because of the dominance of the top 4-5 teams and the predictability of the games, but because there are too many teams in there that the majority of the country dont give a flying f--- about, i am talking about teams such as middlesborough, fulham, bolton, blackburn etc..

and the common denominator for all these teams is that the only reason they are in the prem. is because they are/have been backed by an investor, as pre-sky money the only way a team got revenue was mainly from the turnover of fans through the gate, so generally the successful teams were the ones with a big fan base or a good manager.

these days, all it takes is for one multi millionaire to take a run down club, pump it full of cash until it reaches the premier and then let the perpetual circle of cash which comes from being in the top division keep them in there.

but the downside to all this is that this once small club club, which previously couldn''t attract enough spectators LOCALLY to fill their ground is hardly going to attract much interest NATIONALY for their games when they are shown on tv. i used to watch all the games on sundays and mondays down the pub without fail years ago but i just dont care about blackburn v fulham etc and i dare say the rest of the country dont either, just the 25,000 fans who will go to these games and hence wont watch it on tv anyway.

i am not being bitter or resentful about their ''success'', but teams such as ourselves, west brom and, dare i say it, them down-ver-rud do have generally a fair-sized fan base and a bit of national recognition ( weren''t we recently 17th in the best supported team in the country poll?) and the neutral supporters who watch the prem have a bit of an affinity with teams like us unlike the boltons and wigans.

but its no good us moaning. it wont change, ....until the bosses at sky see that the audiences arent there for the majority of the fixtures and do something about, such as creating a european super league or something similar and pull the plug on the rest of us.       

[Dicky 0]

I agree that the Champ is more interesting at the mo, but I will still happily take Promotion WHEN we get it.

[nutty nigel 7,598]

I find this whole subject fascinating. Already we are hearing noises from the top clubs in Europe about the cost involved if they don''t qualify for the Champions Leage. They budget for being in at least the group stages of that competition. For Liverpool, Arsenal or Manchester United to finish outside the top four of the Premiership is like a relegation to them finacially. Thats why I believe, eventually, the G14 clubs will break away and form their own competition. I see it like a Europeon Premiership with no relegation, only possibly a re-election system controlled by the member clubs.

What I find very interesting is that Chelsea aren''t one of the eighteen G14 member clubs! So could it be that G14 don''t accept clubs whose success is down to vast injections of cash from individual investors? And, even more interestingly, would these investors pull out if their clubs couldn''t compete at the highest level??

If this was to happen then I doubt there would be a Premiership anymore. The Football League would probably reform (again) to accomodate the remaining Premier League clubs.

If this was to happen, then in my view, in the long term  this would be good for clubs like Norwich City.

[JJ 0]

I have little interest in the Premiership.  Maybe its cause we''re not in it but I find the hype overwhelming and the games predictable.  Who cares if Chelsea are playing Charlton?  We all know what''s gonna happen.

And EVERY game seems to be based on a refereeing decision (thanks to the likes of Lineker, Andy Gray and endless moaning managers).  I find the Championship a bit more bloody honest, even if the quality of play is lower.