The lure of the Premier League

[Matt_B]

I've been pondering this for a while (even before the slump in form) and I can't work out how I feel. The premier league seems to be the be all and end all of football, even to fans on here who would make jokes about football only beginning in 1990. At the minute we are showing relegation form and that seems to be the worst thing in the world (football wise) to some. We keep being told it's the best league in the world, but other than their marketing department, does anyone really believe it? None of the teams that I have seen at the KP this season have made me think they were world class.

I suppose this is why I'm not panicking about the current form and possibility of relegation. Say we stay up, what then? We are never going to realistically challenge for top 4 and I'd argue the same for top 6 so each season becomes simply a case of trying to get one place higher than the last season until we decide we are bigger than the manager who got us there and sack him (Pulis at Stoke etc). Maybe it's part of my ever growing apathy for football, but I can't see one reason that makes me feel that we absolutely must stay in this division. Villa has been mentioned as the biggest game in the club's history, which isn't true even for recent history. That game against Stoke was far more important and had far more riding on it that a mid season game against Villa. As fans we won't see any of the extra money that the club will get, in fact we'll probably end up giving them more for increased season ticket prices.

I would genuinely be interested to hear peoples thoughts on why it is imperative that we stay up or why the Premier League is such a golden egg.

 

[Real Sharapova]

I would genuinely be interested to hear peoples thoughts on why it is imperative that we stay up or why the Premier League is such a golden egg.

I don't think it is imperative we stay up, but I'm probably in a minority. There is one fact no one can change, and that is that three teams will go down this season. We were always going to be among the favourites to go down, and whether we got Pulis or Alex bloody Ferguson in, that won't change that much. Therefore we might as well enjoy the ride.

 

[Fox Fan]

Matt - I tend to agree with you. There have been a few things this season which have just really made me think twice about the PL.

Firstly this at Crystal Palace away. I spent an entire day, £100 pounds and a lot of effort to see two thirds of a match. When I complained to the club, they were very much of the opinion of "it's not my problem - take it up with Crystal Palace". But it is your problem. As someone who has poured literally thousands of pounds into the club over the past 16 years, I want you to be as annoyed as I am that your fans have been ripped off.

*BTW - Crystal Palace didn't even respond to my email and Jim at fanzone eventually took it up for me (calling his contact there) and managed to get me a £2 per ticket refund as they should have stated it was a restricted view!!! Thanks Jim!!

And why have we been ripped off? So that Crystal palace can install a TV gantry (at the request of Sky) which costs as little as possible whilst ensuring they are able to reap in millions and millions of pounds of TV money, but at huge detriment to fans attending the game.

Second - Aston Villia away. Living in Birmingham, I know plenty of Villa fans. They're getting tickets for £25 anywhere in the ground. I'm paying £41 for a seat level with the comer flag. It's a ridiculous rip off.

Third - our club. Now we've hit the PL, the demand for tickets has swelled. This means the club no longer care about loyal fans who've been home and away through the shit times. They're only concern now is to get as much out of you as they can by doing as little as possible. An encounter I had in the club shop last night was proof of this - I wanted to buy tickets for West Ham away, but they don't sell tickets in the shop anymore 45 mins before kick off - and although I had phoned the day before to check I could get them, they hadn't bothered to mention this.

 

[Hector]

Surely, it's very simple. If you support a team you desperately want them to win each match, whatever league they are playing in. Staying up = a symptom of winning (at least some) matches. Relegation = a symptom of losing matches. Therefore, from any fan's perspective, it should be important to stay up.

 

[Fox Fan]

Surely, it's very simple. If you support a team you desperately want them to each match, whatever league they are playing in. Staying up = a symptom of winning (at least some) matches. Relegation = a symptom of losing matches. Therefore, from any fan's perspective, it should be important to stay up.

In a black and white sense yes, but how much are you actually enjoying it each week? Is it better to win every week and be at the top of the Championship, or lose every week and be at the bottom of the PL?

 

[Matt_B]

Surely, it's very simple. If you support a team you desperately want them to win each match, whatever league they are playing in. Staying up = a symptom of winning (at least some) matches. Relegation = a symptom of losing matches. Therefore, from any fan's perspective, it should be important to stay up.

I agree with that, I would love to see us winning, however we did win more last season. If it was all about winning, you'd want to be in the easiest division

 

[Hector]

I agree with that, I would love to see us winning, however we did win more last season. If it was all about winning, you'd want to be in the easiest division

Yes, but to achieve that we have to carry on being abysmal for a further 24 matches. Does anybody really want that?

 

[Blaarev]

Yes, but to achieve that we have to carry on being abysmal for a further 24 matches. Does anybody really want that?

Or we can move to Scotland

 

[Matt_B]

Yes, but to achieve that we have to carry on being abysmal for a further 24 matches. Does anybody really want that?

I don't want us to go down, but the only benefit I can see as a fan to staying up is financial security of the club but wit our owners I'd not be too worried if we went down on that front.

 

[homer]

I want to watch my team play and beat Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal etc

For me this is a more exciting prospect than wanting to watch my team play and beat Rotherham, Huddersfield and Millwall

Whether we can actually beat them or not is irrelevant

 

[Blaarev]

I want my team to play in the Premier League so that I can buy half and half scarves of Leicester and Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal etc

For me this is a more exciting prospect than wanting to getting half and half scarves off my team and Rotherham, Huddersfield and Millwall

Whether we can actually beat them or not is irrelevant

 

[Lako42]

Was there a win you enjoyed more last season than Utd this season?

I wouldn't mind doing a Southampton, I wonder how many of there fans are longing for beating the likes of Huddersfield at the moment.

 

[Miles Away]

Very simple for me:

I want to watch them every week. The premier league is the only option.

 

[Blaarev]

Very simple for me:

I want to watch them every week. The premier league is the only option.

I was actually able to see them more often on Norwegian TV last season than this season.

 

[fox58]

I was actually able to see them more often on Norwegian TV last season than this season.

Nice

 

[Rich B]

I want us to get promotion but no idea why because if we dont spend 100m we will get tw@tted every week by nigh on everyone

 

[homer]

Was there a win you enjoyed more last season than Utd this season?

There has been nothing to compare to that for years

And getting beaten at home by a truly awful Liverpool side was still more enjoyable than getting beaten at home to a truly awful Brighton and Forest side last season

 

[fox58]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30304343

NP's after match interview, he talks a lot of sense for me.

After listening to the RL in the car on the way home last night, its not a view shared by many who called in!!!!

 

[The Old Fox]

I don't think that the Premier League has been the best in the World for some years but, it is the best in Britain, and if you do not want to see your team pitted against the best, then I fail to see the point of following a team. Torquay United will, probably, never play in the Premier League, but their goal must be to improve each season and rise to their peak: similarly, Leicester City should/are attempting to do the same.

I just wonder why this thread has appeared now, and not straight after promotion, or after those first 'boring' five games....

 

[Matt_B]

I don't think that the Premier League has been the best in the World for some years but, it is the best in Britain, and if you do not want to see your team pitted against the best, then I fail to see the point of following a team. Torquay United will, probably, never play in the Premier League, but their goal must be to improve each season and rise to their peak: similarly, Leicester City should/are attempting to do the same.

I just wonder why this thread has appeared now, and not straight after promotion, or after those first 'boring' five games....

I think I have asked a similar question before as well. I don't have an answer myself, I honestly can't resolve my feelings on it either way.