Has investment actually improved the standard of the Premier League?
De Jong has claimed that the top flight has 'improved' no end due to City
City stalwart Nigel De Jong claimed last weekend that the money spent by Manchester City has helped improve the level at the top of English football. With 36 goals in their first ten league games this season, Manchester City have been in imperious form as they look to end their 44 year wait for a league title.
The transformation of the club has been remarkable and over 500 million has been spent assembling a multinational squad in the last 5 years. Indeed, the resources City possess are without equal, and as such it must be asked whether or not their current spending and subsequent early season domination has actually helped improve standards in the Premier League.
De Jong stated, ‘You just have to look at Liverpool and Arsenal. They have lost what I call their subscriptions to a place in the top four. They now have severe competition from other clubs.’ Indeed, De Jong has a point, in 5 out of 6 seasons between 2004 and 2009 the top 4 was made up of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Yet in the last two seasons first Tottenham Hotspur and then Manchester City managed to break the monopoly on the Champions League qualification places and a look at the table today, albeit early in the season, suggests that the battle for the top 4 will be exceptionally closely fought.
Manchester City and Manchester United look nailed on for a top 4 finish but below that recent results suggest unbeaten Newcastle and a resurgent Spurs will be challenging the usual suspects; Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool for the remaining two spots.
City’s elaborate development project provoked other clubs to sit up and take note, with Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool amongst the clubs to splash the cash this summer. Chelsea splashed out on Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku, United opened their chequebook to sign Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea while Liverpool spent big to land Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing.
Arsenal lost club captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and Samir Nasri to City, a transfer in particular that really highlighted the changing power in English football. They did not rest on their laurels however, with the signings of Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain amongst Arsene Wenger’s attempts to strengthen the gunners’ squad.
Meanwhile at Spurs, summer signing Scott Parker and loanee Emmanuel Adebayor look to have been a masterstroke by Spurs boss Harry Redknapp.
Looking at the clubs mentioned, the talent not just in the starting 11 but throughout the squads does lend credence to the argument that the league is at a higher level than ever before. Currently Manchester United are unable to find a place in the team for Dimitar Berbatov, Chelsea have 6 strikers on their books and Spurs cannot accommodate Jermaine Defoe or Roman Pavlyuchenko into the team. All in all, the strength in depth at the top clubs is like never before.
The question now is whether or not anyone else can join the 6 sides at the top who have shared the spoils between them in recent seasons. Newcastle currently look capable of challenging this season, unbeaten in 3rd place, yet questions remain about their squad depth as the season progresses.
Below 7th place Arsenal however, no side currently looks capable of keeping pace, perhaps suggesting a worrying development, with De Jong stating, ‘We are creating a bigger gap between the bigger and smaller clubs in the league.’
With the money available to the top clubs, that gap only looks set to grow.
Is the Premier League stronger than ever? And is the gap widening between those at the top and those at the bottom? Comment and follow me on Twitter @CamHumphries
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Its has raised the standard, in the way that robbing a jewellery store increases your wealth.
If you accept that the basic principle of sporting competition is not important, that money from outside the game can be used to enrich one or two clubs, then you’ll be pleased to see an Middle-Eastern company out-spend the rest of the league and buy some success.
Otherwise, “standards” have been abandoned.
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I think the premise of saying that investment has improved standards is rather naive. Certain teams have seen an increase but the Premier League as a whole has yet to really see a step up in my eyes. Apart from five or six teams who else could qualify and sustain a Champions League challenge?
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Spending alone is no guarantee of success, though it does’nt hurt.
Look at the no 3# side, who by sound management have improved the sides quality and through sales and astute buying have both a better side and actually made a profit overall.
There’s a likelyhood that when the new regulations come into force, we may see more parity.
With well run Clubs the benefactors.
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Goal-scoring records are being broken all over the place already this season, especially by City, so yes, you could say the Premiership’s standards have risen in the most entertaining respects.
Thank You Sheikh Mansour
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The premier league has become poorer over the whole of the league as the disparity between the top and the bottom,,,,,,,,,,,, in fact the disparity between the top half dozen and the rest of the league is just growing.
As for melon mans comment, where outside the top half dozen clubs are there scoring records being broken????????????
Obviously you are a man city supporter.
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Melon Man Reply:
November 1st, 2011 at 9:17 pm
I am a Man City supporter, of 45 years of age – you can work out how much Godawful dross I’ve endured in my time!
However, football success comes and goes, someone has to win, someone has to lose, over the history of my club for example we’ve been stinking rich, then poverty stricken, then rich again, etc..etc..
It’s all about the money, but to pretend there will ever be financial equality is naive, and who wants all teams to be the same anyway?
I personally think the league is as open now as it’s been since the inception of the Premiership.
As for goalscoring records not being set by lower half of the Prem teams – they might be for all I know, but as these teams are probably conceding the goals, then I wouldn’t expect them to be banging them in like City are – duh!
You claim the disparity between the bottom and top halves of the league is getting wider – do you have the stats to back up this assertion, or is it just a gut feeling?
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RedScot Reply:
November 2nd, 2011 at 3:11 am
Hi mate.During the sky era 5 teams have won the Premiership title.The previous 19 years 7 teams won the title.
Narrowing of chances to win it!.
As the article implies money breeds success with carefull management and planning.The pitfalls clearly are however, grave if you over exceed, like Leeds,Charlton, Forest Wedensday,Leicester Southampton to name a few.Balance needs to be addressed in the split up of the big prizes Champions league money and television rights.The prime example the funding the two big players in La Liga derive and further isolate the others in that league who for the last two seasons have been some 20 odd point’s on their coat tails.So you could draw the conclusion the Premiership is far more attractive and more competitive.I think SKY’s flagship sport are the big players in all of this financial free for all.They pull the plug, down the swannie it all goes!
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