The Mail Bag
“I have a dream....”
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Pundits are still talking about the top 4 and then the rest of us scrapping around for a tenner from the Uefa Cup; not sure if that is still the case...
Man Utd are by far the strongest club and Chelsea a close second. I would imagine this will be the case for a good few years. Liverpool and Arsenal are a different kettle of fish though.
It seems Arsenal have no finances to compete with the top two despite their new stadium. Liverpool will have their new stadium but I cannot see them suddenly having the transfer funds available to compete with the top two either. Their owners have been heavily hit recently.
For the rest of us therefore I think Arsenal and Liverpool can be caught. I have no idea how well we will do???I never do. But we have been close recently and who knows. Watch Villa though. Backing from owner and a good manager. Also Tottenham.... they won?t have such a catastrophic start again and could be up there.
So, to look at the Premier League, I reckon we will become very similar to the Spanish League. We will have our equivalent of Real Madrid and Barcelona and then a few other names will pop up occasionally.
These others will rarely win anything and the goal for a season will be to get into the Champions League. Not to win it but just to get the cash to qualify for the Champions League next season... not to win it but just to get the cash to qualify for the Champions League next season? not to win it but just to get the cash to qualify for the Champions League next season. Sorry... got stuck.
If we look at the expressions of anxiety expressed here pre-season, they are in reality about whether we can maintain our ability to fight for 4th place. I can hear Bill Kenwright now: ?I am a true Blue and I will do everything I can to come 4th.? Or Moyes in his contract talks: ?I will stay for £x million because I am the man who can bring 4th spot to Everton.?
If all my hopes come true ? such as signing some good players, keeping a capable manger, filling our ground, winning the Derbies etc etc ? then maybe, just maybe, we can come 4th.
I am so excited about the up-coming season. I am already planning to be at St George?s Hall when the open top bus arrives with Moyes holding a copy of the league table aloft and shouts ?I have brought you 4th.?
Great game!
Ged Simpson, Posted 19/07/2008 at 07:01:28
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Yes Liverpool and Arsenal may be somewhat vulnerable to attack and with Villa and spurs losing key players and Blackburn and City wih new managers the opportunity is there for us to push on. In order to improve our squad from last season we don’t need to sign the world class players (although one might be nice) we mearly need to replace those players we lost last season with something better. In the case of Carsley that may be difficult but Graveson, Mcfadden, stubbs and fernandes maybe less so. That and a little more luck with injuries to Baines, Cahill, Arteta and Vaughan (again) and a fairer handling from the men with whistles and we could be looking up.
As always a good start to the campaign can really set things up for the whole season so it’s very important to get everyone flying from the off. The next few weeks should be very interesting and I for one can’t wait.
Man City had a good start last season.... 6 months later, nothing.
Must be my crap writing but I think you missed my point..
The point I was making, slightly tongue in cheek, is that the current situation means that our dream (and that of many clubs) is to finish 4th.
This wasn?t a detailed analysis of who has bought who this year, just a comment on the state of the game.
Just occasionally I find it good to stand back in close season and look at how the game is run. Talk to most fans and they will express disatisfaction at the current system that adds to imbalance (£400k against £23m).
You seem to think I am optimistically saying we can compete. Far from it. I think we have virtually no chance of ever winning the league or CL . Our only realistic hope is to finish 4th. Why? ...to enable us to keep challenging for 4th.
What makes me ironically say "Great Game" is that it clearly isn?t and my hope is that one day fans aross the PL may join to pressurize Uefa and the PL to address this problem by changing prize allocation.
I actually agree with many of your your comments but I wasn?t just looking at how well each competitor in the race is doing, I was looking at the race itself.
Is it too wacky to comment on the state of the game? If so, I will return to the "planet I come from".
It?s got more views and wider horizons.
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1 Posted 19/07/2008 at 14:22:44
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The top four are the top four because of who they are and their selling strength, other countries are obsessed with them,they only believe there are four clubs in the EPL, add to this the record of the said four clubs wether you like it or not in the recent champions league, do you honestly beleive that we could do that with the present squad or with £20 million worth of spending, no chance. Please get real, we will do well to finish fifth again this year with the real investment going on at Portsmouth, Man City and Tottenham not to mention Villa who are also strengthening. The top four is no coincidence it is a reality they have the most money and buy the best players hence the top four, last years £400k against £23 million and you want to compete get real.