Overhead Analysis

Recently I’ve heard a few comments declaring this year’s season the worst in Premier League history. A bit harsh I thought until I had a look at the table and this week’s fixtures what is in store is underwhelming to say the least. In terms of the title race, Liverpool go to Middlesbrough to try to use their game in hand to close the gap at the top to four points, Chelsea who appear out of the running are home to Wigan and surprise fourth place Aston Villa are at home to Stoke. Even if Villa lose this game and Arsenal win at home to Fulham, Martin O’Neill’s side will remain in a Champions League spot. Unfortunately, as is the case most seasons it’s just not close at the top and as United continue to grind results out week after week it seems inevitable that they will retain their title for their 11th Premier League crown in this the 17th year of the competition.

Since Blackburn Rovers lifted the trophy in 1995, only three clubs have won the Premier League - Manchester United (eight times), Arsenal (three times) and Chelsea (twice). In addition, Manchester United have not finished outside the top three since the formation of the Premier League, with Arsenal finishing inside the top five in all but two seasons, while Liverpool, without an English league title since the pre-Premier League era, have not finished lower than fifth since 1999.

It is hard to complain however; this week we watched all four English teams perform marvellously against other European superpowers in the Champions League. The problem therefore is that the top four are very good, too good in fact for the rest of the league and this juxtaposition has in recent years made the relegation fight rather than the title race the most interesting contest in the run in to the seasons close. This season Aston Villa have shown great heart and spirit to maintain a 4th spot as we move into March but the fear I have is Everton were in a similar position last year before as anticipated running out of steam so that the normality of the top four resumed.

A quick and easy solution for disgruntled Premier League fans is to turn their attention to the Coca Cola Championship. The Championship is a rare and unique league in that each year throws together totally different fortunes for many of the different teams. It must be the most unpredictable league in Europe. There are few other leagues where a team can start the season with four consecutive defeats and finish as Champions a la Sunderland under Roy Keane. This time last year Watford were setting the pace in the league and looking certain to qualify automatically for the Premier League, they currently lie 18th, three points above the drop zone. In '07-'08, the difference between promotion and relegation was a meager 27 points and from one week to the next the league table becomes irrelevant as each game can swing either way.

It makes for a very exciting league, any team can go up or any team can get relegated. Last season three very unlikely teams joined the World’s greatest league. Stoke City were rank outsiders for promotion before the season, but somehow managed to shock everyone. The same goes for Hull City who, seen as mid-table finishers again after avoiding relegation the year before, somehow managed third place and a playoff final victory at Wembley. This season Wolves, who have long threatened to reach the Premiership are in poll position but are closely followed by Birmingham and Reading. Another factor that makes the Championship so exciting is the virtual lottery that is the playoffs. Currently all of the top 11 clubs at least are capable of making the playoffs.

The race for the playoffs endures many twists and changes and ensures that many teams still have it all to play for right throughout the season. A team that just miss out on automatic promotion and come third can come up against a team who scraped into fifth position on the final day of the season for a multi million pound tie, it may not be the fairest system but it is the unpredictability that makes it so exciting for the fans.

It must be a great league to support a club in, of course without the same levels of money there isn’t the same talent on show from foreign imports but fans pay a more reasonable price into a variety of stadiums ranging from modern to traditional, there is an abundance of talent (mainly home grown) on show and a scalp occurs almost every week. Every season there are six new teams in the Championship, whether it is via promotion from League One or Relegation from the Premier League, meaning each and every season is fresh and exciting. What it means is that season after season genuine football fans of at least 12 clubs can watch their teams praying that they scrape the results to put them in the mix come play-off time. What it means is that fans can go from watching their teams against the likes of Plymouth and Doncaster one season to visiting Old Trafford and Anfield the next. That is the dream and a roller coaster journey is guaranteed if a club are to achieve it.