Should the Old Firm be in the Premier League?

As a Rangers fan, I can honestly say I would love to escape the monotonous seasonal one-two that occurs in the SPL. I 'firmly' believe that the Old Firm could compete and feasibly win in the Premier League and I have had many a discussion with friends on why and why not the pair should be allowed in. The argument for such an entry is not only pub talk, but is an ongoing argument at the highest level of football, with two opposing sides being represented by 'money men' and the 'traditionalists'.

The subject of Rangers and Celtic becoming part of the Premier League continues to be a major talking point and Rangers manager, Walter Smith, has clearly defined views on the matter:

I would love to see it happen, because it would be of enormous benefit to both clubs and for the Scottish national team, but I don't know whether English teams, in the end, would vote for that. I don't think they would.

I remember being at Everton once where it was asked at a board meeting and the directors said there would be no chance of it happening. That would be the case in most boardrooms, because Rangers and Celtic would not come down here to be middle-of-the-league clubs. After the bedding-in period they would be among the challengers for the title. I think that would be apparent to most English clubs, and that is why I don't think we will get the opportunity.

The main argument against the introduction of the Old Firm to the Premier League is the simple fact that both clubs are Scottish, despite the fact that one is arguably more Irish than Scottish. Other opponents argue that they wouldn’t bring anything to the league, or that the SPL would simply collapse in the wake of the Old Firm's departure. My reply to people, who bring up nationality as a reason against, is that Cardiff have won the FA Cup, and just last year, nearly won it again. Cardiff are a Welsh team, along with Swansea and Wrexham. Further, Cardiff could, in the very near future, be in the Premier League.

Some of my pessimistic friends comment: 'Well if that’s the case, that Rangers and Celtic have become too big for the SPL, then why shouldn’t a similar isolated duo of teams such as Ajax and PSV play in the Bundesliga for example?' Well, for starters the Eredivisie earns more money than the SPL, so neither of those two clubs are dying a slow death. Also, if you look at the previous winners in that league over the last ten years, no club has one the title more than two times in a row. It is however true that the remaining clubs would be severely hurt financially by the Old Firm heading south of the border.

Most clubs, but especially the smaller SPL sides, rely on their four Old Firm games to boost the coffers; the away fans of both the Glasgow sides outnumber the home supporters when they play clubs like Inverness and Hamilton. But, on the flip side, maybe it is time for the other teams to stop relying upon the Old Firm and to start working with more realistic budgets. Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs all have good stadiums, with good behind the scenes set-ups, these would be the clubs to step into the void. After a few years finishing in the top two, and getting into the Champions League, they would start to see some real money.

The main, and most moronic, argument against this move is: 'What would they bring to the table?' This argument is where the 'money men' come into play, and the money could quite possibly the thing that allows the Old Firm in. The appeal of the Old Firm is world-wide as Tony Mowbray recently stated. Mowbray, who left West Brom to take charge at Celtic Park this summer, knows that even a well organized club like West Brom finds it very hard to compete at the highest level. But, he is of the belief that the Old Firm, with its fan base, would be able to hold their own in the Premiership.

My first game in charge was in Australia and to see 25,000 Celtic supporters in the stadium suggest it is a world-wide club that would bring a world-wide audience to the Premiership.

I think they would enhance the Premier League.

Bolton's chairman, Phil Gartside, envisages a revamped Premiership set up which would involve the Premier League being reduced to 18 clubs and the introduction of a second tier of 18 clubs, including the two Glasgow sides. His plan won’t work, as middle-level English teams, and even some of the big boys, would not support the arrival of Celtic and Rangers into the Premier League as they know that the Old Firm teams, with Premier League money at their disposal, would ultimately threaten their own place within the league. A different proposal would've have to be created.

If a suitable solution was found, the Old Firm would bring a great deal to English football. The most significant aspect of which would be a following that exceeds all, bar Manchester United and Liverpool. Currently Celtic and Rangers are third and fourth in average home attendance tally, behind Manchester United and Arsenal. They also have a traveling support that is the equal to any in English football. Although it is hard to believe overseas interest in the Premier League could grow, it undoubtedly would if Celtic and Rangers were involved. This would be especially true in North America and Australia, whose large Scottish and Irish ex-pat communities still fervently follow the Old Firm. At the very least, the idea of the Old Firm joining the Premier League qualifies as innovative. It is workable too, both in a geographical and logistical sense. With cheap inter-city flights, it would cost the same for a fan of Chelsea or Portsmouth to travel up to Glasgow as it would to watch their sides play any of the teams in the North East.

The relocation of the Old Firm would be a good thing for the global brand that is the Premier League, it would also benefit the Scottish national team, and eventually the other smaller SPL sides, but can I see it happening in the next 10 years? Possibly. In the next 5 years? No way.

Josh

James Hoxey's 2009/2010 Predictions: Part 2

6. Who's going to win the Champions League at the Bernabeau?

Part of me wants to say Real Madrid. But I am feeling a little bit kind and might just tip Chelsea to tick that big old Champions League box this year. Ancellotti has done it before.

7. Who are the PFA going to dub 'Player of the Season'?

This year, I have really given it a lot of thought. Once I recovered from my headache I decided that this could be a defensive player's year. Joleon Lescott. You read it here first.

8. Who's going to be the PFA's 'Young Player of the Season'?

Young player of the year is a tough shout, but maybe we could see a great debut season from Rafael at United. With Ronaldo gone, Fergie could be looking for a lot more from his full backs going forward.

9. Which manager's going to have a season to remember?

That's going to be Owen Coyle. Being a Scot, you can't look beyond him piping up in a Fergie style.

10. Which manager's going to have a season to forget?

I hate to say it, but super Roy Hodgson might struggle to find that extra spark this season as he will be under a lot more pressure to deliver during this campaign.

11. Give us a random prediction?

Steve Coppell to get a job with a Premier League club.

James Hoxey's 2009/2010 Predictions: Part 1

1. Who's going to be in the top four, and in what order?

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal

This order I feel will be the one come the end of the season. Ferguson could single handedly enter the record books ahead of Liverpool for league titles and finally 'knock them off their f***ing pedestal'. Ronaldo might be gone, but they have strength and depth, and I can see Ferguson playing a narrower formation this season, using the skill and power of the team through the middle channels.

Chelsea are certainly going to look at proving they can still be a force, and it's a good thing they've hired Ancellotti as he is a specialist in managing cultured, seasoned players. With key figures at the club aging, Lampard and Drogba are in their 30s now, maybe the Italian will get a couple more Big Four standard years from this squad.

Liverpool seem to be taking a huge step backwards in selling Alonso and ultimately, Gerrard will have to drop deep to compensate for this, meaning Liverpool will lose a big lump of their attacking force.

Arsenal will probably hang in there, with Wenger proving you can just about stay in the Big Four with kids...

2. Who's going down?

18. Hull
19. Birmingham
20. Stoke

Hull haven't strengthened enough, and, considering their dependence on Premier League veterans such as the heroic Nicky Barmby, it will be only be a matter of time before they lose their legs in the last 10 minutes of games and leak goals.

Birmingham have strengthened, but they seem to lack that special player which many promotion sides bring in to provide those moments of class in a game, like Geovanni offered Hull when they were finding their Premier League 'legs'.

Stoke will be on their way with a severe case of 'Readingitis'; when you combine a great debut season and no strengthening, the only way is down. You can't rest staying up on Delap-mans shoulders.

3. Which team is going to show the biggest improvement?

It has got to be Manchester City. If they keep all of these new players fit, they should be able to improve on last seasons performance you would hope.

4. Who's going to bang in the most goals?

This season will be Fernando Torres' year, he is looking to be the only out and out goal scorer Liverpool play this year, and he's certainly potent enough in front of goal.

5. Who's going to win the FA Cup?

Liverpool. Rafa needs to grab some sort of Silverware this season, I fancy him to make sure Liverpool are at Wembley this year.

Dale McCarthy's 2009/2010 Predictions: Part 2

6. Who's going to win the Champions League at the Bernabeau?

Going to plump for Chelsea. The are well overdue, Lampard and co. get so close every year and they have to win it soon.

7. Who are the PFA going to dub 'Player of the Season'?

Andrei Arshavin was outstanding for Arsenal when he came into a faltering team last season. Arsenal’s Russian playmaker can be devastating and he’s carried last season’s form into pre-season. The Gunners won 50% of games without him last year compared to 67% when he’s in the team, and their points per game increases from 1.79 to 2.42, quite staggering. His starring role at Anfield was one of the greatest performances in Premier League history and he’s only played in 16 league games.

8. Who's going to be the PFA's 'Young Player of the Season'?

If Jack Wilshire gets enough playing time, he's in with a shout of scooping all of individual awards for youngsters, and he could even head to the world cup (he is that good). But Wenger may be cautious in his developmentm which will may see his first team chances limited this term. If this is the case, Lee Cattermole might be a candidate. If he continues to improve, he’ll be undervalued at 10million by Wigan. Personal problems and night clubbing aside, this player could be very special.

9. Which manager's going to have a season to remember?

Anchelotti will make this one to remember by giving Chelsea their first title since 2006.

10. Which manager's going to have a season to forget?

Phil Brown will not be singing at the KC come May -- I’ll be surprised if he makes it to Christmas.

11. Give us a random prediction?

Aston Villa may struggle to finish in the top ten this term. The top four will be occupied by the Big Four. Man City and Spurs will improve on last season. Everton are always there. As I’ve explained, I think Sunderland will climb the table, only leaving two places in the top ten. The loss of Barry will hurt them and Martin No’deals inactivity in the transfer market makes Arsene Wenger look like Florentino Perez.

Dale McCarthy's 2009/2010 Predictions: Part 1

1. Who's going to be in the top four, and in what order?

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester United
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool

As I have written in the ‘Do Chelsea stick or twist this summer?’ article, I feel that Chelsea are nailed on to win the title this season. They have quality from back to front, and strong cover in every position. They are also the only side in the top four who haven’t lost key players (assuming that Xabi Alonso departs for Madrid). Ronaldo is a huge loss for Manchester United, and although a fit Michael Owen will score 20+ goals, Ronaldo's presence will be sorely missed. The laughable suggestion that City are going to displace Arsenal needs to be addressed. Yes, City have signed lots of players, and no, Arsenal haven’t, but Arsenal are still stronger at the back, in midfield and in attack. In Cesc Fabregas and Andrei Arshavin Arsenal have two of the leagues outstanding players. Do City have any outstanding players aside from Shay Given? No. Toure was sold because he would have been third choice centre back and Adebayor’s disruptive influence has been replaced by ‘new signing’ Eduardo’s professionalism and undoubted talent. With better full backs, better centre backs, better attacking midfielders and better strikers, Arsenal are only weaker in defensive midfield positions. Arsenal and Man City -- no contest. Can City finish above Arsenal with a team that needs to gel and personalities like Robinho, Bellamy and Adebayor? Not this year. As for Liverpool, their incredible run at the end will be affected by the loss of Alonso, and their lack of attacking depth options means a loss of Gerrard or Torres could see them struggle, but I still see them miles ahead of City.

2. Who's going down?

18. Birmingham
19. Burnley
20. Hull

I see four teams in there this season: Birmingham, Hull, Burnley, and Wolves. I really can’t see any of the other sixteen being dragged in. Of the four, I think Wolves will stay up. They are doing what a lot of successful promoted teams have done in recent seasons and allowing the team that got them promoted the chance to play in the Premier League whilst bringing in new faces with proven Premier League quality such as Kevin Doyle. Birmingham have made lots of changes and whilst I rate McLeish highly, they have’t learnt from teams such as Derby and I see them going straight back down. Burnley will fancy their chances in the top flight after seeing off Arsenal, Chelsea and Fulham in the Carling Cup before demolishing Spurs during normal time in their semi-final second leg. Even with those scalps they weren’t facing full strength Arsenal and Chelsea teams. As a team that like to get the ball down and play, Coyle’s men will probably suffer the same fate as West Brom. If Burnley go to Anfield or Old Trafford and try to play that way, they will be torn apart. Hull may have defied the odds to stay up last year but their form at the back end of the season was Derby-esque. Their only win in their last 21 games was a 1-0 win at Fulham where they were battered for 90 mins before Manucho scored at the death. Even with Bullard returning, I see them finishing rock bottom.

3. Which team is going to show the biggest improvement?

With Steve Bruce at the helm the managerial uncertainty at the black cats has cleared, in Bruce they have one of the finest English managers currently plying their trade in any league. Lorik Cana is a fantastic signing, the Albanian was outstanding against Gerrard in Stade Veledrome last September in the Champions League. If Sunderland manage to get Darren Bent, who scored as many Premier league goals as Wayne Rooney and more than Robin Van Persie, they will have a young striker of true Premier League pedigree who will be playing for a chance to get on Capello’s plane to South Africa. I see them challenging for the Europa spots this year, a vast improvement on last seasons 16th.

4. Who's going to bang in the most goals?

Fernando Torres will defiantly win it if he remains fit. He will score the lion's share of Liverpool’s goals as everything in the attacking third will go through him. Expect Owen to challenge him if he can stay fit, but that is doubtful. Van Persie is an outside bet because he has Eduardo, Roisicky, Arshavin, Fabregas, Walcott and Nasri playing behind him. If he can convert the sixteen shots of his that hit the woodwork last year into goals, he’ll be up there.

5. Who's going to win the FA Cup?

Anyone can win the FA Cup.

Josh Hortin's 2009/2010 Predictions: Part 1

1. Who's going to be in the top four, and in what order?

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Liverpool
4. Man City

Man Utd will win it again as Fergie is still as passionate as ever and will want to be the manager of the first team to win four in row. Rooney, Berbatov (now fully settled) and Owen will compensate for the goals that Tevez and Ronaldo scored last campaign. Chelsea will finish second, they were nearly there last year, and did this in spite of the comotion surrounding Big Phil and a sometimes unruly squad. Plus, they were missing Essien. Ancelotti's arrival should provide the stability for them to grab this position. Liverpool for third as I think they have enough quality, even if we assume that they will lose Alonso. As always, it all depends on the fitness of Gerrard and Torres. Man City for fourth. Arsenal are handing it over to them by not strengthening. But, it will be a few more seasons until they are challenging the top three.

2. Who's going down?

18. Birmingham
19. Burnley
20. Hull

Birmingham have strengthened considerably, but I just don't think they will cut it. Burnley have some very very talented youngsters, but again, when it gets to the last ten minutes, will they have the bottle to get a result? Hull, for the simple fact that no one wants to join them as their relegation this year seems to be a forgone conclusion. They desperately lack power up front.

3. Which team is going to show the biggest improvement?

Last season, Man City finished tenth. I think they will do a tad better this season.

4. Who's going to bang in the most goals?

I honestly can't choose. Rooney, given the opportunity to play centrally, will score more frequently. Torres, who continues to get sharper every year. Drogba, because his efforts in pre-season have shown that the old lethal Drogba is back. Owen (there is always a dark horse) has looked sharp in pre-season, and now he's actually at a club he wants to play for, the injuries may just mysteriously disappear. I'm staying on the fence.

5. Who's going to win the FA Cup?

I think a top team will win it this year. I'm going for United, as it's been an oddly long time since this trophy resided at Old Trafford.

Mr Hoxey: The Best Premier League Captures Ever

Over the last week or so, since the capture of Michael Owen on a free by Manchester United, I have decided to consider and list my all time favourite bargain buys and free transfers in the Premier League.

First up on my list is Sami Hyypia. The big Finn cost Liverpool a cool £2.5million, and after 10 years service as a pretty solid centre back, you simply can't complain. Unbelievably, Newcastle United could have signed him 2 years earlier. Perhaps they wouldn't have been in the pickle they are now if they had seen the ability. He has now left Liverpool after 10 years of pretty solid service. For the real stat freaks, spreading his transfer fee over his appearances equates to a pitiful cost of 7k per game. What a bargain.

Moving away from Liverpool (rather neatly I must add...) is Brad Friedel to Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer, and it must be said he is pretty handy (okay I'll stop with the puns). After being a fantastic servant to Blackburn with 287 appearances, they sold him on to Aston Villa for somewhere around the 2.5million mark. A nice bit of business.

Dimitar Berbatov was another great bit of footballing business. 10.9million to bring him to Spurs for 2 years, and a sell on value of 30million. the Tottenham accountants must have been loving that little nugget. Just to sweeten it for Spurs, he hasn't really delivered the same goods at Manchester United. Perhaps this season, with Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen doing a bit more of the hard work, Berbatov may just start swanning around the right parts of the pitch for goal scoring.

Whilst researching other players to add to my already impressive list, I learnt that Nicolas Anelka cost Arsenal a meagre 500k before he went to Real Madrid on a sulk for 23million. Enough said.

And to finish, here is my list of free transfers or cheap buys which have been so brilliant that they don't really need any explanation.

Gary MacAllister to Liverpool
Kevin Davies to Bolton
Eric Cantona to Manchester United (1.2m)
Jurgen Klinnsmann to Spurs (1m)
Ashley Cole - What a Drama!

That is as much rattling onto my Blackberry as I can do on the topic. Let me know your views on great Premier League signings that could be described as a bargain.

(And yes, I realise that I have left out Ronaldo).

Ups and Downs: A Fan's Perspective of Ronaldo's Time at Manchester United

As a fan of Manchester United, I have loved and hated Cristiano Ronaldo, the player who has become the most expensive footballer of all time. He had a great career at United, being one of the most successful players to wear a red shirt, but now, it is clear that there will always be blemishes on his time at OId Trafford.

At the start of his United career, signing from Sporting Lisbon for around £12 million, he looked extremely talented and showed massive promise. Eventually, he exceeded all expectations and developed into an outstanding all round player. Ronaldo struggled early on due to his inexperience, and opposition crowds struggled to respect a player who continuously dived. Many players dive but he was one of, if not, the worst in the Premier League and his reputation was growing in the wrong direction with fans and referees.

Gradually, he grew ever more confident (and/or cockier) and developed parts of his game which he hadn’t previously displayed, like strength on the ball and aerial ability. He seemed to dive less, I know a lot of people will disagree with this statement, but in comparison to his earlier antics, he cleaned up his over reliance on simulation. His reputation as an arrogant player and person was well established amongst opposition fans, and this led to me having to defend him often. The main incident that comes to mind is the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where Rooney was sent off for a stamp on Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho. here were shots of Ronaldo pleading with the referee to send off his club teammate, and after Rooney was given his marching orders, a camera cut to Ronaldo who seemed to be winking to his bench. A lot of people thought that he was suggesting ‘I made that happen’, but if you watch the action properly, you can quite clearly see Rooney stamping on the defender and any referee, well maybe with the exception of Graham Poll, would give that a straight red card. The ‘wink’, and Ronaldo’s talk to the referee, were irrelevant.

After all this, speculation indicated that Real Madrid were coming to test United’s resolve, with rumours that they were going to bid 50m for the young winger. Instead, he denied wanting to leave United and signed a new contract which made him the highest paid player in the team’s history. With this behind him, Ronaldo probably had the best season of his career. He scored 42 goals, whilst helping United to secure the Premier League and Champions League double. That season earned him a spot as one of the best players in the world, alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Kaká. At this stage, I still loved this man, and believed that he was the driving force that United needed.

Once this season was over, the speculation started again, and my likening for Ronaldo started to decrease. Reports from Sky Sports were suggesting that Ronaldo had expressed an interest in moving to Real Madrid. United filed a complaint to FIFA over the illegal pursuit of Ronaldo, but nothing was done. Ronaldo stated that he would stay for another season and that he was committed to United.

Some say that I should stop complaining about Ronaldo, as he was still our top goal scorer once again this season. I recognise this, but it was the way he was going about it. When he was coming back from an injury at the beginning of last season, he didn’t look like he wanted to play and sulked more than before. Being at Manchester United should be an honour as we are one of the biggest teams and in my opinion (obviously biased) are the best team there is. Ronaldo loves to win trophies and awards for himself, so why not keep winning these things at United. Take Wayne Rooney for example, I believe that Rooney will want to stay the distance at United. This is the sort of loyalty that Ronaldo did not and will not show.

Reports prior to the Champions League final, were suggesting that Ronaldo was already telling the players that he was leaving in the summer. The timing was awful; an awareness that they would be losing their best player in the summer must have affected the confidence of the other players. Not to discredit Barcelona, who totally outplayed United, but I believe these rumours affected them in the final. What made things worse was another report indicating that Ronaldo made a deal with Real Madrid last season, telling them that he would wait one year before coming out and expressing his desire to leave United. This sort of dealing is totally illegal and is essentially worse than tapping up.

Now Ronaldo has signed for Real Madrid, at a cost of £80million, and United have done a great bit of business, making a £68million profit. I now have a substantially decreased liking for Ronaldo, and it has grown from the increasing show of selfishness that occurred over the course of this season. He was a great player for United and I will admit I loved him, but now I couldn’t care less about him. I can now see what other people saw in him when I had my biased view.

I would put some money on United meeting Real Madrid in the Champions League at some point, either in the group stages or in the early rounds. It will be interesting to see how Ronaldo will be greeted at Old Trafford if this scenario occurs.


Robbie Morrison

To suggest that players joining City lack ambition is about as ludicrous as suggesting that John Terry leaving Chelsea will cost England the World Cup

Manchester City’s summer spending spree has prompted many to suggest that their new acquisitions are motivated by money alone. I couldn’t disagree more. To state that the likes of Gareth Barry, Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez lack footballing ambition is ridiculous. Barry, Adebayor and Tevez have joined a club with a short term plan to break up the Big Four’s monopoly on the Champions League places and with a mid term plan to challenge for the Premier League and the Champions League titles. I shudder to think at what the long term plan is, sounds ambitious enough to me. Barry, Adebayor and Tevez have also joined a club who, through the signing of Premier League players such as Barry and the attempt to secure a deal for Terry, have weakened the teams around them. If offered the opportunity to work for a club who have had bids rejected for the England captain John Terry, and as he was in January, World Player of the Year, Kaka, most ambitious players would jump at the chance. Manchester City’s pursuit of John Terry signals a real intent, although Chelsea dismissed reports that Terry might be on his way, I’m positive that we will see a forth approach this week topping £40 million.

There seems to be a widespread ‘how dare they’ attitude to the John Terry bid. Many have pointed out that because Terry wouldn’t immediately be playing Champions League football at City, and that this drop in level would effect his ability to perform as a player and captain of the national side. This simply isn’t the case. To suggest that by playing Champions League football Terry faces world class players week in week out is ridiculous. If we presume that Chelsea will be semi-finalists again this year (because they generally are), let's count the world class opposition. As a top seed Chelsea’s group invariably includes two rubbish teams, from rubbish leagues, with rubbish strikers and one half decent German/Italian/Spanish team, not world class opposition. As group winners they will play the mediocre team who finish second in a group with a similar structure in terms of quality, and again, Terry wouldn’t face world class opposition. Then we have Chelsea’s annual encounter with Liverpool, a team that Terry faces in domestic competition. So a semi-final, and two games against world class opposition -- not really the ‘week in week out’ challenge he needs in a World up year. I’m sure that Terry’s ability will not magically disappear because he doesn’t play two games against Real Madrid or Barcelona. Our national side might even benefit from a captain who isn’t burned out.

So, we come to Adebayor, it has been a week since Arsenal sold him and I seem to be the only disappointed Gooner. Every Arsenal fan I have spoken to seems to think that we have offloaded a poor, lazy player for a huge amount. Let's deal with the facts Adebayor scored 62 goals in 114 starts for Arsenal. Last season Adebayor scored 10 league goals in 21 starts, and 6 in 8 in the Champions League, so that’s 16 in 29 last year, not that bad at all. He scored one less than Robin Van Persie in the Premier League, and Robin was voted Arsenal’s best player last season. Granted Van Persie hit the woodwork 16 times and created the most Premier League goals with 11 assists, but, it has to noted that Adebayor, who was out for a long spell only scored two less than Wayne Rooney, and created the same amount with 7 assists. Wayne Rooney is regarded as the exact opposite of Adebayor by many people, a team player who works hard, as opposed to Adebayor a selfish and lazy individual. Is this the same selfish Adebayor who created as many goals for team-mates as the selfless Wayne Rooney? Is this the same lazy Adebayor who missed a long spell after pulling a hamstring desperately trying to reach a misplaced pass in the North London derby?

In the past four seasons only three players who currently play in the Premier League have scored over 20 league goals in one season. Adebayor is joined on this list by Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres, the two best strikers in the league. If Owen stays fit he is capable of scoring 20+ too, so realistically there are four players who can score over 20 goals this season, and until last week the ‘Big Four’ all had one each. Adebayor has been called a one season wonder by many but he was plagued by injuries last season, as was Torres, yet he was still awarded the plaudits he deserved last term. On paper, Adebayor’s 16 in 29 looks better than Torres’s 17 in 38 last year, if we add to that Adebayor’s 7 assists against Torres’ 5 then Adebayor was worth more goals in less games last season. I am not suggesting that Adebayor is a better striker than Torres, as I feel that Torres is the best in the world, but in the past two years they have had similar scoring records. It’s all there in black and white, yet Torres is lauded whilst Adebayor is criticised. Torres' £25 million fee is regarded as a snip, yet Adebayor has been deemed to be overpriced in an increasingly inflated market. In this market, if Rooney and Torres were to be sold they would cost around £50 million, so is Adebayor really 'over priced' at half this amount?

GoonerDale

Why we should be proud of the Coca-Cola Championship

England, as the birthplace of football, should be excited to have such a strong second tier of football. No other second tier country in Europe can claim to be as strong financially or competitively when you start down the footballing leagues. The facts are there to be seen; the revenue generated by clubs in the Championship of £306 million reaffirms it as Europe's sixth biggest league. This means that the likes of Blackpool are helping their league to financially rival the Eredvisie and Ligue 1 and to beat Portugal's Primera Liga.

In football today, money is highly influential, and with the Premier League persisting as the richest domestic competition in the world, and with the Big Four having remained in the top ten of The Deloitte Football Money League since 2004/2005, money was bound to trickle down to rest of the English divisions. Take James Beattie at Sheffield Utd, for 18 months the former England striker plied his trade in the Championship, he was able to do so because of the parachute payment system that stabilised United after their relegation. He was earning a reported £40,000 a week. That is a staggering amount when you consider that the average wage for most players at Championship clubs is less than £6000 per week.

But, it isn't just the money that makes the Championship such an attractive league for footballers to play in and for fans follow. Unlike the Premier League, Championship clubs are spread evenly across the country with four in the South West and Wales (Plymouth Argyle, Bristol City, Cardiff and Swansea), four in the Greater London area (Reading, QPR, Crystal Palace, and Watford), five in the West and East Midlands (West Brom, Coventry, Leicester, Notts Forest and Derby), two in East Anglia (Peterborough and Ipswich), five in Yorkshire (Sheff Wed, Sheff Utd, Barnsley, Doncaster and Scunthorpe), two in the North West (Preston and Blackpool), and Newcastle and Middlesbrough in the North East. Furthermore, the average ticket price for a Championship game is £21 for an adult and £12 for concessions. This means that the Championship, in contrast to the Premier League, is fan friendly. Wigan and Sunderland's half full stadiums spring to mind. The high levels of support in the Championship speak for themselves; 17 of the 24 teams in the Championship boast all-seated stadia with a 20,000 capacity or higher. All but two (Blackpool and Scunthorpe) have capacities of over 15,000. Fifteen have Premier League experience, with Swansea, Scunthorpe, Plymouth, Peterborough, Doncaster, Cardiff, Bristol city, Blackpool and Preston being the exceptions. It is also worth noting that ten League One clubs have spectator capacities of 15,000 or higher, and six teams have Premier League experience, how many other third tier leagues across Europe can boast such a record? None.

For the 09/10 season, Plymouth are charging their fans £450 for an adult season ticket and newly promoted Leicester are requesting £320, but QPR are bucking the trend by charging £650. It is possible that the era of sold out stadiums in the Championship about to end, as clubs become even more desperate to make money.

With the Premier League mostly consisting of the footballing powerhouses of Greater Manchester and Greater London, there is little left for much of the country in the way of a local top flight side, this is where the appeal of some the Championship teams comes into play. The rivalry and sheer competition that exists within the Championship is so intense because every section of every club, from the fan to the chairman, strives for the dreamland of the Premier League. Recently promoted Burnley, for example, are now financially set for the next ten years. This security, alongside the prestige of playing in the Premier League, is what fuels the competition of the Championship.

It becomes clear, when watching the football of the Championship and experiencing the stadia that it is played within, that we should be happy to have such a diverse and strong league helping to make the Premier League, and ultimately England, a stronger force in the world of football.