What does the Future hold for the English Premier League?

I have been think about some issues; I'd like to know your opinion about these issues:

With the 'Big 4' always going for quality players in the 'Remaining 16'; players like Ashley Young, Gareth Barry, David Bentley, Santa Cruz, Ali Sully Muntari etc. from teams like Blackburn, Aston Villa, Portsmouth etc., Will there ever be the 'Big 6', 'Big 8' or 'Big 9'. Seems like everytime these other teams land a 'Revelation', One of the 'Big 4' will snatch them up. Isn't this trend affecting the EPL negatively?

Read somewhere that Rafa Benitez will like to invest in some English players in a preemptive move, should a quota system be introduced to the EPL. With teams like Arsenal & Chelsea having a minimal number of English players (need to check stat), I believe, from a developmental angle, a decision like this is good for growth of english football. But wouldn't that decision rub the EPL of the dynamism, big money and all the qualities that makes it the best league in the world?

The biggest clubs in the EPL are all owned by foreigners. It's a big money business. But.................

I dont think there's going to be a big 6, there will always be a big 4 because they keep getting bigger, im pretty sure that if blackburn, portsmouth or villa had the same quality player 5-6 years ago they would have won the league, the fact is though the premiership is full of so many world class players now, that the excellent players such as Young and bently and santa cruz need to really runt their socks off for every game of the season, and even then they wont get as much recognition as some world known player who perhaps has had a poor season i.e wayne rooney.

I have never classed us as a member of the Big 3 or 4, probably because when the EPL was formed we were having a very bad period that got worse and the Big what ever included, Scum Leeds, Blackburn Arsenal then Newcastle, then Chelsea, and now us, Admitidly the Big, or Most Successful teams are more constantly the present top 4, but we have never been a sure thing, and even now we were a little worried until a few weeks ago. This is the first year that one of the Big 4 will not win the FA Cup in over 10 years.

It only needs a team to bat above its weight and have a few lucky results to up set the cartell, Look a the BS, they finished 4th, with a -ve Goal difference, but the finished 4th all the same. What if we had not got number 5, could they have taken our place, could we have responded with out the CL that year and the money rewards.

So will their be a big 6, doubtful, I don't think any league has had a big 6 or any number greater than 4 since the introduction of the CL, as the money rewards and player prestige is too great. G.Barry wants CL football, Villa have NO chance of ever winning the EPL let alone a european cup of any description, (Inter Toto excluded) so you can see that any player who wants medals, big games, etc will have to move to the Bigger teams, ie"The Big Four",

As for Rafa looking for more English Players this fear that will will have to have more English players will not happen due to anti EU Employment rules, of course they may say we have to play with disabled people  : but we have Voronin ( ) they may say we, and this will go for all Uefa teams, that will will have to have more Team grown players so you can not buy your quota but must develope it. Either way I can not see this as Money talks and the G14, now disbanded will still have alot of clout.

I have never classed us as a member of the Big 3 or 4, probably because when the EPL was formed we were having a very bad period that got worse and the Big what ever included, Scum Leeds, Blackburn Arsenal then Newcastle, then Chelsea, and now us, Admitidly the Big, or Most Successful teams are more constantly the present top 4, but we have never been a sure thing, and even now we were a little worried until a few weeks ago. This is the first year that one of the Big 4 will not win the FA Cup in over 10 years.

It only needs a team to bat above its weight and have a few lucky results to up set the cartell, Look a the BS, they finished 4th, with a -ve Goal difference, but the finished 4th all the same. What if we had not got number 5, could they have taken our place, could we have responded with out the CL that year and the money rewards.

So will their be a big 6, doubtful, I don't think any league has had a big 6 or any number greater than 4 since the introduction of the CL, as the money rewards and player prestige is too great. G.Barry wants CL football, Villa have NO chance of ever winning the EPL let alone a european cup of any description, (Inter Toto excluded) so you can see that any player who wants medals, big games, etc will have to move to the Bigger teams, ie"The Big Four",

As for Rafa looking for more English Players this fear that will will have to have more English players will not happen due to anti EU Employment rules, of course they may say we have to play with disabled people  : but we have Voronin ( ) they may say we, and this will go for all Uefa teams, that will will have to have more Team grown players so you can not buy your quota but must develope it. Either way I can not see this as Money talks and the G14, now disbanded will still have alot of clout.

Brilliant post Redpuppy.

If we wanted a 'big 6' or more, there is one answer. 'Salary Cap'. A salary cap would limit the spending power of all teams and help to keep all teams on an even keel. Its like the difference between Formula 1 and A1. F1 has 2 standout cars who always perform, whereas in the A1, all cars have the same engine and therefore its based on the driver to do well. The same thing goes for the salary cap.

... but personally i wouldnt want the salary cap introduced.

If we wanted a 'big 6' or more, there is one answer. 'Salary Cap'. A salary cap would limit the spending power of all teams and help to keep all teams on an even keel. Its like the difference between Formula 1 and A1. F1 has 2 standout cars who always perform, whereas in the A1, all cars have the same engine and therefore its based on the driver to do well. The same thing goes for the salary cap.

... but personally I wouldnt want the salary cap introduced.

Salary cap works well in the NBA. Not like, a team can not exceed a limit, but more like you pay tax at the rate of 100% for the values of salaries above the salary cap. So you often see teams selling off their overly expensive players.

Eventually, there has to be growth policies for the teams.

The Premiership is overhyped. Sure there are four fantastic clubs in the league but everyone else struggle when facing the big four.
In Spain you get teams like Racing and Osasuna giving teams like Madrid and Barca a tough night.

Think the Prem is very strong for 1st - 4th, after that theres nothing special about it apart from just hard work to offer...

Well I tend to disagree with that i think it is the "toughest" league in the world. The La Liga and Bundesliga have all been decided allready with the winners doing it convincingly. There are still 2 teams in it for the PL with one game to go. We also need to look at the sucess of the English teams in Europe not only in the CL but Uefa cup also.

I would like to see some sort of control instilled in the form of a salary cap or foreign player quota to regulate the competition and give the "smaller" clubs outside the big 4 more opportunity. But beacause football has grown into global business this will never happen.

The state of the global economy will have a big part to play, a lot of analysts are predicting bad times round the corner and if a recession is indeed coming there's a strong chance of a lot of the TV deals being pulled. There are a lot of clubs that wouldn't be able to survive the sudden loss of income, we could see the same scenes as when ITV digital went bust but on a larger scale as Premiership teams are much more reliant on TV income.
 

The state of the global economy will have a big part to play, a lot of analysts are predicting bad times round the corner and if a recession is indeed coming there's a strong chance of a lot of the TV deals being pulled. There are a lot of clubs that wouldn't be able to survive the sudden loss of income, we could see the same scenes as when ITV digital went bust but on a larger scale as Premiership teams are much more reliant on TV income.
 

I agree with that, with the credit crunch getting worse, fuel prices going up and SKY TV subscriptions getting cancelled a loss of income is especially going to affect the smaller clubs.

The FIFA president has just proclaimed that the reason the english teams are dominating the Champions League is because of their 'blatant' disregard for developing their own home players; Instead they just keep buying foreign players.

Sounds like Sepp Blatter has it in for the EPL! They call him the purist! BUT is purity and the development of the English players his driving force? or is it some other deep dark issue?

What do you think?

Salary cap works well in the NBA. Not like, a team can not exceed a limit, but more like you pay tax at the rate of 100% for the values of salaries above the salary cap. So you often see teams selling off their overly expensive players.

Eventually, there has to be growth policies for the teams.

As someone who follows the MLS, a football league with a salary cap it is really bad. The difference with a lot of sports like ice hockey, NFL and NBA is that they are the best leagues in the world with no other competition where players can go if they don't get the money they want. Football there is countless options with all the leagues in the world. It isn't bad when you play within the MLS but when you play in international competition is really where you see the difference.

I think the prem league is regarded as the best league in the world.  It has really taken top spot in the last few years people will nit pick and say or the big four a very big clubs and the rest don't give them competition, but hey even our Championship competes against other major leagues.  There is no need for any drastic measures its a case of (why fix it if it isn't broken).  Everyone was talking about la liga last year with a very close finish not so dramatic this time round.  As for Sepp Blatter he's an idiot and so is Micheal Platini, both are bias against our league especially the frenchmen.

Though it is kinda of a different question but it is similar in what it is asking. I was going to start a new thread but there is no need. I was watching a show and they were talking about this.

Do you think English clubs will ever get back to the glory of European football pre-Heyse? I don't mean having 3 of the top four in the semi-finals and such. I am talking about English clubs winning the UCL on a consistent basis like they did before where in a 8 year span 7 times the cup went to England.

Salary caps are implemented in English rugby and look where all the best players go. France. This is because they will pay over the odds. Sure most come back eventually but thats not the point in football, alot of (chelsea *cough*) players would just go elsewhere to earn a crust

The difference with a lot of sports like ice hockey, NFL and NBA is that they are the best leagues in the world with no other competition where players can go if they don't get the money they want. Football there is countless options with all the leagues in the world.

This is absolutely bang on. There is a reason it is called the 'transfer market'. It is simply a case of true market factors such as supply, demand, market liquidity and market depth working to produce the situation as it stands.

Salary caps works in small, exclusive markets such as American Football, the NBA and rugby league. In each case, there are either one or two markets where players can attract big money. This is not the case for football - if the EPL instigated a salary cap in isolation, you would see all the best players heading to the continent for their payday.

As for a quota of English players, there are two sides to this. If you want a strong national team, then it has to happen. The experience of Argentina in rugby shows what regular top-level competition does for a national team. But if you want a strong club league that attracts the best players from around the world and that has three of the top four teams in Europe, then a quota system won't work.

Do you think English clubs will ever get back to the glory of European football pre-Heyse? I don't mean having 3 of the top four in the semi-finals and such. I am talking about English clubs winning the UCL on a consistent basis like they did before where in a 8 year span 7 times the cup went to England.

I really think it is possible if the dynamics of how the EPL operates is not tampered with; that means, No! to the quota system, No! to the salary caps and the over the roof promotion of the game of football and the powerful business angle must continue. With all these in place, there's no doubt that the EPL will dominate.We might even see teams like Tottenham, with their huge wallet and Aston Villa making a come-back into greatness.

But unless the leadership of FIFA & UEFA change hands, the threat to disrupt the growth and strength of the EPL will remain.

Salary caps are implemented in English rugby and look where all the best players go. France. This is because they will pay over the odds. Sure most come back eventually but thats not the point in football, alot of (chelsea *cough*) players would just go elsewhere to earn a crust

Mate if your complaining about the salary cap in England, come here to Aus. and see our best players go over there. Our recent tax on poker pachines is killing our league clubs and that is where they base their finances. Add this to the lower salary cap and we see players getting shipped to either rugby union or France/England for higher wages. Of course this gives more reason to blood youngsters but once they show promise, off they go to England/France/Union.

Salary caps are in no way good for the game.

Mate if your complaining about the salary cap in England, come here to Aus. and see our best players go over there. Our recent tax on poker pachines is killing our league clubs and that is where they base their finances. Add this to the lower salary cap and we see players getting shipped to either rugby union or France/England for higher wages. Of course this gives more reason to blood youngsters but once they show promise, off they go to England/France/Union.

Salary caps are in no way good for the game.

If they were introduced i can guarantee that chelsea or someone will find a bloody loop hole with appearance bonuses or some sh*t bonus anyway and basically cheat there way to the top aswell as buying there way, IMO not only is it not good for the game but its a pointless exercise that will only end up damaging the league, as it has in aus according to crouchinho. So salary cap... no ta

If they were introduced I can guarantee that chelsea or someone will find a bloody loop hole with appearance bonuses or some sh*t bonus anyway and basically cheat there way to the top aswell as buying there way, IMO not only is it not good for the game but its a pointless exercise that will only end up damaging the league, as it has in aus according to crouchinho. So salary cap... no ta

Very much agree. These men are all about money and they will get their hands on it somehow. The only positive thing though about it here is that it is tightly policed so that wont happen if it is implemented with the same amount of security.

Well, with the way the Barry issue panned out and also the new song the manager of Wigan is singing about the price tag for Wilson (18 million pounds?), looks like the teams outside the top 4 are resisting the ''bully'' advances of their counterparts! The want to grow too.

Well, with the way the Barry issue panned out and also the new song the manager of Wigan is singing about the price tag for Wilson (18 million pounds?), looks like the teams outside the top 4 are resisting the ''bully'' advances of their counterparts! The want to grow too.

Problem is that there is soo much money from TV deals for all premiership clubs, they really dont need to sell