A goal from keeper Tim Howard wasn’t enough for Everton as Bolton came from behind to edge closer to safety with a confidence boosting win at Goodison Park.

Howard scored from inside his own penalty area just after the hour to break the deadlock following a goalless first half on a wet and windy night on Merseyside. It wasn’t enough though as Owen Coyle’s side fought back to claim a priceless victory with captain Gary Cahill scoring the winner 12 minutes from time  on what could be his last game for the club after David N’Gog had levelled. The fighting spirit displayed by the Trotters will have given hope to supporters that the club can pull themselves away from danger after moving to within a point of fourth bottom QPR. Defeat will sting hard for David Moyes though as his side missed the chance to move into the top half throwing away their lead and a four-match unbeaten run that had seen them pull away from the danger over the festive period.

With Landon Donavan back at Goodison Park on a two-month loan deal from LA Galaxy to bolster Toffees’ attack they made the brighter start as the wind and rain made conditions treacherous in the first half. The American was involved almost immediately teeing up Denis Stracqualursi who fired wide of Adam Bogdan’s post before Leighton Baines crossed for Louis Saha to fire wide. The visitors also had a few sniffs at goal in a surprisingly bright opening forty five minutes with Phil Jagielka headed just over his own cross bar following Chris Eagles’ floated delivery. The Everton skipper then went close at the other end but was denied by a smart save from Bogdan after connected with Leon Osman’s cross before Donavan had a penalty shout turned down by referee Phil Dowd after tangling with Sam Ricketts in the penalty area. N’Gog then had the Trotters’ best chance of the half firing straight at Howard after being played in by Nigel Re0-Coker as both teams hurried down the tunnel at half time to escape the blustery weather.

The second period saw both sides create early opportunities with Jack Rodwell firing just wide for Everton before Mark Davies was denied by Howard at the other end after ghosting past Sylvain Distin and Johnny Heitinga. The American saved smartly from N’Gog’s curler from the edge of the area before stunning everyone inside Goodison Park by breaking the deadlock. His long clearance bounced 30-yards from goal and with a little boost from the wind sailed over the head of Bogdan and into the net. Going behind usually signals the beginning of the end for Coyle’s side but on this occasion they refused to lie down and accept their fate drawing level on 67 minutes through N’Gog. The Frenchman had failed to score in over three months but did brilliantly to take Reo-Coker’s pass under control before fixing the far corner with an accurate strike. He then had a penalty shout turned down after Baines appeared to block the former his s effort with an arm before Cahill swept home the winner to put Bolton in with a firm chance of beating the drop.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’writer-2′ align=’right’]

Shamrock Rovers away it is then and a small but hardy gang of Lilywhites will be braving airports various and venturing towards a destination the natives call… Tallaghtfornia.

Dublin has considerable charms but these have been tarnished somewhat by the phenomenal financial drain of the city even to a visitor attempting to keep to the most modest of budgets. 

I used to live there and am a frequent visitor to this day, so there’s no malice from me just based upon a long weekend that went wrong. It’s horrifically expensive across the board.

You’re all adults and getting to the stadium is your own business – but on taxis – should you step into one, make sure that you know where you are going. A considerable percentage of city center taxi men are, shall we say, not Irish. So if you know the postcode of your destination, I’d humbly suggest you have it to hand for the old Sat Nav.

Pre and post the game you may wish to seek out something to eat and drink. I would recommend Zaytoon which has branches both in Lr Camden St and Parliament St. Rotten for vegetarians I’m afraid, but super reliable high class Persian kebabs fare. Not cheap, but bloody nice and you can sit down in decent surroundings.

Temple Bar is rubbish. If you haven’t experienced it and wish to enjoy it’s many splendid ‘things’ then I shan’t even attempt to coax you round. Good luck, God bless.

Not too far across town however is Dawson Street where Cafe En Seine and Samsara lay in wait. These two gems are not only nice buildings to be in but actually populated by decent local types. There’s a pair of really good food options in this road too.

For Pizza, Milano is essentially Pizza Express by another moniker and if you want something very very nice indeed, then look no further than Fire at The Mansion House which more or less is opposite the bars previously listed.

If you need use of an Internet cafe, their are a good few as one would expect in a city center, the arguably most central is Global on O’Connell Street. 

Aside from make sure that you wear clean pants in case you get case run over, I think that’s it. Hopefully it’s of some small use. Of course, it would be better if readers were to add their own thoughts.

BIOYSRC!

Courtesy of Harry-Hotspur.com

Football fans’ willingness to show their dedication comes in all shapes and sizes. One such way is to splay their dedication over their body in the form of a tattoo. I can understand why somebody might choose to tattoo their footballing allegiance onto their body. Whilst women come and go, a football team is for life. It’s the manly man’s equivalent of getting “I love mom’ yet a tattoo is a big commitment, so it’s important to get it right. As you can imagine, this process isn’t always a success.

Below are the top 10 West Ham tattoo’s to be found on the net – the good, the bad and the plain ugly – click on image below to unveil gallery:

[divider]

Have you got a better West Ham tattoo? Football FanCast would like to invite the readers to submit their own entry via our Facebook Page. The winning entries will go forward to our grand competition to find the best tattoo in the Premier League.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

[divider]

Liverpool will assess the fitness of captain Steven Gerrard ahead of Saturday’s clash with Arsenal, after the midfielder picked up a knock playing for England against Netherlands on Wednesday.

The Anfield talisman was substituted after 32 minutes of the Three Lions’ 3-2 defeat to Bert van Marwijk’s team, and is now a doubt to face the Gunners.

Kenny Dalglish has stated that at present he is unsure of Gerrard’s likelihood of featuring at the weekend, but has refused to blame Stuart Pearce or the England setup for the player’s injury.

“The players will be arriving shortly, so we’ll get an assessment when we speak to the medical people and look at it from there,” the Scottish manager told Sky Sports.

“If I don’t know what it is, I can’t tell you whether there is every chance or no chance (of Gerrard facing Arsenal), so rather than speculate it’s best for us to just wait and see what the medical people have to say once they’ve seen him.

“I have fantastic respect for ‘Pearcey’ – he played for us (under Dalglish at Newcastle). He is a really straight, honest guy so I don’t think he would do anything harmful to the football club,” he stated.

Meanwhile Daniel Agger cracked a rib in the Carling Cup victory over Cardiff last Sunday, and Dalglish feels that the Danish defender’s absence will be felt.

“He’s got a fractured rib, so maybe it will be a few weeks.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“Anybody that is injured is a miss. Daniel has been playing fantastically well this year, but we’ll miss anybody that is not fit and available,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ffcvideo file=”tfcb5″ type=”mp4″ image_type=”jpg”]

Jermain Defoe might rarely be at the tops of the goals charts these days, but today we’re looking at an all new type of table; the WAG table. And in this League Defoe is the man to beat. Expending more energy in China White’s and subsequent bedrooms (or cabs, alleyways, etc) than on the pitch. Defoe is our Champion Ladies man. Lets review some of his highlights in a long and illustrious career.

 Danielle Lloyd

WAG is clearly not a viable career choice, but Miss Lloyd doesn’t believe that, being dubbed ‘Career WAG’. Having seen more footballers undies than the kit man, Danielle is the Queen WAG (a competitive title). Surely a perfect match. But it appears neither could keep it in their pants. I doubt either left heart-broken.

 Charlotte Mears

So nearly the one. The struggling model/actress/club rep/whatever and Jermaine were engaged briefly, and even made this heart-warming appearance together on mediocre daytime TV. What a fairy tale! But they were constantly plagued by rumours Defoe was cheating, mostly because he was, and the fairy tale proved to be more Jeremy Kyle.

CLICK BELOW FOR GALLERY

CLICK ABOVE FOR GALLERY

 Chantelle Houghton

Reality TV stars fade fast, but back in the day Chantelle was a big name as one half of Chantelle and Preston (ask your dad). No one would dare claim Chantelle was just desperately trying to cling to her BB fame when she hooked up with Defoe in 09. It may come as a shock to find the pair unfortunately didn’t last the distance.

 Imogen Thomas

Jermaine must have sat watching BB with a pad and pen, and made a list. Imogen apparently thought she might ‘settle down’ with Jermaine. Great idea girl, not sure what could have wrong. A marginally smarter girl than Defoe’s usual.

 Roxy Townsend

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

After a few years away from the WAG scene, Defoe return with this very blond, very Essex, bombshell. ‘Aspiring singer’ (ha) Roxy almost moved in with Jermaine until also accusing him of cheating. Champagne in hand, Our hero once again ventured out into the sticky dance floors of Essex, to continue his epic quest for love.

 Alexandra Burke

You may be thinking but all this is old news. And you’d be right. But the years have passed and surely Jermaine is now an older, wiser guy. Enter former reality TV star, with her fame now declining. Burke has followed the time tested career advice, ‘can’t get on TV, bed Jermaine Defoe’ (JobCenter should start promoting this tactic).  We wait with baited breath to see Alexandra can be ‘the one’.

A year ago Manchester United’s Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez was taking the Premier League by storm, forging a burgeoning reputation as a clinical finisher, a bargain buy and a talent; probably one of the biggest from the America’s and the CONCACAF region in particularly since Dwight Yorke and further back Mexican hero himself Hugo Sanchez. Fast forward the story and ‘Little Pea’ as he is fondly regarded struggles to get a start nowadays with Sir Alex Ferguson plumping for the precocious Danny Welbeck as Wayne Rooney’s rightful strike partner. It is hard to put your finger upon exactly just where Hernandez has underwhelmed in the eyes of the manager with Welbeck’s succession sticking out as the only reason for his relative backward step in Europe.

Hernandez has started 17 times in the league this term; five times less than Welbeck and although this doesn’t seem such a difference upon first glance, Ferguson has continued to favour the partnership the England internationals together more often than not across the cup competitions also. Whilst Manchester United purists will maintain Hernandez is still learning the English game, the Mexican would surely look back on his first season with more fondness than that of the present. Having still struck ten goals in 26 appearances in total this term, Hernandez clearly hasn’t lost his clinical finishing abilities but his in and out nature in the team has meant he hasn’t been able to build on the initial haul of 19 he got last term and more importantly the outstanding reputation he earned in the eyes of the media and onlookers and neutrals alike.

Calls of ‘second season syndrome’ have been employed to describe the Mexican’s second wave in the Premier League with the phrase usually applied in describing a downturn in fortunes for a football club but moreover for a players merits also. Every player must accept he is part of a team with squad changes, injury and personal preferences altering across the longevity of a campaign, but whilst the striker’s downturn hasn’t been as dramatic as say Marouane Chamakh’s, the fact Javier Hernandez hasn’t been able to dislodge Welbeck from the squad might be weighing heavy on his mind.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Hernandez was lauded by many a punditry panel last term for his link up with Rooney and the fact it looked like they had been playing together for years in a so-called dream partnership. Whilst Rooney would and still drops deep to collect the ball, it was a mark of Chicharito’s 2010/11 campaign that he made perfectly timed runs, beating the offside trap to receive a Rooney assist and score. Twinned with this was an impressive climb in the air for a player who only stands at 5ft9, with the memorable ‘seal flick’ header at Stoke City representing his most wondrous of leaps.

Wayne Rooney stated in the press and of Hernandez and the partnership

‘I’m sure people will know a bit more about him this year but his movement is so good it’s difficult to defend against. It won’t be easy for players to defend against him whether they know about him or not’

We live in a society of immediacy as Arsene Wenger pointed out earlier this campaign, and expectancy levels have had the potential to be damaging in the cases of Theo Walcott, Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll. Partly because of the fast-paced and direct implications of modern day living and impatience radiating as a result, reputations are that much more short-lived than ever before, with hero to zero statuses occurring within a blinking of the eye. Maybe because specific teams, personnel and rare breeds such as Barcelona and Lionel Messi continue to deliver greatness consistently, many fans may subconsciously find it hard to take or fail to understand why some of their pros may lose their way or suffer a dip in form.

Hernandez may well be suffering from second season syndrome in that he hasn’t had as much influence as he did in his maiden campaign, but a lack of a consistent run in the first team has directly been comparable with his down turning fortunes. Only time will tell whether the Mexican can successfully break back into the first eleven, or suffer further as a result of English eyes wanting Danny Welbeck to do well in his fast-tracked development with the Red Devils.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Is Javier Hernandez the real deal? Have his performances this season disappointed? Will he go on to taste a long and successful career at United? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989

Chelsea have put Tottenham to the sword in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, beating their London rivals 5-1 to set up a final date with Liverpool.

Didier Drogba gave the Blues the lead in the first-half, and the game went into the interval 1-0, before a hugely controversial second goal was awarded to double Chelsea’s lead.

A Juan Mata strike headed goal-bound only to be cleared by Benoit Assou-Ekotto, but a goal was awarded despite the ball not crossing the line.

Gareth Bale pulled one back for Spurs shortly after to give their fans hope, only for late goals from Ramires, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda to kill the game off as a contest.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp was fuming at the award of the second goal, blaming referee Martin Atkinson a poor decision.

“The second goal was a disaster,” the incensed manager told Sky Sports.

“It was nowhere near a goal. It was a huge mistake.

“We looked too open after that and they picked us off. It was key.

“He’s (Atkinson) made a big mistake. I don’t see how he can give the goal. It’s nowhere near over the line. There were bodies on the line and the ball couldn’t possibly get over the line.

“He must have guessed. He can’t have been sure.

“I spoke to him. He says he feels worse than I do. I said: ‘I don’t think so’. He knows he’s made a mistake and he says he’ll have a bad week as well,” he concluded.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

As football fans we are all too aware that the rumour mill will never cease, and with the January transfer window becoming a distant, and underwhelming, memory we can now switch our attention to the summer of 2012. As well as the England’s quarter final exit in Poland/Ukraine (call me Mystic Meg) we will all be paying close attention to the transfer market, watching clubs up and down the league prepare for the new campaign with optimism running high.

Coaches will be searching (without the luxury of a Football Manager-esque engine) for realistic targets for their summer spending endlessly, so here are 10 men who could find themselves moving house instead of lounging on a beach in Dubai. Whether it be contract issues, lack playing-time or a desire to move onto bigger and better things, they will all be waiting anxiously by their mobiles for a high proportion of the off-season, as their agents attempt to find potential suitors.

Failure to plan is planning to fail, so a few managers could be compiling lists very similar the following:

Click on Adel Taraabt to unveil the top 10 players set to move on this summer

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

[ffcvideo file=”tfcb7″ type=”mp4″ image_type=”jpg”]

With the Premier League now widely considered the best domestic football competition in the world, the expectation levels have continued to expand and competition for places in the division are stronger than ever. A now extinct chasm between the top 4 teams and the remaining stragglers was once so prevalent that it was thought to have removed a percentage of the leagues dramatic excitement. With Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea dominating the Champions League positions for a period, other clubs considered breaking into the quartet a feat of extraordinary distinction.

Fast forward to 2012 and the clubs challenging for the summit of the table have now doubled, with eight teams seemingly cementing themselves as the best that England has to offer. Along with the aforementioned top 4, current Champions Manchester City have erupting bags of moola that they can spend on whomever they wish. Tottenham have announced themselves as genuine contenders and another 4th placed position last season seems to have clarified their qualities. Under David Moyes, Everton have transformed from a team staving off relegation to finishing within the top eight positions in the Premier League for six consecutive seasons. Newcastle are the newest addition to the elite pack but are an attractive package to any world class player who they choose to add to their already impressive squad. A glance at last seasons table indicates that Fulham were the only team within touching distance of these eight contenders. However, with the amount of interior transition and expenditure at the elite clubs this summer, could the remaining twelve Premier League participants ever be able to catch up without serious investment or serious luck?

Assuming that both Manchester clubs, Arsenal and Chelsea have the finances and squad ability to never drop out of the higher positions, the only teams that could feasibly be caught and have to bow out of the leagues upper echelons are Liverpool, Newcastle, Tottenham and Everton.

Liverpool had the least successful season of the eight contenders last time out. A beloved manager under-performing and a refurbished squad that had yet to develop left the Reds in dire straits. With a new manager and investment almost certain, the club looks more likely than ever to push on and ascertain a league position that is far more recognisable to the Anfield faithful.

Alan Pardew and his Newcastle squad have a difficult task ahead of them in trying to improve on their 5th placed finished last term. However, with a French revolution exciting punters on Tyneside, an improved squad looks likely and a similar league position next season shouldn’t be unexpected.

Tottenham’s future has a distressing unknown quantity to it. Although the departure of Redknapp was lauded by some fans, their is no question that the former West Ham player had an excellent tenure at White Hart Lane. With untested transition ahead and rumours of a mass exodus of the clubs top players, achieving a top 4 position may be slightly out of their reach. However, it would be one of the more surprising moments in Premier League history should the club finish outside the top eight.

If asked to select a team that is in the most danger of sliding away from the elite contenders group, most would say Everton. Squad investment is few and far between at Goodison and “a shoestring budget” may once again be the dreaded words that ring in David Moyes’ ears throughout the summer. However, the clubs track record in recent seasons is nothing short of incredible and the capture of out and out goalscorer Nikica Jelavic was one of Moyes’ most astute moves as Toffees boss to date, so expect a similar, dogged and possibly rewarding season for Everton in 2012/13.

Recapping the status’ of the top eight teams in the Premier League breeds little hope into the chasing pack, who are so desperate to prevent an unbridgeable gap between contenders and also-rans. A glance at the clubs hoping to break the fast cementing octad of clubs at the leagues preferable end, may indicate who can make a genuine attempt at closing down the exclusive eight.

Fulham surprisingly impressive 9th placed finish last term may give the club some positivity entering into a new season. However, with star man Clint Dempsey (often bailing the club out of trouble single handedly) in high demand, the Cottagers would need to reinvest in a quality striker if they are to improve on their previous term.

Under Martin O’Neill, Sunderland could be the team most likely to improve next season. With money to spend and a coach who is admired by many professionals, the Black Cats could make a real attempt at shifting themselves up the table. However, their current squad is depleted in some key areas so investment will be key this summer.

Stoke have now firmly cemented themselves in the Premier League after dodging the second and third season syndrome cases that affect so many newly promoted sides. Now entering their fifth season in the top flight, the Potters have tasted European football after a reasonably successful run in the Europa League last term. With no games on the continent next season, Tony Pulis can concentrate his squad fully on the domestic competitions, especially the Premier League. With Peter Crouch leading their team and back line to scare off even the burliest of opposition strikers, Stoke may be able to challenge for a top eight position next season.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

With clubs such as Aston Villa, West Brom, Norwich, QPR and Swansea all entering periods of transition, a challenge for the top eight may be a step to far. However, with such a fluctuating season in terms of results last season, the leagues predictability is now more puzzling then ever before. Who is to say that the three new entrants to the division can not make a fearless attempt at a position in the top eight? You only have to look at clubs like Ipswich and Wigan who achieved top half finishes in their first full seasons in the Premiership recently, to know that a first season flourish is not impossible. However, what has to be conceded is that for any team to remove the increasing gap in quality between the top eight and the chasing twelve, investment may have to be boundless and prosperity may need to be immeasurable.

Do you think your club can make a case for a top 8 position? Have your say and tweet me @mattpegg1

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

The Premier League is meant to be the best league in world. It’s attracts the top players and earns the highest TV rights while being watched by fans in every country across the globe. The blood and guts style of English football has gone a long way to impressing it’s far flung spectators and the possibility of any team winning on their day has provided a competitive nature that makes for an exciting contest.

The fact a side like Wigan Athletic now has every chance of beating the likes of Manchester United has added an unpredictable quality to matches but is this progression a sign that the lesser teams are getting stronger or that the Premier League is getting weaker?

It’s a difficult distinction to make but comparatively speaking the top sides seem to be getting worse. While the Sunderland’s and Fulham’s of yesteryear would give their present day equivalents an even run for their money, most fans would agree that the Arsenal Invincibles or the Manchester United treble winners would brush aside their modern replacements. This logic may stem more from nostalgia than factual evidence but the manner with which these sides dominated their respective eras gives them a distinctive reputation.

In reality Manchester United won their last league title with just 80 points, the lowest for over a decade and a long way behind Chelsea’s record haul of 95 points in 2003/04. This may give an impression of decreasing standards and very few would even try to compare the Red Devils of 2010/11 with their treble winning heroes of 1998/99. Strangely that legendary side amassed a mere 79 points on their way to League and Cup triumph and while they may have been spread thin across more than one competition, they’re still regarded as a far better side than their predecessors despite claiming less points overall. Schmeichel, Keane, Beckham, Yorke and Cole, Sheringham and Solskjaer, all have found their place in Old Trafford folklore and yet subsequent squads have performed more successfully across an entire League season to far less acclaim. If the current squad is deemed to be the worse of the two and yet can finish with more points over a season, what does that say about the standard of the Premier League?

Logically the overall standards must be getting worse but Arsenal’s unbeaten season is an unrivalled achievement despite the likes of Lehmann, Vieira, Bergkamp and Henry only earning the Gunners 90 points in comparison to last season’s champions Manchester City who finished with 89. Not only was that equal with their archrivals United but both halves of Manchester also lost 5 times and still finished only 1 point shy of the North Londoners’ legendary side. If both can afford a handful of losses yet still almost earn as many points as the Arsenal greats then perhaps the standards haven’t really changed as much as some suspect.

After all many fans feel the League is currently at its most successful, especially since the powers that be recently signed the biggest TV rights deal in their history proving how lucratively popular their product still is. While this improvement may be the natural progression of financial investment, the increasing popularity can also be attributed to the competitive nature of League and as more teams challenge for the title or at the very least a top four spot, the closer the League becomes and the harder it is to win. 10 years ago sides like Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea would rarely offer much of a fight against the League leaders but nowadays they’re genuine rivals and as such the eventual champion must earn their title by giving their all week in week out. Naturally professional football teams always give 100% but there was often a sense that the top sides could walk certain fixtures over the course of a season whereas now they know they must be at their best every time they step out onto the field. The likes of West Brom and Stoke City have become difficult fixtures but it all boils down to whether or not they’ve become stronger by learning to compete with what they’ve got or in fact the top sides have just become easier to tackle?

The answer is its all relative. Nostalgia says old United are better than new United but in reality they had less opposition. While new United don’t seem as strong on paper, they’ve still competed for the title with a supposedly inferior squad and earned more points. It’s impossible to know whether or not City’s title winners would beat Arsenal’s Invincibles but even if the old school were better man for man, neither side outperformed their rivals with any more distinction than the other so relatively speaking they’re extremely similar.

Regardless of whether fans believe the standards have dropped, the League winner must still outperform nineteen other sides so if those sides are more difficult to beat than in previous years then surely the League as a whole is stronger, even if the winning team is not.

Do you think the Premier League’s standards have dipped? Are matches more competitive or have the better teams got worse?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Let me know your views and opinions by following me on Twitter – Tweet me @Alex_Churcher

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]