Now the dust has settled on the season, one thing about English football has become blindingly obvious: the gulf in quality between the Premiership and the Championship has never been wider.
For just the second time in Premier League history, all three newly promoted teams went straight back down and that tells you everything you need to know about the difference in standards between the two divisions.
The three teams in question each took a different approach to the season but ultimately none of them found a way to bridge the gap.
Luton Town, as the unquestionable minnows, were frugal with their spending and instead focussed their efforts on long-term financial security, clever loans and plans for a new stadium. They still put up the best fight of the three, but trying to take on the top-flight with pretty much the same team that got you promoted is an exercise in futility.
Burnley took a different stance, spending €100 million on new players in a bid to compete at the higher level. But despite occasional flashes of promise, and one or two decent results, they never really looked like surviving.
The less said about Sheffield United the better. They dived into the season with a highly original plan that involved selling their best players, buying inferior replacements and then abandoning both the concept of defending and that of attacking.
That not one of these three teams managed to accumulate 30 points tells you everything you need to know about how they just couldn’t cope with the Premier League. All three were out of their depth from the first whistle to the last.
There is too much money in the Premier League. Undoubtedly. Parachute payments need to be eliminated. Definitely. Football needs a complete reset. Probably
On the flip side of this, of course, is the fact that relegated teams get massive parachute payments that make them overly competitive in the Championship. Evidence of this comes in the fact that the three teams that went down the previous season – Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton – finished in the top four of the second flight.
Although Ipswich Town gatecrashed the promotion party in incredible style, Leicester went up as champions while Southampton joined them via the play-offs. That’s 66 per cent of the relegated teams going straight back up.
So, what does all this tell us? Is it that there is too much money in the Premier League? Undoubtedly. Is it that the parachute payments need to be eliminated? Definitely. Is it that football needs a complete reset? Probably.
To VAR or not to VAR
On Thursday, the Premier League will decide whether to keep VAR.
Although that sounds dramatic and exciting, I think we all know this process is little more than a formality – there is no way two-thirds of the 20 teams will vote in favour of binning the system.
The big boys for certain will want to keep it in place so that they are better prepared for competing in Europe.
What that means is that, with no realistic chance of the proposal passing, the best we can hope for is a substantial rebellion, with a decent number of teams backing Wolverhampton Wanderers’ suggestion.
If six or seven clubs vote to kick it out, then the Premier League will know they have a problem on their hands. It will be a clear warning that if something drastic isn’t done to fix the godawful, football-destroying system, those six or seven could be nine or 10 next year until, eventually, it turns into a full-blown revolution.
If, on the other hand, the only club to raise their hand is Wolves, then I fear for the future of football.
Your say
Been a busy old week in the mail room with quite a few of you getting in touch to discuss Chelsea’s managerial merry-go-round, while someone else points out that this stupid practice of flying teams halfway round the globe is not idiocy limited to the Premier League...
“If Chelsea think swapping and changing managers every couple of weeks is the solution to their problems they need to think again. Yes, Pochettino didn’t have a great start but getting rid of him just when he was getting things right is madness. It took Sir Alex a few years to get going, Wenger as well, and also Arteta, and even Klopp wasn’t an overnight success. That’s the reality of football that Boehly needs to come to terms with.” Jay Grech, e-mail.
Instant success. That’s what everybody wants these days Jay, especially if you’ve splurged vast amounts of money trying to get it. JC
“I think you need to get up to date. Boehly might be chairperson, but like Buck under Abramovich, has little say. Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake, who owns 60 per cent to Boehly’s 13 per cent made the decision, not Boehly.
“It’s been extensively reported Boehly wasn’t involved in the meeting last Monday; Eghbali was; along with directors of football Winstanley and Stewart, who turned up with stats to give Pochettino a hard time.
“You need to move on from Boehly. Eghbali was responsible for the departures of Potter and Pochettino. Stop being lazy like most of the British media. As much as I would like to blame Boehly it’s incorrect. Do your own research.” S. Georgiou, e-mail.
You could be right mate, and probably are. But Boehly is the front man, the voice of the club, the one who proclaimed their plan was coming together. He may not be pulling the strings, but he is the muppet dancing for the cameras.
“Good morning. I fully agree with your comments on the Premier League vis-à-vis Chelsea. The worst disaster for the club was the Ukrainian war were the English FA put pressure on the British parliament to make Abramovich persona non grata. It’s a pity your article is in the Times of Malta and not in the UK Times.” Victor Delceppo, e-mail.
Not entirely sure that it was the FA pressurising parliament, more the other way round I suspect. But can’t disagree with the rest of your e-mail Victor... JC
“Good morning, James. Roma and Milan are doing the same as Newcastle and Spurs. They are meeting each other this Friday at Perth in Western Australia.” Ronnie Zammit, e-mail.
It’s not an English thing Ronnie, it’s a greed thing. The big, modern football club is incapable of saying no when there is money to be made. JC
E-mail: James.calvert@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade