After the first two weeks of English Premier League action, I have read several articles about some critics claiming that the EPL is "the most lopsided and unfair league in the world." Maybe a year or two ago I would have agreed with this statement, but with the current 20 EPL teams and recent results, I just don't think this argument has much weight behind it.
If we are solely talking about money, then yes, this league is extremely unfair. The spending power of the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City is so far off of the spending power of the likes of Blackpool, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic, and Blackburn Rovers. But even with this huge discrepancy of transfer funds, I firmly believe that any team in the EPL has the ability to get points against any other opponent. Let's just look at some of the "lopsided" match-ups throughout the first two weeks of the season so far:
Chelsea (6) v. West Brom (0): Chelsea completely dominated newly promoted West Brom, and this is one that David Hirshey and all the other columnists can use to prove their point. The Blues did score a few fortunate goal,
Blackpool (4) v. Wigan Athletic (0): There isn't a single psychic, or even die hard Blackpool fan, who could have predicted this outcome. Blackpool was predicted by everyone in the world to finish dead last, and no one expected they had the firepower to score four goals against anyone. Sure, they did score some fortunate goals, but that is what is so exciting and entertaining about the EPL.
Manchester United (3) v. Newcastle (0): Here is another one that will fit the argument of the league being "unfair". The Red Devils handled this game with extreme ease, going up by two at the half, and finishing the game with a vintage Ryan Giggs volley.
Newcastle United (6) v. Aston Villa (0): This has to be considered the most "lopsided" upset in recent memory. Newcastle was coming off a disappointing showing against Man U, and was facing an Aston Villa club which included newly acquired Stephen Ireland. Villa won their first game convincingly over West Ham, but looked atrocious in this game. John Carew missed an early penalty which would have given them the momentum, but after he rocketed his shot over the bar, it was an entirely new game. Joey Barton opened up the scoring with a wonder strike from outside the area, Kevin Nolan added two close range goals, and new #9, Andrew Carroll notched a nice premier league hat-trick. Yes, Aston Villa is a club surrounded by doubt and a care taking manager, but every club is going to have their off-the-field issues. With these off-the-field issues, any result from any game shouldn't be out of consideration.
Manchester United (2) v. Fulham (2): Manchester United looked well in control of this game throughout the first half, after Paul Scholes scored an absolute thunderbolt from 30 yards. But Fulham kept fighting back, as they seemingly always do at Craven Cottage. Nani had the opportunity to put Man U up 3-1 in the 82nd minute from the penalty spot, but his shot was very poor and easily dealt with by Fulham's back up keeper David Stockdale. With the regained hope and momentum switch after the penalty save, sure enough Brede Hangeland equalized in stoppage time to earn a hard fought draw. This was not such an incredibly stunning result on paper, but in a day when Arsenal won 6-0, Chelsea won 6-0, and Newcastle won 6-0, Sir Alex and his men needed the points. Fulham may be able to secure another European birth this season.. but if the league is so incredibly "lopsided and unfair", shouldn't Manchester United be able to soundly take points from lesser opponents, especially so early on in the season?
If you want to see an unfair league, go look at the Greek Superleague where Olympiakos and Panathinaikos dominate every year. Or please see Spanish La Liga, where every single year for the next 20 years it is going to be either Barcelona or Real Madrid at the top. It is completely ridiculous for these columnists to bash the Premier League for reasons that are completely untrue, and could tarnish the vision of newly interested soccer fans looking for a club or league to continue to watch after the World Cup.
The Premier League has literally six potential teams who are fighting for the top four Champion's League spots, and could also possibly contend for the title. The FA (English Football Association) has established some solid rules that will just further continue to bridge the gap between the top and the bottom of the league and make it more fair. These rules include:
-The Home-Grown Rule: This rule simply states that of the eligible 25-man roster for each Premier League team, at least EIGHT of the players must be "home-grown". A player is deemed home-grown if they have spent at least three years living or training in England or Wales before they turned 21 years old. This rule will encourage more teams to bring up more local talent, and any team has the ability to sign any young player, as their wages won't be astronomical at such a young age. Larger clubs also will be more keen to spend money on home-grown players for the reason, allowing smaller clubs to gain extra transfer and operating funds.
-Parachute/Promotion Funds: In order to assist smaller clubs who make the jump to the Premier League, the EPL will provide the new clubs with extra money to obtain new players, make improvements to the stadium, etc. For example, Blackpool, the smallest newly promoted team was given over €90,000,000 (over $140,000,000 US) when they were promoted. Of the €90,000,000 given to the club, €50,000,000 will be paid in 3 installments throughout the year, and the other €40,000,000 will be given to them if they are relegated, which is called a Parachute Fund. The Parachute fund will ensure that they will be able to afford to pay wages of their players if they are relegated, and will also help them stay towards the top of the Championship to hopefully be promoted again in the near future. These extra funds almost certainly narrow the gap between "the rich and the poor".
-Carling Cup/FA Cup Competitions: These are additional competitions played by teams all throughout England and Wales. The additional games and competition provides huge benefits for every single club as they gain strong additional income (especially if they get paired against bigger teams), additional experience against bigger clubs, and a reason and opportunity to field young/non-first team players. These additional contests don't close the gap an incredible amount, but these two tournaments are just extra ways that the "unfairness" of the league is minimized.
I get irritated when journalists who cover the beautiful game get things severely wrong, especially when they say things that could damage the view of English football from an American soccer fan's point of view. I get that Blackpool and West Brom have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the EPL, but without a doubt I guarantee that they will come away with some crucial points and strong results against several clubs at the top of the table.
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