SO now we know four of the six clubs who will be promoted to or relegated from the Premier League.
And we need to make sure this magnificent competition remains a meritocracy.
I’ve heard some supporters say: “It’s the same clubs going up and down” — but that’s just not true.
While this season the ‘three-up, three down’ did happen — or is about to — over the years that has not been a regular trend.
There have been some yo-yo clubs, but remember in 2021-22 all the promoted clubs stayed in the Premier League and flourished.
Just look where they are now. Fulham, Bournemouth and Champions League-chasing Nottingham Forest are all in the top half.
So, it can be done and we want to make sure that remains the case, in order to uphold the Prem as world football’s most vibrant and exciting domestic competition.
Heck, we must be doing something right as the average top-flight attendance this season is more than 40,000 and the full-house signs are up everywhere.
A decade ago that figure was 36,000 and 20 years ago it was 33,000.
If you analyse the stats, relegated clubs from the Prem finish on average ninth in their first season in the Championship, then 12th in their second season.
That does not suggest there is a long-term trend for teams bouncing between the two leagues but it does mean we must keep a very close eye on the situation as the Prem should reward success, as well as punish failure.
What we have to ensure is that on any given day any side can beat anyone else in the Prem.
Forest won at Liverpool in September, just as Fulham beat the champions-elect this month.
Ditto Arsenal, who lost at home to West Ham in February.
Also, Forest, Bournemouth, Fulham and Brighton are all in the top half, with Brentford 11th and Crystal Palace 12th. That suggests merit is alive and kicking.
To those clubs chasing the Prem dream . . . good luck.
So far Sheffield United and Sunderland have booked themselves two of the four play-off places and both clubs will know that promotion to the top flight will bring unbridled joy to fans.
It is the Willy Wonka golden ticket and the financial windfall can change the future.
You are then in the big league, performing in front of a global audience of billions.
There is increased revenue from TV money, sponsorships, attendances and countless other commercial opportunities which come knocking, whereas for those clubs who get relegated from the Prem it is a tough world out there.
Cost-cutting is the name of the game as revenue drops by millions in one hit. I know, I’ve been there.
Without parachute payments, the tough task of remaining in the Prem gets even tougher and relegation is Armageddon
I’ve lived with the pain of relegation and joy of promotion and, believe me, you never forget either.
The challenge for whichever club joins Burnley and Leeds in the Prem next season is sustainability.
Spend wisely and don’t go overboard in the transfer market.
There are examples of clubs who have managed the leap into the Prem after showing resilience and building strong foundations.
They have spent on the right players, appointed the right manager and have treated survival as a starting point, not the finishing line.
Promotion to the Prem can make or break you and if the powers-that-be abolish parachute payments — which they have threatened to — I predict a very bleak future for some clubs.
Without parachute payments, the tough task of remaining in the Prem gets even tougher and relegation is Armageddon.
As we near the last few hurdles in the campaign, some will dream and some will turn to despair.
And that’s why it remains the game we all love.
Read the full article here
