There's a lot of antagonism against premiership clubs on the bunker (y'know premiershite, prima donnas etc) saying that footy, especially english football doesn't start until Div 1 which is true to an extent.

I've got friends who've supported premiership clubs through thick and thin since they could walk so I don't share the inverted snobbery point of view that you're only a true fan if you watch the lower leagues. It's like saying that if Pools got into the Premiership you'd have to go and watch Darlington who would of course still be in Div 4.

The Premiership...... it's got it's place. Just enjoy it as much as you can.

I think there are a couple of levels in the premier league; you've got the proper clubs, non glamorous if you like; the likes of Stoke, WBA, Fulham, not too may people have a problem with them. Poolies tend to have a go about the wannabees, the three joke clubs in the North East.

The issue and hatred arises with the so called super elite, the real franchise FC's of football; Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool, about to be joined by Man City. I leave out Arsenal because they are nowhere near as as cynical as those lot.

Personally yes, I hate the premier league. They are an irrelevance to the fans on the terraces. They milk every last penny for their over paid players and when their home grown fans can't afford it any more they export it to the far East. I would lose not one iota of sleep if every last one of them went bust. And if especially Man United and Liverpool were to go to the wall I would laugh until a little bit of wee came out.

The preciousship is completely irrelevant to my life. It's bollocks. No interest whatsoever. A bit like TV soaps.

well, I like watching football and enjoyed both the games yesterday on sky....

so sue me

Agreed. Football is football. I thought both games yesterday were very entertaining and it cost me bot all to watch them.

The only team I can't bring myself to watch in the whole of world football (and I include Darlo in this) is Shan Utd. That will never ever change.

I've been watching Toulouse pretty regularly this season. They're 6th in Ligue 1 which is basically the French Premier League and I pay 12 euros for a seat on the virage for most matches. The exchange rate means that is about £11 but it is really about £8 in terms of spending power if you're paid in euros. For big matches- PSG, Lyon, Bordeaux, OM- they hike the price and it costs the same as as watching Pools.

French football is different(less pace and contact) and Toulouse are a pretty negative side but clubs put out decent teams and charge sane prices because of the strict rules on how they are run. Too much debt, too high wage bill or dodgy owner and you can't start the season. All this means that the best players are usually picked up by foreign clubs and the French teams struggle in europe but for ordinary fans football remains very affordable. Price deals for unattractive fixtures mean that I could get seats for me, my wife and two kids for 22 euros two or three times a season.

For most fans that system is far more appealing than subsidising a pay and debt structure that helps to create Manure v Chelski European Cup finals.

one question - what is the raison d'etre for clubs such as Fulham, Everton, Tottenham, Middlesbrough? To not be relegated?
What is the point of that? Why bother? They don't even make a decent attempt at winning cup competitions FFS!!!
Football is about trying to win, not avoiding failure, and certainly not about making money.
Really, I don't get what that league is all about.
QPR, Norwich etc were able to come somewhere near close to winning that league in the early days, and the old first division days, but now.................. ? Why would they even want to get into that division now?
I'm talking about the winning matches, the Forests and Derbys of this world under Cloughie have gone forever. How is that good for the game?
It's all about money....... and that is wrong and that is why I hate that league

I mean this in the spirit of not knocking true, long term footy supporters of the premiership clubs and I take the point that a lot of the rest premiership is there to give the big four a game.

However..

A point I would make is that every dog has it's day. Lets see Man U without the chuddy chewer.

But lets cut to the chase........

My mate Alan Lloyd has supported one of the big four (he still hopes) since they were in the second division in the 60's and they've been what might be termed a leading club ever since.

I've asked him how he feels that his club has got all those foreign players and a foreign manager. He seems to think that it's a price you've got to pay to be at the highest level and you still couldn't tear him away from any game he can get to.

This lad lives and breathes his team, is an over the top footy man, travels to the european comps that his team gets into in spite of having to give other things up to do so.

If I told him it's not real footy that he goes to see he'd think I was daft. He does anyway.

I say again the Premiership has it's place, it exists..........lets enjoy it if possible and if not....... try not to knock it too much cos, as well as the pot hunters, they've got a lot of real supporters who've stuck with them through thick and thinand they can't all be daft.

still not buying it - your mate is blind to what's happened, it is no longer a competitive sport regardless of what he thinks, he has been brainwashed along the way. That's why clubs such as FCUM now exist - and I suspect there might be more like them in future.

sorry but most of what people have posted on here is just jealousy mixed a sense of injustice. My second team are man u. Always have been. I have been to old trafford twice and thoroughly enjoyed it. Its the pinnacle of world football. Some of their players can do things that most other professional footballers can only dream of. Yet they get paid over the top, but thats the authorities fault for not putting a wage cap in place. People who dont like it, fine. No problem with that. But when they start spouting the crap about destroying football then it just sounds like inane babble.

disagree vehemently

The thing that irks most people (certainly me anyway) with the premiership is not the clubs loyal supporters, of which there are many I'm sure, but the way the finance is arranged. If a club can stay in the top four they keep drawing in an inordinate amount of income so that the clubs below them immediately are at a disadvantage and find it hard to compete with them. The longer this goes on the bigger the gap becomes and therefore the competition becomes more and more out of kilter. This is why the premiership is so predictable and even big clubs like Spurs and Everton have no realistic chance of winning the league.

I think it is the people in power, the organisers of the premiership, that people resent and not the loyal supporters of the big four. It is all based around greed and debases the game of football and the spirit with which it is intended to be played.

nice choice of words mr parmo.

we have no chance of ever being champions of league 1 though? So why do we bother?

I like football so will watch it. Not bothered whether they are earning £100k a week or £50 a week. Football is football.

possibly the most sensible thing you have ever said. I like it when we can all have a mass debate without people spoiling it. Nice one!

thanks!

It's not, like! If you want to be accurate, the world cup is the pinnacle of world football, hence it's name.

To be honest, it's that sort of comment which makes people hate Manchester United. I hope they fold!!!

it would be class if Ronaldo got diarrhoea when he was through on goal

he'd be "through" alright

You need to be careful with that 'mass debate' sentence!

If it's jealousy why do I dislike all premiership football and not just the successful sides?
If it's jealousy why don't I just adopt a successful club instead of Pools? It doesn't cost owt.

When I see a dozen normally ordinary people sitting in front of the pub telly going bananas about Manchester when they have bugger all to do with Manchester, the only word I can think of is irrelevant.
Nothing to do with injustice, just a complete fooking intrusion into what could have been a great night out.

To be honest I'm more jealous of Doncaster, Barnsley, and Blackpool than I am of any "big" team.

there's some predictable inverse snobbery when it comes to the premiership. my first team, before i ever moved to hartlepool, was everton because my dad was a season ticket holder living in southport.

i have been a pools season ticket holder for about 9 of the last fourteen years (since i attended my first game).

if there's football on the telly, i'll watch it, because i enjoy it.

i agree that the premiership is largely an irrelevance to many people for a number of reasons, but there are a number of smaller clubs in there that through good luck, good management etc have climbed from our level into the premiership. good luck to them, but only if its founded on sound finances. clubs like manchester united, chelsea, liverpool and to some extent the arse splash huge amounts of cash round and increase the cost of success for teams at every level.

clubs like rotherham, huddersfield, darl*w, leeds and luton get all that's coming to them for gambling with money that's not really theirs. if i was a supporter of theirs, i'd be shitting my pants, waiting for it all to go wrong. as a club we're in better shape than loads of others but gawd help us if our owners decide to pull the plug, and that's without us splashing the cash like there's no tomorrow. for that i blame too many fans in the town for simply following success and buying shirts from the big three/four, and not backing their local team