Teams
|
Then
- Dominated by Man U and Arsenal. Liverpool and co.
desperately trying to
close the gap.
|
Now
- 80% same as. The
main differences being Chelsea’s rise and Leeds's debacle.
Wigan currently occupy the Barnsley, Swindon, Bradford
novelty spot.
|
A lucky Wigan fan celebrates after
winning the prize draw to replace
Paul Jewell as manager. |
TV
Money
|
Then
- Made sure everyone
was loaded and drove the wedge between the top two
divisions.
|
Now
- TV money has again
rocketed but just lead to hyper inflation. Even if you spend
£5-6m on a player you’ll only get leftovers- as proven by
Sunderland’s recent antics.
|
| Rich Owners
|
Then
- A handful of clubs
punched above their weight due to generous owners in
traditional industries e.g. Blackburn- steel, Middlesbrough-
haulage, Fulham- shop keeper.
|
Now
- Foreign owners have
poured an astonishing amount of money into most clubs. They
can’t all win the Champions League though so expect another
Leeds in the not too distant.
|
 |
The
Rams
|
Then
- After a few good
seasons, the team that came down was an embarrassing blend
of Carlos Kickaballs and has-beens.
|
Now
- No prima donna’s but
no Maradonna’s. Let’s see what happens.
|
| Media
|
Then -
MOTD, Sky Sports Live Games, Newspapers,
a handful of diehard hard copy fanzines and a few footy
comics/magazines.
|
Now -
Worldwide, wall to wall coverage of every arse scratch
remotely connected to to the Premiership. Internet Forums in
particular means any gossip or half truth gets in the public
domain in seconds and gives any average Joe the platform to
share his bullshit with thousands.
|
When Sky
demanded a 3am kick off
the impact on attendances was catastrophic. |
| Kick Off Times
|
Then
- For a club like DCFC,
a Monday or Sunday kick-off every month or so.
|
Now
- I was planning an
away trip a few weeks ago and worked out that with Saturday
lunchtime and teatime and increased Sunday ko’s due to
Euro commitments, there was about 50%
chance of not playing at 3pm on a Saturday. |
