THE curtain has fallen
on another Premier
League season.
Manchester United have
won another title, two of
the three clubs which
clinched promotion last
year have gone down and
the top four are, well, you
don't need to be told.
But what about in 12
months time? Is it likely
to be a similar outcome? Most
certainly. Hardly a scenario to
dampen the theory that the
top tier of the English game
has become boring.
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Yet the man who instigated
that national debate last week,
Kevin Keegan, has suddenly
started to backtrack. Having
had a brief chat with David
Moyes in the aftermath of
Newcastle's defeat to Everton
on Sunday, Keegan felt it was
right to offer his apologies.
Whether it was the ticking
off he endured during a
productive and constructive'
meeting with owner Mike
Ashley on Friday, or the
performance from fifth-placed
Everton that convinced him
otherwise, the Newcastle
manager has started to wane.
"I'm now convinced after
listening to so many people
who know the game that I was
wrong - that the same top four
teams haven't been there for
the last six years, apart from
one," said Keegan. Let's hope
his comments were of a
sarcastic nature, otherwise
he's gone mad.
Having failed to prevent
Everton from claiming three
points at Goodison Park on
Saturday, he ensured that
Liverpool failed to extend the
11-point gap over their city
rivals.
Nevertheless, the fact is,
there has never been such a
deficit to fifth place in Premier
League history. In fact there
has never been such a gulf
between fourth and fifth in the
top tier since the Football
League was formed in 1888.
And while Manchester
United, Chelsea, Arsenal and
Liverpool made up the four
Champions League places for
the fifth time in six seasons,
the points column highlights
that the gap between that
particular quartet and the rest
is widening.
Last season Arsenal held an
eight-point advantage over
Tottenham between fourth
and fifth, while it is 11 years
since the gap was more than
five points. It is difficult to
imagine a time when that will
change.
This week it was revealed
that Manchester United
earned £78m in television cash
and prize money for this
season alone, while Liverpool
claimed £63.4m, £21.3m more
than Everton.
Compare that with clubs
without European football,
like Newcastle (£38.8m),
Middlesbrough (£33.9m) and
Sunderland (£33.1m), and it is
easy to sympathise with the
view that the top four are out
of sight.
In the Premier League an
evident divide of us and
them' has built up in recent
times, with the 16 teams
outside the top four seemingly
having to beg for crumbs from
the table of their betters.
Fortunately, with this
Saturday's FA Cup final
between Cardiff City and
Portsmouth in mind, there has
at least been a break from the
norm in terms of winning
trophies, with Tottenham
claiming the Carling Cup in
February.
Prior to this season, the big
four had won 28 major
trophies. With Manchester
United and Chelsea meeting in
Moscow later this month for
the right to win the
Champions League, that figure
will rise to 30.
But while there has
undoubtedly been progress
made by a number of clubs, it
is hard to stomach that Mike
Ashley has had to spend £234m
just to get Newcastle up to
12th in the table. No wonder he
is starting to think twice about
funding moves to try to bring
the world's top players to
Tyneside.
Ashley is not the only one.
West Ham have Icelandic
owners and Aston Villa are
governed by an American, a
trend that is likely to continue.
While that may all sound
exciting for the fans concerned
at the respective clubs, the big
four are the big four. Not even
Tottenham, Villa, Newcastle
or even Everton can do
anything about it.
IF ANYONE other than those
who have already qualified
deserves to be in Europe next
season, forget Manchester
City, Aston Villa or
Portsmouth, Fulham have my
vote.
With an extra UEFA Cup
place up for grabs because the
Premier League topped the
continent's fair play
competition, it would be an
incredible ending to an
exciting season if Fulham
clinched the place at the very
last moment.
Roy Hodgson deserves
unprecedented credit for the
way he steered Fulham away
from relegation danger,
despite taking over when the
Cottagers looked destined for
the Championship.
Eyebrows and question
marks were raised about
Hodgson's installation after
Lawrie Sanchez' departure in
December, almost on the scale
to that which met Howard
Wilkinson's appointment at
Sunderland in October 2002.
But where Wilkinson failed,
Hodgson succeeded. Now,
after Richard Dunne's
dismissal at Middlesbrough
on Sunday, his rewards could
be even greater. A UEFA Cup
place would be a worthy
finish for a man whose career
had never been the same since
failing to revive Blackburn
during 17 months at Ewood
Park between 1997-98.
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