The Big Four. No More?

Ever since the inception of the Premier League in its modern form, in 1992 – 1993, it has faced quite a few hurdles. One of them was the clear differentiation between the allegedly elitist league and the remaining tiers of football. The amount of money that was flowing in through various avenues ensured that quite a few disgruntled voices joined the din.

Another one of the dilemnas was the creation of a clique inside the Premier League itself. The top performing teams i.e. The Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, have managed to finish at the top end of the table and have, year after year, enjoyed the benefits that accompany a high finish. The top spot obviously has the highest remuneration attached, in addition to automatic Champions League qualification which actually means more money. It would also mean higher ticket sales as the number of games go up and these tickets come at a premium, as they are played against the cream of the other leagues in Europe. It would also mean better sponsorship deals and higher shirt sales as well.

It is a fact that only four teams have ever won the Premier League in its 19 years of existence. Only Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers have lifted the cup, and the Rovers have done that just once. So essentially, the other three have shared the spoils for over 19 years and that is a huge monetary difference which goes in to the clubs’ youth system, better stadiums and costlier (read better) players. Discounting the current season, Manchester United have never gone out of the top four in the 19 years, Arsenal are a close second with 16 years in the quartet, Liverpool come third with 12 years and Chelsea in last place with 11. The only other teams to have managed to finish in these prestigious positions are Newcastle United, having reached the spot on five different occasions, and Everton. This year could be Newcastle United’s sixth, as they are still in contention with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs in the race for the top 4.

After Chelsea’s title win in the 2004-2005 season, in which Everton managed to finish in fourth place, the race for the Premier League title was reduced to a two-horse race between Chelsea and Manchester United. Till date, 21 of the last 28 domestic trophies have been won by either of the two.

Finally, in the 2009-10 season, Tottenham and Manchester City, suddenly found their feet and broke into the circle of ‘Super Clubs’. That year, Spurs finished fourth while Liverpool were outdone by both City and Aston Villa. The cash-rich City has since bettered their effort and may win the season this year, their first time since 1968. Chelsea, for the first time in 10 years, will finish this season out of the top four, and maybe even the top five. Liverpool will complete a hat-trick of seasons outside the top 4. Even though City haven’t confirmed the title, this will be their second year inside the top three.

Will this season finally spell an end to the dominance of the ‘Big Four’ or will it just give rise to other, richer clubs to simply replace the incompetent ones? The gap between the ‘premier’ clubs and the rest of the table is obvious, but with more and more teams stepping up, next season could be a free-for-all. But will that translate into all-round development and a fair chance for everyone, is a question that needs to be answered.