City sauntered into the Premier League in style with an unexpectedly outstanding 2018/19 Championship title win.
Daniel Farke’s side blew the competition away (yes, even Marcelo Bielsa’s much-vaunted Leeds side) with an attractive, attacking brand of football.
After scoring 94 goals and gaining just as many points, the team paraded the trophy around the streets of a sunny Norwich in front of 100,000 people, vividly decked out in the famous canary yellow and green.
Just 15 (yes, 15) months later and they played (barely) out the season in front of no fans, gaining no points and only one goal in the nine games after ‘Project Restart.’
It really wasn’t meant to be this way.
However, the Premier League ‘rot’ had already set in way before coronavirus hit our shores. Here are some things I will miss, and some I most certainly will not, about the ‘biggest league in the world.’
‘MISS U’ – It’s the Premier League.
Just the name and reputation of the Premier League is enough for any club to want to be there. The array of outstanding players, the media coverage, the spotlight on your club week in, week out is enough to make it the place to be. Ultimately, for a club like ours, it is the pinnacle – without substantial investment, just ‘being’ in the Premier League is probably the height of our ambitions, and teams like Burnley have proven this can feel like success.
‘WON’T MISS U’ – VAR
Where else to start? I was surprised the TV companies didn’t add ‘F?$k VAR’ to their crowd noises after Project Restart… such was the resistance to it by fans far and wide.
It’s not the system, as such, it is how it’s done.
It takes power away from the referees, removes the excitement of goals and makes decisions based on mathematics and the drawing of straight lines, not what is in the best interests of football – how we all know and love it.
Sure, City were on the end of one of the worst VAR decisions of the season, when Teemu Pukki’s goal against Spurs was disallowed, but tellingly we also sang ‘F?$k VAR’ alongside Leicester fans after Kelechi Iheanacho’s opening goal was disallowed against us for the most innocuous of handballs.
Thankfully, the EFL haven’t employed the muppets at Stockley Park to officiate games from 300 miles away, yet…
‘MISS U’ – Winning against the odds
Rightly or wrongly, City decided to test their effervescent young squad against the filthy rich squads of the Premier League without spending very much at all. Indeed, our only permanent signing pre-season was Sam Byram, a backup full-back, for £750K.
Perhaps we didn’t ‘give it a proper go’ or perhaps we accepted relegation could happen while securing our future as a football club? Either way, when you’re the poorest club in the Premier League with the lowest budget, each and every win feels like the time David beat the $hit out of Goliath.
Our win against Manchester City, despite our subsequent surrender, with forever be remembered in Norfolk. Despite an injury list as long as that of the list of ingredients in a Delia cookbook, we managed to beat the reigning champions in style, scoring three brilliant goals and raising the roof off Carrow Road (recorded as the loudest of any Premier League grounds this season).
Somehow, I feel like a routine 2-0 home victory over Barnsley won’t quite bring the same feeling – even if we are allowed a crowd!
‘WON’T MISS U’ – Soulless stadiums
Okay, so all stadiums were soulless from June onwards, proving that football really is ‘all about the fans’ but the appeal of identikit Premier League stadiums, which entice tourists aplenty and seem like they are hosting exhibitions rather than football matches, is lost on me.
This season, I attended several away games. Anfield on the first night of the season was like a morgue, aside from our yellow and green corner – even when we were 0-4 down. The London Stadium was worse, a far cry from the delights and frights of West Ham’s Boleyn Ground.
Having said that, I must give Spurs’ new stadium a shout – it has been designed with the football fan in mind and provided a great backdrop for our penalty shoot out win in the FA Cup. Perhaps it was that the home fans weren’t enthralled at the prospect of a game against Norwich, but give me Kenilworth Road or Hillsborough any day of the week.
‘MISS U’ – Top class players
I have never been one of those people who go to games to ‘witness’ opposition players against us. They pretty much become invisible when I watch games, I go to watch and support my team, but I can’t deny watching some individuals this season has left me in awe of some of the quality in the Premier League.
The Liverpool front three on that first night were a sight to behold, the performances of Martial and Rashford for Manchester United against us, and having to admit that Jack Grealish is different class after Villa beat us 5-1 was hard, but an honest assessment of his personal qualities.
Then there’s the top-class players who I may never see in yellow and green again, even after a difficult season, the likes of Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, Todd Cantwell and Emi Buendia have done their personal reputations no harm.
We don’t HAVE to sell, but we likely will, and it’s always sadder when the family silver (youngsters from the academy) are the ones who are sold.
‘DON’T MISS U’ – It’s the Premier League.
There’s something egotistical and arrogant that leaves a bad taste about the Premier League. This season has had several examples: the bull-headedness in refusing to make changes to a flawed VAR system; the money over safety approach to Project Restart and the lack of support in saving lower level clubs who are in crisis due to COVID.
Although I will never criticise the players themselves, they earn the money they’re offered, the Premier League as an organisation feels corrupt and insular – ignorant to others’ views and bullying enough to ignore its flaws.
Having said that, I don’t think the EFL’s reputation has fared much better.
Then there are the big clubs and their fans, many of whom have never even stepped foot in the city of the team they support, let alone the ground. The way they belittle the smaller clubs is a little pathetic at times.
One of the things I love about the Championship is, although there is an intense rivalry between teams borne from the fact you never know who will win, there is also a camaraderie and togetherness between fans, we share the understanding that our teams are sometimes bloody cr@p.
One thing is certain – the Premier League is the biggest league in the world, with many of the best players and an obvious worldwide appeal. It’s exciting, fast-paced and engrossing.
Having said all that, it still isn’t the only place to be. What coronavirus, empty stadiums and clubs being forced into administration have taught me is at least we still have a football club to support – one that is at the heart of its community.
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A version of this article will also appear on https://headersandvolleys.co.uk/
What I won’t miss.
1. Jamie Carragher
2. Match of the day cast
3. The Liverpool love in
4.Mike Dean.
5. VAR
6. The lazy sycophantic reporting by Martin Samuel and co.
7. Plastic fans.
8. Constant moving of fixture times.
9. Playing in a league that doesn’t even pretend to be competitive
10. Did I mention Liverpool fans.
I give you a 10/10 there Delfie … perfect!
21, Billy Sharp
22, Chris Wilder
Excellent article Paul. My thoughts exactly. Fingers crossed for next season.
A few things to add to a good article.
Won’t miss. Being last on MOTD. It keeps me up too late!
Won’t miss. All the rubbish pundits. Every ex player is now a pundit because there is so much coverage of the Premier League.
Won’t miss. Grandkids pestering me for another packet of Panini stickers so they have a chance of getting the last Norwich sticker they NEED.
Won’t miss going into so many games as underdogs with little chance of winning.
Won’t miss Sky changing kick off times and days. You thought you could go to a game but it is rearranged so you can’t go.
Will miss being the best footballing team (before Project Restart), that spent next to nothing and got relegated. But that could happen again if we get promoted.
Hi Paul
A good read and in many ways I agree with all you have written.
Supporters are very fickle and players come and go but you support a club for many reasons may it be local or one that your family support.
The top clubs can and do buy success and even then their supporters aren’t happy they still want their club to spend even more money, pay big wages and at some time in the future it will all come tumbling down.
The Premiership has had an unprecedented rise but other leagues are starting to catch up and now with this pandemic the RV companies are wanting some of it back and that is something I don’t understand as they all have had more games than they paid for, they paid to put football on their channels there is on guarante of supporters being in the ground, they still had their advertising, and still had people paying subscriptions.
Yeah they lost money while people paused their accounts when their was no football but soon as the first game was back all the paused accounts were restarted.
VAR will soon be in the EFL FIFA and EUFA will see to that but will an ex Italian Ref controlling it there will be no changes just like Hawkeye in cricket they have stopped showing the Bowlers foot Falls if it was to close to the line then there was a margin of Error so now offside will be judged with no lines to assess and T shirt rule for handball.
Where do you in reality draw the line the on field Ref needs to make the decision on those at stockley
Onwards and upwards
OTBC
Stay safe and stay healthy
I couldn’t agree more about the arrogance of the Premier League, but it’s tied in heavily with the referees association as far as VAR is concerned. PGMOL doesn’t feel the need to explain itself, even though they are operating VAR differently than FIFA’s instructions/recommendations. In Germany, the average useage of VAR is around once per three games, while in the Premier League it was more like three times per game. It also took an inordinate amount of time to reach a conclusion, because the on-field official was to begin with not allowed to check the pitch-side monitor, and even when they did allow it, they were reluctant to do so. Totally shambolic, “F@(k VAR”!
Well said Paul, and some excellent comments….particularly Delfy.
I would have to add to the “won’t miss” list, all those ex- City players who somehow seem to forget that they ever played for us….or is it just the way they are portrayed by their employers.
I’m meaning you Andy Townsend; Danny Mills; and to a lesser extent, (but not totally forgiven) Chris Sutton; Dion Dublin and Dean Ashton.
They CAN be remembered for their stints at Villa; Leeds; Blackburn; Villa and Man U; and West Ham…but never it seems for us!
O T B C
Care to add Tim Sherwood to your list, John? 🙂
Hi Martin;
Like others on this site I deliberately left one or two out for the grey cells to get a work out!!!
(Not really; I’d totally forgotten him)…
To be fair, Dion does give us the occasional mention on Homes under the Hammer (which makes a change from City being under the cosh!)
I won’t miss ANY of it! Hate everything about the Premier League. It’s almost completely pointless unless you can buy a squad of £50m players – I’m happy we banked the cheques, but apart from that it was a complete waste of time.
My only worry is our squad regaining their confidence after plummeting during the restart. On the plus side, I can see from the Jamal Lewis fiasco with Liverpool that expected leavers might not be doing so. Really it would be great for the four Brits to stay and battle. Buendia, though fallible, is of the sort of age and class that he needs to stay in the top tier. Even at Leeds – we owe them a good player, for the likes of Jonny Howson coming our way. That said, there was also a certain flop. He was also an Argentinean!
So it seems everyone is happy to be in the second division then. No need to try to get promoted as you all hate the Premier League. Let’s be big fish in the second division but have no ambition for anything else -. why be in the league at all?