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Premier League: The two tier system

The current Premier League table shows the real divide between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to money and success in the League. The top six of Man City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal all have positive goal difference between +15 and +59 while everyone else outside the top six including West Ham has a negative goal difference between -1 and -26.  West Ham has a negative goal difference of -15.  The goal difference divide alone illustrates that money really does buy you goals.

Outside the top six Burnley in seventh place has 37 points just seven points away from the relegation zone while West Ham has 30 points in 13th place. The Hammers are just three points off relegation but equally seven points off seventh place so you need to look up as well as down this season as one win can make a big difference.  The closeness this season of the second tier of the Premier League is proof that new TV money with a minimum of £100m is normalising the Premier League in terms of money and stadium revenue is now less relevance. West Ham will announce a modest increase of just £9m this Wednesday as result of moving to the London Stadium last year moving from a 35,000 seater Boleyn Ground to to the 57,000 London Stadium.

Most of the top six have announced record turnover figures under the new TV deal.  Manchester United £581m Manchester City £473m Liverpool £424m Arsenal £423m.  Spurs are yet to announce their 2017 figures but recorded a turnover of £210m in 2016 and that figure is expected rise significantly as they received over £148m for finishing second in the Premier League last year.  West Ham is poised to release their record turnover figure of around £180m on Wednesday but remains a long way off the top six club.

The reality is it is almost impossible to the top six except for a hiccup season like when Leicester did the unthinkable. It is obvious this season normal service has been resumed and those who earn and spend the most money rise the highest up the table to earn yet more money and so the circle continues.

 

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

15 comments on “Premier League: The two tier system

  1. More straight logic and facts from Sean. I hope more people will, after reading this, realize the extent to which clubs must re-invent themselves to become part of the elite top six institution.
    It’s not something that can realistically happen overnight or even over a couple of years ( let alone 1.6 years ).
    Is a dream ( or fairy-tail ) worth marching for? Well it’s good for ones health and fitness I suppose.

    • 8 years fishes 😉
      And were supposed to be one of the wealthiest teams in Europe 😉
      Sybil is also a naughty boy who is a secret marcher 😂

  2. Sean mate put your glasses on.
    West ham are -15 goal difference and Burnley are 10 points above relegation not 7

  3. It has been this way since the advent of sky and the champions league, the europa league is now the gateway to getting parity, Spuds have shown that a few seasons in that and you can make the step up, realistically looking at a decade, we had that platform at the time of the move but our manager either couldn’t motivate the players or didn’t want it (certainly the last season at the Boleyn this was the case that he had no interest in Europe). For me the Chairmen can’t be blamed for that and the exits are 100% down to Bilic team selections and lack of motivation of players.

    • 32
      The Europe league has nothing to do with it. Spurs have had better a better recruitment policy, a decent batch of youth players came through and have always spent more than us.
      Can you imagine us doing anything in Europe with our current squad and investment? We have to throw cup games as it is now.

    • Our players were never good enough 32 ? Its in plain view !!
      Its about spending money ! Because these tight w@@@@rs didn’t and they missed the boat before the transfer boom this year and its left us lagging even more ! They will never compete for top players ! They’re not in levy,s league of doing business for the future and competition , even spuds haven’t reached the c/l heights they would like so where does that leave us lol!
      Worse off IMHO ! Same as !!
      This summer will tell a story of where were going !! Which I’m not confident they will compete for top players ! 15-20 mill players last year will be 40 next year ! We will see if we survive !!!

      • Correct laz ..they will never spend the money that’s needed to break in to the top six …they talk a great game but deliver evra ..ha ha ha ffs what a joke they are ..while there in charge we will always be average at best..

  4. It would be interesting if tomorrow’s accounts only show a £9mill increase in gate receipts on the £27Mill figure shown in the 2016 accounts (a 33% uplift), given that in percentage terms the capacity at the LS is 66% higher than Upton Park. In other words without any increase in ticket prices, we would have expected double the increase. How many seats do we give away every match?

  5. I just don’t accept that its ‘impossible’ to break into the top 6 and if it is, why were the board promising to do it only 3 years ago as part of the LS sales pitch?

    What’s missing is a clear plan to do it: Spuds have achieved it on a gradual basis; Manchester City certainly have achieved it. All West Ham seem to have done is over promise and had no idea how they were going to deliver on those commitments.

  6. I do accept that it’s hard to be a regular top six team but not to never finish top six.
    We are 7th in terms of revenue and club worth and higher than that in terms of tickets sold but have averaged 13th since the David’s came. I don’t mind them as owners but they are underperforming.
    I think we can reasonably expect an average finish of 7th over the seasons given the revenue generated. I don’t expect to win the champions league.

  7. This next level is great …lol 😂😂😂😂

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