Is the globalization of football making English football stronger or just weirder?
May 7, 2016 12:27 PM Subscribe
This Premier League season has been insane. What the stories of other over-performing smaller clubs and failing giants telling us about English football now.
While they won the league, by the numbers, Leicester City weren't even the best team in the Premier League this season: that honor is Tottenham's (even ESPN mistakenly agreed). Maybe, even, after such a run of bad luck and good performances, Spurs should embrace their new label as the Premier League villains.
But to give Leicester it's due: Here's Leicester's astounding rise in two charts.
It's possible that Leicester City's very unlikely victory (previously) shows that the globalization of football may actually be a good for sign English football. Maybe, even, after such a run of bad luck and good performances, Spurs should embrace their new label as the Premier League villains.
Another sign of a more competitive top English league is the surprising rise of West Ham United:
In the end, here we reach the end of the Barclays Premier League, as the bank will not renew its sponsorship deal next season, meaning everybody can stop calling it the BPL forever.
While they won the league, by the numbers, Leicester City weren't even the best team in the Premier League this season: that honor is Tottenham's (even ESPN mistakenly agreed). Maybe, even, after such a run of bad luck and good performances, Spurs should embrace their new label as the Premier League villains.
But to give Leicester it's due: Here's Leicester's astounding rise in two charts.
It's possible that Leicester City's very unlikely victory (previously) shows that the globalization of football may actually be a good for sign English football. Maybe, even, after such a run of bad luck and good performances, Spurs should embrace their new label as the Premier League villains.
Another sign of a more competitive top English league is the surprising rise of West Ham United:
But as West Ham — and other Premier League clubs — move forward, they’re able to do so in an environment where they can convince top players to come be an influential force in the world’s top league. And while there’s still a gap between the top and the next tier, and there always will be, I don’t think the biggest clubs are growing at the same rate.Meanwhile, were this just another year with a big team victory, the biggest story in the league would be poor, poor Aston Villa, who will be relegated for the first time since the Premier League era began after a stunning record number of losses under three managers this season. Here's a terrific piece on how why that's been coming since Randy Lerner bought the team in 2006 with promises of playing in Europe. Finally, for the stats nerds, here's how playing "moneyball" failed miserably for the Birmingham side this season.
In the end, here we reach the end of the Barclays Premier League, as the bank will not renew its sponsorship deal next season, meaning everybody can stop calling it the BPL forever.
Mod note: Post edited somewhat per OP. One comment deleted; if you don't think it's worth a post, flag it and move on.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 1:22 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 1:22 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Yeah, West Ham! I'm an unfortunate AV supporter, but I'm glad at least one claret-and-blue team is doing well this year. Payet has been a glory to watch.
posted by General Malaise at 1:29 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by General Malaise at 1:29 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
I keep reading that meme that Spurs somehow were the best team. The season is long enough and enough games were played that, well, the best side probably won. They certainly exposed Everton's defense in this match.
Spurs as villian? They'll never displace Liverpool in that, in my regard. At least there's hope for next season - Go Toffees!
posted by sudogeek at 1:31 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Spurs as villian? They'll never displace Liverpool in that, in my regard. At least there's hope for next season - Go Toffees!
posted by sudogeek at 1:31 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Spurs have always been the villain.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:11 PM on May 7, 2016
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:11 PM on May 7, 2016
but I'm glad at least one claret-and-blue team is doing well this year
Hey- Burnley got promoted!
So...there's that.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:21 PM on May 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Hey- Burnley got promoted!
So...there's that.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 2:21 PM on May 7, 2016 [2 favorites]
Hey- Burnley got promoted!
I'm actually really excited for them, and looking forward to watching them next season. They were so fun last year, playing super fun football with absolute reckless abandon. Since my team will be impossible to watch, they're my team to follow next year, and a bonus being I don't have to reorient the colors in my head.
posted by General Malaise at 2:32 PM on May 7, 2016
I'm actually really excited for them, and looking forward to watching them next season. They were so fun last year, playing super fun football with absolute reckless abandon. Since my team will be impossible to watch, they're my team to follow next year, and a bonus being I don't have to reorient the colors in my head.
posted by General Malaise at 2:32 PM on May 7, 2016
Does Burnley's promotion mean the return of Joey Barton to the Premier League?
posted by plasticpalacealice at 5:05 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by plasticpalacealice at 5:05 PM on May 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hey- Burnley got promoted!
Which means David Cameron will still get confused about which claret and blue team he actually supports.
posted by MartinWisse at 5:23 PM on May 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
Which means David Cameron will still get confused about which claret and blue team he actually supports.
posted by MartinWisse at 5:23 PM on May 7, 2016 [3 favorites]
I bet Tottenham are super proud of their Advanced Stats League Cup and will be giving it pride of place in the trophy room.
posted by markr at 5:42 PM on May 7, 2016
posted by markr at 5:42 PM on May 7, 2016
Which means David Cameron will still get confused about which claret and blue team he actually supports.
Weymouth?
posted by hangashore at 6:22 PM on May 7, 2016
Weymouth?
posted by hangashore at 6:22 PM on May 7, 2016
everybody can stop calling it the BPL forever.
Not with our Swans keeping the EPL British, they can't.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:18 PM on May 7, 2016
Not with our Swans keeping the EPL British, they can't.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 8:18 PM on May 7, 2016
Joey Barton is back.
Stoke's second half of the season went totally barfy. I'm ready for next year.
But living through sports history is always pretty awesome.
posted by josher71 at 9:00 PM on May 7, 2016
Stoke's second half of the season went totally barfy. I'm ready for next year.
But living through sports history is always pretty awesome.
posted by josher71 at 9:00 PM on May 7, 2016
I'm not really convinced by those articles arguing that Spurs are the best in the league. To my mind Leicester were by definition the best team this season, because they won the league, and by a decent margin. The aim of football isn't possession, or shots on target, or even goals - all those are means to the end of winning games. Which can be done in a variety of ways. Leicester, like some other previous champions*, were very good at winning by one goal, often 1-0. Spurs played some great football, but you don't get extra points for winning by a lot of goals.
I'd argue that the best team is almost always the one that wins the league, with only a few arguable exceptions, where the margin of victory was incredibly small (e.g. Man City or Arsenal winning the league on goal difference in the last minutes of the season; Man Utd winning the league thanks to a last-minute Leeds goal against Arsenal).
meaning everybody can stop calling it the BPL forever.
Well, everyone in the US ;-). I only ever hear the abbreviations 'BPL' or 'EPL' from Americans, the English just call it the Premier League.
*(e.g Arsenal in the pre-Wenger era, when their fans would smugly chant 'one-nil to the Arsenal' and opponents responded with 'boring boring Arsenal'; Man Utd for at least one season in the mid-90s when Cantona won six games in a row 1-0)
posted by Pink Frost at 2:04 AM on May 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'd argue that the best team is almost always the one that wins the league, with only a few arguable exceptions, where the margin of victory was incredibly small (e.g. Man City or Arsenal winning the league on goal difference in the last minutes of the season; Man Utd winning the league thanks to a last-minute Leeds goal against Arsenal).
meaning everybody can stop calling it the BPL forever.
Well, everyone in the US ;-). I only ever hear the abbreviations 'BPL' or 'EPL' from Americans, the English just call it the Premier League.
*(e.g Arsenal in the pre-Wenger era, when their fans would smugly chant 'one-nil to the Arsenal' and opponents responded with 'boring boring Arsenal'; Man Utd for at least one season in the mid-90s when Cantona won six games in a row 1-0)
posted by Pink Frost at 2:04 AM on May 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
Londoners can't stand that there are successful places outside the M25!!
Americans can't play outdoor ball games without protective clothing.
I'm a Northern English cynic !
posted by Burn_IT at 9:24 AM on May 8, 2016
Americans can't play outdoor ball games without protective clothing.
I'm a Northern English cynic !
posted by Burn_IT at 9:24 AM on May 8, 2016
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