Footballs European Super League Is Dead, For Now. But Are Premiership Big 6 Really The Best 6?
The European Super League is dead. Well it is for now; don’t be surprised if this is revisited with UEFA’s backing within the next 12 months. Clearly something must be done to appease the biggest clubs in Europe, as they want a bigger share of the financial pot. The backlash from supporters was far higher than many expected and clubs withdrew quickly to reduce the harm done to their clubs brand. We found there was a silent army at work and we now wonder Who Really Are The BIG 6?
6 English clubs signed up to the Super League; Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. They were deemed to be the ‘Big 6’ of the English Premier League. But, I wondered who decided they were the ‘Big 6’? Clearly their financial power would make them part of this elite group but, how have they performed in the English Premier League since it’s launch in 1992/93?
Surely you would think the ‘Big 6’ must have dominated the Premier League. This isn’t the case though and one of these clubs only scrape into the top 10. There are 3 football clubs that have been more successful since the conception of the Premier League but, they didn’t even get an invite to the Super League negotiating table.
Do Manchester City Deserve To Be Included In the Premier Leagues Big 6?
When the news broke of the Super League, we found that 6 English Premier League's club had agreed to join the breakaway competition. They became known as the 'Big 6' of English Football; Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. However, I wonder if Manchester City are deserving of that title. I have collated every league table from the top 4 divisions, since the start of the Premier league, with surprising results. Obviously in recent years Manchester City has become one of the best teams in the world. It helps having rich owners I suppose, but they only just scraped into the top 10 when comparing the average positions of every club. It didn't help their average position when they dropped to the 3rd tier of the English Football pyramid, in the late 90's.
If you consider the table of the top 10 clubs since the launch of the Premier League back in 92/93. You would find the following results, with their average league position
| Club Name | Average League Position |
| 1 - Manchester United | 2.321 |
| 2 - Arsenal | 3.893 |
| 3 - Liverpool | 4.464 |
| 4 - Chelsea | 4.714 |
| 5 - Tottenham Hotspur | 7.571 |
| 6 - Everton | 10.214 |
| 7 - Newcastle United | 11.214 |
| 8 - Aston Villa | 12.214 |
| 9 - Manchester City | 12.500 |
| 10 - West Ham United | 13.607 |
The top six clubs listed above have never dropped out of the premier League. So surely Everton, for their consistency deserve a place amongst the elite. They don't have the spending power of Manchester City but to remain in the Premier League deserves some credit.
Proof That Newcastle United Are A Powerful Force and Might Just Be A Sleeping Giant.
I follow many Premier League clubs and read huge amounts of fan articles posted on the web each week. Most criticise the management of the team, the results and the lack of spending from the owners of the club. One of the most vociferous are Newcastle United fans but, I ask is it justified? If you look at the average league position of every club in the football league, since the launch of the English Premier League, Newcastle have one of the best records around. In fact they are 7th in the table and are higher than Manchester City, Middlesbrough and Sunderland. I had to include the last 2 as my son, a Newcastle fan insisted. I remember them in the 3rd tier but that was before the Premier Leagues inception.
Newcastle United have only played 3 seasons outside of the Premier League, winning the Championship twice and finishing 3rd in the 92/93 season gaining promotion. It is a mis-conception that Newcastle are a yo-yo club and have been incredibly consistent over the years. The fans demand more though and Mike Ashley is the butt of most of their anger, along with a huge number of ex-managers. Bobby Robson was a hero amongst the Toon Army as was Kevin Keegan. Rafa Benitez came close to these in recent times and if he was given the chance maybe Newcastle could be competing in Europe too. With an average league postion of 11.214 it could be argued that Newcastle are over-achieving given the amount of money they spend on players.
Why Manchester United Head The Virtual premier league Table of All Time?
Since the launch of the English Premier League in 1992/93 Manchester United have been crowned champions a staggering 13 times. In fact their lowest position was in 2013/14 season when they could only manage a lowly 7th place. That was the ill-fated year of David Moyes reign, which was completed by Ryan Giggs. I still think Moyes would have been successful if he had retained many of Sir Alex Ferguson's back room staff. United's average league position is an amazing 2.321 although they haven't won the title since 2012/13. Manchester City are the 9th team in the virtual league of average positions and it will take some years before they overtake their bitter rivals.
Where Is My Football Club In The Virtual Average Football Table?
In the next week or so we will post the whole league table showing where your club is. It is a great way to find out if your team are under or over-achieveing at this time. It is a great way to see how your own team compares to your bitter rivals. My own club Oxford United will be keen to be above Swindon Town but having spent 5 years out of the football league this is less likely. However, who comes out on top in you localk battles is it Norwich or Ipswich? Bristol City or Bristol Rovers? What about the battle of the Sheffield clubs.....it is closer than you might imagine.
We also create a brand new league table for each division showing who would be in the average position Premier League and for the first time, also include the Championship and division 1 and 2. Who are the highest ranked Welsh club? Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham or Newport?
