The perfect premier league

[NUFC Tiger]

Yes, the Mariners!

They also share the black and white stripes!

Love making them a feeder team to Newcastle and loaning out my best young kids there to help them out

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Is it possible to get you to elaborate on why? Such a random group haha

Haha, just a bunch of teams I have soft spots for I guess.

Newcastle - my great love.

Norwich - Hughton, love the bloke to bits. Very humble and saved us from becoming a Leeds.

West Ham - Best mate is a Hammer, Bubbles is a great song

Blackburn (pre Venkys) - Aussie connection back in the day with Emerton and Neill and even Grella (though that was under Venkys I believe)

Leeds -Kewell and Viduka back in the day. Like the name Leeds and a team that was/is a thorn in Man Utd's side from time to time

Crystal Palace - Love the colours, they were in the EPL when I started following the EPL religiously again, Tony Popovic was the captain I believe, now they have Jedinak.

Leicester - When I first played championship manager, (before it became football manager), my first experience on the game (it was a half season demo I got with a Christmas present) was with Leicester (didn't want to manage Newcastle incase I fecked things up haha as I had no idea of what to do or how to play). Leicester were in the prem (03/04 season I think) and I started with a 700k transfer budget and a squad heavily tipped to go down. Always was a great challenge to try and keep them up! Muzzy Izzet was a freakishly good CAM! Plus 'the foxes' is a cool nickname and the badge is pretty good IMO

Hull - The tigers! Good colours too lol. Used to not like them under Phil Brown but he's gone so now I can like them again.

Nottingham Forest - Used to like Robin Hood heaps as a kid, 2 time European champions I believe.

Cardiff - Haven't seen much of them this season past but I used to love them as the 'bluebirds'. Liked the club logo and saw them come close to the EPL on a few occasions. I used to like the novelty of them being a Welsh side in the English football hierarchy (along with Swansea and Wrexham).

Grimsby - Black and white striped kit and like their logo, another team I managed on FM and grew a soft spot for.

Rotherham - Another FM team, used to sign Danny Allsopp for about 40k and have him banging in the goals to keep us up in the championship lol.

Carlisle - A club from the North East that we have good relations with.

Forest Green Rovers -my non league team, fell in love with them on that same 03/04 championship manager demo. Chose them due to the cool name and was pleasantly surprised to see their kit was also black and white stripes haha.

Gateshead - the local non league side close to Newcastle. Play friendlies with them fairly often and have sent a few of our kids on loan there, just a club with good relations towards Newcastle.

Walsall - Managed them back on FM 2005 (or 2006 maybe?). A bit like Leicester, was a great challenge to try and keep them in the championship with a shoe string budget. Believe Steve Corica was still playing for them too...

Cheltenham Town - Managed them in career mode back in fifa 2005 (my first fifa game on the ps2). Got them double promotions from league 2 to the championship before I jumped ship to Leicester who had just been promoted to the EPL

Millwall - West Ham's bitter rival, like them for their Aussie links (not so much Muscat haha).

Watford - Zola is the main reason. I also like Ford cars so the 'ford' in Watford probably helps lol.

Bristol Rovers - I got a friend onto football manager back in the day and he chose Bristol Rovers as his team so I've had a bit of a soft spot for them ever since.

 

[Milang_Panthers]

Wouldn't the other London clubs be your rivalries? Maybe they won't have the same level of passion or energy but being other clubs/neighbouring teams from the same city, surely bragging rights are up for grabs?

Yeah your right in that we want to beat those London clubs a little bit more then other PL teams, but none of them are traditional rivals of ours.

 

[OzBomber]

It would actually be interesting to see a premier league where you remove the 'big 7'. United, City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton. Would definitely see an improvement in competitive balance that's for sure. Would it remain that way, or would another lot of teams create anther 'big group' who always succeed?

 

[Milang_Panthers]

It would actually be interesting to see a premier league where you remove the 'big 7'. United, City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton. Would definitely see an improvement in competitive balance that's for sure. Would it remain that way, or would another lot of teams create anther 'big group' who always succeed?

I would think that other clubs would become much bigger but not to the extent it is now.

 

[jethro11]

It would actually be interesting to see a premier league where you remove the 'big 7'. United, City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton. Would definitely see an improvement in competitive balance that's for sure. Would it remain that way, or would another lot of teams create anther 'big group' who always succeed?

Wouldn't hurt our chances. Clubs like Newcastle and Villa would probably gravitate to the top whilst side like West Brom and Sunderland would move to the edge of the challenging pack.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Ignoring bias I'd have to go.

1. Manchester City
2. Manchester United
3. Liverpool
4. Everton
5. Fulham
6. Chelsea
7. Arsenal
8. Tottenham
9. AFC Wimbledon
10. Crystal Palace
11. Newcastle
12. Sunderland
13. West Brom
14. Aston Villa
15. Swansea City
16. Cardiff City
17. Southampton
18. Middlesbrough
19. Norwich City
20. Leeds United

The first 14 were for local rivalries. (As you'll noticed each 2 is paired, Manchester, Liverpool, W London, N London, S London etc.)
The next 2 are to get a Welsh team in, then got a rival as well.
The next 4 just because I like them.

Though, there was 1 team I was tempted to bring in. If the premier league was still 22 I'd have had them in. Coverntry City

 

[moomba]

It would actually be interesting to see a premier league where you remove the 'big 7'. United, City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton. Would definitely see an improvement in competitive balance that's for sure. Would it remain that way, or would another lot of teams create anther 'big group' who always succeed?

Would be interesting. I think there would be much less money in the game overall so even thought there would still be the haves and the have nots I think the disparity wouldn't be anywhere near what it is not.

Same as in Scotland if you removed Celtic and ... oh that's right.

 

[TheOz]

Would get rid of two of Ipswich, Norwich, Birmingham or Sunderland for Nottingham Forest and Derby based on historical pedigree and supporter base. Would also like to get rid of the extremely overrated West Ham (from a historical perspective) for a team that actually plays proper football.

 

[____]

I'd personally would love to see Nottingham Forest and of course AFC Wimbledon in the Premier League.

 

[jd2010]

Nott Forrest would be in mine. Former European cup winners deserve a spot for me

 

[Tulip]

Do you people realise that calling for AFC Wimbledon is like calling for AFC Stoke to come up in 10 years if Stoke were to go insolvent.

 

[BORK]

Preston North End?

 

[jd2010]

Arsenal: One of the major players in getting the EPL off the ground, NL rivalry
Blackburn:Former EPL winner
Chelsea:Most central London club
Everton:Liverpools rival
Fulham:Rival to Chelsea, my favourite ground on the Thames
Ipswich:Former league winner, east England rival for Norwich
Leeds: Aussie connectiom, UCL semi finalist
Liverpool:Merseysides most succesful club
Man C:Manchester derby
Man U:Most successful side
Newcastle: Tyne-Weir derby
Norwich:3rd in first ever EPL season
Notts Forrest:Former CL winners, also the first team to finish last in the EPL
Oldham:First EPL participant who has dropped down and never returned
Preston NE:First ever league winners
Sheff Weds:4 time winners, mid table in first EPL season
Southampton:Responsible for Bale and Le Tissier, enough said
Sunderland:Tyne-Weir derby
Tottenham: One of the major players in getting the EPL off the ground, NL rivalry
Villa:Most succesful Midlands club
West Ham:East London needs a side
Wolves:2nd most succesful Midlands club

 

[chiwigi]

Just have Sky on in the background, they're showing a bit of an old Birmingham derby match. Dublin headbuts Robbie Savage, Stan Lazaridis goal. Brum 0-2 up at the moment, Villa down to 9 men. Was thinking it's a shame we don't have that fixture any more as it always had some moments in it.

Anyway, I've never been one for saying this team or that team deserve to be in the league, the teams that are in it deserve to be in it, no matter how big or small they are. But for me the perfect league would be:

Aston Villa
Arsenal
Birmingham
Chelsea
Everton
Ipswich
Leeds
Liverpool
Man City
Man United
Newcastle
Norwich
Sheff United
Sheff Wed
Southampton
Spurs
Sunderland
West Brom
West Ham
Wolves

Would have liked to fit Pompey in as well just for the derby rivalry with Southampton. I resisted the urge to relegate Man United and Spurs just for the laughs. Also resisted the urge to put Brighton in, just to piss off one particular poster on here.

But I reckon if these clubs could all get their act together it would make for a cracking league.

Drop Norwich and Sheff United, only one of Wolves or West Brom, there are too many 'pairings'.

You would have to add MK Dons and Cardiff City for a geographical spread. Southampton OR Portsmouth

 

[chiwigi]

Manchester United (Lancs)
Manchester City (Lancs)
Ipswich Town (East Anglia)
Sheffield Wednesday (Yorks)
Cardiff City (Wales)
Everton (Lancs)
Liverpool (Lancs)
Aston Villa (Mid)
Birmingham City (Mid)
Arsenal (North London)
Tottenham (North London_
West Ham (East London and Essex)
Chelsea (West London and Reading)
Crystal Palace (South London)
Leeds United (Yorks)
West Brom (Black)
Newcastle (North East)
Sunderland (North East)
Southampton (South)
Brighton (South East)
Forest (East Mids)
Derby (East Mids)
Awesome League!! .

Retains regional identity which if a franchise sytem like the AFL would allow the clubs to grow and catch the top teams.

 

[chiwigi]

Would get rid of two of Ipswich, Norwich, Birmingham or Sunderland for Nottingham Forest and Derby based on historical pedigree and supporter base. Would also like to get rid of the extremely overrated West Ham (from a historical perspective) for a team that actually plays proper football.

West Ham won the World Cup!

 

[thewitness]

I took a look at this, and because I like stats I worked out a bit of a system to produce the 20 clubs that I think deserve to be in the Premier League. Based my stats on combination of Top Flight and Premier League only appearances and performances as well as Average crowd figures to ensure the traditional best performing and best supported clubs make the cut as well as a biased towards more modern success.
So here my list in order of who most deserves to be there.
1. Manchester United
2. Liverpool
3. Arsenal
4. Everton
5. Aston Villa
6. Chelsea
7. Newcastle
8. Tottenham
9. Manchester City
10. Sunderland
11. Sheffield Wednesday
12. Leeds
13. Blackburn
14. West Bromwich Albion
15. Wolves
16. Derby County
17. West Ham
18. Bolton
19. Nottingham Forrest
20. Sheffield United.

 

[Tulip]

Manchester United
Manchester City

Arsenal
Tottenham

Newcastle
Sunderland

Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday

Liverpool
Everton

West Ham
Millwall

Aston Villa
Birmingham

Nottingham Forest
Notts County

Wolves
West Bromwich

Swansea
Cardiff

 

[NUFC Tiger]

Manchester United
Manchester City

Arsenal
Tottenham

Newcastle
Sunderland

Sheffield United
Sheffield Wednesday

Liverpool
Everton

West Ham
Millwall

Aston Villa
Birmingham

Nottingham Forest
Notts County

Wolves
West Bromwich

Swansea
Cardiff

I wonder if the EPL/any FA would ever sanction a round of fixtures where all rival teams play each other in derbies (like a rivalry round)? I'm guessing not due to the added strain it would add on police and security forces to try and supervise and control rival sets of fans

 

[thewitness]

Nottingham Forest
Notts County

As a Derby fan who lived in Nottingham for a while Nottingham Forest vs Derby County is probably much bigger rivalry then Forest vs Notts. And Meadow Lane is probably not a Premier League standard stadium, especially when compared to Pride Park.

 

[Makedonija]

Since you brought it up, here's another classic 2nd city derby moment between Villa and Birmingham.

 

[Frankster177]

A broke one.

 

[Primetime Pricey]

Bristol Rovers - I got a friend onto football manager back in the day and he chose Bristol Rovers as his team so I've had a bit of a soft spot for them ever since.

This is all but a dream unfortunately. Their my hometown side but will always be in the lower divisions.
Fave memory in recent years was involving Rickie Lambert and also when they beat Fulham i think 3 nil in the FA Cup.
Love the home strip though, wear it about a bit. Most people think its Blackburn though haha

 

[Cruyff14]

This is all but a dream unfortunately. Their my hometown side but will always be in the lower divisions.
Fave memory in recent years was involving Rickie Lambert and also when they beat Fulham i think 3 nil in the FA Cup.
Love the home strip though, wear it about a bit. Most people think its Blackburn though haha

Heading to Bristol for a few days next month!