Score one for Phil Gartside who has obviously noted that this is as precious a time as any to question the infallibility of a system. Even without a formalism, the EPL has essentially been polarized into two tiers for a long time. Blackburn’s title is an anomaly. Akin to Iraq which is essentially split into three autonomous divisions loosely held together by a nominal central authority.
Staying on in the EPL nowadays brings no joy to owners who have nurtured their clubs with their own money only to see them fade to irrelevance or get buffeted aside by money rich foreign buyers. The fans know it’s the surefire way to buy yourself a title. As the world celebrates the EPL, the joke is on the English owner or fan who is basically told by the likes of Richard Scudamore to abandon his club. Join us or get out of the way. All in the way of trademarking the CL and becoming a version of Wall St.