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Can clubs like West Ham, Spurs and Newcastle ever eat from the top table?

Breaking into the top echelon of English football is almost impossible when young talent coming out of academies is immediately snapped up by the bankrolled Big Four.

by Michael Perukangas on 23 November 2007

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Gerard Houllier: Promising start at Liverpool (Gettyimages.com)

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The almost complete downturn of Leeds United and problems at Newcastle United are the most telling examples of what happens when a cat mistakenly thinks he's a lion. The Premier League club has become the favourite pastime of foreign bankrollers and it's all getting a bit much. It wasn't that long ago that Chelsea were on the brink of bankruptcy, and Portsmouth were a branch of the French foreign legion.

Consecutive league titles are not enough, as demonstrated by the fate of Jose 'Moan' Mourinho. Martin Jol led Tottenham to consecutive fifth-place finishes, far better than any of his successors had achieved. His sacking is a telling example that patience rarely matches ambition among football club boards assembled by embarrassingly rich businessmen. Even with Juande Ramos at the helm at Spurs, the club will have to endure another year of frustrating reconstruction work.

The Spurs board should look at what has happened at Liverpool, a club spoiled by winning everything in the eighties but hardly anything since. Gerard Houllier had a promising start, bringing in some fresh French blood with him and grooming Jamie Carragher and Stevie Gerrard. His masterstroke was perhaps acquiring the semi-unknown quantity in Sami Hyypiä.

'Yes, Liverpool won the Champions League but the coveted title is still elusive'

Seeking silverware in various Cup competitions is all well and good and Houllier managed the UEFA and FA versions but the Premier League is what really counts. In came Rafa Benitez with a 'continental' reputation and he brought in continental (mostly Spanish) players. Yes, he won the Champions League but the coveted title is still elusive.

My club, West Ham, are justifiably proud of their Academy, which has produced some of the most talented English players in the last few years. Perennial under-achievers, as soon as one of our youngsters starts to flourish, he is sold, either because of the huge offer on the table or the 'ambition' of the player. Now most effectively bankrolled by an Icelandic egg, the future looks bright for the faithful Irons. Solid mid-table security would secure sweet dreams for the Hammers faithful.

In the United States, the shadow of the five most prestigious symphony orchestras, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland - looms large over other orchestras. Despite huge television revenues in the Promised Land, the gulf between Premier League and Championship is said to have diminished recently, perhaps jugded by the relative success of Wigan and Reading in recent seasons.

As the label 'big' is a handy marketing tool, the big ones tend to develop empires around them. In England, the 'Big Four' - Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool - have developed into multi-national corporations, and to break the duck, you have to be a duck. The best the other clubs can expect is a fifth-place finish.

If one Premier League season represents a battle, then the football industry that is called the Premier League is a war, and winning a battle is much easier than winning the war.

Comments (14)

by brett on November 23, 2007

Being a Newcastle fan all my life its hard when someone says 'your not a top 4 club'. but us in the north east feel we have the given right to be up there with random performances backing this up and performances looking like the conference league. Big Sam must now be given as much time as needed to get things right as instant success was never gonna realistic but within two years we will be fighting off the so called BIG GUNS.

by Cornish Hammer on November 23, 2007

I hope that clubs like The mighty Hammers, Newcastle, Villa amongst others get parity with the so called big 4 and the league becomes the big 10 or 11 for the sake of football in this country, we could then possibly go back to people supporting clubs from their own regions rather than the glory supporters like cockney mancs or sussex scoucers, this should improve the atmospheres at the games, the best talent would be distributed more evenly around the country and most importantly of all the league would stop being a 2 or 3 horse race and would hold genuine interest for the majority of fans (except for the Spuds I hope they and their retarded fans disappear into oblivion !!!!)

by Buck Rogers on November 23, 2007

I may be wrong, but didnt all of those clubs used to be "big guns"? Well, I know Tottenham were anyway, it's just a case of waiting. We can wait....

by Sham on November 23, 2007

If one thing seems to provide sustained success it must consistency. I was sad to see Martin Jol go after pushing Spurs into the top 5 two years running, even with a poor run in the early part of this season. I hate to say this but just look at the success of Man Utd and our closest rivals, the players, the backroom staff and the fans all know who the main man at these clubs are - it breeds respect, consistent performances and evidently success in the long term. How many managers do the other clubs outside of the "big four" go through? - It just means that the next manager always inherits someone else's squad, they spend increasing sums of money and are judged far to soon on the points they rack-up. In my opinion, if any of us clubs in the chasing pack are gonna step up to the top-table - it'll have to be based on strong foundations, decent financial backing and consistent management.

by spencer on November 23, 2007

newcastle utd were not so long ago "a big four" we finish'd 3rd & 4th in 03 & 04 the team has changed completely since then but some could argue at least on paper to a better squad the likes of given,duff,emre and owen are world class players and talent like milner,taylor,zog and martins i firmly believe with sam at the helm we will break into the big 4 and arsenal will drop out.

by Joe on November 23, 2007

Tottenham and Necastle HAVE ate from the top table before.They have dominated the English game at different times in history and are genuinely big clubs who will have success again(as will Villa and Everton, two other sthat have dominated English football before) West Ham being brought up is a little strange as they have very little success to their name, never dominated the English game(only 4 measly trophies and nover higher than 3rd in the League !)and as far as I can see, there are plenty better placed clubs to challenge than them(they have only been back in the prem for two seasons!!)Can't see why they are part of the question...

by Laurence on November 23, 2007

The reality of today is that Football is a big business governed by billionaire owners and huge TV money and this is ironic because the modern game is less entertaining than it was 30 or 40 years ago. Presently the games are far too defensive and in particular the English game emphasises conceding less, not scoring more. I agree with the earlier comments that West Ham, my team, has little to show compared to other teams, but in the mid-60's they were a team with great talent and played attractive football. As much as it pains me to say this the Spurs double team in 1960-61 was probably one of the finest sides to grace a football field. The Real Madrid team that won 5 European Cups in a row was a fun side to watch. My point is if Football is to move away from constant and boring domination of 4 teams, maybe we should look to the past to regenerate a kind of game that is more fun to watch than what we have now. Are any of the so-called "lower placed" clubs willing to gamble on a more open, attacking, pas

by NOODLES on November 23, 2007

If the fa have any guts then they will make sure every premier team has a good quota of English (British) players then the scum from goonerland and the spanish from lpool will have a few problems I know pool have a few English players but BENT I TEZ doesnt really like playing them e.g. Crouch then the above mentioned teams will have a good chance of climbing the table I was going to have a go at that pasty from cornwall but I couldnt believe it when I read a complimentary comment from a spammer thank you laurence there have been some great matches between Spurs and wh but because most spammers are jealous of our past successess it has become a hate match each season I hope the barcodes never win anything ever again as thier fans are well overrated score against them and it sounds like a cemetary. If fans won the league then Portsmouth would be 10 points clear.

by Richard Scudamore on November 23, 2007

Not while I'm in charge. Muhahahahaha

by Correction on November 24, 2007

"Tottenham and Necastle HAVE ate from the top table before.They have dominated the English game at different times in history" Spurs have won 2 league titles in 125 years - as if they have ever dominated!!!

by yesh on November 26, 2007

I'm a life long Spurs fan despite hailing from N.Ireland, I was attracted to the club by the style of play they adopted. Despite enduring far too many fruitless years they have continued trying to produce exciting creative football on the pitch admittedly with little to show for it.I'd rather we kept trying to entertain rather than becoming a team that goes 1 nil up and then shuts the door.I'm a football purest and would love every game in the league to be played by gifted players some call luxury players eg- ginola but football is a business and the top 4 get the cream of the crop due to huge revenues from the champs league unfortunatley everyone else has to content themselves with the left overs.Every now and then a team upsets the status quo and creeps into the top 4 eg everton but it has yet to be maintained.I believe that the battle for 4th place has become a more interesting battle than the battle to be champions due to the champs lge.On paper spurs have a squad capable of pushing for that 4th spot but

by Lee on November 26, 2007

West Ham, Newcastle and Tottenham... care to include that onlt team that has broken the "top" 4 in recent years??? Tottenham - maybe, Newcastle - no chance - West Ham - have got more chance of going down than getting anywhere near the "top" 4

by Terry Wigan on January 18, 2008

With regards to Newcastle West Ham and Spurs ever making a challenge on the top 4 it quite simply ain't gona happen but I hope the enjoy their pipe smoking and dreams.

by The knower on January 19, 2008

I wish all those little teams (No I'm sorry Newcastle you are a little team )would stop going on about being a top 4 team,maybe if they would first become a good team then a very good team and then start talking about Top 4.I'm sick of the cliches.Spurs after what yous did to Martin Jol yous ain't going anywhere apart from spending a few years treading water at the 15th to 13th spot.Right next to Newcastle.Yous have all got BIG heads you little teams an your rich nobodies that are running your clubs just want idolitary,look at me Im so rich i want respect from the working man.