The English Premier League can rightly claim to be the best league in the world. Each week it is blessed with the presence of superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres. It is home to some of the biggest clubs in the world and it is the league all English clubs aspire to be in. But it is it really worth all the misery and humiliation for the fans of the smaller clubs?

At the end of last season, unfancied Derby County surprised everyone by beating West Bromwich Albion in the play-off final to gain promotion from the Championship.
But they have failed spectacularly and are on course to set a record for the lowest points total, fewest goals scored and worst goal difference in the league’s 16-year history. They also face the embarrassing record of conceding the most goals by any team since the league was reduced to 20 teams in 1995.

Was it really worth all the pain and humiliation? As early as the first game of the season we heard then manager Billy Davies stating the goal was to build a squad capable of battling for promotion NEXT season. So in reality they were doomed from the start.

‘The gap between the top clubs has widened, as has the gap between the Premier League and Football League’


In this season’s topsy-turvy Championship campaign, West Brom have taken the mantle of favourites and will most likely gain automatic promotion as champions. But it’s the other teams scrapping for promotion around them that have shocked the footballing world.

Like Derby last season, Stoke City, Bristol City and Hull City have all surprised bookmakers, experts and fans alike and there is a real possibility that one, or even two of those teams will find themselves playing Premier League football next term. A magnificent achievement for these clubs, especially Hull who have never played top-flight football in their 104-year history.

But can any of these teams build a side capable of surviving in the Premier League or would they all achieve a similar or even worse fate than Derby County?

Stoke pride themselves on a direct style of play and have been compared to Wimbledon of the late 1980s/early ’90s. Let’s study the form book. Wimbledon survived 14 years in the top flight and won the FA Cup. But football has changed dramatically in recent years, with more and more world-class players entering the game. The gap between the top clubs has widened, as has the gap between the Premier League and Football League.

To succeed in the Premier League you have to play high-tempo attacking football with skilled footballers. You have to be strong defensively to cope. The odds are stacked against a newly-promoted side, but Reading have shown it can be done.

They finished eighth last season – just missing out on UEFA Cup qualification by one point – without investing too heavily in players. The Royals spent around £1.5million in the off-season – a far cry from the £40million Sunderland spent this season.

However, whatever progress they made has disappeared as they proved you must spend to survive. Their style of play has also slipped backwards and they are now more like a Championship side.

Stoke will have some money to spend, but whether they spend it wisely will be the difference between respectability and humiliation. They clearly do not have the players to keep them up. The two they rely on most have both flopped at the highest level – Ricardo Fuller failed to light up the Premier League and captain Andy Griffin lasted only a few months at Derby, so if Stoke are going to survive then they need to strengthen.

Liam Lawrence is their standout player and could probably do well. But where would Stoke get their goals? Mamady Sidibe has been far from prolific, only scoring four goals and Shola Ameobi, if signed, scores once in a blue moon.

Hull have relied on the goals of Frazier Campbell, but the young Englishman has already stated his desire to be at Old Trafford next season fighting for a place in the Manchester United side alongside Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez. Dean Windass has seen his best days. Heavy reinforcements would be needed.

Bristol City are a prime example of a club peaking too soon. Their promotion charge has ground to a halt, but the play-offs are a whole different obstacle and it’s fair to say it’s not over yet for them. But life in the Premier League would be extremely tough.

Whether or not they are humiliated, it still would be worth it for the fans to experience top-flight football and even getting relegated would not be the end of the world.

Despite their pathetic performance this season, Derby will still pick up £30million for finishing last. So it wouldn’t be a disaster to these ‘small clubs’ as long as they manage their finances well.

But if they do go up, we must at least hope that they give it a go, something that Derby did not do. Was it worth it for Derby? Sure they got embarrassed, but at least the fans can say they’ve seen Premier League football – something many other fans can only dream about.