• English Premier League: Is The Gap Too Wide Already?

    Premier League

    Many top leagues in football countries around the world are filled with this particular controversy: gap between the main football league with other grade leagues. In England, the case with English Premier League is even more prominent. A lot of critiques and football experts are stating that the Premier League is creating too much of a gap from other leagues including the Football League.

    With the gap being so wide as it is, especially in regulations and financial expenses, a lot of teams playing the Football League have less chances of progressing to Premier League and becoming even more successful. Bear in mind that teams who progresses to Premier League are champions in the Football League, which means they are the best there is at the level. Except for the 2001-2002 season, at least one Premier League new comer have been relegated back to Football League.

    So is the gap too wide already? The answer is probably YES. With the Premier League creating large gap like it is now, teams competing in the Football League don’t really have that extra motivation to progress even further. A lot of funding is needed to survive the Premier League along with the need to increase players’ qualities and other factors. Teams who have been relegated back to the Football League Championship often find themselves facing financial problems right after the relegation; even after the £11.2 million per year compensation for teams who have been relegated, this problem still exists. The problem needs to be solved and gaps need to be narrowed so that these two English football competitions remain healthy and exciting to watch.

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  • Blackburn Rovers FC

    Clubs

    Blackburn Rovers FC is famous for their unique rose emblem and amazing performances during the 1994-1995 season. It was one of the most controversial seasons in the history of English Premier League, yet Blackburn Rovers FC took home the championship trophy that season, right under the nose of large teams such as Manchester United and Liverpool.

    The 1994-1995 season started badly for Blackburn Rovers FC in terms of outside league performances. They were eliminated early from top European team competitions including the UEFA Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. However, the early eliminations were actually a blessing for the team since the can now focus more on the Premier League and go after the championship trophy at full speed.

    Arch rival Manchester United defeated Blackburn Rovers twice during this season, with both of them being very controversial. The first defeat was during a match at Ewood Park, with the team’s Henning Berg wrongfully sent off by the referee after allegedly tackled Lee Sharpe; Blackburn was leading 1-0 at that time, and Eric Cantona quickly secured an equalizer with the resulting penalty. The match ended with 4-2 score for Manchester United.

    The second match against Manchester United at Old Trafford was just as controversial. It was an equalizer from Tim Sherwood that caused the controversy; after the goal was scored, it was disallowed by the referee because Alan Shearer ruled to have fouled Roy Keane in the process.

    At the end of the season, after all the controversies and hard work, Blackburn Rovers FC took home the Premier League championship trophy; their first since 1914.

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  • David James

    Players

    When talking about Premier League players, the name David James should be a name you quickly recognize for sure. This superb player, born David Benjamin James in August 1st, 1970, is one of the best goalkeepers the Premier League fans have ever seen, with no less than 560 Premier League performances so far. James is quickly recognized as a superb goalkeeper at the beginning of his career, and he managed to keep his reputation at the utmost respected level until today.

    James started his career in Watford when he signed as trainee after leaving school in 1986. His amazing goalkeeping skills were quickly discovered during his period as a trainee, and he quickly become selected for the first team in 1989. Only a year after, he was called to play for England U-21 team during a match against the Republic of Ireland.

    After making his debut with Liverpool in 1992, he faced the true challenges of being a top team starting goalkeeper. His first debut with Liverpool ended with a bitter defeat of 1-0 to Nottingham Forest. He was even replaced by Bruce Grobbelaar for a while before returning stronger than ever when Liverpool faced Arsenal in January 1993; James did his job perfectly and brought Liverpool to a nice 1-0 away win over Arsenal.

    James continued his career with several ups and downs, but his general performances were superb. He is now playing for Portsmouth. When he first transferred to Portsmouth, James successfully kept a clean sheet on his first five matches.

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  • Premier League Trivia: Top Appearances

    Players

    When it comes to Premier League players, paying close attention to details of their careers with English Premier League is just as interesting as watching the intense football matches. There are just so many things to discuss about Premier League players, including gossips and trivia. In this article, we are going to take a look at some of the best players with the most English Premier League appearances in history.

    Emile Heskey is out first top appearing player. With close to 450 appearances so far, Emile Heskey is noted to be the fifth most appearing players in the history of English Premier League. There are a lot of amazing moments and beautiful goals with Heskey playing important parts on them, placing him as one of the best Premier League players indeed.

    Sol Campbell is next with slightly higher number of Premier League appearances. The player still plays in the Premier League, filling Arsenal’s center back position and keeping the defensive line stronger than ever. Campbell is an experienced defensive player with tons of valuable skills.

    Gary Speed is the third most appearing player in the Premier League history, with a little over 500 appearances so far. Currently playing for Sheffield United, Speed has a lot of experiences with different Premier League teams. Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, and Bolton Wanderers are all his former teams.

    On the second part, we have the infamous Ryan Giggs. He is following David James closely with over 550 appearances so far. The man with the most appearances in Premier League is Portsmouth’s goalkeeper David James with close to 600 performances.

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  • Gary Speed

    Players

    Gary Speed is another important figure in the English Premier League history. This particular figure is known for his excellence in various aspects of the league, including competing as a player and coach for Sheffield United until today. At his current age of 50, Speed accomplished many things that a lot of English Premier League players wish to accomplish indeed.

    Speed began his career with Leeds United at the age of 19. Back then he was a rough talent waiting to be discovered, and Leeds United took him in and give Speed the opportunities to show the world what he can do. Gary Speed showed what it takes to be a Premier League player indeed and brought the team to winning the championship on his debut year.

    He moved to Everton in 1996, for a fee of £3.5 million. His career with Everton was not an extended one, although he was given the position of captain of the team. He again transferred to Newcastle United in 1998 for a fee of £5.5m. His move and career in Newcastle United was one of the most controversial transfers and performances in Premier League history, yet he showed that he can do the job perfectly and become the team’s most reliable midfielder until the end of his contract in 2003.

    Even Sir Bobby Robson was sorry to see Speed transferred to Bolton Wanderers. With Wanderers, Speed makes his mark in the Premier League history again and became the first player to make 500 Premiership appearances. He then played for Sheffield United before finally assuming the role of coach for the team.

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  • Premier League 10 Seasons Awards

    Awards

    After a long history of great matches and amazing moments, English Premier League celebrated its first decade in 2003. A lot of people and British football fans often forget that the Premier League is no more than 20 years old now, because it was indeed formed in 1992 when several teams resigned from the Football League top division championship and created this amazing league on their own. The Premier League 10 Seasons Awards was interesting to follow indeed, with several awards being handed to important figures of the league.

    Alan Shearer shined brightly at the Premier League 10 Seasons Awards, with no less than 6 awards given to this experienced player. Shearer won the Teams of the Decade award for striker position in both domestic and overall category. It is a true recognition to the player’s skills and abilities, and its contribution to the English Premier League. He also won Overall Player of the Decade, Domestic Player of the Decade, Outstanding Contribution, and Top Goalscorer awards in the same event.

    Sir Alex Ferguson, just like you would guess, won the Manager of the Decade. The award ceremony also presents an award of Quote of the Decade featuring an unforgettable quote, “I would love it if we beat them. Love it!”, by Kevin Keegan; he made the quote back on April 1996. David Beckham won the Goal of the Decade for his goal during the Wimbledon vs. Manchester United match on August 1996, while the infamous Eric Cantona won the Overseas Player of the Decade award.

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