Jonathan Liew articulates much of what I've been saying for a while (For Sheffield United and Co, the Premier League brings a unique brew of misery, April 23). The Premier League should no longer be seen as the promised land for Championship clubs. The often morally dubious money from the big clubs has distorted things so much that promotion is a hiding place for nothing. And in the case of my beloved Sheffield United, it has caused so much damage to the club's image that I think we should probably sue the Premier League.
When you're from Sheffield you have an idea of the history of the game. From the writing of the rules to the oldest football pitch and the Little Mester's workshop where the FA Cup was polished each year. But the game may now be tarnished beyond recovery. There is a real feeling that the first division The bandwagon has now become an unethical and unwieldy beast for the few clubs with deep pockets to play with.
“In retrospect, it is increasingly clear that the six Super League clubs probably should have been allowed to leave,” says Liew. I agree. In fact, let them separate now. We can enjoy the overpaid pony shows on TV, with VAR and Man United always underperforming, of course. I've been warning a friend who is a Villa fan that he may be invited to join. A league like this will need players like the Villans to get the odd result to make it interesting, but mainly to be there as cannon fodder that loses most weeks.
Fortunately, we return to Championship for us. Hoping Wednesday stays up, Leeds stays down and the EFL pulls away from the Prem. Then everything will be fine as long as we don't get promoted.
John Rigby
SheffieldEdit
like all life Sheffield United fan and season ticket holder, I found Jonathan Liew's article to be spot on, if you'll pardon the pun. This has been a terrible season for us Blades and the gap between the haves and have-nots has never been bigger. Those of us who don't have it simply don't have the resources to compete with billionaire-owned clubs and sports-washing projects. Every once in a while we can gather our “best” 11 and fool ourselves that we are screaming for 90 minutes. But then Fergie's time board magically shows over 10 minutes, our deep-pocketed opponents throw in £150m of new talent and it's literally game over.
And then there is the unconscious bias of officials to contend with. Game after game you see great players and big clubs make decisions in their favor. The referees clearly want to keep Pep, Mikel and company, and don't really care if Wilder or Kompany yell at them: they won't be seeing them again for a sandwich anytime soon.
I knew we were going down from the moment we came up. Effectively we have around 15 teams in the promised land for life and then a few token ones that come and go, like public school children in Oxbridge, so the Premier League can cynically suggest that it is not a done deal for the elite.
love geoff
West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire
Manchester City's wage budget this season is approximately 10 times that of Sheffield United, which in turn is approximately 10 times that of Oxford United, who are in League One. However, Sheffield United are expected to Compete against teams like Manchester City every week. In no clean sport could such grotesque financial inequality exist between two teams competing in the same league.
If it weren't already difficult enough to close that gap, the best teams now have the luxury of five world-class players off the bench, VAR decisions that disproportionately benefit them, and plenty of extra time (just in case they weren't already). I'm not winning anymore). The abolition of FA Cup replays is the latest concession given to big clubs that will only exacerbate this financial chasm.
Competing at the top is now impossible unless you are backed by an unscrupulous American businessman or a murderous Middle Eastern regime. This is not the football I fell in love with. This is not my football.
Nick Harland
SheffieldEdit
As a Burnley fan, all I can say to Ipswich fans is that they should believe what Jonathan Liew is trying to tell them: “that this, right here, is the good stuff. With a team they adore and a league they destroy and a coach who is theirs and only theirs. Not the grim struggle that comes after.” Never has a small part of an article expressed my feelings about last season and this one so succinctly.
hazelnut leaching
For sale, Greater Manchester
