Give me the Championship

[Frenchclaret]

I have "liked" four of the above posts because I love to see us do well in the championship and hate to see us lose more often than not in the PL. However, a season in the PL pays the bills and allows us to invest in the future. I hate the bias towards the top six sides by officials, pundits and media which makes for an unlevel playing field but basically we need the money to survive and have to sup with the devil occasionally.!

[Bordeauxclaret]

Premier League every time.

[walter the softy]

"for those who think we will post a record profit, we would not make any money at all if we bought and paid the wages of a team capable of competing with the top 4."


boatshed bill, In an ideal world Burnley should be aiming somewhere midway between the two, halving this season's profit to £30m and utilising the difference in additional wages to finish around 14th in the Prem.

As I said yesterday, there's little justification in posting a £60m profit.

The problem is that when everybody else around you is spending lots of money, all you end up doing is inflating the market price. Ultimately, the TV money is pretty meaningless in terms of getting a competitive edge in the transfer market compared to the likes of Hull, Boro and other relegation candidates because everybody else in the premier league is getting that money too.

The deciding factor in terms of player recruitment therefore is still likely to hinge more on size of club, hence extra resources and/or size of sugar daddy's wallet.

Now, the dilemma is for Burnley whether we spend all that money on players where it has relatively little worth (and do not forget we could be saddled with expensive contracts for a long time) or use that money for the long term future of the club, ie. youth development, training facilities, insurance against all manner of future uncertainties. As I see it, it could well be that we spend the aforementioned 60,000,000 pounds on players fees and wages who do not really improve the squad (yes, the market has gone that bonkers that it could be possible to spend 60,000,000 in fees and wages without significantly improving the team) whilst simultaneously destroying the team spirit and togetherness that the club now has (which I think allows us to be a team that is more than the sum of its parts). The end result would be relegation anyway and instead of having 60,000,000 to show for it, we have nothing.

Of course, some may say that the answer lies somewhere between the two but I would say that seems to be exactly what Burnley have been doing anyway. And, of course, we do not know what goes on behind the scenes. I trust the board and think they have the best interests of the club at heart and the progress of the club in recent years shows the sense behind their decisions by and large.

Besides which, I think this present team will keep us up if just by sheer determination alone!

UTC!

[ontario claret]

The Champions League funds the Big 4. Get rid of that, and the playing field would be much more even. And who wants to see FC Copenhagen, anyhow?

[Vintage Claret]

I kind of get where the OP is coming from but I never thought we could get one season in the Prem and wouldn't swap our 3 seasons (and hopefully more) in the big league for anything footy related.

It does sometimes feel like we are some poor cousins at a snobby family wedding who nobody really wanted to invite but that makes it all the more pleasing when occasionally we get to pee on their strawberries while they try and sup their champagne.

[Jakubclaret]

It would make it more of even contest if the big guns formed another superleague left the rest competing alone. I know you get odd scalps memorable wins ect but more often than quite the reverse. When I go to watch football it's the claret & blue I go for I don't care to see Rooney or augeros skills ect. I'd rather watch a blood & thunder lower league game on television than 2 elite teams.

[boiledclaret]

The Prem is leagues within a league.
I take heart by the fact that Watford went up with 82 pts or so and stayed up easy.

Too many posters are getting upset about the away defeats were we've faced the teams that are in the top bracket of the league within a league. So far apart from Swansea, in which the starting line up was farcical we've been alright at home.

I'm surprised so many people are being so pessimistic so early. Enjoy the season, we may well drop but we certainly aren't going to have a Derby or Swindon style disaster.

[ontario claret]

If you did away with promotion/relegation, then you wouldn't get parachute payments OR the 200 million quid we're getting from Sky this year. Just don't expect miracles. The Big 4 are way, way ahead of us in financing. Just be patient. Stay in touch with each other. And NEVER stop yelling, "UP THE CLARETS".

[ablueclaret]

Are you more excited this year than last, that is the question.

Of course as I said any club must try for the top and hopefully Burnley will get a few seasons at this level, and maybe the miracle will happen and we'll rise above mid table, and of course the better you do the more fun the League becomes, but for me it's a fractured division with only limited competitive interest, and once again as a footballing team we look out of our depth, we just cannot take the match to the opposition. For me that's not exciting football its survival football.

So although the Championship lacks the expertise and skill of the Premier League it is a far better League to be competing in.

[ElectroClaret]

God, there's some spineless bastards about.

[Top Claret]

Premier League the best. The feeling when you win in the Prem is liken to 6 in the championship

[Garnerssoap]

Championship was **** until Owen Coyle got us the parachute payments. When they run out eventually - league one is where it's at. Won't need 5000 points then

[Bordeauxclaret]

The pitch invasion after the QPR game, half were running on to celebrate, half were running on to attack Dyche for taking them out of their beloved Championship where things are fair, even and exciting. Jumpers for goalposts isn't it.

[evensteadiereddie]

The pitch invasion after the QPR game, half were running on to celebrate, half were running on to attack Dyche for taking them out of their beloved Championship where things are fair, even and exciting. Jumpers for goalposts isn't it.

Excellent.

[The Enclosure]

I do not agree with th original poster.Whatever walk of life we should always aim to be the best that we possibly can.

[vinrogue]

Let us play in the League we deserve to be in.

I think the investment in Gawthorpe will prove to be a factor in the years to come on our chances of surviving in the PL. Not only will it attract first team players who see a superb infrastructure, it will once again allow the club to bring on many talented youngsters with all the benefits that come with that. We may not get the likes of Keane, Mee, Trippier, Rashford, Lingard but a few JayRods would boost the chances of staying in the PL.

[boatshed bill]

I do not agree with th original poster.Whatever walk of life we should always aim to be the best that we possibly can.

Champions League, then?

[ablueclaret]

The trouble with the Premier League is that almost half the sides are battling against relegation from the start with no chance of getting in the top 6. In contrast almost all the Championship sides have a chance of both although parachute money is beginning to change that.

[ablueclaret]

I think if we had one player with that spark of genius like Ings then it would be a more enjoyable experience, at present it is a battle of endeavour versus skill and although the former is commendable it doesn't make for particularly great viewing week after week.

[SGr]

I don't care which leagues are 'nicer' than others.
I don't care about turning round and think 'Just look at how far we've come'.
And I certainly don't care about being cooed over as a plucky side punching above its weight.

All I care about is Burnley Football Club finishing as high as it possibly can - and if that means we have to put up with the boringness, the bias and all round dickheadery of the Premier League then so be it!

[Jakubclaret]

God, there's some spineless bastards about.

& realists.

[bartons baggage]

The op has a valid point, flying in the championship beats the constant struggle of the premier league any day of the week.
Yes the financial rewards of the prem are great,but to compete at this level major investment is needed.
I think we will avoid the drop by finishing top of a bad league of 4 clubs,but unless BFC make themselves a more attractive club by upping the wages,then we will probably struggle every season.
Time for some outside investment me thinks.

[karatekid]

When you talk about the snobbery of the premier league look no further than Lineker, shearer and merson. Just the sight of them makes me pine for championship football.
These people should be full of praise for clubs like burnley reaching the premier league. In a way it is even more of an achievement than Linekers beloved Leicester winning the title that a club of our stature and resources is climbing into the ring with some of the biggest punchers in the business and going the full 12 rounds with us scoring a couple of knockouts already with only one or two standing counts. Eye of the Tiger. UTC.

[Paul Waine]

Yes every club should aim to get and stay in the top tier, but sadly the disparity between clubs money wise is now so great that the Premier League has become for me at least a dead division, unexciting, tired and lacking real interest.

The Championship doesn't provide the best football,or the most skill, but it does have a reasonably competitive structure and therefore excitement, added to which more matches.

For me I'd be quite happy if the top 10 clubs floated off into Europe, something unlikely to happen now.

August-2009 I was satisfied with Robbie Blake's winner v ManU.

Two seasons ago - delighted by George Boyd v ManCity.

This season we've already beaten Lpool 2-0.

I'm sure we've more fantastic results to come. Who knows we might find there are at least 3 clubs below us in May-2017.

It's what it's all about.

And, if not, we've still got the celebrations of winning promotion again.

UTC

[keith1879]

Justify to me the need to post a £60m profit at the expense of pushing out the boat slightly in an attempt to have a realistic chance of staying up.

If it fails we go down with a £30m profit (which is more than Man City will post and that in itself tells a story) with parachute payments to follow. It's all about showing some real intent to stay in the big league which is something we always fail to do.

33 years without appearing in the top flight once - followed by promotion through the play-offs
Instant relegation followed by automatic promotion after 4 years.
Instant relegation fo0llowed by the championship at the first attempt.

Now that looks like 8 years of sustained success to me. With a better chance of avoiding the relegation each time.

[ontario claret]

Loyalty is its own reward. I have always loved my journey following BFC. Some have higher expectations than others. Funny how some remember last year as being a walk in the park. Nope. We won more games from counterattacks than by pure domination. Besides, where else would you find such "fellows well-met" than on the "Up the Clarets" site? (that meant you, KRBFC.)

[RattyClaret]

I like the fact we are in the premiership but its not enjoyable sometime, the championship was more enjoyable cause any team had a chance to win and not just the mega rich clubs

Maybe we are like Man city in respect of when they were first in the Champions league alot of their fans didnt enjoy them games cause they just couldnt compete

Seams that us younger fans are not allowed to have an opinion cause we didnt see the football in the 70's and 80's, the dark days so to speak. Well times move on and here we are in the top league and woe be tied anyone who slightly complains about a poor performance cause you wernt around for Port vale in 1932 or Grimsby in 1874

Let people have a moan and vent off on here, let them post stupid formations and ideas to improve the team, if you dont like it just block them it not hard to do and you wont have to see any of it

[boatshed bill]

33 years without appearing in the top flight once - followed by promotion through the play-offs
Instant relegation followed by automatic promotion after 4 years.
Instant relegation fo0llowed by the championship at the first attempt.

Now that looks like 8 years of sustained success to me. With a better chance of avoiding the relegation each time.

I disagree.
I seriously believe we would have stayed up had Coyle not shafted us, we weren't doing too badly

[ontario claret]

Not appearing in the top flight. This club was within a single goal of not existing at all. The next step would have been the Teasdales winding up the club and selling Turf Moor to the highest bidder. And you're dissatisfied now? Give me a break.

[boiledclaret]

The what?
really?

[LoveCurryPies]

People like the OP still wish they were in the safety of the Championship?

[ElectroClaret]

Do some people still think this way?

[USC]

What, you wouldn't rather play Burton Albion rather than giving Sunderland a 4-1 spanking?

[ElectroClaret]

Do some of the resident optimists still think like this?

Really?

[KRBFC]

I honestly don't understand how any football fan wouldn't want their side playing at the highest level possible....

[CnBtruntru]

We are where we belong for the simple reason we were the best team in the Championship last season and with a lot of hard work and a good couple of additions in the summer we are now 10th in what is purported to be the best league in Europe (myself I would say the biggest challenge) due to the fact there are around 8 -10 good teams in the Premier League and rest of Europe only 2-4 decent teams in the top leagues. So I would say that it is a harder league to succeed in, Leicester last year was a freak result or maybe just a season when the top teams were not as well prepared as normally they would. This season we are punching above our weight as far as all the pundits are concerned, admittedly our home form has been excellent but that is only because of the excellent management and coaching staff in place and all credit to them for what they do in the background. As for "give me the Championship" not at all, the challenge is to play among the elite and that is what we are doing now because we Deserve to be if you prefer the Championship you could always support the lot down the road, but maybe you would have to drop another league at the end of the season.