Premier League or Championship?

It Is What It Is · Post by **It Is What It Is** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 5:59 pm

Taking away the obvious financials of the EPL, as a Claret, would you rather see us being a yo yo club and bossing the Championship every season or so .. or striving for a UEFA spot in the EPL?

conyoviejo · Post by **conyoviejo** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:02 pm

I'd rather see us being a Premier league club and buying Premier league players to add to our great squad to consolidate us and perhaps challenge for a top 6 place. No yoyoing please.

TheFamilyCat · Post by **TheFamilyCat** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:10 pm

I want to see us playing at the highest possible level, though I hate the Premier League but have to live with that.

Would love to see us establish ourselves in the PL with occasional pushes for Europe and reaching the latter stages of the cups.

I certainly don't want to spend season after season watching us desperately battling for survival.

4midable · Post by **4midable** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:11 pm

Prem
With current squad
And current manager

Why anyone would want different is beyond me

Nonayforever · Post by **Nonayforever** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:13 pm

Easiest question for a while.
Championship every time. No VAR, more games, less play acting, more evenly balanced reporting (no man utd love in etc )
It's not just the fact that VK has given us better football It's also the fact that we are in the Championship that has made this season so much better.

clarethomer · Post by **clarethomer** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:17 pm

The goal has to be competitive in the Premier League. However, I see this as an impossibility if you see success as sneaking into Europe

There is a realisation that Newcastle with their new found wealth has likely changed the PL from a league with a top 6 to a top 7. Their wealth and ability to spend money (which will happen over the next season or so I imagine) is not only adding more competition for the top 4 places of the league but making it a competition for which of these 7 clubs can avoid the Europe League places and get the Champs league places.

All the European places are going to be fought over by the top 7 clubs.

Whilst not impossible to do a Leicester or even a Burnley in having an exceptional year with reaching a place. I don't know how if we will ever be competitive in that league if you measure the success of Europe being an aspiration.

If competitive is trying to survive by staying in the top half of 8th to 17th then that may be the aim. Especially if we can add some decent cup runs in there.

Yo-Yoing is not an option for me - albeit I would take it if we were guaranteed success to come back up.

claptrappers_union · Post by **claptrappers_union** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:21 pm

The Championship is more enjoyable, as a supporter you have no idea what the final outcome of the league table will be... the play-offs keep it alive until the very end of the season, even if you are a mediocre team theres still that chance you can sneak in.

Nothing beats coming in from a late night at work though to learn that we beat Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Milltown1882 · Post by **Milltown1882** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:23 pm

Premier League every time. This league is s**t, it takes 1/2 bad years for a team to drop to that level of s**t. Get out of it and back in the PL as quick as we can.

GodIsADeeJay81 · Post by **GodIsADeeJay81** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:31 pm

This has been debated many times in the past.
It's a well and good dreaming of being a yo-yo club, but at some point there will be a failure to come back up.
Boro were at it for a bit and they haven't been back up since they dropped out last time after throwing money at big name players.

It's PL all the way but you absolutely have to understand that Burnley will only be there to make up the numbers unless we were to get taken over and have money poured into the club and then some fans would complain about that too

Colburn_Claret · Post by **Colburn_Claret** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:42 pm

No doubt the Championship is entertaining, but we should all strive to be the best that we can be. That includes BFC, so it has to be the Prem.
I just hope we carry on in a vane where relegation holds no fear for us.

fatboy47 · Post by **fatboy47** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:45 pm

Absolutely no reason that we can't be competitive in the top flight if we utilise our strengths

We have been before and we can be again.

It only went tits up last time because of MGs lack of ambition and football nous. If Pace and Kompany can work well together we can go further than at any time since the 60s.

Tribesmen · Post by **Tribesmen** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:53 pm

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:03 pm

I don't think much of the EPL, it's all a bit too theatrical for me.
However I do understand the fact that any club should seek to achieve PL status, and not just for the money

Bosscat · Post by **Bosscat** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:05 pm

Has to be the EPL ... but more 2017/18 than 2021/22

Spijed · Post by **Spijed** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:08 pm

fatboy47 wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:45 pm
Absolutely no reason that we can't be competitive in the top flight if we utilise our strengths

We have been before and we can be again.

It only went tits up last time because of MGs lack of ambition and football nous. If Pace and Kompany can work well together we can go further than at any time since the 60s.

No. It went wrong because EVERY club will eventually get relegated unless you are one of the established sides. There is a reason why smaller clubs are not successful for a prolonged period in the Prem.

Money.

Burnley1989 · Post by **Burnley1989** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:17 pm

I stopped going every week in the premier league, my friend circle are now taking 20 on mini buses to away games and we all got season tickets, I’m not saying that will stop if we go up but it’s good to be enjoying watching us again, those last few season made me fall out of love with football.

fatboy47 · Post by **fatboy47** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:25 pm

Spijed wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:08 pm
No. It went wrong because EVERY club will eventually get relegated unless you are one of the established sides. There is a reason why smaller clubs are not successful for a prolonged period in the Prem.

Money.

No.
1) I never said we'd never be relegated.
2) WE are a small club who have had a prolonged period in the top flight.
3) the money is there for all clubs.. You'll go nowhere if its trousered by the owners.

roperclaret · Post by **roperclaret** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:48 pm

fatboy47 wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:45 pm
Absolutely no reason that we can't be competitive in the top flight if we utilise our strengths

We have been before and we can be again.

It only went tits up last time because of MGs lack of ambition and football nous. If Pace and Kompany can work well together we can go further than at any time since the 60s.

When have we EVER been competitive in the premier league? Even the season we finished 7th we were 9 points behind Arsenal in 6th, 22 points behind Liverpool in 4th and 46 (forty six) points behind city who won the league. That’s not competitive, that’s just being the best of the rest. I’m much more excited at the prospect of winning the league this year.

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:01 pm

Entertainment wise nowt beats the Championship especially when we're on a winning run, however the realistic aim surely has to try and become an established PL club with a shot at competing in the cups.

Unless we ger a large influx of money we aren't going to gate-crash the top 6/7, so the next best we can aspire towards is being a solid mid-table Prem side playing better footy than we have for the past few seasons, and also developing talent we can then sell on for decent money.

claptrappers_union · Post by **claptrappers_union** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:01 pm

Nonayforever wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:13 pm
No VAR, more games, less play acting, more evenly balanced reporting

I agree with this too - though Burnley do the play acting these days.

Carwin261 · Post by **Carwin261** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:25 pm

Premier League without VAR ,a salary cap of £3 mill a year ,& City,Utd ,Scousers,Arsenal,& Chelsea kicked out ,& playing in a European super league that goes tits up.

Spijed · Post by **Spijed** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:38 pm

Ironically one of the best things about the championship is supposed to be the 3pm Kick offs on a Saturday afternoon.

If only we'd play at that time on a regular basis!

fatboy47 · Post by **fatboy47** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:39 pm

roperclaret wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:48 pm
When have we EVER been competitive in the premier league?

I said top flight..

fatboy47 · Post by **fatboy47** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:41 pm

tiger76 wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:01 pm

Unless we ger a large influx of money we aren't going to gate-crash the top 6/7,

Every Prem club gets a large influx of money. They all vary in what they do with it.

SalisburyClaret · Post by **SalisburyClaret** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:42 pm

Prem definitely

The Championship is only the 4th best league in Europe so who cares

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:48 pm

fatboy47 wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 8:41 pm
Every Prem club gets a large influx of money. They all vary in what they do with it.

Yes they do, however most if not all have rich owners who can bankroll them, something which presently Burnley lack and likely will for the foreseeable future.

The TV money allows us to compete to a certain degree, but there will always be a ceiling for clubs of our standing like it or not that's just a reality.

dougcollins · Post by **dougcollins** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 9:27 pm

There are some poor sides in the Championship.

I don't recall many easy games in the Prem.

Cabbage · Post by **Cabbage** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 9:37 pm

Nonayforever wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:13 pm
Easiest question for a while.
Championship every time. No VAR, more games, less play acting, more evenly balanced reporting (no man utd love in etc )
It's not just the fact that VK has given us better football It's also the fact that we are in the Championship that has made this season so much better.

Absolutely spot on. You can keep your Premier League as far as I’m concerned. Constant kowtowing by the media to the so called Big 6. The messing around of fixtures, dates and times by Sky. Championship for me. Play more games, score more goals, win more matches. I now look forward to every game and can’t wait for the next one to come around. In the
Premier League it started to become a chore.

Targetman · Post by **Targetman** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 10:57 pm

dougcollins wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 9:27 pm
There are some poor sides in the Championship.

I don't recall many easy games in the Prem.

Poor sides yes by Premier League standards.

You could quite easily say there are some poor sides in League 1 and League 2 and no doubt there are, but it's all relative to which standard you are playing at.

The teams relegated from this division to League 1 last season may well say......We don't recall many easy games in the Championship....

If we were struggling near the bottom rather than being at the top I doubt very much that we would be talking about the poor quality of the Championship.

ClaretLoup · Post by **ClaretLoup** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 11:25 pm

roperclaret wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:48 pm
When have we EVER been competitive in the premier league? Even the season we finished 7th we were 9 points behind Arsenal in 6th, 22 points behind Liverpool in 4th and 46 (forty six) points behind city who won the league. That’s not competitive, that’s just being the best of the rest. I’m much more excited at the prospect of winning the league this year.

Roper I am struggling a bit with your logic, or perhaps I am assuming one or two things, just to clarify: - So if Burnley get promoted do you want them to get relegated straight away so they can win the Championship again the following season?

FWIW the year we came seventh I thought Burnley looked capable of beating any side in the EPL home or away. This year Brentford beat City at home with Ben Mee in the team, they got to that level in one season, so personally that's where I would prefer us to be rather than in the Championship.

dsr · Post by **dsr** » Tue Dec 13, 2022 11:51 pm

If (as threatened) they bring VAR to the Championship, I'd say League One! (Just kidding. Sort of.)

Quicknick · Post by **Quicknick** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 5:10 am

I want to see us in Europe again. Why can't it happen?

Clive 1960 · Post by **Clive 1960** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 6:00 am

I would like us to be in the premiership on a level playing field if you know what I mean. VAR.

Newcastleclaret93 · Post by **Newcastleclaret93** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 6:10 am

Premier league every day.

Championship is shocking quality. Can’t wait to see how we get on against teams that can actually pass a ball.

We are likely to be able to attract technically better players now, so we might get to see more of the Defour type of players (best player I have seen in a Burnley top).

RVclaret · Post by **RVclaret** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 7:04 am

Premier League.

Really enjoying the Championship right now but you ask any West Brom, Stoke or Boro fan what they prefer and you’ll get one answer. The financial security of the PL is just a cut above. Allows you to build your club over time (see our training ground, I can’t imagine most clubs have been able to properly train in the past week with frozen pitches/snow, we will have been fine) and, if done with the right model, there’s no reason we can’t be competitive there.

Agree with NewcastleClaret, Defour was my favourite Burnley player to watch in the PL, technically so so good, I’d like to think we have another chance of seeing that calibre of player again for us.

vinrogue · Post by **vinrogue** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 8:19 am

After all our years of struggle in the Prem, reminding myself of the huge improvements to the ground, Gawthorpe and once getting into Europe it was getting a drag and a duty to drive 5 hours on matchday whatever day or time that was to be. It was exciting in the first couple of years fighting for survival and then it became very repititive, celebrating only losing 2 0 to a big side, getting a draw away..........I longed for the Championship and a recharge of my supporters battery.....hell fire it is recharged in half a season.....I have no idea which is better in the long run but I am loving this season and love my season ticket even more this season than last year. UTC

SammyBoy · Post by **SammyBoy** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 8:40 am

The Championship is only entertaining if you're any good, the post-ITV Digital years of trying to survive weren't fun.

roperclaret · Post by **roperclaret** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 8:44 am

ClaretLoup wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 11:25 pm
Roper I am struggling a bit with your logic, or perhaps I am assuming one or two things, just to clarify: - So if Burnley get promoted do you want them to get relegated straight away so they can win the Championship again the following season?

FWIW the year we came seventh I thought Burnley looked capable of beating any side in the EPL home or away. This year Brentford beat City at home with Ben Mee in the team, they got to that level in one season, so personally that's where I would prefer us to be rather than in the Championship.

I’d rather be in the PL but I was just making the point we haven’t been competitive in the ‘top flight’ (Fatboy) for over 50 years. It was getting a little boring just hoping to stay up every year though. (As I’m due it is for supporters of teams like Southampton, West Ham etc)

Woodleyclaret · Post by **Woodleyclaret** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:11 am

We have got class player tearing up games
It's great to watch and we are enjoying our 500mile home game round-trips again

CaptJohn · Post by **CaptJohn** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:11 am

Burnley1989 wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 7:17 pm
I stopped going every week in the premier league, my friend circle are now taking 20 on mini buses to away games and we all got season tickets, I’m not saying that will stop if we go up but it’s good to be enjoying watching us again, those last few season made me fall out of love with football.

I felt the same way. It was depressing to watch the football and the sheer desperation of clinging onto to PL status year on year. The Championship is certainly exciting but I fully understand the financial aspects of being in the PL. My aspiration is to continue with the VK style of football into the PL with the same recruitment policy and hopefully retain PL status for at least five years doing so.

claretspice · Post by **claretspice** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:33 am

I think you've got to aim for the Premier League but I've no problem with us dropping into the championship now and again. It's a bit like being out on a very hot day - being out in the sun and heat is great for a while but eventually it's exhausting and you want to jump in a cold swimming pool or under a cool shower to refresh.

3 or 4 seasons in the Premier League and then one or two in the Championship seems about optimal to me. Realistically, we're never going to be big enough to cool off in the Premier League.

Burnley1989 · Post by **Burnley1989** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:53 am

CaptJohn wrote: ↑
Wed Dec 14, 2022 9:11 am
I felt the same way. It was depressing to watch the football and the sheer desperation of clinging onto to PL status year on year. The Championship is certainly exciting but I fully understand the financial aspects of being in the PL. My aspiration is to continue with the VK style of football into the PL with the same recruitment policy and hopefully retain PL status for at least five years doing so.

Yeah exactly the same, I want us to go up for most of the reasons stated by others, but just prefer championship fans, away days, knowing we have a good chance of winning, more games, not just playing to survive etc

A bit of both suits me

houseboy · Post by **houseboy** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 10:18 am

TheFamilyCat wrote: ↑
Tue Dec 13, 2022 6:10 pm
I want to see us playing at the highest possible level, though I hate the Premier League but have to live with that.

Would love to see us establish ourselves in the PL with occasional pushes for Europe and reaching the latter stages of the cups.

I certainly don't want to spend season after season watching us desperately battling for survival.

My thoughts entirely. The PL is a money oriented pile of sh!te in my opinion. Over hyped and full of foreign mercenaries who come just for the money. But as a fan you want your team playing at the highest level but not, in my opinion, if it means playing scared football in order to make sure we finish 17th. If that is the case I’d rather be in the Championship actually enjoying the football.

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 10:25 am

A few of the posters further up the thread have nailed it, the Championship is great when we're winning most weeks and are banging loads of goals in as we are at present.

However fast forward 2-3 years and our better players have moved on plus perhaps VK, and we're toiling in mid table obscurity and it's not such am attractive prospect is it.

This is why it's imperative we get back to the top table ASAP and continue to develop the club on and off the pitch.

AGENT_CLARET · Post by **AGENT_CLARET** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 11:03 am

Championship football but with Premier league money

Firthy · Post by **Firthy** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 12:25 pm

If you could do away with VAR, cheating diving play acting prima donna scumbags, crap officials and obvious love ins and bias towards the bigger clubs then the Premier League. In fact the more I think about the big six joining a Euro League (taking their money and VAR with them) the more I think that the Premier League would be better for it, it would definitely be more open and competative if they did.

Spijed · Post by **Spijed** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 12:32 pm

Firthy wrote: ↑
Wed Dec 14, 2022 12:25 pm
If you could do away with VAR, cheating diving play acting prima donna scumbags, crap officials and obvious love ins and bias towards the bigger clubs then the Premier League. In fact the more I think about the big six joining a Euro League (taking their money and VAR with them) the more I think that the Premier League would be better for it, it would definitely be more open and competative if they did.

And unfortunately there would be little interest in the PL either. Just like there is little interest in the Championship outside of each clubs fanbase.

tiger76 · Post by **tiger76** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 3:35 pm

AGENT_CLARET wrote: ↑
Wed Dec 14, 2022 11:03 am
Championship football but with Premier league money

Well we sort of have that scenario now due to the Parachute Payments.

The problem many clubs experience is if they don't return to the PL in 1-2 seasons and the Parachute money runs out.

sox8595 · Post by **sox8595** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 3:35 pm

It got to the point last season where after many years not renewing my season tickets was looking like a possibility.
Going on matches feeling that we were more likely to lose than win, playing abysmal football and actually feeling relief when we go a draw at home.
I would love to go back to the prem but unless we can avoid the dross we all endured for the last 3 seasons give me the championship anyway.
No VAR, less play acting and not walking 3 miles home miserable as sin, I hate losing and when it gets to the stage where that's all you expect every week that's when to call it a day

It Is What It Is · Post by **It Is What It Is** » Wed Dec 14, 2022 5:23 pm

Our team is a completely different set up in every aspect under VKs management. AP and Bellamy are also integral in our current success. Great new signings also.
Our new possession, high press aggressive and stylish play has put us at the top of the league.
Personally I feel that our team at present could certainly compete very well in the EPL without nerve jangling relegation worries. The only caveat is..."nothing lasts forever.."