The gulf between Premier League rookies and elite

Ipswich are about to be relegated.

The atmosphere at Ipswich Town's Playford Road training ground is surprising. While the team is on the brink of relegation, there is not the usual gloom that can be felt at clubs in similar circumstances.

Smile in the storm

Coach Kieran McKenna - a name that is being sought after by many big clubs - remains steadfast in his sophisticated coaching philosophy. The players remain optimistic, despite knowing that their time in Premier League "paradise" may be coming to an end.

The Suffolk club may have accepted their fate after months of struggling at the bottom of the table. Rather than wallowing in despair, they are proud of their extraordinary journey from League One to the Premier League in just two seasons.

But Ipswich's story is not just theirs. It is a microcosm of a worrying reality in English football.

Ipswich have not played badly this season, but their class is still far behind the other clubs.

The 2024/25 season is witnessing an unprecedented record of dismal results: all three newly promoted teams (Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester) are on the way back to the Championship. With an average of just 0.5 points per game, this is the worst record for new teams in Premier League history. Heavy defeats and a lack of competition in many matches have exposed the growing gap between the "newcomers" and the "long-time residents" of England's top flight.

Notably, this is the second consecutive season that three newly promoted clubs are facing the risk of leaving the Premier League after just one season.

The shaky financial ladder

How to explain this phenomenon? The answer lies in the financial spiral in which English football is trapped.

The financial gap between the Premier League and the EFL (English Football League) has ballooned from £11m in 1992 to £3.3bn today. Huge TV deals have made the Premier League a “different world ” to the rest of the English football system.

"The Premier League is completely separate from the rest of English football after the Covid-19 pandemic," British media commented. "We are witnessing the formation of 'Premier League 2' with clear stratification between teams."

Clubs such as Crystal Palace and West Ham United, who once flitted between the two divisions, are now firmly established in the Premier League thanks to huge TV revenues, while newcomers struggle to keep up with the league’s growth.

Southampton have been officially relegated.

At the heart of the debate is "parachute" payments - money paid to teams relegated from the Premier League to help them stabilise their finances.

The EFL wants the payments scrapped, arguing they exacerbate inequality. The Premier League, on the other hand, argues they are necessary to promote competition and protect clubs from financial ruin after relegation.

However, some argue that the money should be given to clubs after promotion, rather than relegation. This would give newcomers the resources to compete from the start, rather than only getting support when it is too late.

While the overall picture looks bleak, there are some notable success stories. Brentford, Fulham, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest prove that staying in the Premier League is possible with the right strategy.

These clubs invest wisely in infrastructure, data analytics and sustainable transfer strategies, rather than spending lavishly on expensive signings that could plunge them into financial crisis if relegated.

“It’s important to have a long-term vision,” said one executive, who asked not to be named. “Clubs need to build solid foundations rather than chasing short-term dreams at all costs.”

As the season draws to a close, the big question remains: does English football need a radical overhaul to address this imbalance?

Talks about an independent football regulator are intensifying, with the hope of creating a fairer system for all clubs, from the Premier League to the lower leagues.

Meanwhile, Ipswich Town and their fellow ‘relegation clubs’ will continue to fight until the very end. But whatever the outcome, the debate over the future of English football’s structure will surely continue for years to come.

Because when relegation becomes an almost impossible task for newcomers, it is not just a failure of individual clubs but also a sign of a system that needs to be reformed from the roots.

Source: https://znews.vn/ho-sau-ngan-cach-tan-binh-va-uu-tu-cua-premier-league-post1548903.html