EPL 2021 / 2022

[DaGrubster]

@dogmeat

Liverpool is a fantastic away side and has lots of firepower that can score from a number of different sources and ways.

You are right that city are favourites, one thing that will be interesting is that City dont have to win the game. That may force them into a tactical change and mindset they arent used to which could allow Liverpool to take advantage.

Saying that, Liverpool have some difficult matches outside of City so it would be a herculean effort if they do win the league

[DaGrubster]

@canefan they are too good for the championship/not good enough for the prem. like norwich have been recently.

need to add some solidity to their side next year as their free flowing game will be exposed next season.

[canefan]

@dagrubster said in EPL 2021 / 2022:

@canefan they are too good for the championship/not good enough for the prem. like norwich have been recently.

need to add some solidity to their side next year as their free flowing game will be exposed next season.

It is so important to buy well when a team gets up

[dogmeat]

@canefan I'm hopeful that getting promotion secured early might make difference to Fulham's chances of staying up.

In 2018 we went up via the play-offs and spent 100Mill all at the last minute and thus had a team that didn't know each other at all. We also had a coach who favoured kamikaze attack and a slow defence and then changed coaches twice.

This big spend got us into trouble with FFP. 2020 we again went up via the play offs but because of the Covid break we only had three weeks between promotion and season kicking off. We mainly got loan players who in the main (a certain fragile show pony from Chelsea apart) performed really well. I think we were good enough to stay up but parkerball is not going to allow you to get enough points to secure your position.

Now we have a new Manager who is allowing players to express themselves and yet still have the second best defence in the championship. We've recruited well, should confirm promotion early and FFP restrictions are easing. We do need to buy a decent left back, one - maybe two central defenders and a midfielder to replace Carvalho. Then hope that players that lord it in the Championship; Mitro, Wilson, Seri can make the step up.

I'm actually torn between lording it in the Championship playing for shits and giggles or the grind of survival in the EPL with your lofty ambition being to finish 17th.

[canefan]

@dogmeat Fulham were in the top flight for years. Promoted teams have to overcome the pull of relegation for at least a year or two, then you can build

[KiwiPie]

@canefan said in EPL 2021 / 2022:

@dogmeat rebounding back into the prem is tough. If Fulham do it that will be a significant achievement

All evidence suggests that bouncing back into the prem is much easier than getting your first promotion. You just have to bounce back within the time the parachute payments last or all your players get raided. Hence why Bournemouth are likely to go up this season.

[dogmeat]

@kiwipie Totally right - unless you bankrupted yourself getting promoted in the first place - which has happened to a few clubs and consequently have to let your best players go.

@canefane Your comment prompted me to check. Fulham have spent 15 seasons in the Prem this century. Only 10 clubs have managed more - the ever presents plus Man City, Newcastle, West Ham, Villa.

Fulham have spent more time in the top tier than Southampton or Leicester - without ever finishing higher than 7th.

[canefan]

@dogmeat they were a fixture during the Al Fayed years

[dogmeat]

So there have been 50 clubs that have featured in the EPL.

12 of the 22 Founder members are in this years comp. Six of them have been ever present. Eight teams have never been relegated. Three are currently in League Two and 8 are in League One

How many of the 50 can you name?

[Bovidae]

What would be interesting to know is which teams have spent the longest in the Championship (or the old Div 2) without ever gaining promotion.

[KiwiPie]

@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:

So there have been 50 clubs that have featured in the EPL.

12 of the 22 Founder members are in this years comp. Six of them have been ever present. Eight teams have never been relegated. Three are currently in League Two and 8 are in League One

How many of the 50 can you name?

I'll have a go at the more obscure ones.

Barnsley, Bradford, Wimbledon, Portsmouth, Swindon, Oldham (were they still there at the start?) and of the ones currently struggling Wigan, Charlton, Bolton, Ipswich, Sunderland. Did Luton play in the first season or did they get relegated (like Notts County) in the season before - those are the only 2 I can think of who had a chance to drop out of the league altogether.

[KiwiPie]

@bovidae said in EPL 2021 / 2022:

What would be interesting to know is which teams have spent the longest in the Championship (or the old Div 2) without ever gaining promotion.

Of the current batch, Forest & Preston have been there a while without going up (or down)

[dogmeat]

@kiwipie all correct bar Luton who did indeed go down with County. Swindon were there the first two seasons.

Forest have had three spells in Premiership but haven't featured since 98-99

Preston haven't graced Tier One of English football since 1961. They have actually spent the majority of the last 50 years in the bottom two leagues even having to reapply in 1986. They have only been in the Championship since 2015-16. they are the only First Division Champions yet to feature in the Premier League.

[Higgins]

I’ll have a go
Ever Presents

1. Totenham Hotspur
2. Manchester United
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal
5. Liverpool
6. Everton - courtesy of Sparky

Others

1. Fulham FC
2. West Ham Utd
3. Wimbledon
4. Watford
5. Reading
6. Queens Park Rangers
7. Brentford - never been relegated
8. Crystal Palace
9. Charlton Athletic
10. Bournemouth -courtesy of Bovidae
11. Barnsley - courtesy of KP
12. Derby County
13. Coventry City
14. West Bromwich Albion
15. Aston Villa
16. Birmingham City
17. Nottingham Forest
18. Leicester City
19. Stoke City
20. Wolverhampton Wanderers
21. Manchester City
22. Sheffield Wednesday
23. Sheffield United
24. Wigan Athletic
25. Leeds United
26. Newcastle United
27. Middlesborough
28. Burnley
29. Bolton Wanderers
30. Blackpool
31. Blackburn Rovers
32. Hull City
33. Portsmouth
34. Brighton
35. Southampton
36. Ipswich Town
37. Norwich City
38. Swansea City
39. Cardiff City
40. Oldham Athletic - courtesy of Sparky
41. Sunderland - courtesy of Sparky
42. Bradford City - courtesy of Sparky
43. Swindon Town - courtesy of KP
44. Huddersfield Town - courtesy of Bovidae

DISQUALIFIED
45. Millwall - courtesy of dogmeat

[sparky]

@higgins Everton has also been in the EPL from the start.

[dogmeat]

@bovidae I reckon it's Plymouth Argyle. Certainly the biggest club from the biggest city never to have played at top level.

They have ben tier 3 champions 5 times have had six spells in Tier 2, once for 20 years (including WW2 They finished 4th in 1953, the closest they have ever come to promotion although they did also have a chance in 86 just outside the play-offs. They did get to the FA Cup semis in 1984

[Higgins]

@dogmeat Maybe one of the Bristol clubs might be there are well.

[sparky]

@higgins

Oldham Athletic, Bradford City and Sunderland have all been in the EPL at some point.

[dogmeat]

@higgins Nope - Top effort so far but while Bristol City are possibly the biggest club not to feature (havent been in Tier one since 70's) Rovers haven't come close to Tier 1 and even dropped down to the Conference at one stage

[Higgins]

@sparky said in EPL 2021 / 2022:

@higgins

Oldham Athletic, Bradford City and Sunderland have all been in the EPL at some point.

Thanks, how could I have forgotten Sunderland

Just thought of another possibility but can't remember their name but they play in vertical blue and white stripes from memory and come from one of those old towns up north somewhere.