No Gray Areas - Bradford City to lose again
Irrespective of who you support, it's sad for any football fan to see the one-time high-flying Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City lingering in Leagues One and Two. Let's not forget it wasn't that long ago that Wednesday were in League and FA Cup finals and boasting such talents as Chris Waddle and David Hirst in their ranks as they played the cream of English football in the Premier League.
Bradford too had a spell in the Premier League and had their own flamboyant match-winner in Benito Carbone, but his signing epitomised all that was exciting about those times and all that was wrong and potentially damaging.
Away from the established giants like Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham, who boast large stadiums, even bigger fanbases and have for the most part had stable ownership, it's a hell of a tough task to be in the Premier League year after year. It's hard enough getting to the 'promised land', it's even more difficult to stay there.
There are only seven clubs who have played every season of the Premier League since its inception yet you can multiply that number by six or seven to find the number of clubs who were in the top division and fell out of it at one stage or another.
West Brom are an interesting example of a team who are constantly dipping in and out of the league - or a 'yo-yo club' as some call them - but The Championship is as low as they've ever gone since they were first promoted to the big time. Once you slip down a division below that, as is the case with the two I've mentioned plus a Charlton or a Leeds United, that's when the trouble really starts.
It's hard enough paying Premier League class players those sorts of wages in The Championship but once you're in the division below that it's virtually impossible and you're left with no choice but to sell them at a fraction of what they're probably actually worth. And before you know it your goal is to avoid administration rather than being a Premier League club again.
A good example of a current Premier League team who are extremely sensible in their approach to running the club are Wigan. By their own admission they're not a massive club, who have to share their fanbase with the local Rugby League team, which means revenue opportunities through tickets and merchandise are somewhat limited.
But ever since promotion to the Premier League in 2005, they've run the club in a sensible way with the man at the top, Chairman Dave Whelan, employing responsible managers to run the team and keeping the club's finances under control. They have a top-class international scouting system and have spent sensibly in the transfer market, attracting good players on reasonable wages whilst selling high performers when necessary to balance the books.
All this puts them in a strong position. Their team is more than capable of holding its own in this league and avoiding the drop for another three or four seasons and if they do get relegated they'll be able to cope with the drop from a financial perspective whilst still being able to hold on to most of their best players. The Latics are a fine blueprint in how to run a team and one which any newly-promoted teams could do a lot worse than follow.
Back to those clubs still seeking to rekindle better days though - Sheffield Wednesday are nailed on for me to beat Leyton Orient this weekend. The Owls made a flying start but then hit a slump, although last week's win at Notts County followed by a midweek cup win on penalties suggests to me they are back to something like their best.
I can't say the same for Bradford though. Big things were expected from Peter Taylor's side this season, yet they are currently only being kept off the foot of the League Two table by bottom club Hereford. Their away record makes grim reading, and although Barnet are only a couple of points and places better off, they are hard to beat at Underhill.
Recommended Bets:
Back Sheffield Wednesday at [1.83] to beat Leyton Orient
Back Barnet at [2.56] to beat Bradford
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 8 Oct 2010
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