You often get papers/fans commenting that club 'x' are a big club with their fanbase/history etc , and deserve to be in the premiership or that they are a premiership team in all but name - now we all know that is rubbish and teams are quite rightly there on merit, but which 20 clubs would you have in the top flight if you had to base it on 'big club' basis?
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Liverpool
Arsenal
Newcastle
Leeds
Aston Villa
Spurs
Chelsea
West ham
Sheff Wed
Man City
Everton
Sunderland
Now it get's hard
Derby
Sheff Utd
Wolves
Nott'm Forrest
Birmingham
Norwich (??)
Charlton!!
They last won the league championship 82 years ago (they've been promoted to the top flight more times than they've been champions).
They last won the FA Cup 54 years ago (albeit they've been runners up 3 times since).
The only European trophy they've won was the Fairs Cup, and that was 40 years ago.
The history books show they were all conquering in the first decade of the 20th century and picked up a handful of honours in the 20s. Anyone alive today is bascially living on past glories.
Being the biggest, best, most popular club in an area with no viable rival does not make them a 'big club'. I'm fed hearing how great and wonderful Newcastle are. I've huge respect for Shearer as a player and an Englishman and I mean him no ill but I hope 'The Mighty Toon' crash and burn.
;o)
Big club, perhaps ..... but massive under-achievers.
Manchester United
Liverpool
Aston Villa
Leeds United
Arsenal
Chelsea
Spurs
Manchester City
Nottingham Forest
Everton
Sheffield Wednesday
Newcastle United
West Ham United
Sunderland
Wolves
West Bromwich
final four... (very debatable)
Leicester City
Blackburn Rovers
Derby County
Birmingham City
chelsea
liverpool
arsenal
leeds
notts forest
newcastle
everton
villa
man city
sunderland
west ham
spurs
blackburn
.....................................................................................................................................................................................
charlton
wolves
sheff wed
wolves
derby
southampton
Forest were a nothing club until Clough arrived.
Blackburn get shit crowds but won the league more recently than all but 3 of the other clubs.
How do you define a big club?
In my opinion it should be calculated considering trophies won, average attendances over the past 50 - 60 years, league position over the past 50 - 60 years with some slight weighting given to the current situation. Very difficult to do.
But I think that it would come out something like this (in order):
1. Liverpool
2. Manchester United
3. Arsenal
4. Everton
5. Spurs
6. Aston Villa
7. Chelsea
8. Wolves
9. Manchester City
10. Newcastle United
11. Nottingham Forest
12. Blackburn
13. Sheffield Wednesday
14. West Bromwich
15. Leeds
16. Sunderland
17. Portsmouth
18. Huddersfield
19. Burnley
20. Bolton
21. West Ham
22. Sheff Utd
Liverpool
Arsenal
Everton
Aston Villa
Wolves
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Bayern Munich
Benfica
PSV
Ajax
AC Milan
Inter Milan
Juventus
Roma
Glasgow Rangers
Celtic
PSG
Marseille
Easy.
arsenal
liverpool
tottenham hotspur
chelsea
everton
manchester city
west ham united
newcastle united
sunderland
aston villa
west brom
wolves
leeds united
portsmouth
southampton
charlton athletic
derby county
sheffield wednesday
sheffield united
leicester city
ipswich town
blackburn rovers
birmingham city