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Apartheid of the Premier League

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Guest writer adlington2 wonders what to do about the cash divide

There is a firm line in the Premier League, a barrier that half of the clubs cannot pass. It’s not based on race, nationality or geography. The line is between the global rich and the proportionately poor.

Bolton aren’t really poor, they’re backed by a rich man, and so are Wigan to take just two examples. But compared to the Sheiks of City, Russian Roman, and the Glazers, we’re potless. It doesn’t even matter if the money is borrowed, United and Liverpool are in debt but they still have access to big funds.

Getting back to that line in the league table, it means that the bottom ten teams will nearly always get beaten by the top six. Of course there will be rare exceptions and the odd scrappy draw but it’s a sad outlook for the lower half teams.

Let’s immediately say we are the worst in that respect. Against a top side we are rubbish. We don’t compete. Look at United last week, look forward to Chelsea and shudder. We haven’t a chance. A few seasons ago that wasn’t the case. We must admit that with Allardyce we got lucky. His talent meant we could compete beyond the limits of our wedge.

It isn’t a healthy situation and not just for us, the other nine teams too. Because when you get that sort of predictability the fans switch off, literally. It’s not just gate receipts that sink, the TV audience shrinks and advertisers put their money where they can get better value. Less money for Murdoch unfortunately means less for football. It begins to look as if the argument for a cap on money for players is getting stronger – but that will be over the dead body of the free marketeers and the Premier League.

Perhaps the only hope is for a generation of managers and players who can smash that barricade of cash through sheer will power, brain power, talent, spirit, determination and every other quality that is supposed to win the day. The question is, do we at Bolton have even the beginnings of that revolution? After some displays you would say no, on others, maybe. But revolution is the right word, there has to be something very different to smash that cash barrier.

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