A Yanks Opinion on the English Premier League

Thanks to Barney for his article, and thus inspiring mine!

There are many arguments as to how the EPL is good or bad for football, and the only people that can really answer that are the supporters, the fans, and, sorry to say, the people that manage the books. The supporters in the UK that follow the clubs home and away are the ones that have seen the most changes. 

I am a newcomer, and a Yank at that, so you can take my opinion or leave it. The quality of EPL play is why I fell in love with English football. The EPL made football accessible to fans the world over.

Many of my friends in the UK told me of the days when the only way to see certain fixtures was to actually be at the grounds. Some of the best and most classic matches have faded into memory because they were never televised, never recorded. 

Can you imagine such a thing happened in the 1980s? That is incredible, that in the days Muhammad Ali in the 1960s a boxing match could be seen all over the world from the Philippines. Yet, the best football the world had yet to see in England was unfolding in the 1980s and the only people to see it were those at the grounds? 

Maybe it is my colonial way of thinking, we are so spread out in the states it is really hard to hop on a plane to follow the Yankees to California, or Florida for three days, then get back home and pay the bills. I like that I can watch the Yankees, or DC United, or Tottenham play from home or even at the airport. 

I am aware of English Football because of the EPL, the availability to watch it on Fox Soccer, Gol TV, ESPN, or Setanta. I want to go the UK because I want to see the clubs play in person. I think it is good for the UK and English football in general. I mean, I know several Yanks that are planning football tours because it is starting to catch on here. 

People care about English Football; I was standing on the Metro platform in Washington DC and heard a Boston accent argue about how Leeds United fans are treated, and that is not even the EPL. I have heard people talk about Liverpool and Arsenal in a coffee shop in Alexandria, and when I went home to New Jersey, I heard about Rooney getting sent off. 

As far as Managers not given enough time, I think that should not be a factor. EPL-level managers have some of the best people working for them in the world; if they feel they don’t have enough time, they should utilize their staff. 

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