Honestly, do you think that a club outside City, Utd, Spurs, Arsenal or Chelsea can win the league in the next 4 seasons?

4 seasons ago City wouldn't have been near this list, ergo

nor Spurs

so if you're saying "can another team suddenly be considered 'realistic' title contenders in the space of 4 seasons?" then the answer is obviously yes.

not that Spurs or Arsenal or Chelsea or anybody else will.

Spurs shouldn't be on the list, them winning would be on a par with Dortmund imo. Montpellier is a much bigger surprise.

srsly think that a rejuvenated Liverpool with a new manager will present more of a challenge than the London clubs within 3 years

liverpool have more of a chance than spurs, and maybe more than arsenal.

'Can win?' - yes, probably. It depends what Liverpool and in particular Dalglish decide to do, or whether there's a load of investment in a club like Villa or Everton that suddenly propels them into City territory.

'Will win?' - I doubt it very much. I don't even think Spurs or Arsenal will win the league in the next five years, let alone anyone else.

Anyway, Spurs and Liverpool are capable of winning in the next four years seeing as the question is 'can'.

take that you whinging lfc fuckers, ilf has spoken

But the poll option is 'will'.

the thread title says "can" but the options say "will" so i'm not sure how to vote tbh

Maybe I shouldn't have done this on the fly, 'can' isn't what I was going for.

because if i had to put money on, right now, i wdn't bet against the title staying in Manchester for the next 4 seasons

Ferguson will be gone in four years. Who knows what Ambramovich will be up to. Arsenal will be alright. Got to presume City will still be having a go. Liverpool and Spurs might be doing better, might not. If footy megamoney is drying up a bit and if they manage to avoid making themselves a laughing stock, Newcastle could build from here (two big ifs, obv). We might be heading towards more competitive times, not less.

if it's 'can' then the inclusion of spurs almosts calls for everton, villa, newcastle also. Well and good we're peaking atm but there's more chance of those clubs becoming megarich than of us ever spending 'title' money, FFP assumedly being a load of shite like

Montpellier top of the league now is like, idk, Stoke going for it. Not in terms of playing style! But they come up 3 or 4 years ago, haven't had much investment and watched many of the top clubs (for Chelsea read Lyon, for Arsenal read Bordeaux etc.) kinda 'struggle' as they quickly improve. I guess it is this last factor will stop a well-run Swansea doing this in 3 years time? City are too big to fail?

Okay, treating it as a 'will', Liverpool will not win the Premiership 2012/16, but there's no reason they can't come close. It's only three years since they nearly did win it and I don't think they're a huge rebuilding job away from that level again. In a way phase one - getting the dependable mediocrity in place, your O'Sheas, your Kalous - has already been accomplished.

Only clubs I think FFP will truly hurt are Italian clubs, according to Swiss Ramble. Inter are fucked.

Not entirely sure about it killing them, aiui Italian clubs have significant untapped commercial and tv revenue potential if Serie A gets its act sorted out, which might already have happened.

It's only three years since they nearly did win it

can't believe darragh's resisting this

yeah, i've been sitting on a "darragh otm" for hours.

We've been through this

i'm busy, someone else take that pls

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Yes, a team outside the top 5 will win the league in the next 5 years. 4

who the fuck are these people?

epl is not competitive. the great likelihood is that this will be the 8th season in a row that the prem is one by one of two teams. the only realistic competitor of man u for the title this season has been city, who may take chelsea's place in the duopoly.

probably will tbh.

actually, 9 seasons of two teams winning it (man u and arsenal), followed by -probably- 8 or 9 seasons of only 2 teams winning it (man u and chelsea), maybe the next cycle is man u and man city. it all makes sense. to me.