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Gary Neville and Roy Keane: Is the gap between the Premier League and Championship too big?

Gary Neville and Roy Keane give their thoughts on if the gap between the Premier League and Championship is too big.

The Sky Sports pundit said that the Premier League is becoming more predictable, with the same five or six teams frequently moving between the Premier League and Championship, making it harder for teams to establish long-term presence in the top tier.

He adds that there is a growing divide, driven by financial disparities and parachute payments, threatens the league’s competitive nature and the cherished promotion-relegation system.

And while stories like Luton’s rise from the National League to the Premier League are inspiring, they are increasingly rare. Ongoing negotiations and a potential regulator may help address these challenges to restore balance.

Gary said: “There’s no doubt it’s becoming more fixed, the Premier League, but that that’s a fact. You know, if you think about it, not not necessarily the three same teams going up and down, but it’s becoming more and more difficult, the same five or six teams going up and down. It’s becoming more difficult for teams to become permanent, if you like, or semi permanent in the Premier League. There’s some clubs who’ve done it successfully.

“But you always get the feeling that there are certain clubs at the start of season who’ve got a chance of going down and some have no chance of going down, and I think that’s becoming more fixed than it is a position, and that’s something definitely to be concerned about.

“Because one thing that we always talk about with the Premier League is the competitive nature of the entire league, and we can never lose that.

“The relegation in promotion is something that over in this country, we sort of cherish, that anybody can come from sort of step six, seven, eight in the pyramid all the way through to the Premier League.

“You know, Luton, I think, have gone from sort of National League, didn’t they, up to the Premier League in the last few years. That’s a great story, but it’s becoming more of an exception, as the years go by.

“So it’s something we need to be keep an eye on, the disparity between the finances of the Premier League and Championship are there for all to see the pyramid.

“So the parachute payments put real pressure on clubs in the Championships to have to try and compete. So, yeah, big challenges, and I think that there is something needed, but I don’t think that’s for today.

“I think that the authorities there’s a regulator coming in. There are negotiations ongoing between the Premier League and the EFL.

“Hopefully, they do become concluded at some point in the future, because I’d like to see it just balance out a little bit more than it currently is.”

Roy Keane said: “It seems such a big gap that they’ve just found it all a bit too much.”

He added: “Even clubs like Ipswich, you might say you’ve got £100m-odd to spend but it’s attracting the right players.

“Sometimes, these clubs have had to go and buy 11, 12 players; in an ideal world, you want to buy two or three real quality players who’ve got [Premier League] experience, but you can’t afford them, or you might be able to afford them, but you can’t afford their wages, so you spread it out and you end up with lots of players who are still lacking that real quality.”

See what he said in full via the above Twitter post.

Gary Neville also encouraged Jamie Vardy to stay with Leicester next season, as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League.

The Foxes were relegated with defeat to Liverpool on Sunday and Vardy’s future is in the spotlight, with the striker out of contract in the summer.

“I think stay at Leicester if he can,” said the Sky Sports pundit on The Gary Neville Podcast. “Why not? Do they not need a Jamie Vardy in the Championship? Do you think that he wouldn’t cause problems?

“I mean, they’re going to have a lot more of the ball. They’re going to dominate a lot more of the games. He knows how to work in the box in short spaces now. He’s got better at that during his career. So there may be a position for him for 25, 30, 35 games next season.

“The Championship’s a long old slog. They can bring in other strikers maybe as well. But he still could be someone important for them in getting maybe 10, maybe 15 goals in the Championship.

“But look, it depends on the money, doesn’t it? I would imagine he’s on a good fair wage. But I look at Jamie Vardy and think to myself, I don’t see him going and play for anybody else in the Championship. I don’t see him being signed by another Premier League club.

“So my view would be he either stays at Leicester for next season or he goes abroad or he completely goes. I just don’t see him sort of staying in this country playing for another club. And for some reason, he didn’t leave when he could have gone to Arsenal a few years ago. He’s not going to leave to go to Arsenal. He’s not going to leave now, I don’t think, to go and play somewhere else.”

Twitter users gave their reaction as Gary Neville and Roy Keane debate ‘Is the gap between the Premier League and Championship too big?’…

@jamesdsmitth: All three promoted clubs relegated (unless Ipswich turn around a gap of 15pts and 20gd) with five games of the Premier League season left. What was the ‘Big 6’ is now the ‘Big 17’. There’s going to have to be massive overachievement from Championship clubs to break into that.

@Sarge_1889_UTB: Nail on the head Roy. Can’t stand it when Sheff Utd are in the Premier League. We had 1 good season, overlapping CB’s etc, then got found out. Gap is far too big. Give me the Championship all day long. I’m aware we’ll be in the Championship next season for all the haters. ✌️

@its_jux_Adom: I feel newly promoted clubs should follow the Brentford model; make yourselves difficult to break down, be lethal on the counter & from set pieces. This obsession with playing out from the back when you don’t have the right quality of players for that system is counterproductive.

@ARLukomski: The Premier League is such a dead league. 2nd year in a row, all 3 promoted teams are going straight back down. There is such a big gap between the Prem and Championship. It’s not exciting football, it’s commercial football

@Maybushsaint72: @SkySports contributes to the failings of promoted teams. Only interested in the so called top six. How can any promoted team compete against a side who is allowed to spend 100m+ on players? No promoted team will compete for years to come.

@benthorpe178: That’s it Sky, keep skirting around the real issue at hand by saying that the teams haven’t tried hard enough. The real reason you can’t mention, because you created the problem

@adipettitt: Huge gap and PSR actively prevents you spending what’s needed to bridge it even if you’re well funded. Even more difficult with back to back promotions! We’ll be back richer and wiser next time.

@BladeWarny: There is nothing wrong with the gap , we are 2 seasons away from playing In Europe if we have proper owners a proper manager and sign proper players. The reward is huge it shouldn’t be easy Forest deserve it 👍 #twitterblades

@JohnMacQPR: When the overwhelming majority of the money continually – and deliberately – only goes one way, yes. But let’s not kid ourselves that it’s anything other than what they want.

HAVE YOUR SAY –

So what we saying then, is the gap between the Premier League and Championship too big? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or tweet us @fan_banter

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