Having watched the game between Chelsea and Athletico Madrid this evening it got me thinking about how huge the gap is between the teams at the top of the Premier League and those in the 3 divisions below. Infact, the gap to the likes of Hull City at the bottom of the same division is still pretty huge, but nothing compared to a team like Gillingham.
Having read and researched about many of the teams in the 92 over the past few months i've learnt a lot about the changes in the game. As an example, Manchester United were relegated in 1973 and despite the fact that they bounced back the very next season, relegation these days is completely unthinkable.
Money is obviously the be all and end all for all teams. In some cases, it buys trophies and success, in others it helps to keep success coming their way. When I visited Accrington Stanley recently as part of the 92 ground tour, it was obvious how desperate they were to raise money desperately needed to help them survive. We parked in a car park outside the stadium and all proceeds raised were being put towards buying the groundsman a new lawn mower. It's a sorry situation but one that was amazing to be a part of even if only for a couple of hours. Whilst sitting in the reception area a guy walked in, handed over £1000 in cash and walked straight back out. Fans, club staff and even players wives were helping with the fundraising showing just how alive club loyalty is. In the wake of the ITV digital disaster, I remember similar tasks being undertaken at many of the football league clubs including Gillingham.
I've looked at records from days past of clubs reaching cup finals despite being in the third tier of the game. Those days are long gone.
What can change this pattern from forming and becoming more and more friendly everyday for the teams with rich foreign investors? For me, capping wages would be a start. The talk of bringing in a rule on how many English players you need to have in your side would be good for the national game but i'm not a believer of it ever being fully implemented.
As a fan of a team that would be punching well above their weight if they made it back into the Championship again let alone the Premiership, I look for any small rays of hope that are possible. Staying in League One would be considered a success for me this season but I dont only ever want to watch lower league football with my team. So what do I hope for.. A cash friendly Gills fan thats been hiding under a rock for the past 20 years or all the capping they can implement hopefully one day bringing the four divisions back together.
At the moment the top 5 will just keep getting bigger and stronger and the only interesting talking point is going to be which of the 5 wont make the Champions League qualification spots.. Where's the fun in that? And more to the point, where's the hope of any team like mine ever being anything other than an also-ran. If that in Gills case.
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