| Is the Football League simply more fun? 09:22 - Apr 7 with 1657 views | bsw72 |
It’s the predictability of the Premier League that I will be happy to see the back of. The pre-match buildup feels scripted, complete with the annoying anthem and fireworks. There are brief moments when anticipation hits, and we think, this match will be the one where we unlock the magic Premier League formula, spank our opponents 3-0, and finally turn the corner. However, these moments are fleeting, lost in the surrounding marketing noise.
It turns out that losing frequently is not fun (who would have thought?). What makes it even worse is the feeling of inevitability about how we will lose again and again, even when we have been 1-0 up.
Saturday was a case in point. From about the 20th minute, it was clear we were going to lose. We had the goal but didn’t know whether to stick or twist, so we ended up stuck, lost our way, and Wolves smelled blood, rightfully winning the game.
This pattern has been evident in many games this season, with the exception of the inexplicable match against Chelsea at home, where they seemed incapable of creating effective chances. Outside of that, we managed some creditable draws against Fulham and Villa, though we were somewhat fortunate with our away wins.
For me, it is the unpredictability of sport that truly makes it exhilarating, including football—something we have especially seen in the Championship and League One. I’m not just referring to our recent promotion runs, but to the consistent surprises since the early 2000s.
The fact that one team can pull off a stunning upset against a top side one week, only to stumble against a relegation contender the next, keeps fans on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating each match. Just look at the Championship title race this season; Oxford beating Sheffield United would not happen in the Premier League anymore.
However, when a team consistently loses in the same manner, it drains the joy from the experience, turning hope into frustration. Winning every week in a predictable fashion can also become monotonous and strip away the thrill of competition, but for us, it has been the defeats that have stung the most.
Established teams in the Premier League now have an almost surgical way of playing the game. It feels like we are witnessing a footballing version of the Stepford Wives. We tried to be the Joanna, but ultimately failed to either push back or assimilate successfully (spoiler alert: in the Stepford Wives, Joanna eventually succumbs). Therefore, we head back down.
I am looking forward to the Championship, with its surprises, last-minute goals, and underdog victories that keep the spirit of the game alive. Let’s embrace the differences and allow them to remind us why we love football in the first place. Don’t let this year’s experience cloud that. [Post edited 7 Apr 9:26]
|  | | |  |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:37 - Apr 7 with 1576 views | Markp68 |
I wholeheartedly agree. Yes I want us to be in the premier league because of the obvious…money and exposure but I will miss almost nothing about it from a sporting point of view |  | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:46 - Apr 7 with 1550 views | norfsufblue |
Have to say i have met very few ipswich fans ( for that mater, fans in general) who would disagree wth most if not any of this, very well put! |  | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:50 - Apr 7 with 1537 views | JammyDodgerrr |
Probably in the minority, but I'd rather be middling in the prem than having to play the likes of Cardiff, QPR, Stoke etc. Properly crap games, crap reffing, and I don't really want us to be back there. The only benefit really is that the football is constant, it feels like we never play in the premier because we aren't in Europe etc. |  |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:52 - Apr 7 with 1527 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
"For me, it is the unpredictability of sport that truly makes it exhilarating, including football—something we have especially seen in the Championship and League One. I’m not just referring to our recent promotion runs, but to the consistent surprises since the early 2000s."
I think we've experienced plenty of unpredictability this season. Beating Spurs, Chelsea and Bournemouth were surely unexpected? The same with losing to Southampton. So I don't think it's that which makes it less 'fun' for some - surely it's your earlier point of losing too often. | | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:55 - Apr 7 with 1518 views | gsoly |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:52 - Apr 7 by SuffolkPunchFC |
"For me, it is the unpredictability of sport that truly makes it exhilarating, including football—something we have especially seen in the Championship and League One. I’m not just referring to our recent promotion runs, but to the consistent surprises since the early 2000s."
I think we've experienced plenty of unpredictability this season. Beating Spurs, Chelsea and Bournemouth were surely unexpected? The same with losing to Southampton. So I don't think it's that which makes it less 'fun' for some - surely it's your earlier point of losing too often. |
Heartily agree with this. Was the Championship fun when we were bang average from 2015 - 2018? Nope. Wasn't very unpredictable either. The success of the last two seasons has warped all our minds to the norm. |  | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:57 - Apr 7 with 1511 views | bsw72 |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:52 - Apr 7 by SuffolkPunchFC |
"For me, it is the unpredictability of sport that truly makes it exhilarating, including football—something we have especially seen in the Championship and League One. I’m not just referring to our recent promotion runs, but to the consistent surprises since the early 2000s."
I think we've experienced plenty of unpredictability this season. Beating Spurs, Chelsea and Bournemouth were surely unexpected? The same with losing to Southampton. So I don't think it's that which makes it less 'fun' for some - surely it's your earlier point of losing too often. |
The predictability was more in the context of the PL results and style as a whole, it feels stifled - we have indeed had some surprise results, but they were surprises very much in the context of the season.
I would contest the Southampton loss - that was 100% predictable as the game went on. | | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:59 - Apr 7 with 1509 views | bsw72 |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:55 - Apr 7 by gsoly |
Heartily agree with this. Was the Championship fun when we were bang average from 2015 - 2018? Nope. Wasn't very unpredictable either. The success of the last two seasons has warped all our minds to the norm. |
I refer to the Football League as a whole - not our results in isolation.
As for the PL, it's almost like the establishment did not enjoy Leicester winning the title 10 years ago, and so have closed ranks. [Post edited 7 Apr 10:03]
| | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:02 - Apr 7 with 1488 views | bsw72 |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:50 - Apr 7 by JammyDodgerrr |
Probably in the minority, but I'd rather be middling in the prem than having to play the likes of Cardiff, QPR, Stoke etc. Properly crap games, crap reffing, and I don't really want us to be back there. The only benefit really is that the football is constant, it feels like we never play in the premier because we aren't in Europe etc. |
I don't think the standard of refereeing is hugely different across the leagues - the one thing I will say is that based on what I have seen in the top flight this season, players are smarter at conning the ref . . . | | | |
Login to get fewer ads
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:02 - Apr 7 with 1485 views | _clive_baker_ |
As you say there's a distinct lack of jeopardy in the premier league, and its incredibly predictable. We could quite literally go to Anfield 50 times and I think we would win 1, and it would probably require a lot of fortune. Even the games we've won or drawn this season we've been under the cosh a lot, ridden our luck at times. Inevitable, but not hugely enjoyable.
19 points separates 5th and relegation in the Championship at the moment. You look across the form table and its a real mixed bag. The bottom 4 have 9 wins and 5 draws among them in their last 5 each. 20 games, 32 points accumulated. The 4 above them all have a couple of wins each in their last 5. That makes for a good league. Anyone really can (and does) beat anyone. |  | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:07 - Apr 7 with 1424 views | TractorFrog |
You have to want to be in the Premier League because the Championship feels a bit stale if you are hoping not to finish near the top. But ultimately it makes for a more enjoyable fan experience to have ups and downs than be consistently average like many Premier League teams. |  |
| They'd all laugh at me if they knew what I was trying to do. To create a new strain of super-wine in half-an-hour with a fraction of nature's resources and a FOOL for an assistant. 'Bernard Black, he's mad,' they'd say, 'he's insane, he's dangerous.' Well I'll show them! I'll show them all! | | Poll: | Who should start in CM with Cajuste? |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:08 - Apr 7 with 1424 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
Looking forward to the champ because I think we will do very well and win a lot of games.
The prem is the place to be though, Championship now having loads of Saturday morning games there are some serious slogs. I want Ipswich to be the best they can be and that means being in the prem. |  |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:13 - Apr 7 with 1405 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:57 - Apr 7 by bsw72 |
The predictability was more in the context of the PL results and style as a whole, it feels stifled - we have indeed had some surprise results, but they were surprises very much in the context of the season.
I would contest the Southampton loss - that was 100% predictable as the game went on. |
"I would contest the Southampton loss - that was 100% predictable as the game went on."
Agreed with the comment, but the result wasn't predictable before the game started  | | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:20 - Apr 7 with 1377 views | Churchman |
A thought provoking OP. I haven’t enjoyed the Premier League at all. I detest the cardboard arch, silly anthem and fireworks. I don’t like VAR or that refs are intimidated by bigger clubs’ players. It feels for me more like Harlem Globetrotters at times than sport.
However the thing I detest the most about this season is our inability to compete and that scars my view of the Premier League more than anything else. Argue all you like about goalkeeper failings, no midfield, signings, manager, positioning of those little cones on which spare balls perch, but when it came to it, we stood no chance. As you pointed out, despite being a goal up, it was clear what was going to happen on Saturday for example.
If Leicester and Southampton were outclassed with only one season out, we were never going to do a lot better given the gulf between the divisions and where we’ve come from both on the pitch and off it, infrastructure wise. It has shocked and saddened me, not least because I thought we might be strong enough to survive comfortably. Silly me.
When it comes to it, despite detesting everything about the Premier League, I want us in it; to be the best we can be. At the top table even we are down the end of it. Biased I may be but I believe the club has more potential than the likes of Brentford, Fulham, Palace or Brighton so why not try and reach for it? So despite the rough and tumble of the Championship, watching us play against Man United or Middlesbrough? No contest.
Assuming the owners are still supportive and the club continues to grow, we now know what the PL is, what it looks like and what it’ll take to be competitive. So despite the disappointment and frustration, there’s a lot to be gained from this sobering experience.
COYB [Post edited 7 Apr 10:22]
|  | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:23 - Apr 7 with 1350 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:08 - Apr 7 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
Looking forward to the champ because I think we will do very well and win a lot of games.
The prem is the place to be though, Championship now having loads of Saturday morning games there are some serious slogs. I want Ipswich to be the best they can be and that means being in the prem. |
So here's a challenge for you 
Let's say next season in the Championship isn't quite as you hope, and we end up being a 'safe' mid-table team.
Would you prefer to be that mid-table Championship team, or a team struggling to establish itself in the Premiership?
For me professional sport is about competing with the best, and getting better - hence we need to be in the EPL.
Oh, and doing well in the Championship, leads to promotion and competing once again with better teams.
So the options are be mediocre in the Championship, with a reasonable number of wins, but no risk of promotion (or relegation), or be a great Championship team and end up back in the Premiership. | | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 11:17 - Apr 7 with 1185 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 10:23 - Apr 7 by SuffolkPunchFC |
So here's a challenge for you
Let's say next season in the Championship isn't quite as you hope, and we end up being a 'safe' mid-table team.
Would you prefer to be that mid-table Championship team, or a team struggling to establish itself in the Premiership?
For me professional sport is about competing with the best, and getting better - hence we need to be in the EPL.
Oh, and doing well in the Championship, leads to promotion and competing once again with better teams.
So the options are be mediocre in the Championship, with a reasonable number of wins, but no risk of promotion (or relegation), or be a great Championship team and end up back in the Premiership. |
Seems a pretty easy question.
A great championship team ? | |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 11:32 - Apr 7 with 1143 views | LankHenners |
I think people can overcomplicate things to be honest. Everyone's looking forward to the Championship because our most recent experience of it was winning most weeks whilst playing great football. At the end of the day, that's what makes it fun and worthwhile and we'll all be hoping we have a similar season again next term.
Ask a Stoke fan, for example, if they find the Championship enjoyable and they'd probably find it hard to make a case in the affirmative.
Do get what you're saying and there is more of a sense of unpredictability across the board compared to the Premier League but once again the biggest and best-backed clubs are at the top again and, barring a total bottle job from someone (Leeds), will be in the Prem next season. Everyone can have a guess at which clubs will make the top 4 next season and most people would end up getting at least 3 right. |  |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 11:41 - Apr 7 with 1112 views | Asa |
For me, without any doubt.
What I found quite interesting early on this season was how little attention I paid to the division.
I was obviously delighted to get promoted last season because it was a season filled with matches I'll never forget. Absolutely magical.
But always thought the journey would be better than the destination. I loved being back for the first time since I was 22 so I could go to all the grounds again, my kids could see the best in the world down here, so that local kids would be wearing Town shirts again and not Man City and Chelsea ones and even to be back on Match of the Day.
Curiously though by September I was back watching Coventry v Hull on a Tuesday instead of Brentford v Villa or PSG v Arsenal. I had assumed that because we were in the EFL this is why I paid far more attention to it but quickly found that the Premier League wasn't anywhere near as exciting as I'd hoped.
I can't stand VAR. I can't stand the insane money in the game. I even find it a little disappointing, albeit we have to do it, that a player like Greaves who hasn't really worked out wonderfully this season, is one of our most expensive players ever. Football is obscene but the EPL is just something else.
Now the novelty has gone, the club is financially secure and we'll be the favorite for the title most likely I feel we are in a fantastic place. I know it's supposed to be the thing to want us to be in the Premier League again in a year or two and being a Brentford or Brighton and challenging for Europe and that would be amazing.
But unless that happens upon promotion I can't imagine I'll feel any different to how I do now and even if we'd have been 11th or 12th this year I expect Id' feel the same. It's not just because we are losing most weeks. I've never been worried about winning. If you gave me any division where on a weekly basis we had as much chance as winning as losing I'd be fairly happy as long as the club wasn't in any danger itself. I didn't mind League One aside from the club being allowed to essentially rot and wither.
The reality is, but for our European heyday and the disasterous part of that League One stay, we've always been a decent Championship club and I far prefer that division, the contrasting styles of play, the anyone can beat anyone nature of it, than three divisions within one and waiting 6 minutes to know if I can celebrate. [Post edited 7 Apr 13:15]
| | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 12:47 - Apr 7 with 944 views | Garv |
The league isn't necessarily predictable though, at least no more than it has been for decades previously.
Man City (until this season) are only doing what Man United did for years. This season has seen Forest and Bournemouth (until recently) really competing in the top third of the league. Forest are going to finish 3rd or 4th for goodness sake, they've beaten both Man City and Man United 1-0 in the last few weeks. United and Tottenham are 13th and 14th.
Us losing every week is predictable for us, and yes Southampton and Leicester are in the same boat, but the league isn't predictable. The whole "gap between Championship and PL" debate feels like a separate conversation.
Basically no one likes losing. I think that's the crux.
I'm surprised you constructed a whole post about the football league being better and failed to mention VAR, to be honest. |  |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 12:52 - Apr 7 with 926 views | Illinoisblue |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 11:41 - Apr 7 by Asa |
For me, without any doubt.
What I found quite interesting early on this season was how little attention I paid to the division.
I was obviously delighted to get promoted last season because it was a season filled with matches I'll never forget. Absolutely magical.
But always thought the journey would be better than the destination. I loved being back for the first time since I was 22 so I could go to all the grounds again, my kids could see the best in the world down here, so that local kids would be wearing Town shirts again and not Man City and Chelsea ones and even to be back on Match of the Day.
Curiously though by September I was back watching Coventry v Hull on a Tuesday instead of Brentford v Villa or PSG v Arsenal. I had assumed that because we were in the EFL this is why I paid far more attention to it but quickly found that the Premier League wasn't anywhere near as exciting as I'd hoped.
I can't stand VAR. I can't stand the insane money in the game. I even find it a little disappointing, albeit we have to do it, that a player like Greaves who hasn't really worked out wonderfully this season, is one of our most expensive players ever. Football is obscene but the EPL is just something else.
Now the novelty has gone, the club is financially secure and we'll be the favorite for the title most likely I feel we are in a fantastic place. I know it's supposed to be the thing to want us to be in the Premier League again in a year or two and being a Brentford or Brighton and challenging for Europe and that would be amazing.
But unless that happens upon promotion I can't imagine I'll feel any different to how I do now and even if we'd have been 11th or 12th this year I expect Id' feel the same. It's not just because we are losing most weeks. I've never been worried about winning. If you gave me any division where on a weekly basis we had as much chance as winning as losing I'd be fairly happy as long as the club wasn't in any danger itself. I didn't mind League One aside from the club being allowed to essentially rot and wither.
The reality is, but for our European heyday and the disasterous part of that League One stay, we've always been a decent Championship club and I far prefer that division, the contrasting styles of play, the anyone can beat anyone nature of it, than three divisions within one and waiting 6 minutes to know if I can celebrate. [Post edited 7 Apr 13:15]
|
Many times this season I’ve opted to watch an EFL game rather than a prem game. Will Crystal Palace finish 12th or 14th? Will Brentford finish 11th or 15th? Nobody really cares, probably not even their fans tbh. Gary Neville’s comments yesterday about the quality of the prem and how everybody plays a dull robotic style ring true. Watched a Chelsea game midweek and it was utter sheeite. Hundreds and hundreds of millions spent and barely a shot on target. Add in the cheating and VAR delays and who honestly gives a fk anymore. |  |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 13:00 - Apr 7 with 894 views | ITFCSG |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 12:52 - Apr 7 by Illinoisblue |
Many times this season I’ve opted to watch an EFL game rather than a prem game. Will Crystal Palace finish 12th or 14th? Will Brentford finish 11th or 15th? Nobody really cares, probably not even their fans tbh. Gary Neville’s comments yesterday about the quality of the prem and how everybody plays a dull robotic style ring true. Watched a Chelsea game midweek and it was utter sheeite. Hundreds and hundreds of millions spent and barely a shot on target. Add in the cheating and VAR delays and who honestly gives a fk anymore. |
Well the “dull, robotic style” was because they were 2 PL quality teams cancelling each other out. When it’s us playing other PL teams it can hardly be said the opponent was “dull and robotic” because we’d more often than not be taken to the cleaners. | | | |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 13:06 - Apr 7 with 866 views | bournemouthblue |
It will be for us but the simple answer is no, the PL is much more fun if you are thriving
See Forest's season as an example, how fun was that season where we finished 5th on our first season back? The atmosphere was electric! [Post edited 7 Apr 13:07]
|  |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 13:10 - Apr 7 with 828 views | baxterbasics |
It's more fun when you have a hope of rising up through it.
Being stuck mid-championship or worse year after year with no prospect of improvement, that was definitely *not* fun |  |
| |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 13:14 - Apr 7 with 807 views | Radlett_blue |
| Is the Football League simply more fun? on 09:52 - Apr 7 by SuffolkPunchFC |
"For me, it is the unpredictability of sport that truly makes it exhilarating, including football—something we have especially seen in the Championship and League One. I’m not just referring to our recent promotion runs, but to the consistent surprises since the early 2000s."
I think we've experienced plenty of unpredictability this season. Beating Spurs, Chelsea and Bournemouth were surely unexpected? The same with losing to Southampton. So I don't think it's that which makes it less 'fun' for some - surely it's your earlier point of losing too often. |
The PL has been dull from the point of view that Liverpool have run away with it, but what's wrong with that? Most weren't predicting that, or Man City to be struggling for CL qualification, or Man U to be down in 13th (hooray). If, like Forest, we were in a CL spot, I think we'd think differently.
The only thing that has been predictable has been the struggle of all 3 promoted clubs, which has turned the relegation battle into a non-event, but the League are probably quite happy with that. |  |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
