Jockney
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It used to be that signing Championship players was something of a low-risk gamble for established Premier League clubs -- gambles that didn't pay off, more often than not. Even worse, dipping into the football league was often the first sign of a manager sinking into desperation: think Peter Taylor going in for Akinbiyi as Leicester manager, or the initial teething problems of the Levy era where Tottenham alternated between Gregorz Rasiak and Andy Booth leading the line.
That isn't to say that there weren't notable success stories. Underpinning Everton's relative success in the mid-2000s was a team comprised of some of the best football league players of that generation: Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill, Andy Johnson, Lee Carsley and others were a large part of a foundation that helped transform Everton from the running gag of the late 90s and early 2000s back into a consistently competitive outfit.
But what is notable about the current crop of ex-FL players enjoying success in the Premier League this season isn't just how large the pool has grown, but also the make-up of that group. Glenn Murray, an able but otherwise above-average Championship striker has been dependably scoring goals for Crystal Palace, and now Bournemouth, for nearly two seasons. Bournemouth, a genuinely talented side managed by an even more talented manager, are essentially a who's who of discarded and rejected Football League talent, many of whom, at one time or another, were not even particularly well-regarded at an even lower standard than the Championship. Then of course you have probably the best three examples: Crystal Palace, Watford and Leicester, who are mounting top six challenges mostly with players who cut their teeth at, and until very recently were plying their trade in, the second-tier.
So what has changed over the past few years? Is the Football League, as a whole, catching up to the Premier League, is the Premier League getting weaker or is the answer a little more complicated? Certainly the capital being thrown around in the Championship in this era seems to suggest that Football League clubs are more empowered than they've ever been.
That isn't to say that there weren't notable success stories. Underpinning Everton's relative success in the mid-2000s was a team comprised of some of the best football league players of that generation: Joleon Lescott, Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill, Andy Johnson, Lee Carsley and others were a large part of a foundation that helped transform Everton from the running gag of the late 90s and early 2000s back into a consistently competitive outfit.
But what is notable about the current crop of ex-FL players enjoying success in the Premier League this season isn't just how large the pool has grown, but also the make-up of that group. Glenn Murray, an able but otherwise above-average Championship striker has been dependably scoring goals for Crystal Palace, and now Bournemouth, for nearly two seasons. Bournemouth, a genuinely talented side managed by an even more talented manager, are essentially a who's who of discarded and rejected Football League talent, many of whom, at one time or another, were not even particularly well-regarded at an even lower standard than the Championship. Then of course you have probably the best three examples: Crystal Palace, Watford and Leicester, who are mounting top six challenges mostly with players who cut their teeth at, and until very recently were plying their trade in, the second-tier.
So what has changed over the past few years? Is the Football League, as a whole, catching up to the Premier League, is the Premier League getting weaker or is the answer a little more complicated? Certainly the capital being thrown around in the Championship in this era seems to suggest that Football League clubs are more empowered than they've ever been.