Comments on: Is the top three becoming the top four? http://worldfootballcolumns.com/2009/04/28/is-the-top-three-becoming-the-top-four/ We're fans. It's our game, so we write about it. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:01:06 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Marzia Hazra http://worldfootballcolumns.com/2009/04/28/is-the-top-three-becoming-the-top-four/#comment-109 Mon, 04 May 2009 19:00:27 +0000 http://www.i-web-solutions.org/worldfootball/?p=290#comment-109 The Bundesliga has provided some great excitement this season. Although I don’t really follow German football I can’t help but keeping a close eye on what’s going on at the top. Nice article by the way.

]]> By: Steve Atkinson http://worldfootballcolumns.com/2009/04/28/is-the-top-three-becoming-the-top-four/#comment-108 Fri, 01 May 2009 14:54:40 +0000 http://www.i-web-solutions.org/worldfootball/?p=290#comment-108 Fame is a difficult thing to measure I’d say, certainly the Premier League reaches a wider audience outside it’s shores than the Bundesliga does.

I think that the fact that there is no defined top 3 or 4 makes the league improve it’s strength in ways the Premier League for instance doesn’t. As you point out, there were 8 or 9 teams that had a realistic shot at pressing for the league at the turn of the year. Each of those teams are of the ability of an upper mid table English side such as Everton or West Ham or Aston Villa.

So it seems to me that they have a similar standard of league to the English Premier, with the exception of the top 4 who are a cut above the rest of Europe. Certainly the German teams have fared better than the Spanish and Italian teams in the UEFA Cup.

]]> By: Steven Jones http://worldfootballcolumns.com/2009/04/28/is-the-top-three-becoming-the-top-four/#comment-107 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:01:50 +0000 http://www.i-web-solutions.org/worldfootball/?p=290#comment-107 I think with the star players issue – maybe “famous” would be a better word, as you can be a star anywhere but unless lots of people know about you then you’re not famous or as famous as say Premier League stars.

I dont think the middle tier of the Bundesliga is better than the other three leagues, simply because it doesn’t look like the German league has a middle tier at the moment, not a well defined one anyway. Maybe this will sort itself out in the next couple of years, but Steve, as you reported a while back, there was about 8 or 9 teams in the running to win the league. Maybe that’s something missing as well – the recognition of who the top teams are so people can make sure they look out for them more often.

]]> By: Steve Atkinson http://worldfootballcolumns.com/2009/04/28/is-the-top-three-becoming-the-top-four/#comment-106 Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:55:06 +0000 http://www.i-web-solutions.org/worldfootball/?p=290#comment-106 Good article, the thing though that I like most about German football is that the fans are considered the most important people involved. Not the players, or clubs, or owners, or television companies, or sponsors. Every Bundesliga game is shown on network television with a far higher quality than anything in the UK, sometimes delayed, tickets start from as little as €5. Add into that the great beers and food on offer at the grounds and it’s almost like a football fan’s utopia.

You mention the lack of star players, but I tend to think about that in a different way. If a player who is playing well for Hoffenheim say, moves and plays well for Inter or Manchester United then he’d be considered a star player probably. On the whole you’re maybe right that the quality is a step below the top clubs elsewhere in Europe but the step is getting smaller quickly.

Also, what do people make of the two German clubs in the UEFA Cup semi-finals? Does that mean that the middle tier of German clubs is superior to the English, Spanish or Italian equivalent?

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