16-June
With a long awaited promotion for Nottingham Forest and the dramatic last day survival of Leeds United does the Premier League have for the first time in 23 years a premier line up?
Fans of Fulham, Norwich and Watford may disagree but for the romantic football fan of the early 90s this coming season holds more excitement than recent years, the parachute payment fuelled yo-yo teams are still present but with the old guard of Nottingham Forest and Leeds returning we have an opportunity for some welcome nostalgia.
Long gone are the days of Division One titles and European adventures for provincial challengers such as Forest, Villa and Leeds, the dominance of Liverpool in the 70s and 80s may have returned already if not for Pep's state sponsored super stars. No one is expecting that to change any time soon, Leicester's unlikely run to a title, in an admittedly weak Premier League season, is the only outlier to an otherwise predictable procession of titles for the "big six" clubs.
Whilst league titles are unlikely, the sight of Garibaldi hoards roaming the country will be a welcome addition to the Premier League, the City Ground, a perfect representation of the crumbling empire of post-Clough Forest, will be high on away fans lists of grounds to visit this year after a long absence, can Bournemouth and Fulham really say the same? From Newcastle in the north to Brighton in the south fans across the country will swarm to the old school homes of football, the world will once again hear the roar of the City Ground and Elland Road.
For some, football started in 92, for those of us with longer memories 2022 will be a welcome reminder of the time before the state sponsored, oligarch funded monopoly of footballs "elite". Who knows, maybe, just maybe, the old guard returning will help football remember what it was and what it could be again.
D
Twitter @CityGroundSport
