Revealed: Who IS the biggest club in the country, by Martin Lipton

By Martin Lipton in Mirror Football Blog

Published 23:00 22/07/10

Premier-League-ratings-with-Martin-Lipton

Joe Cole has always been something of a divisive figure - either the future of England or another over-rated wannabe, depending on your point of view.

After all, it was John Terry's public championing of his club-mate that was the catalyst of the World Cup schism which split Fabio Capello's squad in South Africa.

But as the midfielder landed in Liverpool's Swiss training base to stir up the biggest hornets' next of the summer, the former Chelsea man must have realised he was opening a debate that will rumble.

By claiming that taking up the offer the joint the Anfield outfit was "a no-brainer because they are the biggest club in the country" , Cole immediately raised the hackles in SW6, at Old Trafford and round the rest of the country.

On Merseyside, meanwhile, Cole was building a reputation overnight, even more quickly than he was burning his Stamford Bridges, tapping into the mindset of a club that puts so much store on "History".

After all, on the most simple yet valuable of all criteria, Cole was right.

Liverpool may not have won the title in 20 years, a time period in which Sir Alex Ferguson and United have been masters of the domestic universe on a staggering 11 occasions and equalled the Anfield club's proud record of 18 English crowns.

But those famous five victories in the European Cup and Champions League, the legends of Rome, Wembley, Paris and, above all, Istanbul, have helped keep Liverpool's record of 43 major trophies a tally that has yet to be matched.

If silverware alone is the definition of greatness, then Cole is right. Liverpool can point to it in abundance, to 109 years of trophy-gathering.

Yet in the modern era, where cash is king, where the accent is on what you have achieved in the immediate past, not in the days of yore, Cole has made himself the new Aunt Sally of the English game - up there for everybody else to take pot-shots at.

You know, without a doubt, that Fergie will hit back with withering contempt, even if he likes Roy Hodgson - in stark contrast to the disdain he held towards the now-exited Rafa Benitez.

After all, famously, the Scot's stated goal when he assumed the Old Trafford hotseat was to "knock Liverpool off their f***ing perch", a task he feels, with due reason, he has managed brilliantly.

Likewise, Carlo Ancelotti, the man who let Cole go and who never seemed to trust his ability, can point to the league table, to last season's Double, to a club which has won three titles since 2005 and has finished above Liverpool in each of the past eight seasons with the exception of 2008-09.

Roman Abramovich reshaped the face of football when he embarked on a spending spree that has already reached £700million, transforming Chelsea into a dominant, trophy-claiming behemoth, with Cole very much in the vanguard of that movement.

At the same time there will be plenty, not least in North London, who will argue the Blues are not the biggest club in the capital - and, indeed, not even the second biggest.

Arsenal may not have won a trophy since 2005 but they can lay claim to a past and not just a present, 27 major trophies going back 80 years, and a status as the aristocrats of the national game.

Even down the Seven Sisters Road, Spurs - the first team in the post-War era to do the Double and first English side to win a European trophy - are planning a 55,000-seater replacement adjacent to White Hart Lane, confident demand for the extra seats will more than outstrip supply, while Chelsea have abandoned plans to bulold a new stadium or increase the capacity of Stamford Bridge.

And, of course, as Fergie knows too well, there is another, growing force, determined to usurp the Big Four - should that now be Big Five? - and change the game again.

UEFA's proposed new rules on "financial fair play", which will prevent any club from spending money it does not earn, mean Sheikh Mansour is putting everything into his plans for Manchester City now, rather than looking for organic growth over time.

Already, in under two years since the Abu Dhabi money men took control, City have spent a truly remarkable £267m, with plenty more to come.

The club's ambitions are as clear as when former Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon famously promised to "turn the world Blue", to become a global superpower, the biggest of the lot.

So who can boast about their size. Mirror Sport has done its own, not entirely scientific calculations, based on past success, ground size, the loyalty of supporters, the value of the club and the financial backing.

Joe Cole won't agree with us and you might not either. But even as United pick up another accolade, the debate is only beginning...

Martin Lipton's Big Club ratings
MANCHESTER UNITED
Major trophies: 40 (2nd) 5
Stadium capacity: 75769 (1st) 6
Fan loyalty (2nd) 5
Value of club: £1.2billion (1st) 6
Owner: Malcolm Glazer and Family £1.57billion (5th) 2
Transfer budget: £95.9m (2nd) 5
Total points: 29/36

ARSENAL
Major trophies: 27 (3rd) 4
Stadium capacity: 60391 (2nd) 5
Fan loyalty: (6th) 1
Value of club: £770m (2nd) 5
Largest shareholder: Stan Kroenke (£1.77billion) (4th) 3
Transfer budget: £25m (4th) 3
Total points: 21/36

LIVERPOOL
Major trophies: 43 (1st) 6
Stadium capacity: 45276 (4th) 3
Fan loyalty (1st) 6
Value of club: £538m (3rd) 4
Owner: Tom Hicks £800m (6th) 1
Transfer budget: £15m plus sales (6th) 1
Total points: 21/36

MANCHESTER CITY
Major trophies: 9 (6th) 1
Stadium capacity: 47405 (3rd) 4
Fan loyalty (3rd) 4
Value of club: £169m (6th) 1
Owner: Sheikh Mansour £3.2billion (2nd) 5
Transfer budget: Unlimited (1st) 6
Total points: 21/36

CHELSEA
Major trophies: 17th (joint 4th) 2.5
Stadium capacity: 42,449 (5th) 2
Fan loyalty (5th) 2
Value of club: £423m (4th) 3
Owner: Roman Abramovich, £11.1billion (1st) 6
Transfer budget: £40m (3rd) 4
Total points: 19.5/36

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Major trophies: 17 (joint 4th) 2.5
Stadium capacity: 36230 (6th) 1
Fan loyalty (4th) 3
Value of club: £243m (5th) 2
Largest shareholder: Joe Lewis £1.97billion (3rd) 4
Likely transfer budget: £20m (5th) 2
Total points: 14.5/36