Why I'm thrilled this year's title race is tighter than a gnat's chuff dipped in superglue

By Brian Reade

Published 23:02 23/07/10

• 

A year ago this week Harry Redknapp was doing his best to talk up Spurs’ prospects.

Worried about his transfer targets and a defensive injury crisis, he put what cynics thought was a brave spin on the new season: “I think we have got a big chance of being a top-six team this year. There’s no reason why not.”

A year later he’s talking about winning the title, and for every cynic there’s an optimist saying you probably won’t but why not believe you can?

A year ago, when Alex Ferguson was asked who might relieve him of his title, he said he couldn’t see past Chelsea and Liverpool.

This week he was looking way past them: “I can see the progress at Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa and particularly Manchester City. You can see a far more competitive table at the top.”

Give those old sages a free bet on next year’s title winners and they’d probably stick it on Chelsea or United. But ask who will finish in the top four and they’d be stumped.

Because the top of the Premier League is no longer tighter than a gnat’s chuff dipped in superglue. The closed shop has been broken into and it’s as wide open as it’s been since the mid 90s.

Any of the traditional Big Four, plus City, could feasibly win the title. And any of the top eight could take a Champions League place.

The reason being Chelsea, United, Arsenal and ­Liverpool haven’t improved in the past couple of years while the four below have, and now take points off them.

In the season before last, the so-called Big Four lost only 17 league games. Last season it was 33. Two years ago the final gap between third and seventh was 30 points but last season it had narrowed to 12.

The Big Four concept is dead. It makes just as much sense to talk about the Big Two, Big Six or Big Ron Atkinson. Because if we’re lucky our top league may be about to become as exciting as it was in the days his long leather coat graced the dug-outs.

So thank you Harry for saying what no manager outside of Fergie, Wenger, Rafa Benitez and whoever’s in charge at Chelsea has said this century: Of course we can win the league. Why not?

How unambitious and soul-destroying would it have been to say we just want to consolidate in the top four. That never used to be how big teams thought, so why should they now.

With the money Roberto Mancini has splashed, he clearly believes his side can finish top. Roy Hodgson rightly plays down Liverpool’s chances, but if he keeps Fernando Torres and uses the Javier Mascherano money to bring in two more class additions like Joe Cole, his squad is stronger than a year ago when they were tipped to win the title.

David Moyes knows that if Everton start the season the way they finished the last they will be in Champions League contention and Martin O’Neill knows if Villa can finish a season the way they start, they’ll be up there too.

England’s national side may be as dull as a wet Sunday in Malmo but our top league is about to get very interesting again. Next season will see scores of big, unpredictable clashes and we could go into the final month with five teams capable of winning the title. I think we’re in for a thrilling ride.

********

You can't help but warm to Joey Barton at times: “After that World Cup I think I’m as good as anyone in the country,” said the Lindsay Lohan of Tyneside, urging Fabio Capello to look past the “big names” and pick players “in form”.

Well after that World Cup I think my grandad would be as good as anyone in an England shirt – and he was buried in 1980.

But as bad as they are Joey, the only way Capello will pick you is if he’s selecting players “with form”.

Fancy winning £3,000 for FREE this month? Play Mirror Football Streak for your chance to win cash prizes! Start predicting now!