A single season, with all its promotions and relegations, may be regarded as the weekend's weather forecast, a soap opera. Short-term, transient and maybe not even of much significance.

Over the ten or twenty year timespan a pattern will often emerge. Like Climate change, or demographic change silent but relentless.

Clubs rise in importance and power, great clubs settle down to mediocrity and lose out. A single relegation does not a downfall make. A brief promotion is likewise not statistically significant.

Thinking about Stadium size, Fanbase, Training infrastructures, Football Academy, Financial muscle etc etc. What clubs are going from strength to strength. What clubs are looking tattered and tired ? Large or small. Domestic or Worldwide, over a 20 year timespan.

Rising :
Us, new stadium plans, new owners, New Beckenham, nice.

ManCity, obviously. Remember when they were rubbish ?

WestHam, courtesy of the taxpayer.

MK Dons, from humble beginnings of empty farmland with a few ( non concrete) cattle in 1967.

Athletico Madrid

Tottenham...from 36,000 to 61,000 capacity. Surely looking to eclipse Arsenal.

Schalke, in the Bundesligue. Never even heard of them 20 years ago. Now a regular face in the big European competitions.

Falling :

Portsmouth

Coventry, great stadium, great flop

Charlton, who the f... is laughing now. Sandwiched between growing WestHam and Palace.

Leeds Utd, Former european champions. who ever thought they would stay in the Championship for that long ? will the next move be up or down ?

AC Milan, gone very quiet in the last few years. 119 years of history and greatness. what glory next year ?

Inter Milan. also looking tired compared to just a decade ago.

Newcastle : they may be doing ok this year, but broadly the trend is not great.

Arsenal...will they win any significant silverware over the next few seasons ? the only thing similar to 15 years ago is the home kit.

What other clubs ? Or feel to disagree with any of the teams mentioned above. Help with foreign clubs less familiar to the rest of us.

Rising/Falling ....your opinions ?

Edited by PalazioVecchio (15 Feb 2018 11.30am)

Edited by PalazioVecchio (15 Feb 2018 6.23pm)

Eze Peasy at Anfield....

I agree totally.

I often think back to my childhood, ac Milan were the best team in the world, easily. Look where they are now. Still big but hardly doing much considering.

Our turn for a few pieces of silverware soon I hope, long as we beat the drop this year

Based on your own criteria, I don't really see how you can include Palace and exclude Brighton.

Our 'fanbase' halves when we're not in the PL, there are plans for a new stand, not a 'new stadium', whilst the American shareholders may be individually wealthy, the amount they appear to be prepared to sink into the club is quite limited and the training ground plans were rejected, plus there's a limit anyway to what we can do on that site, and we don't have a grade one academy.

Brighton on the other hand got 25K plus in the Championship, they have a new stadium, Bloom bankrolls them without any real prospect of a return and they have a state-of-the-art training ground and grade one academy. Even if they're relegated they will still have all of this.

Bexley Dave

Can you hear the Brighton sing? I can't hear a ******* thing!

"The most arrogant, obnoxious bunch of deluded little sun tanned, loafer wearing mummy's boys I've ever had the misfortune of having to listen to" (Burnley forum)

The history of the MK Dons has been well documented.

When I was assigned to a game there in 2007 I was looking forward to seeing the new stadium and what was noticeable straight away was that there were no seats in the top tier just concrete and this was not apparent on the TV.Seats have now been fitted.Decent modern stadium.

At present MK Dons are not having the best of times.Last season they were 19th out of 24 when they changed manager and appointed Robbie Nielson who took them up to 12th.They have struggled this season and sacked Neilson when they were 21st appointing the unknown Dan Micciche from within, who has managed the England U16 team.Under him they have lost all 4 games, 3 in League 1 in cup and remain in the relegation zone.The direction of travel is not positive at all.

Edited by Willo (15 Feb 2018 9.17am)

Going back way into yesteryear, Preston, Blackpool,Blackburn, Wolves etc were all big clubs.

It does look as through Wolves will be returning to the 'Big time' next season.I remember the 'Molyneux' of old - much more modern now !

Edited by Willo (15 Feb 2018 9.37am)

Very interesting, M.K. Dons are strange one, got to being quite successful, but now seem to be fighting to stay in their league, where as AFG Wimbledon have gone from strength to strength and look like overtaking the Dons