The big four Premiership clubs walk away with the lions share of the revenues filling their already swollen coffers to be used for expensive transfers. The sort of transfer money that could keep some of the smaller clubs solvent, many who are a transfer away from bankruptcy. But how does it translate into a difference in performance? Examining the goal differential provides a clue.
Look at the goal differential of the four big clubs. 29 games into the season, Manu Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal combine for a whopping +129 goals. On the other end, Wigan, Charlton, Watford, and West Ham struggle with a deficit of -90 goals. This is a mind numbing 219 goal swing between these two groups. The larger group in the middle (12 clubs), a sluggish middle class show a wimpy 61 goal swing (+18 and -43). You could not make a better case for two Premierships. The GD is the equivalent of the GINI co-efficient, a measure of the economic equality of a country. In short the rich get richer, the poor get poorer and the disparity greater. This is not even a Spencerian "survival of the fittest" because it has gone beyond that. We are not just talking relegation, it is a decimation of the doormats.
What does all this mean? As with every historical narrative, it depends on who has that power. At this point of time, the top four clubs are defining "English" soccer. In this narrative it is easy to overlook the trio of Hammers that brought England its most glorious moment. Maybe this little statistical interlude also provides a glimpse into two Englands.
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