Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, vying for top four places to secure Champions League football. In the 2009–10 season, Tottenham pipped Manchester City to finish fourth and become the first team to "break" the top four since Everton in 2005, with both Manchester City and Aston Villaalso finishing above Liverpool, one of the "Big Four" teams. Sony VAIO VGN-NW380F/S Battery

In 2010–11, Manchester City finished third – the first time a team has broken into the top three since Newcastle did so in the 2002–03 season. This has continued into the 2011–12 season, with Manchester City winning the title for the first time since 1968, the first team outside the "Big Four" to do so since 1994–95. Sony VAIO VGN-NW380F/T Battery

In addition, Chelsea finished outside the top four for the first time since 2001–02, as did Liverpool for the third season in a row. Criticism of the gap between an elite group of "super clubs" and the majority of the Premier League has continued, nevertheless, due to their increasing ability to spend more than the other Premier League clubs. Sony VAIO VGN-NW50JB Battery

One of the main criticisms levelled at the Premier League is the increasing gulf between the Premier League and the Football League. Since its split with the Football League, many established clubs in the Premier League have managed to distance themselves from their counterparts in lower leagues. Sony VAIO VGN-NW51FB/N Battery

Owing in large part to the disparity in revenue from television rights between the leagues,^[85] many newly promoted teams have found it difficult to avoid relegation in their first season in the Premier League. In every season except 2001–02 (Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers and Fulham) and 2011–12 (Queens Park Rangers, Sony VAIO VGN-NW51FB/W Battery

Swansea City andNorwich City), at least one Premier League newcomer has been relegated back to the Football League. In 1997–98 all three promoted clubs were relegated at the end of the season.^[86]

The Premier League distributes a small portion of its television revenue to clubs that are relegated from the league in the form of "parachute payments". Sony VAIO VGN-NW70JB Battery

Starting with the 2006–07 season, these payments are in the amount of £6.5 million over the club's first two seasons in lower leagues, although this rose to £11.2 million per year for clubs relegated in 2007–2008.^[85] Designed to help teams adjust to the loss of television revenues Sony VAIO VGN-NW71FB/N Battery

(the average Premier League team receives £45 million while the average Football League Championship club receives £1 million),^[85] critics maintain that the payments actually widen the gap between teams that have reached the Premier League and those that have not,^[87] leading to the common occurrence of teams "bouncing back" soon after their relegation. Sony VAIO VGN-NW71FB/W Battery

For some clubs, including Burnley, Leeds United, Charlton Athletic, Derby County, Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday, Bradford City, Leicester City, Queens Park Rangers, Southampton, Wimbledon, and Portsmouth who have failed to win immediate promotion back to the Premier League, Sony VAIO VGN-NW91FS Battery

financial problems, including in some cases administration or even liquidation have followed. Further relegations down the footballing ladder have ensued for several clubs unable to cope with the gap.

Premier League football has been played in 50 stadia since the formation of the Premier League in 1992. Sony VAIO VGN-NW91GS Battery

The Hillsborough disaster in 1989 and the subsequentTaylor Report saw a recommendation that standing terraces should be abolished; as a result all stadia in the Premier League are all-seater.^[91][92] Since the formation of the Premier League, football grounds in England have seen constant improvements to capacity and facilities, Sony VAIO VGN-NW91VS Battery

with some clubs moving to new-build stadia.^[93] Nine stadia that have seen Premier League football have now been demolished. The stadia for the 2010–11 season show a large disparity in capacity:Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United has a capacity of 75,957^[94] with Bloomfield Road, the home of Blackpool, having a capacity of 16,220.^[95] Sony VAIO VGN-SR51B/P Battery

The combined total capacity of the Premier League in the 2010–11 season is 770,477 with an average capacity of 38,523.^[96]

Stadium attendances are a significant source of regular income for Premier League clubs.^[97] Sony VAIO VGN-SR51B/S Battery

For the 2009–10 season, average attendances across the league clubs were 34,215 for Premier League matches with a total aggregate attendance figure of 13,001,616.^[96] This represents an increase of 13,089 from the average attendance of 21,126 recorded in the league's first season (1992–93).^[98] Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF Battery

However, during the 1992–93 season the capacities of most stadia were reduced as clubs replaced terraces with seats in order to meet the Taylor Report's 1994–95 deadline for all-seater stadia.^[99][100] The Premier League's record average attendance of 36,144 was set during the 2007–08 season. Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/P Battery

Managers in the Premier League are involved in the day to day running of the team, including the training, team selection, and player acquisition. Their influence varies from club-to-club and is related to the ownership of the club and the relationship of the manager with fans.^[102] Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/S Battery