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A look at the soccer season in the UK so far

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Football/soccer is the world’s most widely coveted sport due to its popular coverage overseas in contents such as Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. In the UK, fans are treated to a plethora of teams occupying from a number of tiers across the country with the top divisions being the most frequently watched leagues on the planet.

The English footballing pyramid is one of the most in-depth divisional provisions in the sporting world with a wide variety of teams representing their local sector.

The top four ranked league’s of English football include the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two ahead of the Conference divisions and Counties leagues.

Only months into the new season, there has already been a wide range of action to help keep fans entertained with numerous names emerging as potential superstars in their respected leagues.

Premier League

The Premier League is the most universally watched and distinctly discussed sporting league on the planet as it features the best that English football has to offer with a wide range of impressive teams.

Some of the big talking points this season have included Mohammed Salah’s impeccable form for Liverpool, Brighton and Brentford both impressing the neutral spectators with their early season form and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United.

Another major story has seen the completed takeover of Tyneside giants Newcastle United with a multi-billionaire Saudi group purchasing the dormant side in a monumental deal which has sparked a major row amongst the other Premier League sides.

We could likely be seeing Newcastle as a potential super team in the near future following on from this extraordinary takeover, with the Geordie side already parting ways with manager Steve Bruce following a recent 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The Premier League is arguably the greatest crown that any footballing team can achieve at the domestic level with many fans also looking forward to the return of the major cup competition the Emirates FA Cup, which is still in the qualifying stage.

Championship

While the second tier of English football is unsurprisingly often left in the shadow of the fabled bright lights of Premier League football, the Championship is still one of the most fondly watched leagues on the planet and arguably the most unpredictable.

Fans have seen teams that had previously flirted with relegation to earning a spot in the Play-Offs or in a fight for automatic promotion to the topflight.

One of the main reasons for the league’s popularity is due to the promotion/relegation structure in place that allows teams to progress to the next tier of English football if they finish in a promotion spot (or win the Play-Offs) or are relegated to a lower tier if they finish near the foot of the table, something that is not used at all in most major US sports.

This year has been a spectacle with the emergence of Ben Brereton Diaz as the new marquee talisman for Lancashire giants Blackburn Rovers following the summer departures of Adam Armstrong and Harvey Elliott.

In recent Championship fixtures, Coventry City have been one of the early season pacesetters after a remarkable start to the new campaign that has seen the Sky Blues occupy a Play-Off spot.

Another major story has seen Derby County enter administration after major financial difficulties with the Rams being deducted points and left as likely favorites to be relegated to League One.

Bournemouth, Fulham and West Bromwich Albion have all emerged as early favourites to be promoted back to the Premier League with Barnsley suffering a poor start to the new campaign despite being a perennial Play-Off contender in the last few seasons.

League One/Two

Plymouth and Sunderland have set the third tier alight and are looking to make a long return to the Championship while Charlton Athletic have had an abhorrent opening to the new season that has seen former Premier League manager Nigel Adkins given the boot.

In League Two, Forest Green Rovers top the table and look to gain passage to League One for the first time in club history with Harrogate Town, Swindon Town, Port Vale and Tranmere Rovers all hot on their heels.

At the bottom, Scunthorpe United lay rooted to the foot of the league table and are touted as the major favorites to fall into the Conference this season.

Scottish Premier League

In Scotland, fans are accustomed to the sheer dominance of Celtic and Rangers as both teams have continuously laid claim to the Scottish League title and domestic cups.

This season, Rangers look to be heading for consecutive league titles as they occupy the top spot in the league standings with Celtic suffering from major inconsistency in their recent run of form, which included a 1-0 loss in the historic Old Firm Derby against their most hated rivals Rangers.

Hearts Of Midlothian, Dundee United, Hibernian and Motherwell all look to remain in the race to end the tyrannous reign of the Glaswegian giants over the Scottish domestic competitions.

Story by Thomas Carr

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