Celebrating 25 years of the Premier League Introduction by John Fendley Getting Away With It Scarborough; nineteen eighty something. The ‘80’s kind of rolled into one for me until ‘89. For arguments sake let’s go with 82’. 8PM and I’m closing the kitchen door so I can listen to the second half of Liverpool’s latest foray into Europe. Back then you couldn’t watch. Listening was the only option; and for some reason you only got the second half. Don’t get me wrong, it was brilliant, I loved football on the radio, still do. If I’m lucky, the goals might be on Sportsnight. If not I’ll use my imagination. Point being - that football on TV back 03 in the greyties was in short shrift. Scarborough 1994. Monday Night and I’m round at my mate’s. For the record, the fact his dad has got Sky Sports is only a small contributing factor in our friendship. He’s a good lad. But back then “the dish” was a game changer. It wasn’t the norm. How many people do you know who’ve got an electric car? Thought not. Same question but change the car to a Sky Sports subscription – guarantee that in most homes not many hands would have gone up. If I’d had a set top box back then I would probably have added that information to my CV. Back to the football. Liverpool 3-3 United. This Monday Night Football could catch on. London 1996. Two years later and I am standing in the Sky Sports Canteen. Somehow I’ve been accepted on a week’s work experience. Sporting a thick mop of hair and an absolutely magnificent cream Henri Lloyd reflective jacket. I’m out of my depth. Suddenly a shout of “Oi Supergrass!” goes up from one of the football producers. The canteen fall about. “Supergrass? Supergrass?” I seeth inwardly whilst gurning compliantly, as if to agree that “This is great banter”. I make a mental note.“ Hair needs thinning”. 21 years later and nature has taken care of that for me. I’m still here. Not sure where that jacket is. The Premier League and Sky Sports are still here. They’ve been going steady for 25 years now. I’m still out of my depth, still doing the job that I love and still amazed I haven’t been found out yet. It’s only a matter of time. Alive & Kicking Words by Michael Richardson Cheerleaders, pop groups on the pitch and names on the back of shirts were the most immediate visible changes following the Little Premier League takeover. The first two were soon ditched and it’s difficult to imagine players without their names on their backs now. Not everybody noticed these changes at the time because, due to the technology required, only 14 people in the UK could By watch matches on Sky for the first 18 months. The first few seasons of the Premier League saw the arrival of foreign players we’d only seen at major tournaments. Fair enough 25 years later, after months and months of Germany’s Stefan Beinlich at Villa, Little online speculation, another iconic French Liverpool’s Hungarian Istvan Kozma and footballer’s arrival at Old Trafford was Forest’s Icelandic international Thorvaldur 05 revealed via a series of tweets, Instagram Orlygsson were not ones to set the pulse 04 years ago something happened which videos and viral adverts featuring a Grime racing but they were the pioneers that changed the face of English football. MC, hashtags, emoji’s and lots and lots of would start to change the make-up of the 25 dabbing. A scenario and sentence that, Premier League forever. They were three of French genius Eric Cantona swapped Leeds during Eric’s time 25 years earlier, would just 37 foreign players across the 22 have made absolutely no sense at all. Over clubs, a number which would change United, the reigning champions of the those 25 years, the game of football in dramatically across the next 25 seasons. In this country and beyond has changed 1992/93, the idea that a Premier League Football League for bitter rivals Manchester irrevocably. club would one day line-up without a single English player would’ve seemed ludicrous. United. I found-out about this momentous Also happening 25 years ago, just before transfer over the course of a long Autumn Eric made his trans-Pennine switch, was With all due respect to the 37 it wasn’t something which drove that change and would long before genuine superstars started to day. A mate said he’d heard something was have an even more profound effect on the arrive. Jurgen Klinnsman joined Tottenham! game and alter the face of English football Ruud Gullit signed for Chelsea! Arsenal happening from another mate. None of forever. The FA Premier League arrived bought Denis Bergkamp! Juninho and hand-in- hand with Sky TVs satellite Ravenelli joined Middlesbrough! my other mates had heard anything, the coverage and set-about bringing us ‘A whole Middlesbrough!! The opportunity to watch radio revealed nothing, the boards outside new ball game’. That is what Sky promised such exotic superstars in action meant that all those years ago and looking back from before long viewers were acquiring the newsagents didn’t mention it and the calls where the game is now it’s impossible to technology and Sky’s viewers and influence I made to Man United’s official Clubcall argue that that is exactly what we’ve got. began to grow. Paul Pogba’s €100 million arrival at Old 22 clubs lined-up for the inaugural season number gave no information. I had to wait six Trafford last year accompanied by four of the Premier League. The giants of the hours until Granada Reports was broadcast at haircuts, golden boots and his own dance game were there and have largely remained craze might’ve wound-up the sneering there ever since (although the now 6.30pm to find out that it was true. 40-somethings in expensive anoraks but it mega-wadded Manchester City dipped as low didn’t actually surprise anybody. The past as League 1 in the 90’s). Perennial yo-yo was yours, the future’s theirs. clubs like Palace, Middlesbrough, Norwich Alive & Kicking and QPR were there, alongside Oldham 606, no club forums or contemporary After all, Paul Pogba didn’t return to (relegated the following year never to magazines (you may not think these Manchester because he missed Deansgate return), Wimbledon (no longer exist as developments are positive but their Locks or chip barms (although the chip they once did), Ipswich, both Sheffield influence on football is unarguable. Just barms probably played their part tbf). clubs and the perennially mis-managed go and buy a new anorak if that upsets Forest, Leeds and Blackburn. No club has you). And to be honest, the football The latest rights agreement between fallen further than Coventry, Premier fanzine hasn’t been completely killed-off. broadcasters and the Premier League begins League members for the first nine seasons You’re reading this aren’t you? this season and this staggering £8 billion but now about to kick-off their campaign TV deal will ensure that all 20 Premier in League 2. The impact of Social Media on football has League clubs are among the 30 wealthiest in been seismically scene-shifting. Twitter Europe. Hundreds of matches will be shown, A few clubs have made a fleeting visit and has absolutely changed football in terms of most of them arranged around the schedules then never been seen since; step forward consumption, promotion and interaction; of the broadcasters but he who pays the Barnsley, Blackpool, Cardiff and Swindon. Want to express your disgust at your piper and all that and the rancorous debate The idea of any of these clubs returning that used to accompany such meddling with strikers missed chance? Tweet him. Getting any time soon seems remote but then we’re the scheduling is nowadays reduced to a impatient for a new signing? Tweet your talking about a league that currently quiet grumble as most of us want to be able club and demand they ‘Announce!’ him. Hate includes Bournemouth, Burnley, Huddersfield to watch the matches. an opposition player? Take to Twitter to and Brighton and had Leicester City as it’s wish death upon him or a family member. champions 12 months ago so who knows? As a symbol of how much has changed since the first season, the sight of new signing The Premier League has given us moments Vinnie Jones turning-out in midfield for a that we will never forget; Beckham scoring pre-Abramovich Chelsea is pretty telling. from halfway, Rooney scoring from mid-air, Bournemouth have just signed a player from Shearer scoring from everywhere and a beach “ Chelsea for £20 million. You could read ball scoring against Liverpool. All of that on Twitter and it wouldn’t hit you as these regularly featuring on those montages After all, Paul Pogba anything that remarkable. In 1992 it that Sky like to show us. It’s also given wouldn’t have been remarkable it would’ve us images that Sky don’t use in montages didn’t return to literally been incomprehensible, irrational quite so much but remain seared onto our and impossible. As incomprehensible, brains; Cantona twatting that Palace fan, Manchester because he irrational and impossible as a club Di Canio twatting the ref, Tim Cahill changing its shirt from blue to red, or a 07 06 twatting corner-flags and Newcastle missed Deansgate Locks club paying a player over a million pounds team-mates Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer a month or a player having a glass tank twatting each other.