Tony Scholes questions ability of clubs like Stoke City to survive in Premier League
The ability of Stoke City to repeat their 10-year stay in the Premier League after winning promotion in 2008 has been questioned by a top-flight official with a unique perspective on the Potters.
Tony Scholes, the Premier League's chief football officer, was chief executive at Stoke City throughout the club’s time in the top-flight. However, he is concerned that the growing gulf between the Championship and the Premier League is making it more difficult for promoted teams to compete at the higher level.
When Stoke lost the first game of their return to the top-flight, a 3-1 reverse at Bolton Wanderers on August 16, 2008, bookmaker Paddy Power paid out on all bets that they would be relegated. But they survived that season, finishing 12, and went on to spend a decade as a Premier League team before relegation in May 2018, also reaching an FA Cup final and playing in the Europa League.
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However, last season, for the first time in 26 years, all three promoted teams were relegated straight back to the EFL. This term, the three promoted clubs from last May - Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester - also occupy the three relegation places.
With an eye on the continuing competitiveness of the football pyramid, Scholes told Sky Sports: "That's a significant matter. We keep a close eye on that. The quality of this league is just unbelievable, so clubs coming up out of the Championship do find it incredibly difficult. We see that.
"Ipswich, for example, have invested a lot of money this year. Hopefully they've got a chance of staying up, but right now they're in a difficult position. It is difficult to break in. But no, it would not be good for the league if the three who are coming up went back down again year on year.”
The dilemma for promoted clubs is also highlighted by the fact that the number of points needed to survive in the top flight has actually decreased in recent years. Last season, Nottingham Forest survived with 32 points, while the previous season Everton stayed up on 36 points. In 2022, Leeds were the lowest-ranked survivors with 38 points.
The Premier League and the EFL are currently at loggerheads over the share of cash clubs lower down the pyramid receive from the top-flight, while the parachute payments handed out to relegated teams are also a bone of contention.
The EFL has long argued that their clubs should receive a larger share of cash earned by the Premier League and are hoping plans for a football regulator will ensure a more equitable share filters down into the Championship and beyond.
