By Roger Childs
Strains of the old “Glory, Glory” anthem echoed inside the giant stadium as Tottenham Hotspur stepped back from the precipice of the most humiliating relegation in Premier League history. –Phil McNulty, BBC Sport
The Premier League is the toughest
Last weekend Kiwi sports fans, especially in Auckland, and the media, were ecstatic about the local football team Auckland FC winning the Australian A league. However, the result would have caused barely a ripple in the northern hemisphere media. The English Premier League has tens of millions of fans all round the world. It is generally accepted that the English League is the toughest on the planet and scores of foreign players are scattered through the teams.
Premier League permutations
In recent weeks there has been huge interest in who would win the Premier League – Arsenal (The Gunners) or Manchester City – and at the other end of the table, who would drop down to the Championship League. You have to earn the right to stay in the top competition and past reputation means nothing.
In the competition a win gains a team three points and a draw only one. As the final few matches – 38 during the full season – were being played there were anxious moments as fans had palpitations waiting to see whether London clubs Tottenham Hotspur (Spurs) or West Ham (Hammers) would join Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) and Burnley in dropping to the Championship League. In all hung on the results in the final games last weekend. To stay up Spurs needed to win their final match which they did, much to the relief and delight of their millions of fans around the globe.
Hull City FC come up
Promotion into the Premier League is complicated. Three teams move out of the Championship League – the two top sides on points in the 2025-26 season, and one other. Coventry and Ipswich Town were one and two on the table after 46 matches so move up automatically, but the third team had to earn the right with a round-robin play-off among the next four teams.
In the end Hull City (The Tigers) became the third team as a result of beating Middleborough with a goal in stoppage time last weekend. This outcome is tough for London club Millwall who were third in the Championship League after the regular season. The Millwall’s fans are considered to be some of the roughest in England and their theme song goes Everybody hates us we don’t care!
In the play-offs Millwall had lost 0-2 to Hull at home so the Yorkshire team went on to meet Middleborough in the final of the round-robin. Promotion means the Tigers receive around £140 million as a new Premier League team – big money!