by Ian Farquharson

Created on: November 04, 2009

The Big Four in English Football

The English football league has been one of the most popular in the world over the years and this is certainly the case with its current format as the Premier League, which commenced in 1992 and is watched by hundreds of thousands a week at the stadiums and by millions more around the world on television. Generally the big four would be considered the teams that have occupied the top four places in the Premier League in recent years these being Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool although there have been other teams who have challenged this in years gone by. These would include, amongst others, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Leeds United who have all won league titles and cups at various times in their history. However with the rise of the Premier League and the vast sums of money involved Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool and United would be considered the big four.

Manchester United

Manchester United is considered one of the biggest teams in the world in terms of both the fans that follow them and the money they generate. They are the most successful team in English Premier League history having won the title on no fewer than 11 times in its 17 year history. With Alex Ferguson in charge they have been one of the teams that has dominated in recent times and he stands as one of the most successful managers in the history of the English game. However in the days before the Premier League they were also considered one of the best teams in England with their earlier glory days coming during the era of George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton in the 1960's and early 70's. During this time they became the first English team to win the European Cup and also had domestic league and cup honors. With the success they have had and the interest they generate, not only in England but around the world, they would definitely have to be included in the big four of English football.

Liverpool

Liverpool has been one of the best teams in English football for many years. However they have as yet to win the Premier League and their recent successes have come in cup competitions both domestically in England and in Europe. They won the Champions League as recently as 2005 and have regularly featured in the latter stages of this competition in recent years. However their real glory years came in the 1970's and 80's when they were by far the dominant team in England and one of the best in Europe. They won the English First Division title

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