Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough all deserve to be in. Both Sunderland and Middlesbrough, while not primary rivals, benefit from their secondary rivalry and relative proximity to each other.
Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Leeds.
Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham.
That’s 13, it gets harder from here.
I probably would have Wolves and West Brom. That’s 15.
I’m not convinced Nottingham Forest is a dead-cert, but I’d have them. And because I like derbies, I’ll take Derby too.
After that, relatively big clubs that I like: Leicester, Norwich and Southampton.
Right, let’s start with the undisputables:
Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough all deserve to be in. Both Sunderland and Middlesbrough, while not primary rivals, benefit from their secondary rivalry and relative proximity to each other.
Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Leeds.
Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham.
That’s 13, it gets harder from here.
I probably would have Wolves and West Brom. That’s 15.
I’m not convinced Nottingham Forest is a dead-cert, but I’d have them. And because I like derbies, I’ll take Derby too.
After that, relatively big clubs that I like: Leicester, Norwich and Southampton.
Apologies to Birmingham, Ipswich and Portsmouth.