^ It's funny how close Spurs are to us there really. Obviously they're bounds ahead of us at the moment but they still have no actual trophies (tangible measures of 'success') to show for it. The irony perhaps being that we were arguably better during the time we weren't spending the coin whilst they did, and vice versa.
The reds have spent x2 the amount we have and are in a similar boat. They've had, what, a league cup win in recent times?
You can't argue with that factually but perception is as important as reality and Spurs without a trophy have still been seen to gain inclusion amongst the "top six" as a separate band of clubs, and along with their new stadium, that has to be deeply concerning for us. It's not just in terms of public perception either, the top six have their own mini-meetings at executive level, and when this happens at a Premier League meeting, the other clubs, Everton included, are booted out of the room whilst the big guns get on with their power play.
Even if we were to mirror their success in the coming years, if you can call it that, I'm not sure how we gatecrash this elite group in terms of lobbying and policy-making. I assume it is Spurs turnover that warrants inclusion, and they have been significantly out-performing us commercially for many years even before things improved on the pitch for them.
