A very in-depth and thoughtful comment. However, nobody said they were going to dominate international football, but only time will tell if it will be successful. As for playing abroad, Only La Liga, Serie A and Bundeslegia are better than the Championship. And yes, that includes the French Ligue 1.
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Well, I think for the England national team dominating world football and a Golden Era would be two very similar things. In my opinion England could be deemed having a Golden Era if they are seriously competing for World Cups and Euros, getting to finals and even winning some. Otherwise, it wouldn't really be a Golden Era, I think. So while I used a bit of exaggerated language with that phrase, I did mean a very similar thing and I feel my points still apply.
I'm sorry, but to me that's kind of preposterous. Where are the PSGs, Monacos and Olympiques of the Championship to play against? What Championship team could reach a Champions League semi-final or final? While the Championship is indeed competitive, it lacks what any second tier lacks - top-level sides.
But more importantly and back to the context here, if young English players are willing to go play abroad, it doesn't mean all of them have to. The Premier League and the Championship would still be an option, but it will not be the only option. Young players don't have to play in the best or most competitive leagues in the world, they have to play regularly at a professional level and playing in the highest local tier of football has its benefits and gives the players experience even if that's in Portugal, Belgium or even the Ukraine as long as it's in the stronger better coached teams. Young players need a suitable stepping stone and for many of them neither the Premier League, nor the Championship are suitable to be that for their careers. All those people that could be developing somewhere else are missing out just because they are not willing to make the move. And I'm certain there are many people like that in those current youth squads that are doing so well and their talents will be wasted.
Obviously PSG are better than every Championship side, they have a bottomless pit of money. However, beyond them or Monaco, no other French team would survive in PL and many would struggle in the Championship. It's the same as the Dutch, Portuguese and Scottish leagues. It's a shame because I preferred the days of Ajax, Benfica and Aberdeen being competitive. Now they have no chance because of a lack of money.
I disagree on your assessment of the French teams compared to the English ones. I think there are at least a few more French teams who would not have a problem avoiding relegation in the prem and beating sides like Crystal Palace, West Brom, Swansea, Stoke and West Ham on regular basis and enough others that would by no means struggle in the Championship. Sure the bottom of the French table is pretty bad compared to the biggest teams in the world, but so are most teams playing in the Championship.
I think it's pretty clear that tLigue 1 is still a great place for a young player to play and it's still a significantly better destination than the Championship for a young player who wants to develop and to be noticed. Look at the outgoing talent coming from both leagues and you'll see a significant difference.
I wholeheartedly agree with your second point about Ajax and Benfica. The fact that some leagues are turning into feeder leagues for the wealthier ones is making international club football a bit more boring with fewer and fewer clubs coming from outside the top 5 leagues that capable of any upsets as all their talent gets mopped up by the big boys. But this is what makes those leagues perfect for younger players right now and this is what British and especially English young players are missing out on. Ajax is a much better destination for a young footballer than any club in the Championship even if you think the Championship is a better league than the Eredivisie. Manchester United are much more likely to sign a player from Ajax rather than the Championship, right? Average top-tier football is still a better carrier choice and a better experience than high-level second-tier football not just because of the competition, but because of the stadiums, fans and staff and that's also important.
On top of this, I'm not sure the style of play in the Championship is the best environment for expanding an English footballer's skill set.
Good points on all, and I agree with you mostly. Young players will definitely benefit from playing for Ajax or Lisbon or Grenoble, but playing in the championship, albeit a completely different game, is still a good league to get matches in. As for the stadiums and fans, other than your Ajaxes, Benficas and other top teams, the championship has better support, and stadiums in many cases.
Now I'll have to look up info and photos about Championship stadiums :P There certainly aren't stadiums larger than Amsterdam Arena and Der Kuip and fans there are pretty awesome too. But if you go outside to the top few clubs, the Championship tends to have the larger stadiums than the Eredivisie. Roda JC play at a stadium with a capacity just bellow 2000 while Burton Albion's ground that is the smallest in the Championship holds just below 7000.
It makes sense that there would be some really nice grounds with great supporters there, too with historic clubs as Villa, Sunderland, Sheffield W and Leeds.
Where are you from and which team do you support?
I'm still keeping my possibly unreasonable undisclosed location policy here on steemit, but can tell you that I have no real personal connection or bias towards the countries mentioned in this thread. Also I wouldn't say I support a specific team in particular nowadays. There are multiple teams I have sympathy for and I just want to watch interesting and exciting football played by technically and tactically astute players managed by smart and inventive managers. Stadiums with atmosphere and history are also something I enjoy.
The league I follow the most is the Premier League (as it's the most interesting and competitive and currently has the best managers) and I also try to keep up with the Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A and to a lesser extent Ligue 1. And of course the Champions League and some Europa League.