THE Premiership public relations machine was in full throttle at the weekend to restore an image which was battered in Madrid a few days earlier.

Shock waves spread through English football when Real thoroughly humbled one of the only two good sides in the Premiership with a one-sided victory which was far more convincing than the 3-1 scoreline suggested.

Something had to be done to restore the people's faith in the Premiership's self-created and laughable title as the top league in Europe.

The ammunition came at the weekend when United destroyed England's current third best team Newcastle on their home ground while Real Madrid's 4-2 mauling at Real Sociedad sparked doubts about whether the Spanish giants are really that much better than United after all.

If there is one thing the Premiership is good at it is talking itself up.

If you believe the Sky hype every game is the greatest sporting occasion ever televised and every kid under the age of 16 has grown up with the cliche 'The Premiership is the best league in Europe' etched in his brain.

Well, I've got news. It isn't.

Compared with Spain it is garbage, next to Italy it is humble and alongside Germany it stands as an equal.

You can't argue with Sky, ITV and, previously, the BBC for accentuating its positives out of all proportion. They have a big investment in our top league therefore they need everyone to keep believing and, subsequently, tuning in.

But any league in which Robbie Savage can be a star and David Beckham can shine is lacking real quality.

They go on about Zola, Henry, van Nistelrooy, Vieira and Pires gracing the Premiership, arguably the five greatest foreigners ever to play in the competition.

But Vieira, Pires and Henry became world class after they arrived here, Zola was fast approaching veteran stage when he came and van Nistelrooy was not regarded as one of the world's best strikers before United got him.

If the Premiership was as good as we are led to believe, why don't the established elite want to play in it when they are at the top of their games? Why do Ronaldo, Zidane, Rivaldo, Shevchenko, Kluivert, Ballack and Trezeguet snub the Premiership?

We attract a lot of foreigners but we don't attract the best foreigners although some, like van Nistelrooy, Henry and Vieira become the best when they are here.

United hammering Newcastle did not rekindle the Premiership's image as the best league around, rather it summed up that after United and Arsenal the Premiership is full of mediocrity.

Sociedad's mauling of Madrid proved there is a stronger depth in La Liga as does the fact that three of the last eight in this season's Champions League are from Spain, with another three from Italy, while United are England's sole representatives.

You can never underestimate the Premiership's marketing machine when it comes to talking itself up but it will have its work cut out when Madrid finish the job against United next week, as they surely will barring a miracle.