WHEN Max Tonetto blazed his spot kick high into the Rome sky on Wednesday night, he did more than end Roma's Champions League aspirations.

His miss ensured Arsenal's passage into the last eight of Europe's elite - and in doing so, provided further proof of the growing dominance of English clubs.

When Europe's leading lights clash again next month, chances are Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal will add to the proud English record built over recent seasons.

For the second consecutive tournament, England's Big Four will feature in Europe's final eight.

The statistics over the last four years are even more stunning - English clubs have provided nine out of the last 16 semi-finalists, five of the finalists and two winners.

Football romantics will be quick to credit the shrewd Alex Ferguson or the at-times-frustrating-but-overall-still-astute Rafael Benitez. Others will point to the galaxy of stars which glitter in the English Premier League.

But look past the "hair-dryer" teamtalks, the Ronaldo stepovers and Gerrard 30-metre rockets and one man stands out - Richard Scudamore.

Scudamore is neither a coach nor player. The EPL chief executive, in fact, is unlikely to be popular with football purists.

His concern is not how much the EPL can do for the game but what the game can do for the EPL. The state of football in the English grassroots is unlikely to feature prominently in his list of things to do.

He cares for the EPL - but do not confuse that with caring for the state of English football. England have not won anything since ther 1966 World Cup victory, but Scudamore is unlikely to lose any sleep if the disturbing trend continues.

What is more important is the state of the EPL and its continued existence as arguably the most marketable, profitable brand in the world of sport.

Just last month, he helped broker a record television deal that will be worth almost ?1.8 billion over three years - and keep EPL clubs financially sound until at least 2013. The amount is a five per cent increase, and given the current state of the world's economy, seen as a coup which is set to increase the league's global presence.

England newspaper the Guardian recently quoted Deloitte's latest football report which stated that, for the 2005-06 season, the Premier League is the undisputed king of football.

It topped other leagues around the world with an average revenue of US$700m. Italy's Serie A is second with US$490m, Germany's Bundesliga third on US$389m and Spain's La Liga fourth on US$275m.

Interestingly, as the Guardian article pointed out, the balance of power in European football is directly related to the financial wealth of the league.

"The three rough eras of the Champions League – Italian (1988-89 to 1998), Spanish (1999-2004) and English dominance (2005-) – correspond with the ability of clubs in those countries to outstrip the others in transfer spending. Between 1984 and 2000, the world football transfer record was broken nine times by Italian clubs. Only twice in that period – when Alan Shearer moved to Newcastle and Denilson joined Real Betis, was the record held by non-Italian clubs.

"The moves to Real Madrid of Luis Figo in 2000 and Zinedine Zidane in 2001 took the record to Spain, and ushered in their period of dominance. Transfer fees as a whole have dropped since then, but the four biggest moves since 2004 have all been to English clubs."

Little surprise then then big-money players like Wayne Rooney, Fernando Torres and Michael Ballack will be flying England's flag when the battle for supremacy resumes in a few weeks.

And should, as expected, English clubs continue to dominate, you can give yourself a pat on the back.

With television rights for EPL in Singapore already at an all-time high, and is set to increase further next year, Singapore football fans will continue to contribute indirectly to English clubs through their monthly cable fees. Such is the globalisation of the game.

English clubs may be relentless in their European march. But it is the EPL's marketing machine and the billions it generates that is fuelling, what is quickly becoming, a golden era for English clubs.