Hmm I dont know? I'd say the league is more competitive now if anything, certainly the standard of football, fitness etc has increased.
From the 70's to the 00's, English football was largely dominated by Liverpool and Utd, with Leeds Utd having a decent spell as well.
Now you have City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs all competing to a certain degree. I definitely think the standard is largely better now than what it was.