*Official* English Football Season 2015-16

[grecian]

RE Howe's question etc

What everyone was saying is really just an exaggerated version of what was being said of Liverpool two gets ago. Obviously they didn't win it, but all along it was dismissed out of hand whereas in reality they went to the wire. Many football fans, especially prem ones, cling to almost arrogant presuppositions that their own pre or early season analysis knows better than the game itself. It's a 38 game season, you can be the best team and not to be top after 25, but not at 38.

Already, I'm hearing how Leicester will be destroyed in Europe. Aside from the fact that the almighty five have hardly covered themselves in glory in the last few years, it's really just quite despicable. You have to qualify for the Champions League (currently) and if Leicester win the title they've done it by being better than everyone else. I'm not going to sit here and say playing in Europe is easy, and City have shown over the years that it can take time to adjust, but to assume they'd embarrass us (as opposed to Liverpool and Man U's efforts to fly the flag proudly this season and last) just because they're Leicester epitomises everything I hate about the modern game

What about the play-offs, you've always hated them?

 

[Furball]

RE Howe's question etc

What everyone was saying is really just an exaggerated version of what was being said of Liverpool two gets ago. Obviously they didn't win it, but all along it was dismissed out of hand whereas in reality they went to the wire. Many football fans, especially prem ones, cling to almost arrogant presuppositions that their own pre or early season analysis knows better than the game itself. It's a 38 game season, you can be the best team and not to be top after 25, but not at 38.

Already, I'm hearing how Leicester will be destroyed in Europe. Aside from the fact that the almighty five have hardly covered themselves in glory in the last few years, it's really just quite despicable. You have to qualify for the Champions League (currently) and if Leicester win the title they've done it by being better than everyone else. I'm not going to sit here and say playing in Europe is easy, and City have shown over the years that it can take time to adjust, but to assume they'd embarrass us (as opposed to Liverpool and Man U's efforts to fly the flag proudly this season and last) just because they're Leicester epitomises everything I hate about the modern game

Leicester would go into pot 1 so would avoid the likes of Barcelona, Bayern, Juve etc in the group stage.

 

[GIMH]

What about the play-offs, you've always hated them?

There's two elements to my answer here.

I always have hated the play-offs. I still get angry when I think about Grayson's handball on the line for Leicester going unpunished, our implosion at home to Reading, and then most of all everything about the away leg to Hartlepool, then coming back in style at home only to lose on pens. That's the one that hurts me most because we finished 3rd, and Brentford in 4th were miles off the pace. The others it hurt to lose because all semi-final defeats are excruciating but the 2005 one was the pits because we were by rights the best side of the four prior to those play-offs, but capitulated in them.

But in any discussion of play-offs I think I have accepted them as a necessary evil, it is what it is, and when we win them this year it may banish my lifelong hatred

But that brings me to the second part of my answer. See, I don't consider play-offs part of the 'modern' game because I've never known anything but. It's all relative isn't it. My dad still thinks of Ronnie Wood as the new one in the stones.

I don't hate everything about football today, if I did I wouldn't watch it or bother with it. Despite hating the play-offs parochially (and I'm an advocate of league systems, but you know the drill when the season starts), the season would be over in February for so many teams, it would be like having Arsenal fans everywhere, every year, and nobody wants that.

Tl;dr

 

[GIMH]

Leicester would go into pot 1 so would avoid the likes of Barcelona, Bayern, Juve etc in the group stage.

Is that assuming they win the title?

I've little idea how CL seeding works, but it's safe to assume even if they don't win the title they'll make the top four.

 

[cpr]

It's all good, no matter what happens when it comes down to it as a fan I won the lottery.

If you're the lottery winner of fans, I guess that makes me descended from old money, never worked a day in my life and now destitute after gambling the inheritance away.

 

[GIMH]

If you're the lottery winner of fans, I guess that makes me descended from old money, never worked a day in my life and now destitute after gambling the inheritance away.

And I was born a gutter rat and will die one too

 

[Tangles]

If we can't pry Blanc from PSG, or Pochettino, then TBH we should give Giggs the job. Harsh to judge him on 4 games at the tail end of the Moyes era, without the chance to bring in his own players and staff, nor get the team really playing the way he wants. Most people around OT seem to think he's got the right mentality to handle the job (he's no stranger to performing under pressure, scored a couple of decent results in Ms Thomas, and the other Mrs Giggs...), he understands what the fans want and what the clubs about, has the respect of the dressing room and a name to bring in other players. Also Ferguson is on hand to help guide him, whilst being all too aware of the potential issues he could cause a la Busby. (Ferguson's spoke quite clearly on that regard, and has also said if Giggs retired 5 years earlier he'd have been assistant with an eye to taking over).

Either way, giving it a try is better than Mourinho brand of football, and the drama he brings.


I always said we should've gone for Ole when Fergie retired, I wouldn't hold his Cardiff stint against him, he seems to be re-establishing his reputation back home....

Can't see Giggs happening. There is so much talk about a new Manager being experienced (media and fans) that I can't see it being risked. As much as I hate the word Brand being used for a football team I can't imagine American owners risking their Brand in untried hands.

 

[social]

No-one is bending over backwards to say it "doesn't count", it's just that it was clearly a surprise. As Cabinet said 30 games isn't actually that long, despite the general perception that it is.

I don't think Leicester are actually that near being as good as City tbh, but I was certainly delighted by the result and hope they win the league based on the reasonable assumption that we probably won't.

People need to start waking up

Leicester ARE a good team whilst some of their opponents have spent huge sums of money with seemingly little to show for it on the pitch

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere recently that Leicester had a team on the pitch at one stage of a recent match (might have been vs Liverpool) that cost a combined 11 million pounds

Whichever way you look at it, it's a great story so far

Edit: just read an article which claims that the combined cost of teams recently fielded by Spurs and Leicester was less than the cost of Gareth Bale and less than Newcastle have spent in the last two transfer windows

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Meh. Get with the times, the season is 30 odd games long, not three. England winning a Test series in Australia is an upset, but no one thought the Sydney test in 2011 was anyone getting 'stunned'. People had understood that England were the better team by that point.

It was more to do with them absolutely ****ing hammering us rather than them just winning.

 

[Cabinet96]

Have loved Leicester this season but they can definitely **** off and stop showing the rest of us up now.

 

[GIMH]

It was more to do with them absolutely ****ing hammering us rather than them just winning.

Yeah, is is definitely a factor too. If Arsenal went to the Emirates and did a number on City like that (stop s******ing) it would probably be classed a shock.

 

[GIMH]

Have loved Leicester this season but they can definitely **** off and stop showing the rest of us up now.

Yeah it must kinda suck being one of the 'big boys' this season because you have to cheer on the de facto bad guys

and that's not me being a dick. You absolutely should want them to falter now.

 

[Furball]

Is that assuming they win the title?

I've little idea how CL seeding works, but it's safe to assume even if they don't win the title they'll make the top four.

Yes, they'll be pot 4 if they don't win the title but get to the group stages.

 

[Jono]

Hey GIMP, remember many years back we had that debate about salary caps and the rich teams dominating the Premier League etc., and I made a bet with you that Wigan (randomly selected non-big 4 team at the time) would never ever win the league and if they did I would pay you a ridiculous amount of money?

Pretty relieved I didn't choose Leicester right now

 

[grecian]

Just amazing in the end this is the turning point in the thinking of bookies and people, before today they were still 3rd faves.

 

[GIMH]

Hey GIMP, remember many years back we had that debate about salary caps and the rich teams dominating the Premier League etc., and I made a bit with you that Wigan (randomly selected non-big 4 team at the time) would never ever win the league and if they did I would pay you a ridiculous amount of money?

Pretty relieved I didn't choose Leicester right now

Heh, was actually thinking of that debate earlier, for obvious reasons

 

[Nate]

Mignolet so bad. The club haven't exactly given supporters any reasons to care for the remainder of this season.

 

[Ikki]

Not sure if this was true but I heard that for the month of December he averaged 1.2 goals conceded per shot on target. 5 shots on target, 5 goals conceded, plus a Martin Skrtel O.G.

Sounds about right.

RE Howe's question etc

What everyone was saying is really just an exaggerated version of what was being said of Liverpool two gets ago. Obviously they didn't win it, but all along it was dismissed out of hand whereas in reality they went to the wire. Many football fans, especially prem ones, cling to almost arrogant presuppositions that their own pre or early season analysis knows better than the game itself. It's a 38 game season, you can be the best team and not to be top after 25, but not at 38.

Already, I'm hearing how Leicester will be destroyed in Europe. Aside from the fact that the almighty five have hardly covered themselves in glory in the last few years, it's really just quite despicable. You have to qualify for the Champions League (currently) and if Leicester win the title they've done it by being better than everyone else. I'm not going to sit here and say playing in Europe is easy, and City have shown over the years that it can take time to adjust, but to assume they'd embarrass us (as opposed to Liverpool and Man U's efforts to fly the flag proudly this season and last) just because they're Leicester epitomises everything I hate about the modern game

I like the Leicester story and fair play to them if they win it but from a really cynical point of view I actually think it'd be better for the league if they bombed out of the top 4 altogether. It's not that the others have done great and we should be snobby about Leicester participating but I just don't think they'll have the financial muscle to have a squad deep enough to play so many games and do well. At this time the UEFA coefficients are tight and I'd rather the league kept the 4th spot than Leicester had a miracle season. Not that those things are mutually exclusive but I do think it's more likely for the more traditional powers to do well in the CL as they can cope better.

I also think Leicester are a really good team that works hard but I think teams have, still, underestimated them and they've gotten 'banged' because of it. Liverpool and City both dominated the ball too much IMO. At this time, Leicester needs the 3 points and if you let them have it, or defended deeper, I think you'd see their defensive frailties far more. Teams are still treating them like the also-rans, trying to pressure them in their half and that just plays into their counter-attacking game.

 

[Ikki]

Mignolet's wall setup (video)

 

[Uppercut]

I wonder why they didn't go and celebrate in front of their customers at the end, like the last time they drew 2-2 at home to relegation fodder.