*Official* English Football Season 2016-17

[Uppercut]

They gave us trouble going man to man against us. If you want to beat Liverpool it's not just about beating the press but winning all the contests as a team. That's why we've been good in terms of shutting other teams down.

Second half we got better but Swansea has had the best performance against us till now.

Arsenal have been jammy the last few weeks. Either they'll improve and have a good season by not looking back or stop getting results and have everybody talking negatively about papering over the cracks. Been that kind of start.

Kinda guessed Tottenham would give City their first real test. Son has done well to keep their prospects alive. Not sure it'll last without Kane though.

I think Liverpool just kind of beat themselves sometimes. I don't mean to be negative about them because Klopp's got them to a great place, but there's a looseness about them that contrasts really starkly with Pochettino's Spurs. It's like Liverpool play a fast pressing game because this is all so much fun and and let's all try to score loads of great goals as fast as we can. Whereas Spurs seem to do it because **** the other team. **** them for even thinking it was ok for a wooden ****ing plodder like Kolarov to pass it out from the back.

Kind of surreal that one of Arsenal, United, City, Spurs and Liverpool will miss out on top four. I could see those teams finishing the season in almost any order.

 

[sledger]

Was quite happy to see Burnley getting a rough call there, deserved nothing. They didn't even seem interested in getting out of their own half for most of the game, and their 18-yard box in the last 20 minutes.

I think that's a bit harsh. They did well.

 

[Uppercut]

Side point, but for all the talk about how the winner proves we need video technology etc, most analysis and punditry decided to sidestep the two strong penalty claims Arsenal had for, coincidentally, handball late in the 2nd half. I wonder why.

Well, because every non-Arsenal fan was on Burnley's side. But also because no Premiership ref is ever giving a crucial penalty to the away team in the last fifteen minutes for a handball that isn't explicitly deliberate. Because they're all bottlers. So it's at the stage where it's pointless to even talk about it.

 

[Furball]

Kind of surreal that one of Arsenal, United, City, Spurs and Liverpool will miss out on top four. I could see those teams finishing the season in almost any order.

Hopefully United because **** Mourinho.

 

[anil1405]

I think Liverpool just kind of beat themselves sometimes. I don't mean to be negative about them because Klopp's got them to a great place, but there's a looseness about them that contrasts really starkly with Pochettino's Spurs. It's like Liverpool play a fast pressing game because this is all so much fun and and let's all try to score loads of great goals as fast as we can. Whereas Spurs seem to do it because **** the other team. **** them for even thinking it was ok for a wooden ****ing plodder like Kolarov to pass it out from the back.

Kind of surreal that one of Arsenal, United, City, Spurs and Liverpool will miss out on top four. I could see those teams finishing the season in almost any order.

Agreed. Klopp is the sort of manager who wants to play attacking football and make every penny worth it for the fans. He wouldn't make any major changes to the strategies based on who Liverpool is playing. This is bound to backfire with the current Liverpool defensive setup. They have slightly improved from last season. Matip replacing Sakho/Skrtel is kinda comforting but boy they still have a long way to go in terms of being assured at the back, especially dead ball situations.

 

[Tangles]

International break and then a Monday game ffs.

 

[Niall]

Swansea have fired their manager and brought in Bradley.

BBC Sport - Football - Swansea City Results

Its not exactly been a good start, but its a very harsh run of fixtures. Looking at the results in the link above, bar losing to Hull at home, they have done as well as you'd expect that type of side to do, heck pushed Liverpool harder on Saturday than many others have this season.

Bad call imo, but interested to see how Bradley does, been linked to so many English jobs over the years, at least they swerved Giggs which is something!

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Bradley going the route of Solskjaer, I see. Norwegian tinpot League success with semi-corrupt clubs followed by rapid parachuting into Wales.

Probably more likely to be successful, but spare me the "American coaches have a hard time getting gigs in Europe" blather.

 

[Pothas]

Their setup was far from the most defensive I've seen, I think it gave Arsenal about the right amount of respect. What made them so turgid was how much better they were at defending than they were on the ball. Vokes is so far below PL class. Textbook 'scored a goal in an international tournament' bum signing.

Vokes has been at Burnley for years, point still stands about him not being very good though, Gray being banned for being a terrible human on the internet does not help, but unless he has improved a lot in the last year then even with him they are probably still not good enough.

 

[vcs]

Guardiola switches off City Wi-Fi to get squad to talk - Independent.ie

That's got to be a human rights violation of some sort.

 

[grecian]

I'm presuming the Conference is a lot better than it was when Exeter were last in it, I for one am looking forward to playing North Ferriby United, Gateshead Boreham Wood and Sutton United, seems quality.

 

[GIMH]

I'm presuming the Conference is a lot better than it was when Exeter were last in it, I for one am looking forward to playing North Ferriby United, Gateshead Boreham Wood and Sutton United, seems quality.

Gateshead brought 18 fans to Prenton Park last night

18 fans went home happy I suppose

It's footballing purgatory.

 

[sledger]

Where even is Gateshead?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Where even is Gateshead?

As if it's a real place...

I remember back when Cambridge City were in the Conference South (and in Cambridge itself, if it comes to that) Newport County brought 4 fans for a Monday night fixture.

One of the great joys of non league used to be former names still trundling out; saw Francis Benali (whoah, yes, he's the great defender, etc) sans tache turning out for Eastleigh & Nathan Blake (ex of Wales and Corrin's beloved Trotters) for the aforementioned Newport.

 

[GIMH]

Gateshead is as close to Newcastle as Birkenhead is to Liverpool I believe

Edgar Davids as Barnet player manager has to be the best one Brumby

 

[BoyBrumby]

Gateshead is as close to Newcastle as Birkenhead is to Liverpool I believe

Edgar Davids as Barnet player manager has to be the best one Brumby

Think Greavesie played for Barnet too. Although he probably doesn't remember much about it.

"Well I went out to celebrate the world cup and fifteen years later I woke up in a clinic"

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Mellon leaves Shrewsbury for Tranmere. Good riddance, take Jackson with you.

He'll get you up, bore you to tears, talk **** and blame everyone but himself when anything goes wrong. You will learn to love the claps off him to the fans when you win and the scuttle down the tunnel as soon as the whistle goes when you lose.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Yes Gateshead is one of those places they deliberately misspell in order to confuse outsiders. It's actually pronounced Gates-heed. It's classed as part of Geordie-land, so they share a similar level of illiteracy there.

 

[Pothas]

Mellon leaves Shrewsbury for Tranmere. Good riddance, take Jackson with you.

He'll get you up, bore you to tears, talk **** and blame everyone but himself when anything goes wrong. You will learn to love the claps off him to the fans when you win and the scuttle down the tunnel as soon as the whistle goes when you lose.

I suspect the first bit is all he cares about right now.

 

[sledger]

I suspect the first bit is all he cares about right now.

Yeah, I'd be relieved to leave Shrewsbury too