***Official*** English Football Season 2017/18

[Lillian Thomson]

I had a feeling this was going to happen from the moment on Saturday when Paul Merson said he couldn’t see United winning at Watford.

 

[sledger]

I had a feeling this was going to happen from the moment on Saturday when Paul Merson said he couldn’t see United winning at Watford.

I really do not understand why Sky haven't given him the chop. Maybe he has some dirt on someone or just appeals to the mouthbreathers.

Seriously though, there is nothing to recommend this guy. No redeeming features whatsoever. Not a nice bloke. Not an intelligent bloke. Routinely has crap opinions and makes predictions which are wildly inaccurate.

Would fit in well on the BBC with Shearer, Savage and Murphy. And that's about the worst thing that can be said about any pundit.

 

[sledger]

Haha that Llorente miss. Not quite Gervinho against Bradford, but definitely Gervinho-esque.

 

[Uppercut]

Fun game. Watford are pretty good. Lingard continues to mix rank mediocrity with the occasional ridiculous goal. Lukaku looks like a total donkey, probably needs a spell on the bench.

 

[Pothas]

Yeah Watford are easily the best side to watch outside the top 6.

If Arsenal were on the sort of run that Spurs are at the moment....

 

[Niall]

Not good is it?

What is the minimum expected of Spurs this season? Top 4 and possibly quarter finals in the champions league?

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Not good is it?

What is the minimum expected of Spurs this season? Top 4 and possibly quarter finals in the champions league?

The only snag is there's now 6 teams with a minimum expectation of top 4. I think the two Mancs will make it but I wouldn't put a great deal of money on which other two will be there.

I would like to see City, United, Chelsea and Spurs top 4 with Arsenal 5th and winning the Europa League and Liverpool floating down the Mersey.

 

[Cabinet96]

Minimum expectation for Spurs should be sixth, given their significantly smaller wage bill and transfer spend relative to the five richest teams in the league.

 

[Uppercut]

Minimum expectation for Spurs should be sixth, given their significantly smaller wage bill and transfer spend relative to the five richest teams in the league.

Dunno about that, they have very good players. Better players than United for my money.

Expecting consistent top 4 finishes is unreasonable but they’re sort of at the peak of their team development cycle, having also pulled a world-class striker out of their arse. The whole structure is built around cashing in at times like this.

 

[Cow]

I'm gonna enjoy watching Spurs fans downgrade their expectations as the season progresses.

That mid-table mentality is unshakeable.

 

[vcs]

Credit to Man Utd., they aren't going away despite City starting the season like a runaway train. They might just make it a close title race because they know how to grind out results despite looking uninspiring at times (e.g against Brighton).

 

[Cow]

Credit to Man Utd., they aren't going away despite City starting the season like a runaway train. They might just make it a close title race because they know how to grind out results despite looking uninspiring at times (e.g against Brighton).

Absolutely. They've spent 600 million since Fergie retired and they can barely string two passes together. #TheUnitedWay

 

[Furball]

Credit to Man Utd., they aren't going away despite City starting the season like a runaway train. They might just make it a close title race because they know how to grind out results despite looking uninspiring at times (e.g against Brighton).

City will smash them when they meet.

 

[sledger]

Watford are genuinely decent. The idea that Marco Silva was apparently seriously having his head turned by Everton of all teams baffles me.

 

[Cabinet96]

Dunno about that, they have very good players. Better players than United for my money.

Expecting consistent top 4 finishes is unreasonable but they’re sort of at the peak of their team development cycle, having also pulled a world-class striker out of their arse. The whole structure is built around cashing in at times like this.

Maybe. I honestly believe the lineup Arsenal played in the NLD was better than theirs. Says a lot about what they've done that people expected Spurs to rock up there with Sissoko in midfield, a 21 year old at CB and Trippier and Davies as wingbacks and win easily.

Agree they're at the peak of their development, but I'm still not sure what they can really hope to achieve. Top four and a CL run is more the best case scenario than minimum expectation for me. In a way they're unlucky they didn't peak a couple of years earlier in the post Fergie era. Last season Chelsea got the 2nd highest points total ever, and this season it looks like that could be bumped down to 3rd highest because of City.

 

[sledger]

On paper Arsenal are considerably better than Spurs imo. Would also say that on the best of days Arsenal's optimum level of performance is higher than Spurs'. Spurs have just come together very well as a team and have an excellent coach. As uppercut says, they've also lucked into having one of the best forwards in the world more or less out of nowhere.

So far as where they go from here is concerned, it's hard to see them achieving anymore than what they have already without the addition of more genuinely world class players and/or not losing Kane and one or two others. Not sure how realistic either of those things are.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

If Spurs were lucky with the emergence of Harry Kane they definitely made their own luck. He might not have been given the same chance at other clubs.

 

[sledger]

If Spurs were lucky with the emergence of Harry Kane they definitely made their own luck. He might not have been given the same chance at other clubs.

Haha, if this is a joke about Arsenal then it's actually quite a good one.

If not, then yeah, maybe. There was a bit of luck to it imo. Were it not for the fact that Soldado and Adebayor were absolute *********s, and Bale being sold, he probably wouldn't have been given a crack at it at Spurs either.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Haha, if this is a joke about Arsenal then it's actually quite a good one.

If not, then yeah, maybe. There was a bit of luck to it imo. Were it not for the fact that Soldado and Adebayor were absolute *********s, and Bale being sold, he probably wouldn't have been given a crack at it at Spurs either.

It wasn't a joke about Arsenal. But if it looks like a good one I'll take it.

 

[sledger]

It wasn't a joke about Arsenal. But if it looks like a good one I'll take it.

Haha, ah, well, Kane was released by Arsenal in his younger days. So the whole not given a chance thing definitely rings true.