EPL 2023/2024
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@sparky said in EPL 2023/2024:
Man City winning 4 PLs in a row is a bit like Lance Armstrong winning 7 Tours de France in a row and Ben Johnson winning the 1988 Olympics in 9.79. It's spectacular achievement if you overlook the cheating.
It's only a matter of time until the last two Premier League titles are awarded to Arsenal and Man City get booted down to League 2.
It’s a bit yawn tbh and smacks of jealousy. They are well coached and have great players. There are plenty of other teams with big money investments who under achieve. Chelsea and Man U anyone?
@Billy-Tell Man City literally has a state lobbying British diplomats on its behalf.
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This is a good summary of the Man City situation. It's unprecedented in British sport to have single club facing this many charges of misconduct.
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@mariner4life said in EPL 2023/2024:
Fuck City are annoying.
They last lost in early December. The 2nd half of the season their record is a frankly ridiculous 16-3-0
Arsenal on the other hand have gone a perfectly acceptable 14-1-4 and will likely finish 2nd.
They just don't lose in the league after December, ever. Relentless. It's why the old "top at Christmas" means fuck all. Even if you are top at Christmas, you know you are going to have to be exceptional for the rest of the season as well, as City will just grind you down.
Very few teams have lost while leading at Xmas. In fact if memory serves me correctly, that sad claim to fame is Liverpool's. Which is unfortunate when you can amass what is historically a winning total and still lose the title. That's how good sports washing is when done exceptionally well.
@antipodean said in EPL 2023/2024:
ery few teams have lost while leading at Xmas. In fact if memory serves me correctly, that sad claim to fame is Liverpool's.
Mate it happened this year - and last year
It happens almost exactly half the time
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Another season down in the PL with City (yawn) claiming their 4th on the trot. Hard to say they didn't deserve it either, with Arsenal pushing them really hard, they withstood the pressure, stepped up and won. One of the most fun seasons I've watched with plenty of twists, strange results and goals. Rather odd that it co-incided with Englands arguably worst season in Europe in a long time. So let's wrap it up.
City: Champs again, phenomenal team full of phenomenal players with a generational manager.
Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
Liverpool: Klopp didn't get his dream farewell as once again he proved, he cannot manage a title race.
Villa: Wow! What a season for them, huge kudos to Emery.
Spurs: Excellent first season for Postecoglu, hard to beat at home and epitome of the fun season
Chelsea: Poch worked it out in the last quarter (pass it to Cole), great launchpad for next year
Newcastle: Bit of an also-ran season after last year, Howe has some off season thinking to do
Man Utd: Ten Hag been sacked yet? Colossally underachieving squad.
West Ham: Farewell to Moyes whose been superb, shame the fan base didn't really appreciate it
Palace: Unbelievable finish and mid table a superb return for this club
Brighton: De Zerbi leaves with a job very well done. Always threatening, not always getting what deserved
Bournemouth: Similar to Palace, fans must be happy with this season
Fulham: Look the full Premiership team this year with a disappointing end to the season.
Wolves: Sold, but not spectacular. Suspect fans will want more next year
Everton: Fans happy to see them stay up which isn't good enough for a club of this calibre. Financial difficulties will continue to unfold, but perhaps worst is behind them
Brentford: Another good season, have a feeling they will struggle next after the last couple as don't seem to be moving forwards
Notts Forest: Perhaps could have done better as Wood had decent service. Will be happy to stay in though
Luton Town: Disappointing to see them go down, epitome of the fun season with Spurs. Will be missed
Burnley: Back to the championship, with that perhaps a better reflection of their level
Sheffield United: Totally not up to it, arguably would have gone down in the Championship as wellAwards:
One Man Team Award:
Must go to Cole Palmer at Chelsea. Absolutely carried them through the middle part and then when the team realised that working with him was the way forwards, results came. Penalty fight vs Everton epitome of Chelseas lows. A true football hero in the middle of a bunch of over paid prima donnas.Worst Call Of The Year:
@MajorRage said in EPL 2023/2024:I think Rice is going to be a complete failure at Arsenal. There is no way he's worth 105mm & the pressure of it will tell.
Dickhead Of The Year:
Hotly contested award with plenty of contenders, but I'm going with West Ham fans. Moyes has done more for your club than anybody and he agrees it's time to depart, but all your Moyes Out signs when you've been in the top half of the table shows just how much you think you are above your station. Dickheads.Toughest Challenge For Next Year Award:
Ratcliffe. What are you going to do when you learn that ten Hag wasn't the biggest problem, your over paid for bunch of talent is. Good luck fella, will need.We Will Miss You Award:
Luton Town, what a club to have in the EPL. Walk through the postman's back garden to enter the stadium, then have no clue what you'll get. Down 3-0 at half time? Doesn't mean anything ..... So much fun to watch week in, week out.Departing Manager Award:
Lots to choose from here, but I'm going to give it to Klopp. Not only did he manage to win the EPL once in his 8 years, but he managed to turn the worlds biggest fan club of over entitled one eyed fools, into something even .... worse. He shall be missed, but I'm sure I'll keep hearing the he would have won so much more if it wasn't for cheating City line over and over again .... Fun fact. He didn't.Biggest Thing Of Last Year To A Bit Nothing This Year:
Newcastle. Talked about at every level the entire season last year, but a bit of an also ran season this one.Spirit of the Premier League award:
I'm giving this to my colleague Carl. Season ticket holder at Spurs for 25 years, 42 year old Dad of 2 boys, loving father, fantastic husband and hard worker. He gets it for, in his words "punching the lights out of the Spurs fan supporting City. I'll always support the team, fuck that". The best part is he took a Dutch graduate to the game and it all unfolded in front of him. Legend.Proper Awards:
Manager Of The Year:
Really tough this one, but I'm giving it to Emery. Villa were superb from the get go and he managed it superbly. Guardiola superb as always, and this could have been Arteta's if they'd gotten over the line. But for sheer punching above expectations, it's gotta be Unai.Signing Of The Year:
I'm giving this one to Palmer. Perhaps Rice was a better overall, but he came with a huge amount of talent, fanfare, talk & coverage. Palmer didn't, and he did more for his team than Rice.Player Of The Year:
Honourable mentions to Palmer, Odegaard, Rice, Watkins but I have to go with Foden for this one. Sheer talent, sheer will and some fantastic goals. When somebody outshines Haaland, De Bruyne, Grealish ... the list goes on ... they have to be somebody special.The Major Rage Overall Award:
And the big one, the one you've all been waiting for. I don't think there has been a bigger standout for me across the season this year as much as previous ones. Loads of talent out there, loads of excellent games, loads of brilliant watching but I think one person just sums it up for me. I acknowledge this come from left field but I have absolutely fucking loved Ange Postecoglu. I can't even really explain why, maybe it's because he's really just a fat Aussie bastard, but I've loved it.Along with Luton Town, the epitome of why this season was such a fun one. Onya Ange.
@MajorRage
Great stuff.
I think you can argue that most sides had a good season
City: 4 in a row but will be gutted out of CL. Best team in world.
Arsenal: Improved. No disgrace to lose to City
Liverpool: Improved in a transition year. Promised more but didn't quite deliver.
Villa: Agree Emery best Manager this season. Really shows up Gerrard.
Spurs: Given Kane gone an excellent season. Ange needs to be more pragmatic. Can see it unravelling next year. The irascible Aussie thing is wearing a bit thin.
Chelsea: Struggled for most of season but came right in New Year. Watch Boely fuck it all up over summer
Newcastle: Must hate that FFP stops them doing what City and Chelsea did Given injury run not awful. Fans enjoyed CL footy
Man Utd: Total utter shite.
West Ham: Agree with what you said. Worst fans in division. Such a sense of entitlement
Palace: Two seasons in a row a new Manager comes in and they start playing great footy. Is it the Manager or the fact that their stars are suddenly available. Nevertheless great result and exciting times ahead if they can keep squad together
Brighton: A poorish season De Zerbi seems to have spent most of it touting for another job. Will bounce back. Well run club that don't fuck about.
Bournemouth: Great season
Fulham: So inconsistent but a good year considering they were written off after Mitro left. Worry for them for next season though. Squad already needs strengthening and likely to lose 3-4. IN MARCO WE TRUST
Wolves: Had them down for relegation pre season with no manager and no money so a good result
Everton: Still in a tough spot Really need a new owner but (fortunately) not going to be 777. Solid result given everything that went on in behind
Brentford: Toney is a monumental cock. Frank seems tired. Could be a tough year next season. Disappointing.
Notts Forest: Survival was the priority and they managed it despite points deduction. Very lucky bottom 3 were so bad. Relegation fodder?
Luton Town: The only promoted club who can hold their heads high. Well run. Well managed. Always anticipated they would only be here for a short time but made sure it was a good time. Will pay for new stadium and hopefully bounce back up
Burnley: Bad Kompany.
Sheffield United: Bringing in Wilder was never going to work. Showed their hand last summer. Were never going to survive. Ambition seemed limited to not being as bad as Derby. -
Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
No way that was a choke, Arsenal had a great season and just didn't quite get enough points for the title, no disgrace in that. In Arteta's 4 full seasons, their points totals have been
61 (8th)
69 (5th)
84 (2nd)
89 (2nd)For a young manager in his first role with a team that he has built himself, that is very impressive. The next step is to strengthen in key areas an improve the depth so that he can make sure his gun players get enough rest. In those 4 seasons, Saka has only missed 9 league games while also playing a World Cup and I think you can see at times that he loses his spark.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2023/2024:
Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
No way that was a choke, Arsenal had a great season and just didn't quite get enough points for the title, no disgrace in that. In Arteta's 4 full seasons, their points totals have been
61 (8th)
69 (5th)
84 (2nd)
89 (2nd)For a young manager in his first role with a team that he has built himself, that is very impressive. The next step is to strengthen in key areas an improve the depth so that he can make sure his gun players get enough rest. In those 4 seasons, Saka has only missed 9 league games while also playing a World Cup and I think you can see at times that he loses his spark.
Especially when you consider that City also lost to Villa. Losing to Forest early in the season probably the biggest mark against them.
Arteta is really looking like something special at the moment. Even able to make Kai Havertz look like a success. Been a lot of spending though - do they have another big summer spend in them or are they tapped out and just going to tinker at the edges and make some small adjustments?
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i struggle to give even a solitary little fuck about Man City's alleged over-spending when you consider:
Manchester United have annual revenues of $824 million, have spent $445 million on transfers in the last 2 seasons, and have an annual wage bill of $180 million.
To come 8th, 31 points behind city.This sport, especially in England, is absolutely awash in money. Having a bit more than your competitors isn't the cheat code some seem to think.
Can Burnley hope to compete with City? No. Can every other team at the top of the tree in England? Yes. -
i struggle to give even a solitary little fuck about Man City's alleged over-spending when you consider:
Manchester United have annual revenues of $824 million, have spent $445 million on transfers in the last 2 seasons, and have an annual wage bill of $180 million.
To come 8th, 31 points behind city.This sport, especially in England, is absolutely awash in money. Having a bit more than your competitors isn't the cheat code some seem to think.
Can Burnley hope to compete with City? No. Can every other team at the top of the tree in England? Yes.Define top of tree?
The likes of City have enjoyed the beneficence of billionaire owners but now are doing everything in their power to prevent others e.g. Newcastle from doing the same.
There are two power plays in progress.
United, Liverpool, City, Spurs, Arsenal Chelsea don't want anyone else gatecrashing their little party.
The rest of the EPL think similarly about the Championship and wider pyramid.
Half the EPL clubs are owned by yanks who think the whole notion of promotion / relegation is the devil's work.
I'm not particularly agitated by City's transgressions. I especially don't think it has anything much to do with Peps era. It is interesting though jhow quickly smaller clubs get penalised compared to the years City's drama has / will drag on.
I just don't like one side dominating a competition - be that United or City the Crusaders or the Blues, Tiger Woods or Verstappen.
The delight in sport is its unpredictability. Take that away and it gets boring. It's a big part of the joy of supporting Fulham. You never know WTF you're going to get.
How long would my moral superiority last if Shahid Khan was able to spend some of his billions to elevate us into the CL? It'd evaporate in a nano-second, but it's never going to happen because it's a closed shop.
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That's exactly how I feel Mr Meat. I've followed football my whole life and it has always been sleazy. Now the sleaze is of a different type but I just try to enjoy the actual game for what it is.
The reason City have dominated for the past few years is of course their money but also a planned approach to team/squad building. For example when Rodri first arrived to take over from Fernandinho, he was interchanged with him a lot and it was thought he would never be as good - by the time Fernandinho retired, Rodri was good enough that he wasn't missed. Similarly with David Silva, Yaya Toure etc.
On Chelsea, I actually think the best thing that happened for Poch was having so many injuries that he was forced to stick with
Caicedo Gallagher
Palmer Madueke Mudryk
Jackson
for a few games and they have all benefited from having a settled system and personnel. For the first half of the season, he had so many players he kept on shifting them around and trying to find a system for them.On Brighton, they actually had a good season up until half-way - 30 points from 19 games and into the final 16 of the Europa League. In 2024, it fell apart - 18 points from 19 games. I'm sure they will be fine with a good manager (after McKenna of Ipswich apparently), their injured players returning and a couple of obscure South Americans who turn out to be superstars.
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Define top of tree?
The likes of City have enjoyed the beneficence of billionaire owners but now are doing everything in their power to prevent others e.g. Newcastle from doing the same.
There are two power plays in progress.
United, Liverpool, City, Spurs, Arsenal Chelsea don't want anyone else gatecrashing their little party.
The rest of the EPL think similarly about the Championship and wider pyramid.
Half the EPL clubs are owned by yanks who think the whole notion of promotion / relegation is the devil's work.
I'm not particularly agitated by City's transgressions. I especially don't think it has anything much to do with Peps era. It is interesting though jhow quickly smaller clubs get penalised compared to the years City's drama has / will drag on.
I just don't like one side dominating a competition - be that United or City the Crusaders or the Blues, Tiger Woods or Verstappen.
The delight in sport is its unpredictability. Take that away and it gets boring. It's a big part of the joy of supporting Fulham. You never know WTF you're going to get.
How long would my moral superiority last if Shahid Khan was able to spend some of his billions to elevate us into the CL? It'd evaporate in a nano-second, but it's never going to happen because it's a closed shop.
@dogmeat we are competing in the top 6 regularly now, but I wouldn't put Spurs in with the likes of Chelsea, City, and Utd especially. I don't think anyone could accuse us of trying to buy titles, in fact one of the longstanding gripes from Spurs fans is the our tightwad chief executive
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Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
No way that was a choke, Arsenal had a great season and just didn't quite get enough points for the title, no disgrace in that. In Arteta's 4 full seasons, their points totals have been
61 (8th)
69 (5th)
84 (2nd)
89 (2nd)For a young manager in his first role with a team that he has built himself, that is very impressive. The next step is to strengthen in key areas an improve the depth so that he can make sure his gun players get enough rest. In those 4 seasons, Saka has only missed 9 league games while also playing a World Cup and I think you can see at times that he loses his spark.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2023/2024:
Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
No way that was a choke, Arsenal had a great season and just didn't quite get enough points for the title, no disgrace in that. In Arteta's 4 full seasons, their points totals have been
61 (8th)
69 (5th)
84 (2nd)
89 (2nd)For a young manager in his first role with a team that he has built himself, that is very impressive. The next step is to strengthen in key areas an improve the depth so that he can make sure his gun players get enough rest. In those 4 seasons, Saka has only missed 9 league games while also playing a World Cup and I think you can see at times that he loses his spark.
I have nothing but praise for Arteta and what he's achieved with the club. Also for the Arsenal management for resisting the urge to drop him after a couple of mixed opening seasons.
Perhaps the choke tag more apt for Liverpool after this season, although given the terrible December of Arsenal, you could argue that they choked back then.
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@dogmeat we are competing in the top 6 regularly now, but I wouldn't put Spurs in with the likes of Chelsea, City, and Utd especially. I don't think anyone could accuse us of trying to buy titles, in fact one of the longstanding gripes from Spurs fans is the our tightwad chief executive
@canefan said in EPL 2023/2024:
@dogmeat we are competing in the top 6 regularly now, but I wouldn't put Spurs in with the likes of Chelsea, City, and Utd especially. I don't think anyone could accuse us of trying to buy titles, in fact one of the longstanding gripes from Spurs fans is the our tightwad chief executive
The big 6 aren't about buying titles. It's more about making sure that their revenue streams aren't diluted by others joining them at the top of the pile.
Truth is that you can't really buy a title now. Winning the EPL is much more about your manager/team than money. City vs United is clear and obvious proof of that. Newcastle have as much money behind them as anybody else, as well as a superb up and coming manager, but they don't even look close to title contention.
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@antipodean said in EPL 2023/2024:
ery few teams have lost while leading at Xmas. In fact if memory serves me correctly, that sad claim to fame is Liverpool's.
Mate it happened this year - and last year
It happens almost exactly half the time
@dogmeat said in EPL 2023/2024:
@antipodean said in EPL 2023/2024:
ery few teams have lost while leading at Xmas. In fact if memory serves me correctly, that sad claim to fame is Liverpool's.
Mate it happened this year - and last year
It happens almost exactly half the time
When it happens to other teams I neither acknowledge nor care
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Pochettino has left Chelsea according to the Daily Telegraph.
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Chelsea left out of pocket?
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Really?
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It's been confirmed by the club. Poch out.
https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/club-statement-mauricio-pochettino
