PeterL22 wrote:OK I did go and it was dire.........
Highlight was Calude getting hit in the face by a stray ball. we even missed a penalty!
Yeah it looked pretty boring.. what is the price to go to a game these days?
Gert & TheBoy's Official VNA Soccer... err Football Thread
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rokkerr
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Yeah it looked pretty boring.. what is the price to go to a game these days?
wearing my cockring 24 hours a day
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PeterL22
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I have a season ticket ( I'm on tablets for that). I'm behind the goal so its one of the less expensive ones (prefer that view - always love to be behind the action !!) - next year's is £570 for 19 home league games. Cup matches and friendlies are extra. I know that per game it is over £30
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
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PeterL22
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Final day of Premier League - its been a long one!
For the record results will be - but remember lots of PL players are "on the beach" already so no real confidence in these
Saints v Stoke - Stoke by 1 (Mark Hughes will have roasted their nuts after last game and Claude doesn't seem to care any more)
Arsenal v Everton - draw (probably 0-0 - Koemans will circle the wagons)
Burnley v West Ham - Burnley by 1 but who cares
Chelsea v Sunderland - Chelski by 3 (party time)
Hull v Spurs - Hull by 1 - sign off for Silva
Leicester v Bournemouth - Foxes by 2 (again reaction to Spurs game)
Liverpool v Boro - Scousers by 2 or 3.
Man Utd v Palace - Possible shock (Utd are poor and are focussed on Europa League)
Swansea v WBA - no score draw (Pulis strikes again)
Watford v Man City - City by 2 or 3 (again Watford are a poor physical side) - main sidebet here is how often Sterling dives today
For the record results will be - but remember lots of PL players are "on the beach" already so no real confidence in these
Saints v Stoke - Stoke by 1 (Mark Hughes will have roasted their nuts after last game and Claude doesn't seem to care any more)
Arsenal v Everton - draw (probably 0-0 - Koemans will circle the wagons)
Burnley v West Ham - Burnley by 1 but who cares
Chelsea v Sunderland - Chelski by 3 (party time)
Hull v Spurs - Hull by 1 - sign off for Silva
Leicester v Bournemouth - Foxes by 2 (again reaction to Spurs game)
Liverpool v Boro - Scousers by 2 or 3.
Man Utd v Palace - Possible shock (Utd are poor and are focussed on Europa League)
Swansea v WBA - no score draw (Pulis strikes again)
Watford v Man City - City by 2 or 3 (again Watford are a poor physical side) - main sidebet here is how often Sterling dives today
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
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TheBoy
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I'm quite upset really to see the end of this season, but looking back it's been absolutely amazing from a Spurs point of view despite ending up as the hotter and much more sexy bridesmaid once again! The quality of football is beautiful to watch and the way Pochettino has them all coached is amazing. We talk about certain players who might be lured away, but as I've said a few times in the past, Poch is the one we need to keep above all else.
His demeanour and comments during the White Hart Lane send off suggests that he's very much settled and is set on taking us into the new stadium after we spend next season at Wembley. As for players leaving, it's looking highly likely Kyle Walker will be heading to Man City where, if Pep wasn't already bald, he soon would be from tearing his hair out trying to work out how to make Walker simulate his Tottenham form. It's a shame that the second longest serving player could have his head turned so easily, especially at a time where he's classed as one of the world's best right backs and it's essentially all down to his coaching under Pochettino.
But as we soon learnt when he took over, if you aren't fully committed to him and Spurs, then you're out of the door with very little chance of getting back in.
I feel kinda sorry talking about Pochettino so highly when I know Peter is so frustrated with Puel... What do you think Southampton would be like now Peter if Poch was still with you? Do you think he'd still be there and would he have been given the full authority to rule the club and playing staff as he saw fit like at Spurs? I get the feeling he may have been a lot more restricted under the Southampton board and ended up falling out...
Harry Kane summed up the Spurs mentality with the absolute drubbing of Leicester City on Thursday night. When we look back at this time last year and the shameful displays after we conceded the league, it's very positive to see us turn up away from home on a wet Thursday night with absolutely nothing to play for and put on that kind of demolition job. Kane nabbing 4 to take himself 2 clear in the top scorers chart is incredible to think he's played 700 minutes less this season than closest rival Lukaku!
So the only thing left to clear up now is the final 4th place spot and it's Liverpool's to lose. I can't see them throwing it away which would mean Arsenal finally miss out. As bizarre as this is for me to say, I would actually prefer Arsenal to have got in! I think if they had (or do!) then Wenger would be guaranteed to stay on for another season at least and they would yet again bumble along without addressing the growing issues within the club. Meanwhile, Liverpool getting back into the Champions League should signal them to spend pretty big and could be a real threat next season if they back Klopp.
Of course we have more important things to clear up today and that's the VNA Fantasy Football league! I'd like to think I'm the equivalent of Harry Kane taking a 2 goal lead going into the final game with a 16 point lead over Gert, but as demonstrated by his incredible 203 - this warrants an old school Final Score Vidiprinter style spelling out to confirm it's not a mistake - two-hundred and three points last week, I'm not counting anything just yet! 203 points! Absolutely stunning stuff! When you have even a double game week, to get into triple digits is good, but he in effect had two single game weeks both hitting over a ton
I've managed to keep my nose in front with some nervy single game week players doing the business for me. It's going to be a very exciting finish for both of us with a top 10k finish and if things go well, we could both sneak into the top 5k!
Right, I think that's enough for now lol. Enjoy the goal-fest that the final day of the season usually brings!
His demeanour and comments during the White Hart Lane send off suggests that he's very much settled and is set on taking us into the new stadium after we spend next season at Wembley. As for players leaving, it's looking highly likely Kyle Walker will be heading to Man City where, if Pep wasn't already bald, he soon would be from tearing his hair out trying to work out how to make Walker simulate his Tottenham form. It's a shame that the second longest serving player could have his head turned so easily, especially at a time where he's classed as one of the world's best right backs and it's essentially all down to his coaching under Pochettino.
But as we soon learnt when he took over, if you aren't fully committed to him and Spurs, then you're out of the door with very little chance of getting back in.
I feel kinda sorry talking about Pochettino so highly when I know Peter is so frustrated with Puel... What do you think Southampton would be like now Peter if Poch was still with you? Do you think he'd still be there and would he have been given the full authority to rule the club and playing staff as he saw fit like at Spurs? I get the feeling he may have been a lot more restricted under the Southampton board and ended up falling out...
Harry Kane summed up the Spurs mentality with the absolute drubbing of Leicester City on Thursday night. When we look back at this time last year and the shameful displays after we conceded the league, it's very positive to see us turn up away from home on a wet Thursday night with absolutely nothing to play for and put on that kind of demolition job. Kane nabbing 4 to take himself 2 clear in the top scorers chart is incredible to think he's played 700 minutes less this season than closest rival Lukaku!
So the only thing left to clear up now is the final 4th place spot and it's Liverpool's to lose. I can't see them throwing it away which would mean Arsenal finally miss out. As bizarre as this is for me to say, I would actually prefer Arsenal to have got in! I think if they had (or do!) then Wenger would be guaranteed to stay on for another season at least and they would yet again bumble along without addressing the growing issues within the club. Meanwhile, Liverpool getting back into the Champions League should signal them to spend pretty big and could be a real threat next season if they back Klopp.
Of course we have more important things to clear up today and that's the VNA Fantasy Football league! I'd like to think I'm the equivalent of Harry Kane taking a 2 goal lead going into the final game with a 16 point lead over Gert, but as demonstrated by his incredible 203 - this warrants an old school Final Score Vidiprinter style spelling out to confirm it's not a mistake - two-hundred and three points last week, I'm not counting anything just yet! 203 points! Absolutely stunning stuff! When you have even a double game week, to get into triple digits is good, but he in effect had two single game weeks both hitting over a ton
I've managed to keep my nose in front with some nervy single game week players doing the business for me. It's going to be a very exciting finish for both of us with a top 10k finish and if things go well, we could both sneak into the top 5k!
Right, I think that's enough for now lol. Enjoy the goal-fest that the final day of the season usually brings!
I agree it's always a shame when another season comes to an end and especially as things seem to fly by faster each year. The appointment of Mourinho at Man United, the arrival of Guardiola at noisy neighbours City, the double managerial sacking at Swansea, Gabriel Jesus and his quick rise to stardom, the downfall of Arsene Wenger and Italian Conte celebrating his 4th successive league title. So much has happened, too much actually. Let's try looking back anyway.
1) Chelsea
The announcement prior to the Euros of Antonio Conte signing a 3-year contract at Stamford Bridge was applauded by many, including myself. A slow start to the season with heavy defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal made Conte decide to change formation from 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-2-1 and that move proved to be the turnaround for Chelsea. Countless consecutive clean sheets and a masterclass of attractive counter-attacking football meant Conte's men skyrocketed to the top of the table and were favorites for the title even before the turn of the year. The tandem Costa/Hazard worked perfectly with the former still linked with a move to China, while the Belgian's performances have put him back on Real's radar. A deserved trophy for Chelsea in the end and I feel this success story won't end anytime soon as Conte looks to strengthen his squad to cope with the inevitable fixture congestion due to participation in Europe's elite competition. The celebratory drinks are on John Terry....
2) Tottenham Hotspur
Very few mutations in the summer meant Tottenham were able to continue right where they had left off in 2015/2016, namely playing the kind of extraordinary football Holland became famous for in the mid 1970's. Fluent attacks, multiple goalscorers, creativity, power, pace and defensive solidity. We've mentioned every single Spurs player throughout the season as they all have had their fair share of involvement. The sensational Walker and Rose bombing forward in the early stages of this campaign, while back-up wing-backs Trippier and Davies have done the same thing last few months. Eriksen and Alli belong amongst the top midfielders in the world and Harry Kane's shot on target stats are reaching Aguero-esque levels. The English international has hit 20+ goals for a third year with an insane number of four PL hattricks and all of that at the young age of 23. Tottenham finished the season in style with two truly monstrous away results and we can only hope the Lilywhites will be able to create the same magic at Wembley.
3) Manchester City
The most wanted manager in football flew into the Etihad Stadium having collected silverware in every season. City met the sky high expectations as they led the pack by fine margins after the first ten gameweeks. However, the fact they constantly conceded unnecessary goals, with John Stones in particular not looking too sharp, saw City drop points in the subsequent months. The slump was perhaps best illustrated by the fact Aguero missed 7 matches through suspension. Guardiola has always been speaking highly of Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Jesus and he has turned out to be a player who can make a difference, either up front or from a wing position. City's at times somewhat rollercoaster-ish season consisted of highs and lows with the controversial Claudio Bravo under scrutiny more often than not. Although he ended up with no prize, Pep will hope to build on this nice third finish and thus CL qualification.
4) Liverpool
Gegenpressing. It consists of trying to force the opposition into making defensive mistakes by pressing high on the pitch with the whole team. The trio of Mane, Firmino and Coutinho seemed unstoppable for months as Reds fans started dreaming of the first title since decades. Things changed with an injury to Coutinho in December, Sadio Mane's departure to the AFCON tournament, an out-of-form Firmino and long-term injuries to Lallana and Henderson. Liverpool's results were so horrendously awful in January that critics started to talk about possibly sacking Klopp. Sublime against top sides, uninspired when travelling to the likes of Burnley, Hull and Sunderland. A lack of squad depth needs to be addressed in the summer with Virgil Van Dijk a target in defence where also a new left-back is needed. The future looks bright, but the battle to win the Premier League won't get any easier next year.
5) Arsenal
The consistently inconsistent Gunners blew everyone away with a spectacular opening game against Liverpool, despite their main stars still recovering from a busy summer. Koscielny and Ozil had been playing at the Euros, whilst Sanchez never seems to have a summer off. Arsenal are characterized as a side always playing attractive football, but never actually competing for the title. #WengerOut has been trending on numerous occasions. Planes have been spotted in the air during matches urging Wenger to leave. Their season seemed all but over after the Palace defeat which prompted the French manager to switch to three at the back and thereby changing formation for the first time since 1998. Slowly but steadily some confidence came back to the fore, although it was too little too late as Arsenal fail to reach the so much needed Champions League millions. A FA Cup Final is still to come, but what does the future of Wenger, Ozil and Sanchez behold?
6) Manchester United
Jose Mourinho; lively and upbeat in August, angry and grumpy in May. The most arrogant manager in football signed Pogba for a world-record fee, Wayne Rooney remained captain, Mkhitaryan was never allowed to really flourish in an attacking role and we've seen more youngsters make their United debut than under the stewardship of Van Gaal. An underwhelming season on the pitch, but also the club which generates the most revenue according to the annual Deloitte Money League. Man United games hurt on the eye and the excessive amount of draws kept them in sixth the vast majority of this campaign. Zlatan's superb displays are the only true highlights and you have to wonder what's next. More big money moves perhaps involving Antoine Griezmann as well as Monaco's Mbappé, although it remains to be seen if United will ever really become an attacking force like in the Ferguson era with Mourinho's mind always set on keeping other teams out rather than giving it a go yourself. To round off with something embarrassing; United have scored less goals than... Bournemouth.
7) Everton
The Toffees hit the ground running with new manager Koeman at the helm and I'd say finishing seventh is an excellent result overall, although they've had their ups and downs. From getting hammered 5-0 by Chelsea to destroying Man City 4-0 at Goodison. For large parts of the season they had a lot of possession, but were simply a bit too reliant on Lukaku. Recruitment is going to be massively important now as a replacement needs to be brought in for the Belgian striker and attacking midfielders are also welcome. Barkley, Mirallas, Valencia, Kone, all of whom are not good enough if Everton genuinely want to compete with the big teams. A right-back could be on the cards too with Coleman suffering a double leg break during the last round of international fixtures. Could Koeman go shopping in the Eredivisie again?
8) Southampton
Saints manager Claude Puel has received a lot of stick for their quite often dull displays. No goal in the last five at St Mary's, fans booing players off the pitch and rotation all around. Watching Southampton games works better than counting sheep, but isn't 8th place as high as realistically possible? Redmond lacks an end product, Jay Rodriguez is more injured than fit, Gabbiadini has never scored much in Italy, Boufal likes dribbling and Austin was out for five months. The rumours about Redmond, Long and Bertrand falling out with Puel doesn't bode well for the Frenchman, though I think he will still be in charge over the summer.
9) Bournemouth
Eddie Howe deserves plaudits for being one of the best managers in the league IMO. It's always a pleasure to see them attack and create chances which Josh King has been converting like crazy in recent months. They may have a hard time keeping the opposition out, but you can't expect too much from a club with such limited resources and facilities. Stand out results are most definitely the 6-1 demolition of Hull and a glorious 4-3 against Liverpool, courtesy of a late Nathan Ake header. Those were the days! Howe's positive attitude towards how the game should be played speaks in favour of his chances of maybe managing a top team in the future. Until that moment arrives, his work ethics, passion and professionalism will almost guarantee Bournemouth a spot in the top flight.
10) West Brom
Tony Pulis' set-piece specialists have been on the beach ever since reaching the 40-point mark and their position on the table is truly remarkable. Attending a West Brom game must be like watching paint dry and the opposition always find them frustrating to play against. It's worth mentioning Darren Fletcher started every league game, whilst good old McAuley has come out as WBA's second-highest goalscorer, haha. Striker Rondon hit a cracking hattrick against Swansea before a barren streak forced Pulis to drop the Venezuelan to the bench. Robson-Kanu ain't exactly a worthy PL forward, though. Matt Phillips, however, has impressed a lot and it's unfortunate that he's been injured for a while now. Pulis wants new players and we'll see if Chinese owner Lai is cooperative.
A rocky start at the London Stadium followed by uncertainty surrounding Slaven Bilic meant West Ham were under pressure for most part of the season. Goals shared by Lanzini, Antonio and Ayew saw them crawl out of the danger zone and clinging on to 11th place.
Former champions Leicester looked like the Titanic as they dropped all the way down into the bottom three under Ranieri until he was given the boot. Their remarkable rise since even led to the CL quarter-finals and more Vardy parties!
Stoke had to do without the long-term injured Butland, though Grant has been an outstanding deputy. It's in attack where they've had problems with Peter Crouch needed to score goals. Arnautovic has been wishy-washy, Shaqiri only creates a few touches of magic per season and Berahino hasn't been in form for god knows how long.
Crystal Palace have been on quite a rollercoaster ride with Pardew getting sacked right before Christmas as Palace at the time were more leaky than me while watching a Vicky Vette video. Allardyce turned it around like he has done his entire career and the signings of Milivojevic and Sakho have been key to more defensive security.
Speaking of managers getting fired, Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins got rid of both Guidolin and Bradley before Paul Clement was given the job. Fernando Llorente turned out to be an excellent striker for the Swans and was found on the end of crosses, crosses and more crosses, lol. Fifteen goals for the Basque!
Burnley finish 16th mainly thanks to their tremendous results at Turf Moor. Having struggled away from home, Dyche's dudes have had a great season back in the Premier League. Gray, Barnes and Vokes took turns to shine in attack, while Tom Heaton has been immensely important between the posts.
Another season and another manager for Watford; that is how the Pozzo family run the club. A big problem was that Mazzarri doesn't speak the language and then it's tough getting your message across and tactics right. The Hornets turned off after reaching 40 points and it is just enough for suvival.
Remember when Hull City had Phelan in charge and not even 11 fit players? The opening game when they defeated the champions had all of us in shock, only for it to be short term as Phelan couldn't get his team on the right track. Fired after 2017 had just started, Hull turned to maestro Marco Silva, who restored faith in a possibly good end to the season, only to capitulate in gameweek 36 when they lost a crucial game. My guess is we will see Silva at the highest level next year.
Woeful Middlesbrough have scored a goal in only 18 of 38 games and that says it all. Karanka went, Agnew came, nothing changed.
Sunderland had been flirting with relegation for years and they finally went down. The appointment of Moyes was the first sign of bad things to come with Defoe not getting on the scoresheet anymore a second indication that the Black Cats had run out of their nine lives. The players in that squad are terrible and Moyes is to blame as none of his signings were good enough.
Fantasy Premier League
1) Drew - "No Dramas" - 2357 points
2) Gert-Jan - "Dutch Warriors" - 2329 points
3) Ramilles - "Ramilles XI" - 1867 points
4) Rokkerr - "Roks Rockers" - 1815 points
5) Paul - "Kickers" - 1449 points
6) Handcock - "Brooklyn City FC" - 1387 points
Important dates:
5/24: Europa League Final
5/27: FA Cup Final
6/3: Champions League Final
6/17 - 7/2: Confederations Cup
1) Chelsea
The announcement prior to the Euros of Antonio Conte signing a 3-year contract at Stamford Bridge was applauded by many, including myself. A slow start to the season with heavy defeats against Liverpool and Arsenal made Conte decide to change formation from 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-2-1 and that move proved to be the turnaround for Chelsea. Countless consecutive clean sheets and a masterclass of attractive counter-attacking football meant Conte's men skyrocketed to the top of the table and were favorites for the title even before the turn of the year. The tandem Costa/Hazard worked perfectly with the former still linked with a move to China, while the Belgian's performances have put him back on Real's radar. A deserved trophy for Chelsea in the end and I feel this success story won't end anytime soon as Conte looks to strengthen his squad to cope with the inevitable fixture congestion due to participation in Europe's elite competition. The celebratory drinks are on John Terry....
2) Tottenham Hotspur
Very few mutations in the summer meant Tottenham were able to continue right where they had left off in 2015/2016, namely playing the kind of extraordinary football Holland became famous for in the mid 1970's. Fluent attacks, multiple goalscorers, creativity, power, pace and defensive solidity. We've mentioned every single Spurs player throughout the season as they all have had their fair share of involvement. The sensational Walker and Rose bombing forward in the early stages of this campaign, while back-up wing-backs Trippier and Davies have done the same thing last few months. Eriksen and Alli belong amongst the top midfielders in the world and Harry Kane's shot on target stats are reaching Aguero-esque levels. The English international has hit 20+ goals for a third year with an insane number of four PL hattricks and all of that at the young age of 23. Tottenham finished the season in style with two truly monstrous away results and we can only hope the Lilywhites will be able to create the same magic at Wembley.
3) Manchester City
The most wanted manager in football flew into the Etihad Stadium having collected silverware in every season. City met the sky high expectations as they led the pack by fine margins after the first ten gameweeks. However, the fact they constantly conceded unnecessary goals, with John Stones in particular not looking too sharp, saw City drop points in the subsequent months. The slump was perhaps best illustrated by the fact Aguero missed 7 matches through suspension. Guardiola has always been speaking highly of Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Jesus and he has turned out to be a player who can make a difference, either up front or from a wing position. City's at times somewhat rollercoaster-ish season consisted of highs and lows with the controversial Claudio Bravo under scrutiny more often than not. Although he ended up with no prize, Pep will hope to build on this nice third finish and thus CL qualification.
4) Liverpool
Gegenpressing. It consists of trying to force the opposition into making defensive mistakes by pressing high on the pitch with the whole team. The trio of Mane, Firmino and Coutinho seemed unstoppable for months as Reds fans started dreaming of the first title since decades. Things changed with an injury to Coutinho in December, Sadio Mane's departure to the AFCON tournament, an out-of-form Firmino and long-term injuries to Lallana and Henderson. Liverpool's results were so horrendously awful in January that critics started to talk about possibly sacking Klopp. Sublime against top sides, uninspired when travelling to the likes of Burnley, Hull and Sunderland. A lack of squad depth needs to be addressed in the summer with Virgil Van Dijk a target in defence where also a new left-back is needed. The future looks bright, but the battle to win the Premier League won't get any easier next year.
5) Arsenal
The consistently inconsistent Gunners blew everyone away with a spectacular opening game against Liverpool, despite their main stars still recovering from a busy summer. Koscielny and Ozil had been playing at the Euros, whilst Sanchez never seems to have a summer off. Arsenal are characterized as a side always playing attractive football, but never actually competing for the title. #WengerOut has been trending on numerous occasions. Planes have been spotted in the air during matches urging Wenger to leave. Their season seemed all but over after the Palace defeat which prompted the French manager to switch to three at the back and thereby changing formation for the first time since 1998. Slowly but steadily some confidence came back to the fore, although it was too little too late as Arsenal fail to reach the so much needed Champions League millions. A FA Cup Final is still to come, but what does the future of Wenger, Ozil and Sanchez behold?
6) Manchester United
Jose Mourinho; lively and upbeat in August, angry and grumpy in May. The most arrogant manager in football signed Pogba for a world-record fee, Wayne Rooney remained captain, Mkhitaryan was never allowed to really flourish in an attacking role and we've seen more youngsters make their United debut than under the stewardship of Van Gaal. An underwhelming season on the pitch, but also the club which generates the most revenue according to the annual Deloitte Money League. Man United games hurt on the eye and the excessive amount of draws kept them in sixth the vast majority of this campaign. Zlatan's superb displays are the only true highlights and you have to wonder what's next. More big money moves perhaps involving Antoine Griezmann as well as Monaco's Mbappé, although it remains to be seen if United will ever really become an attacking force like in the Ferguson era with Mourinho's mind always set on keeping other teams out rather than giving it a go yourself. To round off with something embarrassing; United have scored less goals than... Bournemouth.
7) Everton
The Toffees hit the ground running with new manager Koeman at the helm and I'd say finishing seventh is an excellent result overall, although they've had their ups and downs. From getting hammered 5-0 by Chelsea to destroying Man City 4-0 at Goodison. For large parts of the season they had a lot of possession, but were simply a bit too reliant on Lukaku. Recruitment is going to be massively important now as a replacement needs to be brought in for the Belgian striker and attacking midfielders are also welcome. Barkley, Mirallas, Valencia, Kone, all of whom are not good enough if Everton genuinely want to compete with the big teams. A right-back could be on the cards too with Coleman suffering a double leg break during the last round of international fixtures. Could Koeman go shopping in the Eredivisie again?
8) Southampton
Saints manager Claude Puel has received a lot of stick for their quite often dull displays. No goal in the last five at St Mary's, fans booing players off the pitch and rotation all around. Watching Southampton games works better than counting sheep, but isn't 8th place as high as realistically possible? Redmond lacks an end product, Jay Rodriguez is more injured than fit, Gabbiadini has never scored much in Italy, Boufal likes dribbling and Austin was out for five months. The rumours about Redmond, Long and Bertrand falling out with Puel doesn't bode well for the Frenchman, though I think he will still be in charge over the summer.
9) Bournemouth
Eddie Howe deserves plaudits for being one of the best managers in the league IMO. It's always a pleasure to see them attack and create chances which Josh King has been converting like crazy in recent months. They may have a hard time keeping the opposition out, but you can't expect too much from a club with such limited resources and facilities. Stand out results are most definitely the 6-1 demolition of Hull and a glorious 4-3 against Liverpool, courtesy of a late Nathan Ake header. Those were the days! Howe's positive attitude towards how the game should be played speaks in favour of his chances of maybe managing a top team in the future. Until that moment arrives, his work ethics, passion and professionalism will almost guarantee Bournemouth a spot in the top flight.
10) West Brom
Tony Pulis' set-piece specialists have been on the beach ever since reaching the 40-point mark and their position on the table is truly remarkable. Attending a West Brom game must be like watching paint dry and the opposition always find them frustrating to play against. It's worth mentioning Darren Fletcher started every league game, whilst good old McAuley has come out as WBA's second-highest goalscorer, haha. Striker Rondon hit a cracking hattrick against Swansea before a barren streak forced Pulis to drop the Venezuelan to the bench. Robson-Kanu ain't exactly a worthy PL forward, though. Matt Phillips, however, has impressed a lot and it's unfortunate that he's been injured for a while now. Pulis wants new players and we'll see if Chinese owner Lai is cooperative.
A rocky start at the London Stadium followed by uncertainty surrounding Slaven Bilic meant West Ham were under pressure for most part of the season. Goals shared by Lanzini, Antonio and Ayew saw them crawl out of the danger zone and clinging on to 11th place.
Former champions Leicester looked like the Titanic as they dropped all the way down into the bottom three under Ranieri until he was given the boot. Their remarkable rise since even led to the CL quarter-finals and more Vardy parties!
Stoke had to do without the long-term injured Butland, though Grant has been an outstanding deputy. It's in attack where they've had problems with Peter Crouch needed to score goals. Arnautovic has been wishy-washy, Shaqiri only creates a few touches of magic per season and Berahino hasn't been in form for god knows how long.
Crystal Palace have been on quite a rollercoaster ride with Pardew getting sacked right before Christmas as Palace at the time were more leaky than me while watching a Vicky Vette video. Allardyce turned it around like he has done his entire career and the signings of Milivojevic and Sakho have been key to more defensive security.
Speaking of managers getting fired, Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins got rid of both Guidolin and Bradley before Paul Clement was given the job. Fernando Llorente turned out to be an excellent striker for the Swans and was found on the end of crosses, crosses and more crosses, lol. Fifteen goals for the Basque!
Burnley finish 16th mainly thanks to their tremendous results at Turf Moor. Having struggled away from home, Dyche's dudes have had a great season back in the Premier League. Gray, Barnes and Vokes took turns to shine in attack, while Tom Heaton has been immensely important between the posts.
Another season and another manager for Watford; that is how the Pozzo family run the club. A big problem was that Mazzarri doesn't speak the language and then it's tough getting your message across and tactics right. The Hornets turned off after reaching 40 points and it is just enough for suvival.
Remember when Hull City had Phelan in charge and not even 11 fit players? The opening game when they defeated the champions had all of us in shock, only for it to be short term as Phelan couldn't get his team on the right track. Fired after 2017 had just started, Hull turned to maestro Marco Silva, who restored faith in a possibly good end to the season, only to capitulate in gameweek 36 when they lost a crucial game. My guess is we will see Silva at the highest level next year.
Woeful Middlesbrough have scored a goal in only 18 of 38 games and that says it all. Karanka went, Agnew came, nothing changed.
Sunderland had been flirting with relegation for years and they finally went down. The appointment of Moyes was the first sign of bad things to come with Defoe not getting on the scoresheet anymore a second indication that the Black Cats had run out of their nine lives. The players in that squad are terrible and Moyes is to blame as none of his signings were good enough.
Fantasy Premier League
1) Drew - "No Dramas" - 2357 points
2) Gert-Jan - "Dutch Warriors" - 2329 points
3) Ramilles - "Ramilles XI" - 1867 points
4) Rokkerr - "Roks Rockers" - 1815 points
5) Paul - "Kickers" - 1449 points
6) Handcock - "Brooklyn City FC" - 1387 points
Important dates:
5/24: Europa League Final
5/27: FA Cup Final
6/3: Champions League Final
6/17 - 7/2: Confederations Cup
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
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PeterL22
- Lt. Colonel
- Posts: 2975
- Joined: December 5th, 2016, 3:53 pm
- Location: Southampton . Blighty
Ok chaps here is another take on Premier League - a slightly disillusioned Saints fan who is glad it is all over (on the field) for another year.
Again working down the final places.
! Chelski - deserved title because of consistent play and results. Not always the best to watch but when Hazard and Costa (what an ars*h*l*) got it going they were unstoppable. Terry is going and really should have left last year - he may do a job for someone like Bournemouth but is well past his silly date. Conte will stay but the Inter rumours may actually be more than just rumours - I do expect Champions League to keep him at the Bridge.
2. Tottenham - On occasions really good and Kane is best striker in PL (Golden Boot, and how many would he have got if not injured). One of most entertaining teams and Pottchetino is good manager. Ali great talent but nasty sod - just as willing to kick opponents as ball. Eeriness and Son vastly under-rated for their contributions. Next season will struggle due to Wembley hoax.
3. Man City - Poor season and underachieved. Manager isn't as great as everyone though - if he can't win something with Man City squad, he can't be that good. De Bruyne class act and best player. Company and Sterling (he'll miss most of next season with new diving rules) vastly over-rated. Watch out for them next year.
4. Liverpool - really inconsistent and rubbish without Coutinho, Mane or Lalana (that last bit hurts as he is really hated on South Coast). Need to get a defence as back for as awful.Teams have got them sussed and let them have possession - as per Saints 4 games against them (Liverpool didn't score once). Shopping spree in summer for defenders and they might be in with a shout next season.
5. Arsenal - Often really attractive to watch but lack cutting edge. Very much depends on Ozil & Sanchez staying and Arsene going. He is a great manager and has made the club what it is but so many people there (and not just fans) want him out, his position is untenable.
6. Man Utd - one of the worst teams to watch in top 10. Totally disjointed and no plans when buying players - if they are big news and high price Man Utd will buy them. Biggest waste of money ever in PL - Pogba! Best signing last year Mikhytaryan (and he struggled to get into the team). Rooney awful now - should go this summer - probably League 1 is right level. Will win Europa League but be embarrassed in Champions League next season.
7. Everton - probably glass ceiling for them. Great manager with strong tactical awareness. Will need transfer budget they claim to have to stay up there. Lukaku great player 50% of time. Starting house youngsters who aren't quite as good as they think they are. Need a goalkeeper!
8 Saints - where do I start? Next few weeks will not only show what Saints' Board expect from club for next season, but also what they see the club as full stop. If they want to push higher (and no reason why not) - Puel out, keep current squad and add to it. In all honesty Puel has to go - even more unpopular here than Wegner at Arsenal. Two chants predominated yesterday against Stoke - "We couldn't score in a brothel" and "He's going home. he's going home .Claude Puel's going home!" I suspect that some players will leave - money on Bertrand and Rodriguez, possibly Cedric. Few modest signings in and Claude will probably leave - we should go for Silva.
Can't predict next season til summer transfer roundabout and manager sorted.
9.Bournemouth - great season for them. Overachieved, and I must admit I expected them to struggle more in second season in PL. Good fluid football but need to shore up defence. Howe great future prospect for "big" club or England manager. I would take him at Saints now. Need centre back(s) for next year
10. West Brom - glad I'm not a Baggies supporter. Often difficult to beat and safe well before most. Little ambition other than staying in PL. Pulls reflects this. Same again next year.
11. West Ham - truely awful team (well not sure team is correct - more like collection of individuals). Payed was handled well by club but didn't help their cause. Terrible stadium to watch football at and doesn't help the team. Will struggle again next season.
12. Leicester - saddest story of PL this season. Vardy and his friends getting rid of Ranieri who had got them to the title last season. Vardy also one of dirtiest players in PL - ask Virgil Van Dyke! Finished about right for them this season - what do you expect with a pair on centre backs from the 70s? I expect Mahrez and Schmicel to leave this summer. Missed Kante so much this season it hurt them badly!
13. Stoke - Well organised and good manager. They got one of the bargains when they got Joe allen for midfield. Still struggling to start to play football and not just circle the wagons. Mid table fair enough and same next season.
14. Palace - real underachievers. Big Sam has done it again (although it wasn't always sure he would). Going forward Zaha & Townsend are as dangerous as ANY team in PL. Porous defence on occasions and let heads go down in lots of games. Higher up next season.
15. Swansea - now I'm biased against the Jacks, but they just about deserved to stay up (with a bit of luck in some games). They missed Ashley Williams who is not the most cultured defender, but held their team together like glue. Sigurdsson outstanding in a poor team - he probably kept them up - wait for other clubs to try to get him in close season. Next year will struggle again.
16. Burnley - best English manager in PL and great team spirit and so glad they stayed up. Only real mistake was getting Joey Barton! Tough to beat at Turf Moor but will need more points away next season.Interested to see what business they do in Summer - but looking forward to trip up there next year!
17.Watford - another side who finished where they deserved. Big, physical and often dirty (most fouls in PL this season). Vey limited style of play - bully opposition and rely on big guys up front. Wonder who new manager will be - might make difference between staying up or going down. Awful ground and away section (only Palace worse for away section in PL)
18. Hull - relegated on merit, but I really wish they had survived. Odds stacked against them (started season with squad of 13 senior players), but great manger (almost rescued them), great fans and lovely place to go to visit (even though Saints lost). Fans deserve a better season but owners crap.
19. Middlesborough - Thought they might have made it as initially they seemed tough to beat. But can't score goals and crumbled. No highlights for their fans really (and I'm sorry but I can't see any of three relegated sides getting back in first season).
20. Sunderland - It had to happen eventually! Without Defoe they would have been even worse - he did amazingly well in a team that was so poor. Will struggle in Championship too.
I know its a biased view on PL, but if you have to make journeys of several hundred miles to see your team lose, and they can't score at home, and the referees are so poor in PL (and give all the decisions to Man Utd) you get a bit twisted.
However, NO other League in the world is as exciting and interesting as PL. I'll be back for more next season.
Again working down the final places.
! Chelski - deserved title because of consistent play and results. Not always the best to watch but when Hazard and Costa (what an ars*h*l*) got it going they were unstoppable. Terry is going and really should have left last year - he may do a job for someone like Bournemouth but is well past his silly date. Conte will stay but the Inter rumours may actually be more than just rumours - I do expect Champions League to keep him at the Bridge.
2. Tottenham - On occasions really good and Kane is best striker in PL (Golden Boot, and how many would he have got if not injured). One of most entertaining teams and Pottchetino is good manager. Ali great talent but nasty sod - just as willing to kick opponents as ball. Eeriness and Son vastly under-rated for their contributions. Next season will struggle due to Wembley hoax.
3. Man City - Poor season and underachieved. Manager isn't as great as everyone though - if he can't win something with Man City squad, he can't be that good. De Bruyne class act and best player. Company and Sterling (he'll miss most of next season with new diving rules) vastly over-rated. Watch out for them next year.
4. Liverpool - really inconsistent and rubbish without Coutinho, Mane or Lalana (that last bit hurts as he is really hated on South Coast). Need to get a defence as back for as awful.Teams have got them sussed and let them have possession - as per Saints 4 games against them (Liverpool didn't score once). Shopping spree in summer for defenders and they might be in with a shout next season.
5. Arsenal - Often really attractive to watch but lack cutting edge. Very much depends on Ozil & Sanchez staying and Arsene going. He is a great manager and has made the club what it is but so many people there (and not just fans) want him out, his position is untenable.
6. Man Utd - one of the worst teams to watch in top 10. Totally disjointed and no plans when buying players - if they are big news and high price Man Utd will buy them. Biggest waste of money ever in PL - Pogba! Best signing last year Mikhytaryan (and he struggled to get into the team). Rooney awful now - should go this summer - probably League 1 is right level. Will win Europa League but be embarrassed in Champions League next season.
7. Everton - probably glass ceiling for them. Great manager with strong tactical awareness. Will need transfer budget they claim to have to stay up there. Lukaku great player 50% of time. Starting house youngsters who aren't quite as good as they think they are. Need a goalkeeper!
8 Saints - where do I start? Next few weeks will not only show what Saints' Board expect from club for next season, but also what they see the club as full stop. If they want to push higher (and no reason why not) - Puel out, keep current squad and add to it. In all honesty Puel has to go - even more unpopular here than Wegner at Arsenal. Two chants predominated yesterday against Stoke - "We couldn't score in a brothel" and "He's going home. he's going home .Claude Puel's going home!" I suspect that some players will leave - money on Bertrand and Rodriguez, possibly Cedric. Few modest signings in and Claude will probably leave - we should go for Silva.
Can't predict next season til summer transfer roundabout and manager sorted.
9.Bournemouth - great season for them. Overachieved, and I must admit I expected them to struggle more in second season in PL. Good fluid football but need to shore up defence. Howe great future prospect for "big" club or England manager. I would take him at Saints now. Need centre back(s) for next year
10. West Brom - glad I'm not a Baggies supporter. Often difficult to beat and safe well before most. Little ambition other than staying in PL. Pulls reflects this. Same again next year.
11. West Ham - truely awful team (well not sure team is correct - more like collection of individuals). Payed was handled well by club but didn't help their cause. Terrible stadium to watch football at and doesn't help the team. Will struggle again next season.
12. Leicester - saddest story of PL this season. Vardy and his friends getting rid of Ranieri who had got them to the title last season. Vardy also one of dirtiest players in PL - ask Virgil Van Dyke! Finished about right for them this season - what do you expect with a pair on centre backs from the 70s? I expect Mahrez and Schmicel to leave this summer. Missed Kante so much this season it hurt them badly!
13. Stoke - Well organised and good manager. They got one of the bargains when they got Joe allen for midfield. Still struggling to start to play football and not just circle the wagons. Mid table fair enough and same next season.
14. Palace - real underachievers. Big Sam has done it again (although it wasn't always sure he would). Going forward Zaha & Townsend are as dangerous as ANY team in PL. Porous defence on occasions and let heads go down in lots of games. Higher up next season.
15. Swansea - now I'm biased against the Jacks, but they just about deserved to stay up (with a bit of luck in some games). They missed Ashley Williams who is not the most cultured defender, but held their team together like glue. Sigurdsson outstanding in a poor team - he probably kept them up - wait for other clubs to try to get him in close season. Next year will struggle again.
16. Burnley - best English manager in PL and great team spirit and so glad they stayed up. Only real mistake was getting Joey Barton! Tough to beat at Turf Moor but will need more points away next season.Interested to see what business they do in Summer - but looking forward to trip up there next year!
17.Watford - another side who finished where they deserved. Big, physical and often dirty (most fouls in PL this season). Vey limited style of play - bully opposition and rely on big guys up front. Wonder who new manager will be - might make difference between staying up or going down. Awful ground and away section (only Palace worse for away section in PL)
18. Hull - relegated on merit, but I really wish they had survived. Odds stacked against them (started season with squad of 13 senior players), but great manger (almost rescued them), great fans and lovely place to go to visit (even though Saints lost). Fans deserve a better season but owners crap.
19. Middlesborough - Thought they might have made it as initially they seemed tough to beat. But can't score goals and crumbled. No highlights for their fans really (and I'm sorry but I can't see any of three relegated sides getting back in first season).
20. Sunderland - It had to happen eventually! Without Defoe they would have been even worse - he did amazingly well in a team that was so poor. Will struggle in Championship too.
I know its a biased view on PL, but if you have to make journeys of several hundred miles to see your team lose, and they can't score at home, and the referees are so poor in PL (and give all the decisions to Man Utd) you get a bit twisted.
However, NO other League in the world is as exciting and interesting as PL. I'll be back for more next season.
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
-
rokkerr
- Army Chief of Staff "Number One"
- Posts: 12992
- Joined: March 11th, 2006, 8:45 am
- Location: London, Los Angeles and now Tampa!
- Contact:
All I can say is I am glad to see Gert and theBoy back in amazing form.... not just with the amazing writing BUT with the amazing last weekend to the VNA Fantasy League. Drew pulled out the biggest point total I can recall to hold off Gert for the title....
Drew send me over an address where I can send the trophy...
Couple additions to your summaries...
Bayern wins the German league
Real Madrid wins the Spanish league...
Any predictions on the Europa League and FA Cup and Champions League winners?
Drew send me over an address where I can send the trophy...
Couple additions to your summaries...
Bayern wins the German league
Real Madrid wins the Spanish league...
Any predictions on the Europa League and FA Cup and Champions League winners?
wearing my cockring 24 hours a day
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PeterL22
- Lt. Colonel
- Posts: 2975
- Joined: December 5th, 2016, 3:53 pm
- Location: Southampton . Blighty
Class will always tell rokker.rokkerr wrote:All I can say is I am glad to see Gert and theBoy back in amazing form.... not just with the amazing writing BUT with the amazing last weekend to the VNA Fantasy League. Drew pulled out the biggest point total I can recall to hold off Gert for the title....
Drew send me over an address where I can send the trophy...
Couple additions to your summaries...
Bayern wins the German league
Real Madrid wins the Spanish league...
Any predictions on the Europa League and FA Cup and Champions League winners?
But Drew I'm after you next season!
PS - Congrats!!!!
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
-
TheBoy
- Sergeant First Class
- Posts: 645
- Joined: November 23rd, 2010, 10:42 am
- Location: Derbyshire, England
Excellent summations on the Premier League teams. I'm not sure there's much more I can add! One thing that does come to mind for next season though is that two of the top 4 teams this year have done so without playing in Europe. For Liverpool especially to have just scraped their way in, it will be interesting how Klopp manages his squad next season with the added games. And for Chelsea, without wanting to sound bitter, they have emulated Leicester of last season in being exceedingly fortunate to have played the entire season without picking up any significant injuries. When I look back and think of the one time they did have an injury to a key player - Alonso in the game versus Tottenham - it caused them all kinds of problems.
I'm absolutely certain that if Chelsea had lost Costa, Hazard or Luiz for even half the length of time we went without Kane, Dembelle or Rose at various points in the season, they would not have won the title.
Still, it's going to be fascinating to see how teams strengthen over the summer with already a huge assortment of star names being heavily linked. Antoine Griezmann yesterday looks to have made it pretty clear he's joining Man United with his '60% chance comment'. I'd normally say a lot would depend on United's participation in the Champions League, but as we saw with Pogba last summer, if they offer enough money elite competition doesn't particularly matter to club or player.
What do you reckon Ajax's chances are Gert? I know they have an incredibly young team and United will go in as overwhelming favourites. But as we've seen in the league this year, United are more than beatable especially if you can attack them and keep on top of their counter attacks. I'd like to think that this isn't a foregone conclusion and will be at least a competitive game.
I have to say I'm stunned at holding on to the VNA Fantasy Football league title! Gert was relentless in chasing me down and pretty much any other year he would have blown me away. I think the key moment to my season was the very early captain pick of Lukaku in around game week 4 when he hit a hat trick. Very few had picked Lukaku at that point and it gave me a big boost early on. I still can't get over Gert's 203 point haul in the penultimate week though... that was majestic!
It was very fitting that we both finished inside the top 6k players in the world with Gert 5,932nd and myself 2,965th. Gert also finished 24th overall in the Netherlands league, which again is a brilliant achievement.
I look forward to trying to fend you off next season Peter haha! I'll be sure to add in the league details as soon as they restart next season. Did you take part this season Peter and if so where did you finish?
Oh wow, there really is a trophy! I thought you were joking Rokkerr... awesome!! I'll send you a PM with my address shortly :)
I'm absolutely certain that if Chelsea had lost Costa, Hazard or Luiz for even half the length of time we went without Kane, Dembelle or Rose at various points in the season, they would not have won the title.
Still, it's going to be fascinating to see how teams strengthen over the summer with already a huge assortment of star names being heavily linked. Antoine Griezmann yesterday looks to have made it pretty clear he's joining Man United with his '60% chance comment'. I'd normally say a lot would depend on United's participation in the Champions League, but as we saw with Pogba last summer, if they offer enough money elite competition doesn't particularly matter to club or player.
What do you reckon Ajax's chances are Gert? I know they have an incredibly young team and United will go in as overwhelming favourites. But as we've seen in the league this year, United are more than beatable especially if you can attack them and keep on top of their counter attacks. I'd like to think that this isn't a foregone conclusion and will be at least a competitive game.
I have to say I'm stunned at holding on to the VNA Fantasy Football league title! Gert was relentless in chasing me down and pretty much any other year he would have blown me away. I think the key moment to my season was the very early captain pick of Lukaku in around game week 4 when he hit a hat trick. Very few had picked Lukaku at that point and it gave me a big boost early on. I still can't get over Gert's 203 point haul in the penultimate week though... that was majestic!
It was very fitting that we both finished inside the top 6k players in the world with Gert 5,932nd and myself 2,965th. Gert also finished 24th overall in the Netherlands league, which again is a brilliant achievement.
I look forward to trying to fend you off next season Peter haha! I'll be sure to add in the league details as soon as they restart next season. Did you take part this season Peter and if so where did you finish?
Oh wow, there really is a trophy! I thought you were joking Rokkerr... awesome!! I'll send you a PM with my address shortly :)
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PeterL22
- Lt. Colonel
- Posts: 2975
- Joined: December 5th, 2016, 3:53 pm
- Location: Southampton . Blighty
Agree rokker - only guess is ill health. Hope to God its not because Saints are after him. Him or Moyes would be worse than Puel, and that's saying something!
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
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TheBoy
- Sergeant First Class
- Posts: 645
- Joined: November 23rd, 2010, 10:42 am
- Location: Derbyshire, England
I seem to remember a few years ago (maybe even 5 or 6) that Sam took part in an experiment with a heart rate monitor during a live game and the results suggested that it his blood pressure was nearly off the scale. There was also some suggestions that maybe he'd been told certain players might be sold such as Zaha which I guess could have simply pissed him off. Of the two scenarios, hopefully it's the latter.
It's looking like Nigel Pearson is in the middle of a tug of war between the two North East clubs looking for a manager with Middlesbrough and Sunderland both interested in hiring him. You'd have to think he would make decent sense for either club in their situations.
We're on course for a few managerial replacements I would think. Marco Silva will surely have plenty of offers to leave Hull whilst Puel looks like a dead man walking at Southampton. Leicester meanwhile appear to be taking the sensible option of sticking with Craig Shakespeare. I say sensible because my hunch is that he's the one behind the scenes who caused the rift between Ranieri and the players. And if that's true, then it would be a disaster for them to hire anyone outside of the loop as it would surely cause an almost instantaneous rift.
It's looking like Nigel Pearson is in the middle of a tug of war between the two North East clubs looking for a manager with Middlesbrough and Sunderland both interested in hiring him. You'd have to think he would make decent sense for either club in their situations.
We're on course for a few managerial replacements I would think. Marco Silva will surely have plenty of offers to leave Hull whilst Puel looks like a dead man walking at Southampton. Leicester meanwhile appear to be taking the sensible option of sticking with Craig Shakespeare. I say sensible because my hunch is that he's the one behind the scenes who caused the rift between Ranieri and the players. And if that's true, then it would be a disaster for them to hire anyone outside of the loop as it would surely cause an almost instantaneous rift.
Holland has been going crazy for days with the first European final for Ajax since 1996 set to kick off later tonight. I actually think we have a shot at beating Man United, although I fully understand how unrealistic that may sound. The Mancunians have ten times the budget of Ajax and their players as well as manager have much more experience. Mourinho has won 11 of his 13 finals as a manager and we know they have to win to get into the Champions League. Don't count the Dutch out, though, Ajax have impressed in recent months with some excellent football and netting four against Schalke and five against Lyon.
The main three attacking players to look out for are Kasper Dollberg, Davy Klaassen and Hakim Ziyech. Our wingers Bertrand Traore (on loan from Chelsea) and Amin Youness look dangerous but often make the wrong decisions; kind of like Sterling, lol. Furthermore, Davinson Sanchez is a typical South-American defender with the physical prowess to play in the Premier League, while former Barcelona academy product Andre Onana was named first-choice keeper in the summer ahead of then on-loan Tim Krul. The full-backs get booked a lot and our 30-year old defensive midfielder Lasse Schone is usually being subbed around the hour mark to make way for the much younger and better Donny van de Beek.
I hope we can play on the front foot and put pressure on their centre-backs, but I expect Mourinho to set up defensively, ofcourse, and nick one or two on the counter-attack. We've conceded quite a few number of goals in Europe as the Amsterdam side play high and with lots of space for opposition players with pace to run in behind. That is exactly why I fear the likes of Rashford and Martial. It is a historical day no matter what happens. Ajax in a European final, who would have thought that could ever happen again?!
Btw, the overall winner in Fantasy Premier League, Ben Crabtree, got interviewed by the BBC: http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40019691
The main three attacking players to look out for are Kasper Dollberg, Davy Klaassen and Hakim Ziyech. Our wingers Bertrand Traore (on loan from Chelsea) and Amin Youness look dangerous but often make the wrong decisions; kind of like Sterling, lol. Furthermore, Davinson Sanchez is a typical South-American defender with the physical prowess to play in the Premier League, while former Barcelona academy product Andre Onana was named first-choice keeper in the summer ahead of then on-loan Tim Krul. The full-backs get booked a lot and our 30-year old defensive midfielder Lasse Schone is usually being subbed around the hour mark to make way for the much younger and better Donny van de Beek.
I hope we can play on the front foot and put pressure on their centre-backs, but I expect Mourinho to set up defensively, ofcourse, and nick one or two on the counter-attack. We've conceded quite a few number of goals in Europe as the Amsterdam side play high and with lots of space for opposition players with pace to run in behind. That is exactly why I fear the likes of Rashford and Martial. It is a historical day no matter what happens. Ajax in a European final, who would have thought that could ever happen again?!
Btw, the overall winner in Fantasy Premier League, Ben Crabtree, got interviewed by the BBC: http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40019691
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
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PeterL22
- Lt. Colonel
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- Joined: December 5th, 2016, 3:53 pm
- Location: Southampton . Blighty
Very sorry that Ajax didn't do it Gert-Jan - it was a long call for them really. Man Utd have put all their efforts in last month to win Europa League to get into Champions league next season - they never bothered here a couple of weeks ago.
Drew - agree with lots you say about managers - we all have our fingers cross about Claude going! See Gary Monk has left Leeds - another possible upgrade for Claude (in local paper poll 68% wanted him out), but sadly Silva looks like he is going to Portugal. Palace may struggle to get a decent manager as they have funny squad with poor in the way of defenders - Sakho is awful! Glad Chris Coleman has said he doesn't want to go there - Wales needs him.
Haha would do well at Spurs but I can really see him as bench player brought on in last 20 mins to chase games. Son, Eriksen, Ali et al will all take up forward places - and of course Mr Kane is first on team sheet!
Drew - agree with lots you say about managers - we all have our fingers cross about Claude going! See Gary Monk has left Leeds - another possible upgrade for Claude (in local paper poll 68% wanted him out), but sadly Silva looks like he is going to Portugal. Palace may struggle to get a decent manager as they have funny squad with poor in the way of defenders - Sakho is awful! Glad Chris Coleman has said he doesn't want to go there - Wales needs him.
Haha would do well at Spurs but I can really see him as bench player brought on in last 20 mins to chase games. Son, Eriksen, Ali et al will all take up forward places - and of course Mr Kane is first on team sheet!
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
I thought it was a poor final to be honest with a typical Man United performance. Ajax registered 3 times more passes and we had way more possession yet Mourinho's defensive set-up worked perfectly. United playing long balls to Fellaini, who was probably their key player all night, and nullifying the creative players of the opposition. Both Davy Klaassen and Hakim Ziyech were guarded by Herrera and Pogba, leaving striker Kasper Dolberg invisible the entire 60 minutes he was on the pitch.
United scored two scrappy goals, the first was a deflected shot after a throw-in and the second came from a corner. Ajax just couldn't create anything and we lacked the necessary width as Traore and Younes constantly cut inside rather than trying to go past the full-back and put in crosses like wingers are supposed to be doing. Anyway, Mourinho has won 3 (!) prizes in his first season in charge at Old Trafford, namely the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League. The three fingers raised by Mourinho and his players during the celebrations was a clear dig at critics to illustrate how it's all about winning silverware and that nothing else matters. I don't like the kick and rush football, but props to Jose for pulling it off.
As for the upcoming FA Cup final, I can't see Arsenal beating Chelsea. The Gunners have serious problems at the back with Koscielny suspended, Gabriel injured, Mustafi battling to overcome illness, the inexperienced Rob Holding, Gibbs' thigh problem and Mertesacker hasn't started a game all season. The Blues should be able to score a few goals against them. More interesting will be what happens after that match regarding Wenger's future.
Big transfer news today as Man City announce the signing of Monaco's Bernardo Silva for £43m. The Portuguese has been instrumental to the French champions' fluid and creative football and he's a great player. It was only yesterday, however, that City released a keeper (Caballero) and two defenders (Sagna and Clichy), so it makes total sense to buy another attacking midfielder, lol. Former City player Pablo Zabaleta joins West Ham on a free transfer to replace Arbeloa and compete with Sam Byram for a right-back berth.
United scored two scrappy goals, the first was a deflected shot after a throw-in and the second came from a corner. Ajax just couldn't create anything and we lacked the necessary width as Traore and Younes constantly cut inside rather than trying to go past the full-back and put in crosses like wingers are supposed to be doing. Anyway, Mourinho has won 3 (!) prizes in his first season in charge at Old Trafford, namely the Community Shield, League Cup and Europa League. The three fingers raised by Mourinho and his players during the celebrations was a clear dig at critics to illustrate how it's all about winning silverware and that nothing else matters. I don't like the kick and rush football, but props to Jose for pulling it off.
As for the upcoming FA Cup final, I can't see Arsenal beating Chelsea. The Gunners have serious problems at the back with Koscielny suspended, Gabriel injured, Mustafi battling to overcome illness, the inexperienced Rob Holding, Gibbs' thigh problem and Mertesacker hasn't started a game all season. The Blues should be able to score a few goals against them. More interesting will be what happens after that match regarding Wenger's future.
Big transfer news today as Man City announce the signing of Monaco's Bernardo Silva for £43m. The Portuguese has been instrumental to the French champions' fluid and creative football and he's a great player. It was only yesterday, however, that City released a keeper (Caballero) and two defenders (Sagna and Clichy), so it makes total sense to buy another attacking midfielder, lol. Former City player Pablo Zabaleta joins West Ham on a free transfer to replace Arbeloa and compete with Sam Byram for a right-back berth.
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PeterL22
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But Gert-Jan - Zableta is way past his best, and they are going to rebuild their defence too. Not sure Silva is worth 43mill - they have the talent that is De Bruyne (easily their best player this season). But the merry-go-round is only just starting this summer.
Regarding Man Utd - its the way Jose plays - don't lose and something will happen - its been successful in the past! They were a really poor side to watch last season - even with all their expensive signings. I hope rumour about Gareth Bale going there is false - it would ruin him!
Regarding Man Utd - its the way Jose plays - don't lose and something will happen - its been successful in the past! They were a really poor side to watch last season - even with all their expensive signings. I hope rumour about Gareth Bale going there is false - it would ruin him!
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
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PeterL22
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Glad Arsenal won yesterday - they deserved it. What price Arsene staying another season?
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
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rokkerr
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I have a sneaky feeling he is off to Barcelona...PeterL22 wrote:Glad Arsenal won yesterday - they deserved it. What price Arsene staying another season?
wearing my cockring 24 hours a day
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PeterL22
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To be honest, it does seem time for him to move on - he has done all he can there and they need some new impetus. Also agree rokker Barca is the sort of club he would go to - but where's the challenge in managing Barca?
The one I'm watching is Tuchel at Dortmund - his contract is up for renewal - now he's a great manager and would be great acquisition for any club. Dortmund play great football - just can't defend!
The one I'm watching is Tuchel at Dortmund - his contract is up for renewal - now he's a great manager and would be great acquisition for any club. Dortmund play great football - just can't defend!
Here was certainly a sin worth sinning and I applied myself with characteristic vigour to its practice
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
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