Premier League 2015/16 Stuff it in here.

[Fox92]

Kane breaking his nose. Meh. He'll still score for fun.

[sylofox]

spurs' record after europa league thursdays over the past few years is pretty poor. in the past two and a half years, games you'd have them down as bankers that they have messed up on sundays post europa league are;

 

newc (h) 2-1 loss

newc (h) 2-1 loss

stoke (h) 2-1 loss

liverpool (h) 3-0 loss

west brom (h) 1-0 loss

west ham (h) 2-2 draw

swansea (a) 2-2 draw

palace (h) 1-0 loss

west ham (h) 3-0 loss

newc (h) 1-0 loss

liverpool (h) 5-0 loss

norwich (a) 1-0 loss

 

 

all since the start of the 13/14 season. the longer they stay in that competition the better for everyone else.

I bet Newcastle wish they could play them every week.

[lgfualol]

Spurs have lost a game 5 nil this season? Wow

[Staffs Fox]

No that 5-0 loss was a few seasons ago when Liverpool still had Suarez,

 

I seem to remember him scoring a few

[Dan LCFC]

spurs' record after europa league thursdays over the past few years is pretty poor. in the past two and a half years, games you'd have them down as bankers that they have messed up on sundays post europa league are;

 

newc (h) 2-1 loss

newc (h) 2-1 loss

stoke (h) 2-1 loss

liverpool (h) 3-0 loss

west brom (h) 1-0 loss

west ham (h) 2-2 draw

swansea (a) 2-2 draw

palace (h) 1-0 loss

west ham (h) 3-0 loss

newc (h) 1-0 loss

liverpool (h) 5-0 loss

norwich (a) 1-0 loss

 

 

all since the start of the 13/14 season. the longer they stay in that competition the better for everyone else. 

 

Is that excluding wins or have they actually not won a single one? That's a staggeringly bad record.

[ScouseFox]

nah they've won some as well i just couldn't be arsed typing out all their results. i was just responding to whoever it was who said "spurs play swansea so i can't see them dropping points", cos who'd have thought they'd drop points in any of those games but they do, regularly, post-europa league. 

[Kitchandro]

Starting to get really fed up with these fans, players and managers putting so much emphasis on how many games they play.

The last couple of weeks people have been talking about it non-stop.

 

You've got Cottee complaining English teams are crap in Europe because they don't have a winter break.

 

People saying we're not in any cups so we've got more chance of winning the title.

 

This morning I caught a report on SSN saying Lamela thinks the FA CUp loss to Palace will help Tottenham win the title.

 

And then Pellegrini today with this:
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35656578

 

What started out as a minor and laughed-at excuse is now becoming a seriously discussed major reason for failure. It's ludicrous.

 

It's now actually seen as acceptable to throw FA Cup matches if you consider it possible to win another competition.
 

[thursday_next]

Starting to get really fed up with these fans, players and managers putting so much emphasis on how many games they play.

The last couple of weeks people have been talking about it non-stop.

 

You've got Cottee complaining English teams are crap in Europe because they don't have a winter break.

 

People saying we're not in any cups so we've got more chance of winning the title.

 

This morning I caught a report on SSN saying Lamela thinks the FA CUp loss to Palace will help Tottenham win the title.

 

And then Pellegrini today with this:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35656578

 

What started out as a minor and laughed-at excuse is now becoming a seriously discussed major reason for failure. It's ludicrous.

 

It's now actually seen as acceptable to throw FA Cup matches if you consider it possible to win another competition.

 

 

 

I'm starting to think that we have to win the league by more than six points otherwise the excuses will start to come. They'll still come, but we can just laugh at them. I wouldn't like to think that we're going to be portrayed as a one-season wonder who won the title by default because Arsenal, Tottenham and Man City are still involved in Cup competitions. Let's put some space between us and them. We're good in the spring. It could be the same outcome as our Championship winning season. 

 

Wouldn't that just be marvellous!

 

COYB!!!

[Corky]

There is no point moaning about the matches you have to play, you know how many you've got should you progress in all competitions. It's not like they throw in four extra matches as punishment.

[DJ Barry Hammond]

Starting to get really fed up with these fans, players and managers putting so much emphasis on how many games they play.

The last couple of weeks people have been talking about it non-stop.

 

You've got Cottee complaining English teams are crap in Europe because they don't have a winter break.

 

People saying we're not in any cups so we've got more chance of winning the title.

 

This morning I caught a report on SSN saying Lamela thinks the FA CUp loss to Palace will help Tottenham win the title.

 

And then Pellegrini today with this:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35656578

 

What started out as a minor and laughed-at excuse is now becoming a seriously discussed major reason for failure. It's ludicrous.

 

It's now actually seen as acceptable to throw FA Cup matches if you consider it possible to win another competition.

It feels like it's become a self fulfilling prophecy, in that because managers have pressed this point so much, that gets into the players heads and becomes true. Could it actually be more than a mental thing than a physical thing?

For example the United team that did the treble that season was largely based on a fixed 11 with changes around the edges... And the same could be said of the Liverpool side that was dominate in Europe only a few years back.

[ealingfox]

Somebody also pointed out before the Arsenal game on Tuesday that Barca have been playing every midweek and weekend since October. Not once do you hear them complaining about it.

Their domestic cup is also 2-legged in every round, can you imagine the reaction if that was suggested for the FA Cup?

[jammie82uk]

Interesting topic here

Revealed: The referees your Premier League club should love and loathe

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/revealed-referees-your-premier-league-club-should-love-and-loathe#:wJOQPcJCE_2XqA

Leicester

Hero: Anthony Taylor (10 games, +0.887)

The Foxes haven’t lost any of their last 10 league matches with Taylor on the whistle, a sequence stretching all the way back to a 4-1 win over Watford in August 2007. His part in easing Leicester out of this season’s FA Cup against Tottenham might yet prove to be his most helpful contribution.

Villain: Craig Pawson (8 games, -0.893)

The King Power Stadium was rocking when Pawson was given the responsibility of maintaining order for their promotion party in April 2014. Contrary to the script, though, he failed to intervene as Brighton gatecrashed with a 4-1 win. The Foxes are now winless in seven under the Yorkshireman.

[UPinCarolina]

I'm starting to think that we have to win the league by more than six points otherwise the excuses will start to come. They'll still come, but we can just laugh at them. I wouldn't like to think that we're going to be portrayed as a one-season wonder who won the title by default because Arsenal, Tottenham and Man City are still involved in Cup competitions. Let's put some space between us and them. We're good in the spring. It could be the same outcome as our Championship winning season. 

 

Wouldn't that just be marvellous!

 

COYB!!!

If we win the league there will be excuses aplenty no matter how it happens.

We can be certain that some advanced statistical genius will point out how our success defies statistical probability and that we are an outlier who won the title on dumb luck and bollocks football.

[Dan LCFC]

The way people go on about the schedule anyone would think we had a harder one than they have in Spain. Check out Barcelona's January. We're forever making excuses in this country to cover up the fact we just aren't very good.

[Webbo]

The way people go on about the schedule anyone would think we had a harder one than they have in Spain. Check out Barcelona's January. We're forever making excuses in this country to cover up the fact we just aren't very good.

Tbf there are 3 or 4 teams in Spain that can give Barcelona a game. They can win half their matches in second gear.

[ealingfox]

We're forever making excuses in this country to cover up the fact we just aren't very good.

Tbf there are 3 or 4 teams in Spain that can give Barcelona a game. They can win half their matches in second gear.

lol

Case closed.

[ScouseFox]

it's a rubbish excuse but webbo's kinda right. for example that front three of barca's or ronaldo at real, they're not putting shifts in at home to almeria or getafe. they play walking football for 85 minutes and just have a good time. they've not tracking back, covering massive distances or getting thrown around by west brom. i imagine it probably is a good deal easier to play two games in a week in barcelona against las palmas and real betis than it is to play two games in england vs west brom and us. 

 

like i said it's a rubbish excuse, and "harder games" aren't exactly the only difference between teams like barcelona and arsenal, there's other ones like barcelona being really good and arsenal being pretty rubbish, but i'd say it was a factor. 

[weller54]

Spuds are going through in the mickey mouse Europa league... That's good...

Keep those Thursday fixtures coming!!

[Foxxed]

****'s sake, United. I want them to win this so they're on a high when they play Arsenal. Good to see Spurs should be clocking up some more matches, however.

[ealingfox]

it's a rubbish excuse but webbo's kinda right. for example that front three of barca's or ronaldo at real, they're not putting shifts in at home to almeria or getafe. they play walking football for 85 minutes and just have a good time. they've not tracking back, covering massive distances or getting thrown around by west brom. i imagine it probably is a good deal easier to play two games in a week in barcelona against las palmas and real betis than it is to play two games in england vs west brom and us.

like i said it's a rubbish excuse, and "harder games" aren't exactly the only difference between teams like barcelona and arsenal, there's other ones like barcelona being really good and arsenal being pretty rubbish, but i'd say it was a factor.

You clearly didn't watch Barcelona's game against Las Palmas at the weekend then. They scraped it 2-1, the 2nd was offside, LP missed a ton of chances and had Barca on the ropes for a lot of the second half.

[ScouseFox]

You clearly didn't watch Barcelona's game against Las Palmas at the weekend then. They scraped it 2-1, the 2nd was offside, LP missed a ton of chances and had Barca on the ropes for a lot of the second half.

 

i watched about 70 minutes of it. messi, suarez and neymar still spent most the game walking round waiting for the ball on the attack. and even so, i'd put every house i'd ever own on games like that being the exception not the rule. they don't need to try as hard in the league so they don't get "as tired". it's a crap excuse like i said but you can see why people try and use it, cos it's true. 

[ThaiFox]

****'s sake, United. I want them to win this so they're on a high when they play Arsenal. Good to see Spurs should be clocking up some more matches, however.

1-1 now.......but don't think Man U will get anything from Arse'nal.........just hope they keep Arse'nals goal difference down!

[Matt]

****'s sake, United. I want them to win this so they're on a high when they play Arsenal. Good to see Spurs should be clocking up some more matches, however.

 

Not too bothered about what happens with United tonight, but Martial injured in the warm up worries me, they literally have no first choice/experienced strikers now ahead of Sunday.

 

Hopefully it was just a twinge in the warm up so they havn't risked him but he'll be ok for Sunday.

[ThaiFox]

Mata's been watching too much of Mahrez taking penalties!

[ealingfox]

i watched about 70 minutes of it. messi, suarez and neymar still spent most the game walking round waiting for the ball on the attack. and even so, i'd put every house i'd ever own on games like that being the exception not the rule. they don't need to try as hard in the league so they don't get "as tired". it's a crap excuse like i said but you can see why people try and use it, cos it's true.

Not every team defends as we do, generally a teams striker does walk around waiting for an attack while his team defends. Yeah of course barca are usually more comfortable against the muck of the league but this PL season is also an exception rather than rule. Many games have been pretty comfortable for Chelsea, City etc over the last 5 seasons.

If the relevant statistics demonstrated what youre saying id accept it fully but I just don't think the difference in reality is as stark as people make out.