Premier League Thread 2018/19 stuff it in here.

[WigstonWanderer]

4 hours ago, whetstonefox said:

Spurs first PL team not to sign a single player (including on loan) since transfer window began in 2003. Nearest before that was when Leeds only got Jody Morris on loan in 2003. 

But did they lose any?

[Guest Col city fan]

Spurs haven’t lost anybody I don’t think?

Edited 10 August 2018 by Col city fan

[Nick]

29 minutes ago, Col city fan said:

Spurs haven’t lost anybody I don’t think?

 

Talk of Danny Rose on loan to PSG and Toby A didn’t end up with a move did he?

[DJ Barry Hammond]

 

Thought this was an interesting insight to what was happening around the Maguire transfer;

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/aug/09/manchester-united-veto-jose-mourinho-wishlist-cash-fears

 

key extract

 

Manchester United veto José Mourinho’s transfer wishlist

 

To Mourinho’s intense irritation, United’s conclusion was that in most cases he had targeted defenders who were no better than those they already had and who, in today’s inflated market, could conceivably have cost upwards of £70m without vastly improving the team.

 

Mourinho’s enthusiasm for Harry Maguire was not shared by the Old Trafford decision-makers and when the club approached Leicester they were put off by the kind of fee that would have been necessary to sign the England international in the wake of Virgil van Dijk’s £75m transfer from Southampton to Liverpool last season.

 

The interest in Maguire was abandoned and, for all the speculation linking Toby Alderweireld with Old Trafford, the truth is there has been only one conversation between Woodward and the Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, throughout the summer. That was Levy calling Woodward to ask about two of United’s players, one being Anthony Martial. Woodward wants to keep Martial and that, again, is a serious issue between club and manager.

Edited 10 August 2018 by DJ Barry Hammond

[holyfox]

16 hours ago, Stadt said:

They're probably struggling to balance the book but I suppose TV money + Europa League money + Lukakau and Stones fees

I guess you’re right, but they also have a massive squad of high profile players who won’t enjoy sitting on the bench. I’m hoping they have a rough start and get discord in the camp 

[foxes_rule1978]

24 minutes ago, DJ Barry Hammond said:

 

Thought this was an interesting insight to what was happening around the Maguire transfer;

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/aug/09/manchester-united-veto-jose-mourinho-wishlist-cash-fears

 

key extract

 

Manchester United veto José Mourinho’s transfer wishlist

 

To Mourinho’s intense irritation, United’s conclusion was that in most cases he had targeted defenders who were no better than those they already had and who, in today’s inflated market, could conceivably have cost upwards of £70m without vastly improving the team.

 

Mourinho’s enthusiasm for Harry Maguire was not shared by the Old Trafford decision-makers and when the club approached Leicester they were put off by the kind of fee that would have been necessary to sign the England international in the wake of Virgil van Dijk’s £75m transfer from Southampton to Liverpool last season.

 

The interest in Maguire was abandoned and, for all the speculation linking Toby Alderweireld with Old Trafford, the truth is there has been only one conversation between Woodward and the Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, throughout the summer. That was Levy calling Woodward to ask about two of United’s players, one being Anthony Martial. Woodward wants to keep Martial and that, again, is a serious issue between club and manager.

 

So Man U aren’t willing to spend on defenders 

[Tielemans63]

I really think Mourinho will leave Old Trafford by Christmas and I reckon Pochettino will go to Man Utd.

Edited 10 August 2018 by Paddy.

[Koke]

12 hours ago, Paddy. said:

Paul Merson's transfer grades:

 

http://www.skysports.com/share/11467136

 

Tell me this guy isn't fulfilling some sort of quota. He is a proper spesh.

 

It's either 'I like their business' or 'I don't know much about their signings' - how does the man get work?

 

I don't think he's gor a clue whats going on at Leicester City under Puel. 

 

It's the pace on the break with "Leicester, they are not going to dominate football matches - they won the league with 30-odd per cent of play."

 

We are not going to dominate football matches? The 15/16 style is pretty much gone.  We doninsted plenty of games last season. It was Merson himself who said the 0-0 away to Chelsea was one of the best away performances produced at Stamford Bridge because we doninsted them until the sending off.

Edited 10 August 2018 by Koke

[jammie82uk]

Its all brexit’s fault why spurs didn’t sign anyone 

 

Pochettino has labelled the club "brave"

 

"Building a stadium that is nearly £1bn. That is true, don't believe in £400m, that is the truth. Then with Brexit it's worse because the cost is 30 per cent more. That is a drama, I feel sorry for the English people.

[Tielemans63]

1 minute ago, Koke said:

 

I don't think he's for s clue whats going on at Leicester City ubser Puel. 

 

It's the pace on the break with Leicester, they are not going to dominate football matches - they won the league with 30-odd per cent of play.

 

We are not going to dominate footvall matches? The 15/16 style is pretty much gone.  We doninsted plenty of games last season. It was Merson himself who said the 0-0 away to Chelsea was one of the best away performances produced at Stamford Bridge because we doninsted them until the sending off.

I find it amazing mate. I read the entire thing and there are so many inaccuracies and incorrect assumptions. The Amorabat thing that Strider spotted is just one example. His opinions all seem to be 12 months out of date which smacks of laziness. How can you watch football every week for a living, get very well paid for it and yet somehow know so little about football?

 

I genuinely think that most of us on here know more about premier league teams and players than he does. I want to hear from experts who'll discuss the game and make you think. The whole Paul Merson being thick/ not being able to pronounce foreign players' names stopped being funny years ago....if it ever was. 

[Koke]

Im convinced Merson is filling out some sort of a quota.

[lildave3]

25 minutes ago, foxes_rule1978 said:

So Man U aren’t willing to spend on defenders 

They've spent over £30 million on a new centre back the last two summers. I can see why the board would be annoyed. 

[Tielemans63]

14 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

Its all brexit’s fault why spurs didn’t sign anyone 

 

Pochettino has labelled the club "brave"

 

"Building a stadium that is nearly £1bn. That is true, don't believe in £400m, that is the truth. Then with Brexit it's worse because the cost is 30 per cent more. That is a drama, I feel sorry for the English people.

I think "negligent" is the word he's looking for if Spurs are somehow spending £1bn on a new stadium.

[Foxxed]

3 minutes ago, lildave3 said:

They've spent over £30 million on a new centre back the last two summers. I can see why the board would be annoyed. 

God it must annoy Mourinho. He can't get the defenders he wants. We have the one he wants the most, we refuse to sell him even for silly money and buy three more regardless. I can almost feel the piercing migraine entering Mourinho's skull.

[les-tah]

every year and every transfer window any team is lucky if just 1 of their signings turn out real quality (including us) so i really dont get the wank fest for fulham and there 10+ signings.

Edited 10 August 2018 by les-tah

[Goober]

6 minutes ago, les-tah said:

every year and every transfer window any team is lucky if just 1 of their signings turn out real quality (including us) so i really dont get the wank fest for fulham and there 10+ signings.

 

Showed more ambition in their first year back than Ashley has at Newcastle in his entire reign there tbh. Fair play to them for splashing the cash and having a real go at it.

[mancunianfox]

11 minutes ago, les-tah said:

every year and every transfer window any team is lucky if just 1 of their signings turn out real quality (including us) so i really dont get the wank fest for fulham and there 10+ signings.

 

I don't think signing that many players is a good thing personally but using this logic you could argue that the more players you buy the more chance you have of getting a few good ones. You're totally bang on though, it's rare that a club has a window where more than one signing is really good.

[norwichfox]

I can't say that I share Merson's enthusiasm for Evans, I just don't feel that he's going to produce the effort required...I sincerely hope I'm wrong, I was once but it's so long ago I really can't recall when..

[Carl the Llama]

Are Man Utd really making the argument that they didn't make any major signings because the market's over-inflated?  The same Manchester Utd who have been responsible for 3 of the 8 times the British transfer record's been smashed since the turn of the century?  The same Man Utd who paid £90m for Paul Pogba, £60m for Di Maria and  £75m for Lukaku?  They're worried about the market not representing value for money? 

[The Doctor]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/aug/10/david-squires-on-emo-jose-mourinhos-premier-league-2018-19-preview?CMP=twt_gu

 

Not sure what's funniest - Emo Mourinho as a whole, Sean Dyche, Huddersfield's T2 mascot or Harry Maguire as a slab of rock drifting through space.

[Guest MattP]

10 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/aug/10/david-squires-on-emo-jose-mourinhos-premier-league-2018-19-preview?CMP=twt_gu

 

Not sure what's funniest - Emo Mourinho as a whole, Sean Dyche, Huddersfield's T2 mascot or Harry Maguire as a slab of rock drifting through space.

It's a retirement community

 

That's the best joke I've heard for ages, Warnock does look like Livia Soprano

[Xen]

15 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/aug/10/david-squires-on-emo-jose-mourinhos-premier-league-2018-19-preview?CMP=twt_gu

 

Not sure what's funniest - Emo Mourinho as a whole, Sean Dyche, Huddersfield's T2 mascot or Harry Maguire as a slab of rock drifting through space.

Dyche

 

Squires is a genius with these strips. Seems to hit the nail on the head every time.

[evil jack]

33 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2018/aug/10/david-squires-on-emo-jose-mourinhos-premier-league-2018-19-preview?CMP=twt_gu

 

Not sure what's funniest - Emo Mourinho as a whole, Sean Dyche, Huddersfield's T2 mascot or Harry Maguire as a slab of rock drifting through space.

Absolutely superb! Ed Woodward holding the tea and biscuits - "Get Out"

[StriderHiryu]

1 hour ago, les-tah said:

every year and every transfer window any team is lucky if just 1 of their signings turn out real quality (including us) so i really dont get the wank fest for fulham and there 10+ signings.

 

Yeah it just the ‘shiny new toy’ factor of signing new players. The only time I can really think of signing a ton of new players having a huge effect was Chelsea when Abramovich came in and even then they had the nucleus of a top 5 team. If you’re making that many signings then how does the rest of the team feel and where is the team cohesion? It’s going to take time to get all those players familiar with the club, the country, the style of play and each other. Wolves, Fulham, Everton and West Ham (and maybe even Arsenal) could all be in this bucket though it’s likely at least one of those teams does well. 

 

It will make interesting comparison to us. Our advantage could and should be that we have the same solid spine of Kasper / Maguire / Ndidi / Vardy and supplemented that with hopefully astute signings. So we already have a way of playing and team relationships and it should be an evolution not a revolution. 

 

I hope our approach works not just as a Leicester fan but because it’s not good to see teams buy success. If that’s the only way to do it then it’s depressing! Every team has to sign but it should be a mixture of academy players and marquee signings and not “let’s buy a brand new team” like Fulham and West Ham. 

[Stadt]

11 minutes ago, Gerbold said:

Just an aside. John 'Motty' Motson retired from the Beeb but has joined talkSPORT.

He was being interviewed about his new job - at the end of which he was asked who would do well and who would do poorly in this coming season. Leaving aside his comments about the top of the table he then opined, out of all the contenders for relegation he could have mentioned, that Leicester might be for the drop - due to Mahrez leaving.

He should be obliged to eat that f**king sheepskin he sports if, which is highly likely, his prediction proves wrong.

I much preferred the commentating and analysis of his former contemporary, Barry Davies to him. Davies was intelligent and perceptive - his awareness of football never lacked depth. Unlike 'Motty'.

 

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