Premier League 2021/22 Thread

[Ric Flair]

Smith's done well at Brentford and Villa to a degree, but I think the longer he is managing in the PL, the more he'll been shown to be mediocre. Pardewesque.

[Fox92]

13 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

Smith's done well at Brentford and Villa to a degree, but I think the longer he is managing in the PL, the more he'll been shown to be mediocre. Pardewesque.

Yeah, for me, I never thought he was the man to push Villa on but he did well getting them back up. He wasn't there a full season, but got them promoted, then lost a lot of that squad.

[Strokes]

32 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Yeah, for me, I never thought he was the man to push Villa on but he did well getting them back up. He wasn't there a full season, but got them promoted, then lost a lot of that squad.

Grealish was such a big player to replace, like when Mahrez left us. Only we still had the threat of Vardy and subsequently Maddison.

I don’t think Villa pose enough of a threat now, a player that worries teams. So they need good tactics and team ethic. It will be interesting to see if Gerrard can get them ticking or not because it’s a decent squad on paper.

[filbertway]

6 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Sorry 5 - Mendy and Lookman too

I was okay with Wilf, Amartey and Nacho going but its gonna take me some time to come to terms with Mendy being unavailable after his efforts this season 

[jammie82uk]

43 minutes ago, Strokes said:

Grealish was such a big player to replace, like when Mahrez left us. Only we still had the threat of Vardy and subsequently Maddison.

I don’t think Villa pose enough of a threat now, a player that worries teams. So they need good tactics and team ethic. It will be interesting to see if Gerrard can get them ticking or not because it’s a decent squad on paper.

Not only did they lose Grealish but they lost Ross Barkley too 

[Ric Flair]

1 hour ago, filbertway said:

I was okay with Wilf, Amartey and Nacho going but its gonna take me some time to come to terms with Mendy being unavailable after his efforts this season 

Haha but for the whole of Jan you haven't got to confirm your PL squad so he'd get games with all those missing. 

[Lambert09]

1 hour ago, Strokes said:

Grealish was such a big player to replace, like when Mahrez left us. Only we still had the threat of Vardy and subsequently Maddison.

I don’t think Villa pose enough of a threat now, a player that worries teams. So they need good tactics and team ethic. It will be interesting to see if Gerrard can get them ticking or not because it’s a decent squad on paper.

Ings, Watkins and Bailey are all very decent. Traore seemed to do well last season as well. I’m sure they will do pretty well 

[SAFC1]

3 hours ago, Tuna said:

 

Excellent? I wouldn’t go that far. Average. 

[Bert]

His flaws are being shown now he didn’t have Grealish to bail him out. They’ve obviously hired him with a view to getting them back up next year and using this season as a bit of a free hit and to get everything in place. 

[Arriba Los Zorros]

45 minutes ago, Bert said:

His flaws are being shown now he didn’t have Grealish to bail him out. They’ve obviously hired him with a view to getting them back up next year and using this season as a bit of a free hit and to get everything in place. 

Don't really understand this logic though since Farke has taken them up twice now... Why is Smith more likely to do it? No, I think they knew Farke couldn't play the pragmatic style they need and think Smith is a better bet to keep them up, also doesn't play a totally different style like big fat Sam or Pulis that wouldn't suit their players.

[davieG]

I nearly put this in the joke thread

 

https://www.givemesport.com/1785249-newcastle-transfer-news-495m-star-would-be-an-absolutely-tremendous-signing

 

Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans would be an excellent addition to Newcastle United's squad, according to Newcastle World journalist Liam Kennedy.

Following the long-awaited takeover on Tyneside last month, Tielemans was named as a player that is greatly admired by the club's new owners, who want to bring in players of the calibre of the Belgian international.

 

What is Tielemans' contract situation at Leicester?
Having initially joined Leicester on a loan deal from Monaco in January 2019, Tielemans signed for the Foxes permanently six months later. 

He has not signed an extension since, though, and his deal is set to expire in June 2023.

With a little over 18 months left on his contract, the door has been left ajar for potential suitors to make their move in the near future, and Newcastle appear to be one club who would like to try to sign the 24-year-old.

 

Would Tielemans be interested in joining Newcastle?
Right now, moving to Newcastle does not seem that appealing.

The North-East club are currently stuck inside the relegation zone without a win in their opening 11 league games. Their sole aim this season must be to simply finish above the bottom three.

However, things could be very different next summer. If Newcastle do stay up, they can then splash the cash to build a squad that is capable of climbing the league at a rapid pace.

At Leicester, the club seem to have plateaued this term as they are languishing in mid-table, and they may well have peaked in their last two seasons when they finished inside the top five twice and won the FA Cup.

At the end of the campaign, Tielemans may feel that he has achieved everything he can at Leicester, and could want to try something else.

Becoming one of the key players at Newcastle at the start of an exciting project could interest him, meaning that it is not beyond the realms of possibility that he is at St James' Park this time next year. 

[Finnegan]

0 chance of that to be honest. Don't think he's massively money focused, seems like a guy with a lot of ambition but also a lot of integrity. 

 

If he's not going to extend here (and I doubt he will unless we insert a release clause) then he'll be off to a club that will consistently challenge for trophies right now, not "maybe" in ten years time. 

 

Personally hope he leaves the Prem, can't stand to see him playing for one of the big boys here, but he probably will. 

[BenTheFox]

1 minute ago, Finnegan said:

0 chance of that to be honest. Don't think he's massively money focused, seems like a guy with a lot of ambition but also a lot of integrity. 

 

If he's not going to extend here (and I doubt he will unless we insert a release clause) then he'll be off to a club that will consistently challenge for trophies right now, not "maybe" in ten years time. 

 

Personally hope he leaves the Prem, can't stand to see him playing for one of the big boys here, but he probably will. 

I've heard (could be nonsense) that Bayern are interested. I would definitely rather that happen than see him playing for someone else over here.  

[Pliskin]

Newcastle won’t be able to attract anyone but mercenaries and big time Charlie’s. 
 

They will end up overpaying for average players or washed up has beens they certainly won’t be signing player like Haarland like they seem to think they are haha……

[Finnegan]

4 minutes ago, BenTheFox said:

I've heard (could be nonsense) that Bayern are interested. I would definitely rather that happen than see him playing for someone else over here.  

 

I mean, he was linked with Bayern before he even came here. It's definitely possible they've tracked him for a while but it's equally possible it's just a lazy rumour. I mean there's a finite number of clubs he's likely to move to - it's Real, Juve, Bayern or the "big four" in England. 

 

So the rumours basically write themselves. 

[filbertway]

12 hours ago, Arriba Los Zorros said:

Don't really understand this logic though since Farke has taken them up twice now... Why is Smith more likely to do it? No, I think they knew Farke couldn't play the pragmatic style they need and think Smith is a better bet to keep them up, also doesn't play a totally different style like big fat Sam or Pulis that wouldn't suit their players.

You clearly haven't seen much of Norwich! The bloke played the most horrifically negative football I've seen at this level.

[FoxyLeon]

24 minutes ago, filbertway said:

You clearly haven't seen much of Norwich! The bloke played the most horrifically negative football I've seen at this level.

 

That's not true, is it?

 

They tried to stick to their principles in his first PL season, which they won plaudits for, but were also soundly relegated.

This time, he's tried to adapt more, and find a balance, which has been just as unsuccessful.

 

They're hardly less negative that us this season.

[gerrytaggart]

If you haven't got players of a good enough standard there really isnt much a manager can do.

[filbertway]

1 hour ago, FoxyLeon said:

That's not true, is it?

 

They tried to stick to their principles in his first PL season, which they won plaudits for, but were also soundly relegated.

This time, he's tried to adapt more, and find a balance, which has been just as unsuccessful.

 

They're hardly less negative that us this season.

Yeah people say this, but it wasn't really the case at all after the first quarter of the season.

 

I remember they were at home against a relegation rival in a must win game and Farke played a 4 5 1 with Pukki extremely isolated, I think their first shot on target came in the 75th minute

 

Norwich being entertaining/attacking/not defensive is an absolute myth.

[FoyleFox]

11 minutes ago, gerrytaggart said:

If you haven't got players of a good enough standard there really isnt much a manager can do.

I do hope so. I'd like to see Norwich resoundingly relegated, although not breaking Derby's 11 point record, obviously.  12 would be just fine. 

[Hoopla10]

3 hours ago, Pliskin said:

Newcastle won’t be able to attract anyone but mercenaries and big time Charlie’s. 
 

They will end up overpaying for average players or washed up has beens they certainly won’t be signing player like Haarland like they seem to think they are haha……

What like ManC?

 

I don't think anybody seriously think they'll sign Haarland but Tielemans isn't a bad shout.

 

Where's he realistically going to go that's objectively better than here (if we continue the form we've shown over the last few years and club ambitions)? Liverpool? I can't see him at ManC or ManU. One of the big European sides maybe? Barca' might buy him but while I rate Tielemans I don't think he's good enough or consistent enough to take those midfield leadership roles in the big clubs. We knew in that one year Kante and Mahrez were basically gone. I don't get that same feeling from Tielemans. HOWEVER he'd be perfect for a team that had a LOT of money and needed to essentially build a team from scratch. Not to win the CL or PL, none of that massive pressure top club expectation but to drive a club up the table. He would be a good stepping stone for NUFC but like Kompany has every chance to become a long term player and legend once they shift gears to competing for the PL/CL. 

[Arriba Los Zorros]

6 hours ago, filbertway said:

You clearly haven't seen much of Norwich! The bloke played the most horrifically negative football I've seen at this level.

Complete nonsense.

[CosbehFox]

4 hours ago, filbertway said:

Yeah people say this, but it wasn't really the case at all after the first quarter of the season.

 

I remember they were at home against a relegation rival in a must win game and Farke played a 4 5 1 with Pukki extremely isolated, I think their first shot on target came in the 75th minute

 

Norwich being entertaining/attacking/not defensive is an absolute myth.

What game is this? The only relegation rival they have played at home is Watford. They lost 3-1. And scored after 30 odd minutes. They played two strikers and four at the back 

[moore_94]

 

[CosbehFox]

1 minute ago, moore_94 said:

 

Be utter chaos now in Vienna city centre. It’s the away trip that a lot of Hammers have booked on