Premier League 2021/22 Thread

[splinterdream]

19 minutes ago, mozartfox said:

Is Eddie Howe an improvement on Steve Bruce? I personally do not see any real difference and the purchase of Chris Wood looks like a massive mistake.   They deserve everything that is coming to them. 

I want Newcastle to go down but have to disagree with you on Wood, I think it's a smart move. They need a scrapper up front to survive and Wood is that imo. They can't build a team in one window, all he can do is make the first 11 better

[FoyleFox]

24 minutes ago, mozartfox said:

Is Eddie Howe an improvement on Steve Bruce? I personally do not see any real difference and the purchase of Chris Wood looks like a massive mistake.   They deserve everything that is coming to them. 

 

1 minute ago, splinterdream said:

I want Newcastle to go down but have to disagree with you on Wood, I think it's a smart move. They need a scrapper up front to survive and Wood is that imo. They can't build a team in one window, all he can do is make the first 11 better

I'm not sure he his in reality but media wise, probably, a younger more appealing man. Touted as an England manager relatively recently. As for Wood, a shrewd move, either scores a few and keeps then up or doesn't score for Burnley and they're relegated. 

 

Hopefully Newcastle go down, so rather it goes south. 

[trabuch]

Wood started well for us and then went a bit down hill. I hope it's the same for Newcastle. I mean, I know the prem is awash with disgusting and ugly money, but Newcastle take the biscuit. (and come on it and make you eat it and charge you for it)

Edited 16 January 2022 by trabuch

[Deeg67]

Just like that, Norwich, with 10 goals all season, is close to getting out of the relegation zone.  Would love to see them survive at the expense of Newcastle and Burnley.

[CosbehFox]

Football clubs are largely ran by people who are fcuking shit at it. 
 

Everton sell their first choice left back because he’s fallen out with the manager yet days later sack the manager in question. Now playing a lad whose come from a second/third rate European league at left back because they have no other option (when really he needs a couple of month getting used to the pace etc). 

[Asha]

Burnley may have 14 games in hand but I can’t see them winning any of them. Ideally Watford stay up out of the four but I’d take Norwich putting a run together instead, 

[Sly]

9 hours ago, splinterdream said:

I want Newcastle to go down but have to disagree with you on Wood, I think it's a smart move. They need a scrapper up front to survive and Wood is that imo. They can't build a team in one window, all he can do is make the first 11 better

The signing of Wood also weakens a directly relegation rival. 
 

They just need a 10 and a defence. Still time to go and I think they’ll but themselves out of the situation.

[Corky]

15 hours ago, Matt said:

That works both ways.

 

The current trend is seeing team canceling games because they can't get their best teams out.

 

 

Last week the Premier League managers agreed that the kids used in the FA Cup wouldn't count as first teamers in the league games. That is what the League is up against. All these things tend to go to a vote and managers will not vote to put their kids out if they don't have to.

 

Unless Covid is seen as another cold-type virus and is still circulating in huge numbers, we'll have this again next season.

 

Everyone was forced to get on with it before but it has changed now. This won't be settled quickly or quietly.

[Koke]

If West Ham win today they go 16 points ahead having played 4 games more. Its not a good look psychologically to be 16 points behind no matter what. 

[Corky]

13 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

Suppose it sets a precedent to the other games we've got coming up which are harder and where we might still have less than 13 players available. Annoying though.

Exactly why the managers were never going to say those players should play in league games. Might be ok for one game but to do it twice in the week after against much better sides is a risk Rodgers was never going to take. 

 

The whole thing needs looking at.

[coolhandfox]

5 minutes ago, Koke said:

If West Ham win today they go 16 points ahead having played 4 games more. Its not a good look psychologically to be 16 points behind no matter what. 

Pretty sure we were never catching them this season anyway.

 

To much ground to make up.

[Matt]

 

[HighPeakFox]

21 minutes ago, Koke said:

If West Ham win today they go 16 points ahead having played 4 games more. Its not a good look psychologically to be 16 points behind no matter what. 

It's 15, but point taken.

[Fox92]

31 minutes ago, Koke said:

If West Ham win today they go 16 points ahead having played 4 games more. Its not a good look psychologically to be 16 points behind no matter what. 

I've given up on the league this season, even more so with all these postponed games because that's gonna catch up with us.

 

I am generally fairly optimistic but I think we should just go all out in the FA Cup and Conference League.

 

But fair play West Ham, having another good season, good luck to them. Their front three is exactly what we should be looking to replicate in terms of all the players chipping in with goals.

[majaco]

Last week, I thought we had to cancel the Everton game with so many unavailable players;the situation we were in was bizarre.

 

I think we could have requested the Burnley game we cancelled but was happy that we didn't.

 

My thoughts are shifting on this.   I am now thinking I would rather we play in most circumstances. This is partly because, from what I understand, Burnley were not many players short yesterday and Arsenal could have put out a decent side today.  I think that Xaka's suspension counted towards their numbers.  If this is the case, it is unfair that a club benefits from a suspension.  Arsenal loaned out two players who could have been part of their numbers ( a very different case to Wakeling being loaned out).

 

In our case, as Ndidi, Iheanacho and Amartey were part of our 25 for the first half.of the season, perhaps they should count as 'available'.   The Everton game would still have been called off.

 

From where I stand, I am uncertain  about the levels of integrity of different clubs.  The postponements are spoiling the entertainment value of the season.  Perhaps we need to get to a stage where all clubs play or all fixtures are called off until things improve.

[KFS]

I swear West Ham are always at home. Anyway, Leeds will be really fired up. They felt robbed after the cup game

[Kasey Keller]

11 minutes ago, KFS said:

I swear West Ham are always at home. Anyway, Leeds will be really fired up. They felt robbed after the cup game

Leeds ain’t getting owt from this game.

[Sly]

I agree on the state of this season with all the postponements. 
 

Ultimately it’s sort of tough luck in my eyes, unless you have excessive amounts of COVID cases. To start including international

players, injuries, suspended etc is just silly.
 

Just looking at us alone, as annoying as Adrian Durham is, I can see why people could get upset.
 

We signed players that we knew would go to an AFCON tournament (Mendy aside, as he was French). 
 

We’ve got injuries, however we’ve got U23s that need game time.
 

I do wonder if we released Benkovic as technically he was part of the squad. 

I’d rather we player Everton.

[CosbehFox]

Just now, Sly said:

I agree on the state of this season with all the postponements. 
 

Ultimately it’s sort of tough luck in my eyes, unless you have excessive amounts of COVID cases. To start including international

players, injuries, suspended etc is just silly.
 

Just looking at us alone, as annoying as Adrian Durham is, I can see why people could get upset.
 

We signed players that we knew would go to an AFCON tournament (Mendy aside, as he was French). 
 

We’ve got injuries, however we’ve got U23s that need game time.
 

I do wonder if we released Benkovic as technically he was part of the squad. 

I’d rather we player Everton.

Slight caveat here as this tournament was originally to be scheduled Summer 2021 and all AFCON are due to be that as well from now on. They scheduled this year for winter as they wanted sufficient time between this tournament and the World Cup. 
 

Benkovic was also released for it appears to be family/personal issues. 
 

Ultimately clubs will have to start to make it work or face the prospect of three games a week Christmas week style

[Fox92]

35 minutes ago, KFS said:

I swear West Ham are always at home. Anyway, Leeds will be really fired up. They felt robbed after the cup game

Too bad Leeds are shit otherwise their revenge might mean something.

[StanSP]

2 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

It's 15, but point taken.

I see what you did there

 

[Guest Chocolate Teapot]

2 hours ago, Matt said:

 

Has any pundit applied their brain and realised that squads affected by covid may have had to play players who weren't fit which made the problem worse.

 

The TV companies and media lot are just bothered about the schedules to fill. And if they had any shred of credibility they'd be paying those freelancers who get their work canceled last minute - which they're not. Don't be fooled into thinking this isn't all about profit.

[Chrysalis]

On 13/01/2022 at 06:28, whoareyaaa said:

Ronaldo should never have gone there, stupid move on all sides.

 

Just goes to show you how good Ferguson was.

I think he completely unsettled their side.  On top of that the tactical changes because the guy cant press.

[Matt]

2 hours ago, majaco said:

Last week, I thought we had to cancel the Everton game with so many unavailable players;the situation we were in was bizarre.

 

I think we could have requested the Burnley game we cancelled but was happy that we didn't.

 

My thoughts are shifting on this.   I am now thinking I would rather we play in most circumstances. This is partly because, from what I understand, Burnley were not many players short yesterday and Arsenal could have put out a decent side today.  I think that Xaka's suspension counted towards their numbers.  If this is the case, it is unfair that a club benefits from a suspension.  Arsenal loaned out two players who could have been part of their numbers ( a very different case to Wakeling being loaned out).

 

In our case, as Ndidi, Iheanacho and Amartey were part of our 25 for the first half.of the season, perhaps they should count as 'available'.   The Everton game would still have been called off.

 

From where I stand, I am uncertain  about the levels of integrity of different clubs.  The postponements are spoiling the entertainment value of the season.  Perhaps we need to get to a stage where all clubs play or all fixtures are called off until things improve.

 

I kind of think we (as a club) knew Burnley were going to cancel so we played the long game, paint ourselves in a better light not being the centre of another cancellation then finally the cancellation came from Burnley as expected.

 

1 hour ago, Sly said:

I agree on the state of this season with all the postponements. 
 

Ultimately it’s sort of tough luck in my eyes, unless you have excessive amounts of COVID cases. To start including international

players, injuries, suspended etc is just silly.
 

Just looking at us alone, as annoying as Adrian Durham is, I can see why people could get upset.
 

We signed players that we knew would go to an AFCON tournament (Mendy aside, as he was French). 
 

We’ve got injuries, however we’ve got U23s that need game time.
 

I do wonder if we released Benkovic as technically he was part of the squad. 

I’d rather we player Everton.

 

Defiantly, I joked in the thread confirming his departure that 'its one way of getting games cancelled'.

 

Bit of an ulterior agenda or motive in it.

 

He's not been part of the squad for ages, he's literally been the forgotten man, then when question are finally being asked all of a sudden he's released - Obviously there were other ongoing issue, but his release is defiantly a contribution towards opening options up because we ain't replacing him.

 

1 hour ago, Cardiff_Fox said:

Slight caveat here as this tournament was originally to be scheduled Summer 2021 and all AFCON are due to be that as well from now on. They scheduled this year for winter as they wanted sufficient time between this tournament and the World Cup. 
 

Benkovic was also released for it appears to be family/personal issues. 
 

Ultimately clubs will have to start to make it work or face the prospect of three games a week Christmas week style

On going for months, mentioned and muted for the last few weeks.

 

Obviously a change could be good for him but it doesn't erase those issues, for him to walk into a new club - the same day? Day after? 

 

The real suspicions will come if/when he starts playing.

 

As for the Christmas week style? Good. I hope clubs really struggle with it, they've have bought it upon themselves, although i'm not sure I can do with the crying and whining.

 

Edited 16 January 2022 by Matt

[CosbehFox]

Seems a bit presumptuous to say those problems are with him. I’m not going to wildly speculate because I don’t know but the club clearly gave him absence of leave. 
 

The fact his new club is about the nearest top league club could be located to Croatia suggests an answer there. 
 

Reminds me of a lot in the circumstances behind Knockaert and Gallagher leaving the club/having long periods out. But then again football fans don’t really acknowledge family life as seen when Rodgers’ recent move back to Cheshire and selling his house nearby Seagrave was said to be him leaving. The reality was far more human, far more normal life.