Football 16-17

[kaosmark2]

Man U are going to finish a weekend not in 6th! 

[Hugh Jass]

51 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Man U are going to finish a weekend not in 6th! 

At this rate of progress they'll break the top four by September. 

[Hugh Jass]

3 hours ago, The Nal said:

It is but he shouldve left after winning the FA Cup two years ago. They were so bad yesterday and tumbling down the table now with tough games coming up. City next.

Huge games today for top 4.

He does need to go, everyone can see it, but there are a section of Arsenal fans who are making themselves look like massive c**ts with their banners and Arsenal TV rants. Whining like massive entitled babies and showing a man who has done fantastically for their club zero respect.

Best thing that can happen is that Wenger announces he's going at the end of the season. Everyone makes a big fuss and he picks up one more FA Cup too.

Edited March 19, 2017 by Hugh Jass

[pink_triangle]

I can't see it being anything but Sunderland, boro and Hull for relegation now. I just don't see points in these teams.

I suspect the interest will end up being in the teams competing for the 4th place "Wenger cup ". Can Wenger beat the odds and mount a comeback to win his own trophy!

[mjsell]

5 hours ago, Hugh Jass said:

He does need to go, everyone can see it, but there are a section of Arsenal fans who are making themselves look like massive c**ts with their banners and Arsenal TV rants. Whining like massive entitled babies and showing a man who has done fantastically for their club zero respect.

Best thing that can happen is that Wenger announces he's going at the end of the season. Everyone makes a big fuss and he picks up one more FA Cup too.

As much a I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the treatment of Wenger by a select group of fans, I annoyingly can understand why they do it. 

Without fan pressure on his position the fear amongst these people, and even those that do want him treated with respect, is that he will remain on. He is above reprisals from the board/owner and is really the master of his own fate. He is a very stubborn man and would undoubtedly have signed the new 2 year deal by now if it wasn't for the backlash he know he would receive. 

It really is a shit situation all round. I want him to call it quits but I want him treated with respect. 

[pink_triangle]

41 minutes ago, mjsell said:

As much a I wholeheartedly agree with you regarding the treatment of Wenger by a select group of fans, I annoyingly can understand why they do it. 

Without fan pressure on his position the fear amongst these people, and even those that do want him treated with respect, is that he will remain on. He is above reprisals from the board/owner and is really the master of his own fate. He is a very stubborn man and would undoubtedly have signed the new 2 year deal by now if it wasn't for the backlash he know he would receive. 

It really is a shit situation all round. I want him to call it quits but I want him treated with respect. 

Do you not worry at all that Arsenal fans may find the grass isn't greener on the other side? Do you worry that they may become a "one bad season and your out" team like most others? 

I support a team a lot further down the pyramid and started my life as a football fan seeing 2 managers in a 18 year period. Since then it's been 7 in 7 and I'm not convinced that any of the changes made any difference. 

[mjsell]

26 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Do you not worry at all that Arsenal fans may find the grass isn't greener on the other side? Do you worry that they may become a "one bad season and your out" team like most others? 

I support a team a lot further down the pyramid and started my life as a football fan seeing 2 managers in a 18 year period. Since then it's been 7 in 7 and I'm not convinced that any of the changes made any difference. 

Of course that's a huge worry. And I think that Wenger's qualities and what he managed to do at the club will only be truly realised after he calls it a day. However, it's clearly time now, I think most people can see that. I wish with all my heart that he had managed to put together one final great team and won the title again, but unfortunately Wenger is no longer at the forefront of innovation and the modern game, and tactically he really struggles nowadays. 

There is no longer a belief at the club that he will ever improve us from where we are and it is that lack of hope that is the killer. I'm well prepared for us to maybe slip from our established position of 4th (looks like it's going to happen with Wenger in charge anyway), but at least making a change provides that element of hope back into the club. 

But yes you are right, there will obviously be 'fans' that have little understanding of football that will expect us to magically start winning things as soon as Wenger leaves only to be more disappointed/angry when the opposite potentially happens. But at this stage I would be happy just seeing something different for a change. 

[pink_triangle]

I also have the feeling that some fans think Arsenal will suddenly start splashing the cash when the tight Wenger leaves. 

My prediction is that whoever his successor is there will still be 3 clubs with higher wage bills. 

[Hugh Jass]

Arsenal were terrible on Saturday. Don't think I've ever seen a worse performance from an elite club at the Hawthorns. Wasn't even as if we had to do anything sophisticated to beat them, just bullied them all over the pitch and hammered them at set pieces. They were completely gutless.

[eFestivals]

crackin' City/Liverpool match yesterday.

Unlike Man Utd, I think Liverpool walk to City's stadium, cos there was no sign of a parked bus.

Edited March 20, 2017 by eFestivals

[The Nal]

29 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

Arsenal were terrible on Saturday. Don't think I've ever seen a worse performance from an elite club at the Hawthorns. Wasn't even as if we had to do anything sophisticated to beat them, just bullied them all over the pitch and hammered them at set pieces. They were completely gutless.

Thats the most worrying thing for Arsenal fans I'd say. They were as bad as I've seen. As least against Bayern they gave it a go. They look completely deflated. 

Pulis said after the game Wenger told him that he wants to stay! 

[TheGayTent]

1 hour ago, Hugh Jass said:

Wasn't even as if we had to do anything sophisticated to beat them, just bullied them all over the pitch and hammered them at set pieces. They were completely gutless.

[Comfy Bean]

55 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

crackin' City/Liverpool match yesterday.

 

Agreed. Really enjoyed it. Can't believe there were only 2 goals.

[The Nal]

9 minutes ago, comfortablynumb1910 said:

Agreed. Really enjoyed it. Can't believe there were only 2 goals.

Great game yeah. Excellent weekend for Utd and Spurs. 

International break at a good time for Wenger you'd think. Although they have City next. City, West Ham, Palace, Boro, Spurs, Utd. Ouch.

Edited March 20, 2017 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

10 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Excellent weekend for Utd

 

[The Nal]

5 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

 

Overtook Arsenal and gained two points on Liverpool and City! Two games in hand over Liverpool and 1 over City and Spurs. So yep!

[eFestivals]

13 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Overtook Arsenal and gained two points on Liverpool and City! Two games in hand over Liverpool and 1 over City and Spurs. So yep!

small victories.

 

[The Nal]

3 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

small victories.

 

Yep but its better than no victories! 

League is over in terms of a winner anyway so its all top 4 and bottom 3. Everton in the mix for top 4 now. Tough games coming up. The derby next. Biggest one in a long time. 

[eFestivals]

21 minutes ago, The Nal said:

The derby next. Biggest one in a long time. 

i take it the team is taking the bus...?

[zahidf]

Moyes dropping Ndong: Brexit footie!

[The Nal]

24 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Moyes dropping Ndong: Brexit footie!

Gibbo is Irish. 

Moyes has come out with that "Britishness" cobblers before. Seems to be having a breakdown. Management career in tatters. 

23 minutes ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

He meant Merseyside derby. 

Yeah. Everton win that and they're 3 points of Liverpool/Top 4. 

Also wheres the cut off now for the relegation fight? Are the entire bottom half in the mix?

Edited March 20, 2017 by The Nal

[mjsell]

18 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Also wheres the cut off now for the relegation fight? Are the entire bottom half in the mix?

Not for me, no. I can't see Boro or Sunderland doing much to get them out of trouble. Hull have a tiny chance still, but Swansea are the only team I could see them catching, the new manager effect seems to be waning slightly there. The only other team I see that could still be dragged down into it is Watford - they have the ability to go through another winless streak. Palace and Leicester seem to be righting themselves now.

But then I guess back to back wins for any team now changes things massively. Like Bournemouth, they looked in a bit of trouble 2 games ago and now they are 11th

Edited March 20, 2017 by mjsell

[The Nal]

9 minutes ago, mjsell said:

Not for me, no. I can't see Boro or Sunderland doing much to get them out of trouble. Hull have a tiny chance still, but Swansea are the only team I could see them catching, the new manager effect seems to be waning slightly there. The only other team I see that could still be dragged down into it is Watford - they have the ability to go through another winless streak. Palace and Leicester seem to be righting themselves now.

But then I guess back to back wins for any team now changes things massively. Like Bournemouth, they looked in a bit of trouble 2 games ago and now they are 11th

Just having glanced over the fixtures theres a lot of 6 pointers in there. And its entirely possible that a team 7 points off 40 points won't get 7 points in the remaining 9 games. Wouldn't be surprised to see 1 or 2 teams get dragged down there.

But you're right, Sunderland and Boro are in the deep shit.

[mjsell]

2 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Just having glanced over the fixtures theres a lot of 6 pointers in there. And its entirely possible that a team 7 points off 40 points won't get 7 points in the remaining 9 games. Wouldn't be surprised to see 1 or 2 teams get dragged down there.

But you're right, Sunderland and Boro are in the deep shit.

I think the end of this season could be a bit of an anti-climax after what appeared to be a last day of the season type race for both the top 4 and to avoid relegation. I think relegation will be decided before the last game. And even the top 4 has spread out quite a bit. There was a chance it was going to be a 5 team shootout for 3 places going in to the last game, but now I can only see it being between 2 maybe 3 if Everton can beat Liverpool.

[eFestivals]

1 hour ago, zahidf said:

Moyes dropping Ndong: Brexit footie!

I guess that Man Utd the racist team then in your eyes, given their often said thing about having a British core, and your smart-guy opinion that all brexiters are racists.