Football 16-17

[pink_triangle]

2 hours ago, CRW5252 said:

Well, looks like Arsenal are finishing out of the top 4 for the first time in years. Hopefully the silver lining will be some change at the club. 

I would say 6 years out of 7 finishing top 4 is a pretty good achievement when you are being outspent by 3 teams.

[pink_triangle]

38 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Spurs showing the gulf in class here between a Champions League team and a Europa League one.

However as a Spurs fan I wonder if you swap 2nd place for a Europa league final, I personally would.

[thetime]

13 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

However as a Spurs fan I wonder if you swap 2nd place for a Europa league final, I personally would.

His argument falls down when spurs were in both the cl and europa  this season. 

Edited May 14, 2017 by thetime

[zahidf]

1 hour ago, pink_triangle said:

However as a Spurs fan I wonder if you swap 2nd place for a Europa league final, I personally would.

Depends if they beat Ajax. Its all the one game now 

 

Spurs fans are fine with 2nd, unbeaten home run and playing good football i suspect. 

Edited May 14, 2017 by zahidf

[pink_triangle]

10 minutes ago, zahidf said:

 

10 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Depends if they beat Ajax. Its all the one game now 

 

Spurs fans are fine with 2nd, unbeaten home run and playing good football i suspect. 

I'm going on the basis of being in the final and not knowing the result. I would prefer the gamble of a final over security of a runner up place.

Spurs need to convert a successful period in their history to trophies. I personally think the football is not as amazing as people make out.

[CRW5252]

1 hour ago, pink_triangle said:

I would say 6 years out of 7 finishing top 4 is a pretty good achievement when you are being outspent by 3 teams.

We have done this argument to death. Perhaps our billionaire owner should invest more into the club then, instead of mugging off us fans 

Edited May 14, 2017 by CRW5252

[zahidf]

6 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

 

Most Spurs fans i know are very happy over the last 2 years. Its not ALL about trophies!

 

Chelsea aside, all the other top 6 team's fans seem pissed!

[pink_triangle]

31 minutes ago, CRW5252 said:

We have done this argument to death. Perhaps our billionaire owner should invest more into the club then, instead of mugging off us fans 

Oh I agree, my point is that if Wenger is to go, finishing outside the top 4 one season out of seven shouldn't be the reason.

You could make valid arguments for sticking or twisting but in both cases it shouldn't matter if they finish 4th or 5th.

Edited May 14, 2017 by pink_triangle

[pink_triangle]

17 minutes ago, zahidf said:

Most Spurs fans i know are very happy over the last 2 years. Its not ALL about trophies!

 

Chelsea aside, all the other top 6 team's fans seem pissed!

Yet it's the trophies that fans remember. A wigan fan when talking about their peak years isn't going to be talking about that year they finished 12th in the premiership. Spurs have done well over the last 2 years but history may look back at it as 2 opportunities squandered.

A mid table team can talk about how it's about the football. Spurs have to convert the momentum to silverware. Finishing above Arsenal shouldn't be enough. I still have questions about Spurs performing when the pressure is really on.

[zahidf]

39 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Yet it's the trophies that fans remember. A wigan fan when talking about their peak years isn't going to be talking about that year they finished 12th in the premiership. Spurs have done well over the last 2 years but history may look back at it as 2 opportunities squandered.

A mid table team can talk about how it's about the football. Spurs have to convert the momentum to silverware. Finishing above Arsenal shouldn't be enough. I still have questions about Spurs performing when the pressure is really on.

Maybe, but objectively, their season is a massive success. Fans should enjoy the season as is!

 

 If they can keep the team together and Poch, i wouldnt be surprised if next year they win. Coming second this year in the league is nothing to be sniffed at!

[zahidf]

Anyway, That Utd goal was the first Utd away goal against a top 6 team this year!

Not sure how one win in the last 6 games is supposed to help Utd in the build up to the europa final...

And i really hope  Rooney gets his wish and stays for next year.

If Arsenal beat sunderland on Monday, top 4 would go to last day of the season... 

Edited May 14, 2017 by zahidf

[CRW5252]

1 hour ago, pink_triangle said:

Oh I agree, my point is that if Wenger is to go, finishing outside the top 4 one season out of seven shouldn't be the reason.

You could make valid arguments for sticking or twisting but in both cases it shouldn't matter if they finish 4th or 5th.

Agreed

[pink_triangle]

35 minutes ago, zahidf said:

 

Not sure how one win in the last 6 games is supposed to help Utd in the build up to the europa final...

I honestly believe it makes no difference one way or the other. Although as I said previously I hope ajax win as teams like them have been priced out of the champions league.

[The Nal]

10 hours ago, zahidf said:

Not sure how one win in the last 6 games is supposed to help Utd in the build up to the europa final...

No injuries! He binned the league after the City draw, rightly so. 5th or 6th, two trophies and CL qualification is better than 2nd and no trophy. 

Drastic improvement needed in the league from day 1 next season whatever happens. From all "top" teams really. There may be 5 PL teams in the Champo next year but only Chelsea are in any way strong. 

[pink_triangle]

2 minutes ago, The Nal said:

No injuries! He binned the league after the City draw, rightly so. 5th or 6th, two trophies and CL qualification is better than 2nd and no trophy. 

Drastic improvement needed in the league from day 1 next season whatever happens. From all "top" teams really. There may be 5 PL teams in the Champo next year but only Chelsea are in any way strong. 

Are Chelsea really strong, or just benefiting from no champions league football and a focus on the league?

[The Nal]

5 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Are Chelsea really strong, or just benefiting from no champions league football and a focus on the league?

Guess we'll find out but a tactically efficient manager, a good keeper and defence, Kante, Hazard etc.

If they need more players they can always recall some of the 20 players they have out on loan!

[mjsell]

10 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

Are Chelsea really strong, or just benefiting from no champions league football and a focus on the league?

Yep, how many times have Chelsea been forced into changing their settled starting 11. I genuinely can only remember the 2(?) games that Costa missed during the speculation he wanted off to China and more recently an illness for Cahill kept him out for a game or two. Conte has done brilliantly no doubt, but has been helped massively by the lack of any players being unavailable. 

[thetime]

3 minutes ago, mjsell said:

Yep, how many times have Chelsea been forced into changing their settled starting 11. I genuinely can only remember the 2(?) games that Costa missed during the speculation he wanted off to China and more recently an illness for Cahill kept him out for a game or two. Conte has done brilliantly no doubt, but has been helped massively by the lack of any players being unavailable. 

Players don't seem to get 'injured' in a winning side.

[ThomThomDrum]

24 minutes ago, thetime said:

Players don't seem to get 'injured' in a winning side.

Its part of the luck teams sometimes require to push for trophies. 

[mjsell]

39 minutes ago, thetime said:

Players don't seem to get 'injured' in a winning side.

Teams that dont get injuries, tend to win.

[Wooderson]

I think Spurs have been great this year. LFC in the first half of the season. City at the start of the year.

 

[The Nal]

6 minutes ago, Wooderson said:

I think Spurs have been great this year. LFC in the first half of the season. City at the start of the year.

 

Spurs won all but two of their homes games this season. They were two draws.Incredible really. Only 27 points from 17 away games though. Chelsea got 42. 

[mjsell]

13 minutes ago, The Nal said:

Spurs won all but two of their homes games this season. They were two draws.Incredible really. Only 27 points from 17 away games though. Chelsea got 42. 

Relegation form for next year

[zahidf]

From football 365 on Conte

It is slightly simplistic to say that Chelsea’s title is a victory for coaching over chequebook, for Antonio Conte has hardly worked on a shoestring. Chelsea signed the best central midfielder in the country last summer, and spent another £80m on a centre-back, left-back and reserve striker. One of those has been their best central defender, another was key in the switch to three at the back and the third scored the goal that sealed the Premier League title.

 

Yet Conte has achieved where others have failed. 2016/17 was billed as the season of the superstar managers, but most of the advertising focused on battles between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho in Manchester and Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino in north London. As third favourites, Chelsea were hardly underdogs, but Conte was the comparative unknown quantity. While Mourinho and Guardiola have valid excuses for why their teams have struggled, Conte has not needed to search for reasons. He turned around the mood at Stamford Bridge and achieved success in wonderful, dominant style.

It is not just Chelsea’s destination that paints Conte in the best light, but their journey. The decisive change to three at the back early in the season, dealing with the Diego Costa spat, managing those pushed out of the team such as Michy Batshuayi and Cesc Fabregas, improving players such as Victor Moses and Pedro, overseeing John Terry’s decreasing influence. All were achieved while Chelsea cruised in the fast lane during Conte’s first campaign at a new club, in a new league, in his first season managing outside Italy.

 

Win both of their final two league games, and Conte’s Chelsea will register the second highest points total in Premier League history. After taking over a squad that had finished tenth in the previous season, and pitching him against the highest-profile coaches in world football, that would be an extraordinary achievement.

[zahidf]

Great letter on Jose

Managing Manchester United is like playing FIFA on easy mode. You get the best star players.

 

Refs blow for you. Goals that go right thorough the keeper. The other team gives you a free pass. You have to be a noob to mess it up. Yet that is exactly what Mourinho did. This season, his excuses are:

 

Not my team.

Can’t erase the bad habits from the team.

Injuries.

Too many games.

Players. (Hello Shaw!)

Refs.

Strikers not scoring.

No defenders left.

All away games during squeaky bum stage.

And my personal favourite…the other team parked the bus.

And Wenger is the serial loser? Drink the Kool-Aid, United fans, drink the Kool-Aid.