Premier League Discussion Thread Season 2014-15

[Cazza]

Chelsea 8.5 Faltered slightly after looking totally unstoppable.
Man City 8 Looking the real deal now, although Aguero is a blow
Man Utd 6 Still very unconvincing, although seem to be improving
West Ham 8 Bought very well in the summer and have shown strength in depth, continuing the good run despite loads of injuries. Have shown they can play good football as well.
Saints 8 Also bought very well and have an excellent manager.
Arsenal 5 Underachieving and still incredibly naive against the likes of Stoke. Will undoubtedly climb the table.
Newcastle 7 Doing really well now. The team are ticking and have momentum.
Swansea 7 Great football, but still a little powder puff at times. Really need to hold onto Bony.
Liverpool 4 Fallen completely flat after overachieving last season. A little fortunate to have the amount of points they have got.
Spuds 4 Don't seem to be able to find the consistency required to challenge. Team looks a little light weight. Need another striker.

 

[PGowdy]

So this is based on 10 being as good as a football team can possibly be. Not a 10 being the best team in the league or even in europe.

Fair enough, i worked on 10 being the best domestically.

Ps, you're bloody generous to Liverpool. They've lost more games than they have won in all comps this year.

Yeah, a little but wasn't basing this on temporary form. More how good i think the team is. Liverpool are not playing well and have a couple of key injuries but do i think they will finish behind West Ham this season, no. I think Liverpool and Spurs both have more quality than the likes of Newcastle, West Ham, Swansea and Southampton and come the end of the season i think both Pool and Spurs will be ahead of most, if not all 3 of those. When Sturridge comes back Liverpool are potential 5th placers. Spurs are, despite being fairly naff, still potential 5th or 6th placers.
Remember i only gave pool a 6 which is not very good. 5 behind a very average team and anything 4 or below you'd give to possible relegation or bottom half contenders. Do i think Liverpool and PSurs are bottom half candidates? No, don't be silly. Therefore i have to put them well above a 5.
I could see one of the other 4 mentioned finishing in the top 5 but not more than one of them.
My top 6 at the end of the season is still Chelsea, City, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool and Spurs. Close to being in that order. Everton will still have a say in the top 6 too.
If Spurs don't buy a striker in the window i can see us finishing 8th or lower but i'm really hopping Levy isn't that ****ing stupid… but i said that in the summer. :roll:

 

[kingshearer]

So this is based on 10 being as good as a football team can possibly be. Not a 10 being the best team in the league or even in europe.

Fair enough, i worked on 10 being the best domestically.

Ps, you're bloody generous to Liverpool. They've lost more games than they have won in all comps this year.

Yeah, a little but wasn't basing this on temporary form. More how good i think the team is. Liverpool are not playing well and have a couple of key injuries but do i think they will finish behind West Ham this season, no. I think Liverpool and Spurs both have more quality than the likes of Newcastle, West Ham, Swansea and Southampton and come the end of the season i think both Pool and Spurs will be ahead of most, if not all 3 of those. When Sturridge comes back Liverpool are potential 5th placers. Spurs are, despite being fairly naff, still potential 5th or 6th placers.
Remember i only gave pool a 6 which is not very good. 5 behind a very average team and anything 4 or below you'd give to possible relegation or bottom half contenders. Do i think Liverpool and PSurs are bottom half candidates? No, don't be silly. Therefore i have to put them well above a 5.
I could see one of the other 4 mentioned finishing in the top 5 but not more than one of them.
My top 6 at the end of the season is still Chelsea, City, Arsenal, Man Utd, Liverpool and Spurs. Close to being in that order. Everton will still have a say in the top 6 too.
If Spurs don't buy a striker in the window i can see us finishing 8th or lower but i'm really hopping Levy isn't that ****ing stupid… but i said that in the summer. :roll:

The only way I could see Spurs finishing in the top 6 is if they manage to attract some top players in the window (which is a strong possibility mind since Living in London is a big attraction for the imports) Liverpool might miss out (unless, again, they buy well in the window) and I think Man City will catch Chelsea since the blues air of invincibility has been smashed with the loss to Utd.

 

[weasel]

If Spurs don't buy a striker in the window i can see us finishing 8th or lower but i'm really hopping Levy isn't that ****ing stupid… but i said that in the summer. :roll:

I'm still absolutely amazed they didn't buy a striker in the summer. Even a twelve year old looking at that squad could see you are light up front, and that's without realising Adebayor ONLY plays when his contract is up, Saldado has been a flop and Harry Kane is unproven and very raw. For that alone Levy should be castigated.

 

[PGowdy]

If Spurs don't buy a striker in the window i can see us finishing 8th or lower but i'm really hopping Levy isn't that ****ing stupid… but i said that in the summer. :roll:

I'm still absolutely amazed they didn't buy a striker in the summer. Even a twelve year old looking at that squad could see you are light up front, and that's without realising Adebayor ONLY plays when his contract is up, Saldado has been a flop and Harry Kane is unproven and very raw. For that alone Levy should be castigated.

Absolutely. It's unbelievable. There were so many good strikers available too. It's gonna be tough to find someone in the January window. That's if we even bother trying.

 

[weasel]

People only move for three reasons in Jan.Their contract is up and their club is cashing in, you are paying stupidly over the odds, or they are trouble and their club wants rid.

 

[Dark Sith Lord]

And Hereford United have been finally wound up after their 13th Court Hearing. Chance for them to start afresh now.

 

[weasel]

I thought they were saved when the new Chairman/owner submitted whatever paper work was required?

 

[Dark Sith Lord]

I thought they were saved when the new Chairman/owner submitted whatever paper work was required?

Nah mate. That was just so football could be continued to be played at their stadium.

They have been issued with a winding up petition for 11 months finally being wound up today.

 

[weasel]

What happens then, is that the end of the club! Their results so far get scrubbed?

 

[Dark Sith Lord]

What happens then, is that the end of the club! Their results so far get scrubbed?

Yes end of Hereford United as we know it They are hoping to get a team sorted which will act under a new guise AFC Hereford or something along those lines. A decision is yet to be made on their results. They are likely to be expunged and made void like they did with Chester City when they went pop.

They will then start from the very bottom in the West Midlands Regional League against real sunday league rubbish!!

 

[weasel]

Sad day for any club when that happens

 

[theforceuk]

Just noticed that R2-D2 and C-3PO appear at the start of match of the day.

Really random. :lol:

 

[weasel]

Never noticed that. Mind you I normally sky plus it so i fast forward to the games and skip the "analysis" from Alan "he do-ed a bad" Shearer.

On that note, i had this conversation with my brother in-law. Short of hiring the ITV staff is there actually anything the BBC could do to lower the standard of analysis and commentary on MOTD?
There's not a single pundit who offers up anything beyond what you'd hear in a pub. At least BTSport try with McManaman and Hargreaves. They ain't brilliant but they do try. I think BT have James Richardson as well. Sky have Carragher and Neville, and yer man Guillem Balague on the Spanish footy who is brilliantly knowledgable. The Beeb give us Shearer, Robbie Savage and Phil ****ing Neville.

WHY do they think to be a good pundit you must have played in the PL? Look at WC's when they come around 9 times out of 10 the best pundits aren't British ex-PL players. Seedorf and Leonardo versus Gazza!

Sack the idiot ex pros and get some proper experts in. Gabriel Marcotti is wasted on the radio.

Rant over.

 

[theforceuk]

I think Alan Hansen can't be replaced, so he's a big miss.

Like you say though the BBC just don't have the budget of SKY or BT.

That said Henry is gonna do my head in on SKY. :roll:

My top pundits of all time:-

1.Alan Hansen
2.Desailly
3.Fabio Cannavaro :?

 

[Dark Sith Lord]

I think Alan Hansen can't be replaced, so he's a big miss.

Like you say though the BBC just don't have the budget of SKY or BT.

That said Henry is gonna do my head in on SKY. :roll:

My top pundits of all time:-

1.Alan Hansen
2.Desailly
3.Fabio Cannavaro :?

Fabio Cannavaro?! He did my head in at the WC. Couldnt understand a word.

Henry was impressive at the WC. Looking forward to him.

 

[theforceuk]

Henry was impressive at the WC. Looking forward to him.[/quote]

Last WC he was impressive at was the 2006 one when he played in it. :lol:

 

[kingshearer]

I'd like to see no analysis and just more football because at the end of the day it is just pub talk no matter how articulate you are. And to be fair to Shearer I've noticed that he's started to name and shame cheats which is very refreshing.

 

[edd_jedi]

So as there hasn't been any PL chat in this thread for a few weeks, let's have a quick mid-season recap/discussion. As with most I'm not surprised to see Chelsea and Man City at the top, both are so much better than everyone else. I'm not entirely surprised Man Utd are in third, and to be honest I'm quite glad they're back near the top. I'm genuinely surprised Wast Ham and Southampton are still up there, I thought they would do a Villa much faster but it looks like at least one of them may actually stay in the top four.

Not at all surprised Liverpool are struggling, I knew they would as soon as Suarez went. Everton seem to have given up which is a shame as they did well last season.

And finally on to my most/least favourite clubs - quite happy with Spurs at the moment, I don't think any Spurs fan expects them to do anything other than challenge for 4th/5th and that's exactly what they're doing. Very impressed with Harry Kane and am glad Pochettino is side-lining the 'stars' when they're not delivering. They've played well the last few games and despite the constant abuse and animosity they get as a team, they haven't slipped in to mid-table mediocrity. Arsenal deserve to be where they are, credit where it's due, but they're no more a top four team than Spurs are at the moment and although they'll probably fluke it at the last minute like they always do, Southampton are a far better team at the moment IMO which leaves no room for them in the 'real' top four.

 

[weasel]

The BBC just don't have the budget of SKY or BT.

But that's exactly why I mentioned Gabriel Marcotti, he does mainly radio work. Don't tell me a bit part radio presenter/analysis gets paid more than a regular MOTD ruiner!?

I'm not entirely surprised Man Utd are in third, and to be honest I'm quite glad they're back near the top.

You WHAT? :shock:

You DIDN'T enjoy the glory hunters getting a taste of what's it like to support a 'normal' PL side? You prefer it when they get to watch their team do well!? Can I ban the owner of the site?

Not at all surprised Liverpool are struggling, I knew they would as soon as Suarez went.

It's not JUST Suarez going though, they have had Sturridge for three games this season. You take the best two strikers out of any team and see how they do. Even more so when it's 55 goals worth of strikers. I'm not saying Liverpool are doing well, or that the double loss entirely explains their dung form this season, just that it's a lot more than simply Suarez leaving.

I do agree with you on City+Chelsea being head and shoulders above everyone else and I wouldn't begrudge Saints a shot at CL in place of Arsenal/Spuds/Pool/whoever.