The imaginatively titled Premier League 21/22 Thread

[theforceuk]

He's got a Pace Maker and Seria A rules say you can't play in the league if you have one. Thats what I just heard.

 

[edd_jedi]

Well not a total disaster for Spurs in the end, I think making some space in the squad was necessary. Ndombele just hasn't worked out, and Alli peaked about three years ago. I would love to see him do well, but he seems to have had an attitude problem the last few years (23 year old with millions of pounds, what could cause a lack of motivation!?) It would be good if teams implemented some kind of 'trust fund' system so these kids are protected from wealth until they retire.
I'm a bit sad Lo Celso and Gil have gone as we haven't really seen anything from them yet (especially Gil) but I guess you don't get long to make an impression in the PL.
I know nothing about the two Juve players we've bought in, a couple of new midfielders isn't the worst idea but surely there must be a CB that Levy can afford out there, I would have been happy with either of Brighton's.

 

[weasel]

I do wonder about Spurs dealings. Ndombele is a strange one. He hasn't worked out as you say, but a loan with a 65m option to buy is basically just a loan. No French club, bar PSG has 65m to spend, let alone 65m on one player. I don't really know why Spurs included that part.
I agree on Deli Ali, I suspect he will be a quiz question answer. A wasted talented.
As for the 2 Juve boys from what I hear Bentacour is fond of a sideways pass and not so keen on a forward pass. Apparently he made a high profile mistake a few yrs ago and has never really recovered from it. Bodes well! The other fella, Yeah, I know Fa about him.

Aubamayang away for free. Where Arsenal really THAT desperate to get rid of him!? They now have Fa options up top. I know he was as welcome there as a fart in a space suit but it sort of feels like a big unnecessary gamble on their part, especially when 4th place was remote possibility.

No one in at Utd either. Martial is away, and Greenwood seems to be done. The latter meant the Jlinz was stopped from leaving. I get they need cover up top but Jlinz is an attacking midfielder not a striker and he wants to go. Why force him to stay? Especially as he will hardly play. He now leaves for free in the summer. Henderson was stopped from leaving too. Why?
VDB is away after never starting 3 consecutive games. Gone without ever getting a chance.
Big summer ahead at Utd. Cavanni, Mata, Jinz and Pogba all go. Greenwood may never play again. Matic, Bailey, Jones, and a few others may be sold (is Martial loan or loan and compulsory purchase?). That's a lot of bodies to be replaced and integrated into the team/squad.

 

[theforceuk]

I'm done with Man Utd absolute joke of a window. Don't worry everyone the theme park is back open today though. VDB, Martial are both loan only deals so will be back in the summer. I can tell you now Lingard asked Ralph if he could go, Ralph said yes and then the board blocked it. Absolutely ridiculous, at least we know for sure now that the manager doesn't really have a say and is basically a puppet.
Mata - £80k a week
Pogba - Offer of £400k a week on the table, he averages 26 games a season for us.
Lingard Going to pay him another £5 million between now and June.
Cavani, out of contract in June. £200k a week.

Jones £80k a week.
VDB - On loan
Henderson - £120k a week
Bailey - signed a new deal last year, 4 years left. Think he's on £100k a week.
Martial - On loan. All these want to go.

Matic and Greenwood are finished and Ronaldo won't stay when we're in the Europa League.

I don't think we have been in a worse position since we were relegated in the late 70's and even then I would say we were closer to winning the league than we are now.
The worse thing that can happen now is we get 4th and they give Ralph the job so they don't have to look for another yes man.

 

[edd_jedi]

Did anyone watch the Afcon semi-final last night? Three of the worst penalties I've ever seen from Cameroon, even worse than England's in the Euros final last year. Can you imagine being so close to the final in your own country and then blowing it in 2 minutes

 

[weasel]

Yeah, that was pretty much what I txt one of my mates saying. The penalty that put them out was the worst. I actually laughed at it. You have to score to keep your side in it so obviously you put it 10 yards wide.

 

[edd_jedi]

In contrast that was an excellent shoot out last night, that's the second time in recent history Man Utd have scored 5+ consecutive penalties and still lost. And I have no idea why the Middlesborough equaliser wasn't disallowed, it clearly hits his hand

 

[theforceuk]

Just crap all around, Man Utd should have been 2 or 3 up at half time. That said this Utd team is never going to win a competition where you will probably have to beat 2 teams from Liverpool, City and Chelsea. Best thing about last night was the electricity shorting out at half time so no food could be sold.

As for the hand ball, what can you say. The officials always wiggle their way out of it with a crap interpretation of the rules. Anthony Taylor would turn up naked at Tescos if he thought it would get him on TV, how he doesn't see the hand ball I will never know. The excuse that it was accidental is bollucks, if you use your hand to score a goal it's a foul. Players will learn to hand ball while making it look accidental.

Utd were crap in the second half, Middlesbrough were just crap.

 

[lejackal]

I think it was because it was the resin crossing, not the person scoring and it was deemed accidental. I'd take it if Arsenal scored it but I'd feel hard done by being on the receiving end.
That said, and similar to us against Forrest in the last round, you should have had them beaten anyway. You certainly had a strong side out.

 

[theforceuk]

Yeah I understand why they gave it, it's bollucks, you will see goals disallowed in the future for the same hand ball and they will say it wasn't accidental. How can you tell if a hand ball is accidental when the player has already controlled the ball before he hand balls it? Unless you can read minds I'm not sure how?

 

[weasel]

Aye, the rules apparently say it is only a free kick if the guy who scores handles it accidentally. But it is fine for him to handle it and pass it to a mate to tap in.

Even as a Liverpool fan and a self confessed ABU, that goal should never have stood. The morons who make he rules need to look at themselves. They seem to be causing more confusion and pissing fans off more and more. It reminds me of the goal City scored last year when Gundogan was five yards off side and came straight in and tackled the CB (possibly Mings of Villa) and started the move that lead to City's goal. Apparently he wasn't interfering with play in the first phase. ********. Same as Boro's goal last night. Ask any football fan, bar possibly Boro or City fans, about either goal and they will ALL say neither should have stood.

Saying that, Utd should have won that easily. Ballbag missed a penalty, who would have thought letting your egotistical CF take pens so he can hog more of the limelight rather than letting your best pen taker at them could come back to haunt you!? Fernandez also missed a near open net.
If your all but full strength first team can't beat an upper mid table Championship side at home, even with them getting a nonsense goal, you don't deserve to go through.

 

[weasel]

Ohh look City draw the weakest team left in the FAC. Sigh.

Anyone else sick of them getting cushy draw after cushy draw, year after year after year in the domestic cups!?

 

[edd_jedi]

Anyone else sick of them getting cushy draw after cushy draw, year after year after year in the domestic cups!?

I'm sick of cups in general to be honest, when was the last time one of City, Liverpool or Chelsea didn't win one of them? You just know every competition is going to have two of those three in the final.

 

[theforceuk]

I'm sick of City getting easy draws, their luck will have to change at some point! Leicester won the FA Cup last season @edd_jedi but I know what your saying.

FA Cup, League Cup and Eurpoa League are Man Utd's ceiling now.

 

[lejackal]

Not to mention the underdogs that beat City and Chelsea in the semi and final in 2020

 

[edd_jedi]

Not to mention the underdogs that beat City and Chelsea in the semi and final in 2020

Yes don't get me started on the second biggest over-achievers in recet history, runners up only to Leicester (coming from the undisputed champions of under-achieving)

 

[edd_jedi]

Speaking of Leicester, did anyone else thoroughly enjoy the game yesterday!? Forest actually look like a decent team.

 

[weasel]

I'm sick of cups in general to be honest, when was the last time one of City, Liverpool or Chelsea didn't win one of them? You just know every competition is going to have two of those three in the final.

Ehhh look at Liverpool's record in the domestic cups under Klopp. It's ******* dire. One final, which they lost to City on pens in 2016. I don't think they have been past the 4th round of the cup, bar this year, since he took over. If anything Liverpool have underachieved in the domestic cups. Albeit that is cos Klopp realises he can't compete on all fronts and prioritises the PL/CL (or sacrifices the domestic cups depending on your point of view).

Speaking of Leicester, did anyone else thoroughly enjoy the game yesterday!? Forest actually look like a decent team.

Brendan looks to be on borrowed time there. He has ****** the players under the bus cos they are resting on their laurels. Was that not why Fergy shipped out Paul Ince when he was in his supposed prime? Fergy rumbled his ego had taken over and got shot of him asap. Brendan should have done the same. The blame lies with you Brendan.
Still, watch them turn into peak Barca on Thurs night at Anfield.

 

[lejackal]

Speaking of Leicester, did anyone else thoroughly enjoy the game yesterday!? Forest actually look like a decent team.

I don't feel half as bad as our b side getting done one nil in the third round that's for sure

 

[lejackal]

So Zouma is next on the c*nt list then. Can't believe West Ham played him

 

[weasel]

So Zouma is next on the c*nt list then. Can't believe West Ham played him

Yeah, that was a 100% "we need the points, he is decent, we are better with him the side, **** the cat." decision.

I can see why WH did it, from a PURELY football perspective. He is one of their best CB's and they would be weaker without him. They do have a very rare shot at making the CL, and every single point will probably count.

But it looks appalling. As someone pointed out, the rules seem to be, turn up late and miss/get dropped for a game, kick a cat and play away. It looks very poor from WH's point of view. They were kind of on a hiding to nothing. It isn't their fault Zouma is a ****, and a stupid one at that (he knew he was being filmed). Yet they could have been disadvantaged by not having one of their best players. BUT....You kinda feel there are times when you have to step back and accept that something is bigger and more important than a football game. This is probably one of those times.

I suspect the Board and Moyesy may well realise they called this one wrong. It's not too late to backtrack and do the decent thing, but football works in its own strange moral world, so don't hold your breath.

Besides, it was only Watford they were playing, they are *****!

Almost as bad as Everton (or Utd)

 

[Cazza]

Thoroughly agree. I do get where Moyes was coming from, but it was the wrong decision and is proving to be a massive own goal. He definitely should not have played last night. However... I am an animal lover, and could never tolerate any type of cruelty to animals and am in no way condoning what Zouma did, but something is wrong, when TalkSPORT listeners are calling for Zouma to go to prison but think Jamie O'hara getting hit with a £400 fine for assaulting a kid is ok.

Zouma has been hit with a £250k fine (which will be donated to animal charities), has apologised, had the cats taken away and is being investigated by the RSPCA (all rightly so), but £400 for assaulting a kid is appropriate? TalkSPORT employ Stan Collymore who admitted to and apologized for beating Ulrika Johnson and who vandalized a nightclub in Spain (paid a £30k fine), and lost his job at BBC for other misdemeanors. They employ Jamie O'Hara who pleaded guilty to assaulting a teenager and allegedly faced jail time for failing to pay child support, and Trevor Sinclair who was found guilty of drink driving and aggravated racial assault.

Also, the fact that this has caused way more of a stir than Newcastle Utd being taken over by people who had someone killed and chopped up, not to mention many other alleged wrong-doings.

The hypocrisy is ridiculous.

 

[theforceuk]

Agreed the hypocrisy is incredible, Talk Sport is the biggest load of crap going. More like talk **** and it's scripted.

 

[edd_jedi]

One day I'll come on here after a Spurs game and praise our defending. Today is not that day. I mean, how is it possible to be professional footballers and be THAT bad at defending? The first goal was pure comedy, Ben Davies literally fell over. And the second and third were just pure laziness.

We were slightly unlucky to have two goals disallowed, but as Southampton missed about five clear cut chances I can't say they didn't deserve to win. What is Conte playing at signing two midfielders when it's obvious to anyone that our defence is total ****? I just don't get how it's not blindingly obvious to four consecutive managers who have all done nothing to rebuild our achilles heel.

 

[Snaketibe]

I agree, the Spurs defending was as bad on the pitch as it was painful to watch

 

[lejackal]

So, two yellows without play being stopped for the first.
Yes, both offences are probably bookable, but as you've allowed play to continue should you treat the two incidents as one because of you blow for the first the second does not happen?

 

[Cazza]

I think it was correct and an important decision to make. Hopefully, it will get the message across that a booking is a booking, otherwise it could become problematic to allow play to continue for an advantage.

 

[theforceuk]

Good win for Arsenal, their in the race for 4th big time.

 

[lejackal]

I think it was correct and an important decision to make. Hopefully, it will get the message across that a booking is a booking, otherwise it could become problematic to allow play to continue for an advantage.

Correct but never used before in the PL?

 

[edd_jedi]

Yes it's unusual but ref's always go back and book a player after an advantage has been played, a lot of players seem to think that if you foul someone and an advantage is played there are no consequences. You won anyway so who cares