EPL 2024/2025
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it's quite interesting, and overall good for the league i think, just how much the overall league itself has changed. The middle of the table (basically 3rd to 16th) has flattened remarkably.
If you look 10 years ago, the top 2 still accumulated a shit ton of points, but back then 3rd and even 4th weren't that far behind. This year it looks like the top two will finish in excess of 80 points, but it looks like 3rd will probably not even break 70.
And then behind that now it gets really flat. West Ham in 16th already have nearly as many points after 26 games as the 16th finisher a decade ago. The gap from 4th to 16th was 42 points then, it's 14 now.
And the relegated teams suuuuck. A decade ago 30 points got you last place. The chance of any of the bottom 3 getting to 25 is remote at best.
So the middle are taking points off each other in a far more regular fashion, and everyone is taking points off the bottom sides. And that's good. Right now there are probably 8 teams all considering themselves a realistic chance to play Champions League football next season.
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@mariner4life said in EPL 2024/2025:
it's quite interesting, and overall good for the league i think, just how much the overall league itself has changed. The middle of the table (basically 3rd to 16th) has flattened remarkably.
If you look 10 years ago, the top 2 still accumulated a shit ton of points, but back then 3rd and even 4th weren't that far behind. This year it looks like the top two will finish in excess of 80 points, but it looks like 3rd will probably not even break 70.
And then behind that now it gets really flat. West Ham in 16th already have nearly as many points after 26 games as the 16th finisher a decade ago. The gap from 4th to 16th was 42 points then, it's 14 now.
And the relegated teams suuuuck. A decade ago 30 points got you last place. The chance of any of the bottom 3 getting to 25 is remote at best.
So the middle are taking points off each other in a far more regular fashion, and everyone is taking points off the bottom sides. And that's good. Right now there are probably 8 teams all considering themselves a realistic chance to play Champions League football next season.
absolutely and that middle still has plenty of banana skins with teams trying to stay outside the bottom, makes for a thrilling finish, even if it is not the traditional relegation battle
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@mariner4life said in EPL 2024/2025:
it's quite interesting, and overall good for the league i think, just how much the overall league itself has changed. The middle of the table (basically 3rd to 16th) has flattened remarkably.
If you look 10 years ago, the top 2 still accumulated a shit ton of points, but back then 3rd and even 4th weren't that far behind. This year it looks like the top two will finish in excess of 80 points, but it looks like 3rd will probably not even break 70.
And then behind that now it gets really flat. West Ham in 16th already have nearly as many points after 26 games as the 16th finisher a decade ago. The gap from 4th to 16th was 42 points then, it's 14 now.
And the relegated teams suuuuck. A decade ago 30 points got you last place. The chance of any of the bottom 3 getting to 25 is remote at best.
So the middle are taking points off each other in a far more regular fashion, and everyone is taking points off the bottom sides. And that's good. Right now there are probably 8 teams all considering themselves a realistic chance to play Champions League football next season.
Agreed.
I think you have to go all the way back to the 1980s, maybe early 90s to find a time when English football was as competitive as this. Any side is capable of beating other sides on their day. That has not been the case for much of this century where many games against lower calibre opposition could be pencilled in as an easy win.
If you are a neutral it is as good as it gets.
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Would love it if eventually it got back to how it was in the late 60s and early 70s (65-73 or thereabouts) where virtually every domestic trophy was won by a different side over that time period.
From 65 to 73 -
7 different sides won the league
8 different sides won the league cup and
9 different sides won the FA Cup.That was a golden era imo and of course it coincided with England winning the World cup.
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@nonpartizan said in EPL 2024/2025:
@sparky said in EPL 2024/2025:
Great come from behind victory by Aston Villla against Chelsea yesterday to win 2-1.
Marco Asensio with two goals and Marcus Rashford with two asssits. Both looking like £80m+ players. Thanks PSG and thank you Manure!
Villa were worth that win.
We (Chelsea) are finished as of right now. I genuinely think we will end up 10th..... For all the money we spent we only have two real star players - Palmer & Caceido, no leaders and no elite keeper.
Under the new ownership we have essentially been consistently mid table (save for the last dozen games of 23/24) and without Palmer we would have been much worse than that. There is no clear pathway back into the top 4 because our squad is so poorly put together. You would need to rebuild a rebuild.
It's been a shambles ever since Clearlake took over.
Although Jackson as a finisher is shaky, I think he's really been missed since he got injured - he's very quick and always prepared to run in behind and that opens up the pitch for the rest of the team (well Palmer I suppose).
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@KiwiPie said in EPL 2024/2025:
@nonpartizan said in EPL 2024/2025:
@sparky said in EPL 2024/2025:
Great come from behind victory by Aston Villla against Chelsea yesterday to win 2-1.
Marco Asensio with two goals and Marcus Rashford with two asssits. Both looking like £80m+ players. Thanks PSG and thank you Manure!
Villa were worth that win.
We (Chelsea) are finished as of right now. I genuinely think we will end up 10th..... For all the money we spent we only have two real star players - Palmer & Caceido, no leaders and no elite keeper.
Under the new ownership we have essentially been consistently mid table (save for the last dozen games of 23/24) and without Palmer we would have been much worse than that. There is no clear pathway back into the top 4 because our squad is so poorly put together. You would need to rebuild a rebuild.
It's been a shambles ever since Clearlake took over.
Although Jackson as a finisher is shaky, I think he's really been missed since he got injured - he's very quick and always prepared to run in behind and that opens up the pitch for the rest of the team (well Palmer I suppose).
100% spot on.
Jackson and Palmer have better chemistry than any other combination of attackers and like you say he stretches defences with his pace.
Jackson actually has a very good all round game, his finishing is very inconsistent as you say but in other respects he is very good and can play some very nice passes at times.
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lol that is kind of funny.
Bournemouth almost found a way to draw against BHA but couldnt get home, easier to replace a striker than a central defender. Zabarnyi harder to replace, could hurt us next couple of matches until he returns
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https://www.givemesport.com/everything-todd-boehly-said-at-ft-business-of-football-summit/
^ comments from Todd Boehly at the Financial Times business of football thing.
Honestly, I get that he is a businessman but as a sports fan and a purist who sees sport as primarily cultural and communal thing - I really hate how people like him talk about sport.
To them its just a commodity, a product, something with value that they can sell to make themselves ever richer. They have no appreciation of tradition or history and just turn it all into a soulless cash grab.
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Really didn’t like welbeck when he played for United back in the day but he has got better and better with age. Quality finish to send Brighton past Newcastle.
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@Billy-Tell said in EPL 2024/2025:
Really didn’t like welbeck when he played for United back in the day but he has got better and better with age. Quality finish to send Brighton past Newcastle.
I always thought Welbeck was similar to Alvaro Morato in that he had all of the attributes to be a great striker, size with pace and could be brilliant at times but lacked that certain something to be great. Pretty sure if he was in this current United team he would look terrible whereas at Brighton he always has players to combine with.
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There’s at least one Fulham fan, no?
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I’ll throw in Man City as a guess for one.
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@Billy-Tell said in EPL 2024/2025:
I’ll throw in Man City as a guess for one.
Nope - never made it down as low as the 4th tier.
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Wolves have to be one and Im gonna take a stab at Preston North End & Portsmouth.
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Wolves are certainly as they won back to back promotions in the late 80s and the league at least once in the 50s.
They must have won the 2nd division at some point.
