EPL 2023/2024
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Luton town losing badly at home to Sheffield United was a killer blow. They really gave it a shot though but their defence was wot killed them.
Palace finished the season on a roar.
As much as I didn’t want city to win foden has been an absolute delight to watch play.
Signings off season will be interesting. Tottenham could do with one or two.
First season ever I got into PL but with 10 matches a week and only costing me CHF20 / month it was a steal. Came at I time when I’m quite disillusioned with rugby especially the ridiculous attempt to use red cards to wipe out accidental head contact in a contact sport. Needs rule changes not cards IRB!
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@MajorRage great stuff!
Surprised at people not expecting much from Villa this year. I thought we'd finish 5th before a ball was kicked, but yeah, no one seemed to have too much faith in us doing well.
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Man City winning 4 PLs in a row is a bit like Lance Armstrong winning 7 Tours de France in a row and Ben Johnson winning the 1988 Olympics in 9.79. It's spectacular achievement if you overlook the cheating.
It's only a matter of time until the last two Premier League titles are awarded to Arsenal and Man City get booted down to League 2.
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@sparky said in EPL 2023/2024:
Man City winning 4 PLs in a row is a bit like Lance Armstrong winning 7 Tours de France in a row and Ben Johnson winning the 1988 Olympics in 9.79. It's spectacular achievement if you overlook the cheating.
It's only a matter of time until the last two Premier League titles are awarded to Arsenal and Man City get booted down to League 2.
It’s a bit yawn tbh and smacks of jealousy. They are well coached and have great players. There are plenty of other teams with big money investments who under achieve. Chelsea and Man U anyone?
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@sparky said in EPL 2023/2024:
Man City winning 4 PLs in a row is a bit like Lance Armstrong winning 7 Tours de France in a row and Ben Johnson winning the 1988 Olympics in 9.79. It's spectacular achievement if you overlook the cheating.
It's only a matter of time until the last two Premier League titles are awarded to Arsenal and Man City get booted down to League 2.
I can't see their lawyers letting that happen for charges that are already 6 seasons old
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Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
No way that was a choke, Arsenal had a great season and just didn't quite get enough points for the title, no disgrace in that. In Arteta's 4 full seasons, their points totals have been
61 (8th)
69 (5th)
84 (2nd)
89 (2nd)For a young manager in his first role with a team that he has built himself, that is very impressive. The next step is to strengthen in key areas an improve the depth so that he can make sure his gun players get enough rest. In those 4 seasons, Saka has only missed 9 league games while also playing a World Cup and I think you can see at times that he loses his spark.
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@KiwiPie said in EPL 2023/2024:
Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
No way that was a choke, Arsenal had a great season and just didn't quite get enough points for the title, no disgrace in that. In Arteta's 4 full seasons, their points totals have been
61 (8th)
69 (5th)
84 (2nd)
89 (2nd)For a young manager in his first role with a team that he has built himself, that is very impressive. The next step is to strengthen in key areas an improve the depth so that he can make sure his gun players get enough rest. In those 4 seasons, Saka has only missed 9 league games while also playing a World Cup and I think you can see at times that he loses his spark.
If they can get Isak from Newcastle and jettison Jesus that would be a good start.
One more game to watch this season: Leeds vs Southampton for promotion.
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@Billy-Tell said in EPL 2023/2024:
If they can get Isak from Newcastle and jettison Jesus that would be a good start.
Jesus should be used more on the right to rest Saka.
Newcastle are interested in Ramsdale, and Arsenal have been linked to Guimarães.
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@Billy-Tell Maybe you haven't been following the case closely? There are 112 charges still pending agains Manchester City. Each one serious enough to lead to a points reduction.
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@Billy-Tell Man City literally has a state lobbying British diplomats on its behalf.
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@antipodean said in EPL 2023/2024:
ery few teams have lost while leading at Xmas. In fact if memory serves me correctly, that sad claim to fame is Liverpool's.
Mate it happened this year - and last year
It happens almost exactly half the time
.
How often do Christmas leaders go on to win the title?
We look at the good news and bad news for Arsenal after they secured the Christmas No 1 spot
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Great stuff.
I think you can argue that most sides had a good season
City: 4 in a row but will be gutted out of CL. Best team in world.
Arsenal: Improved. No disgrace to lose to City
Liverpool: Improved in a transition year. Promised more but didn't quite deliver.
Villa: Agree Emery best Manager this season. Really shows up Gerrard.
Spurs: Given Kane gone an excellent season. Ange needs to be more pragmatic. Can see it unravelling next year. The irascible Aussie thing is wearing a bit thin.
Chelsea: Struggled for most of season but came right in New Year. Watch Boely fuck it all up over summer
Newcastle: Must hate that FFP stops them doing what City and Chelsea did Given injury run not awful. Fans enjoyed CL footy
Man Utd: Total utter shite.
West Ham: Agree with what you said. Worst fans in division. Such a sense of entitlement
Palace: Two seasons in a row a new Manager comes in and they start playing great footy. Is it the Manager or the fact that their stars are suddenly available. Nevertheless great result and exciting times ahead if they can keep squad together
Brighton: A poorish season De Zerbi seems to have spent most of it touting for another job. Will bounce back. Well run club that don't fuck about.
Bournemouth: Great season
Fulham: So inconsistent but a good year considering they were written off after Mitro left. Worry for them for next season though. Squad already needs strengthening and likely to lose 3-4. IN MARCO WE TRUST
Wolves: Had them down for relegation pre season with no manager and no money so a good result
Everton: Still in a tough spot Really need a new owner but (fortunately) not going to be 777. Solid result given everything that went on in behind
Brentford: Toney is a monumental cock. Frank seems tired. Could be a tough year next season. Disappointing.
Notts Forest: Survival was the priority and they managed it despite points deduction. Very lucky bottom 3 were so bad. Relegation fodder?
Luton Town: The only promoted club who can hold their heads high. Well run. Well managed. Always anticipated they would only be here for a short time but made sure it was a good time. Will pay for new stadium and hopefully bounce back up
Burnley: Bad Kompany.
Sheffield United: Bringing in Wilder was never going to work. Showed their hand last summer. Were never going to survive. Ambition seemed limited to not being as bad as Derby. -
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2023/2024:
Arsenal: Decent enough choke again, the loss vs Villa the difference between 1st and 2nd
No way that was a choke, Arsenal had a great season and just didn't quite get enough points for the title, no disgrace in that. In Arteta's 4 full seasons, their points totals have been
61 (8th)
69 (5th)
84 (2nd)
89 (2nd)For a young manager in his first role with a team that he has built himself, that is very impressive. The next step is to strengthen in key areas an improve the depth so that he can make sure his gun players get enough rest. In those 4 seasons, Saka has only missed 9 league games while also playing a World Cup and I think you can see at times that he loses his spark.
Especially when you consider that City also lost to Villa. Losing to Forest early in the season probably the biggest mark against them.
Arteta is really looking like something special at the moment. Even able to make Kai Havertz look like a success. Been a lot of spending though - do they have another big summer spend in them or are they tapped out and just going to tinker at the edges and make some small adjustments?
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i struggle to give even a solitary little fuck about Man City's alleged over-spending when you consider:
Manchester United have annual revenues of $824 million, have spent $445 million on transfers in the last 2 seasons, and have an annual wage bill of $180 million.
To come 8th, 31 points behind city.This sport, especially in England, is absolutely awash in money. Having a bit more than your competitors isn't the cheat code some seem to think.
Can Burnley hope to compete with City? No. Can every other team at the top of the tree in England? Yes. -
Define top of tree?
The likes of City have enjoyed the beneficence of billionaire owners but now are doing everything in their power to prevent others e.g. Newcastle from doing the same.
There are two power plays in progress.
United, Liverpool, City, Spurs, Arsenal Chelsea don't want anyone else gatecrashing their little party.
The rest of the EPL think similarly about the Championship and wider pyramid.
Half the EPL clubs are owned by yanks who think the whole notion of promotion / relegation is the devil's work.
I'm not particularly agitated by City's transgressions. I especially don't think it has anything much to do with Peps era. It is interesting though jhow quickly smaller clubs get penalised compared to the years City's drama has / will drag on.
I just don't like one side dominating a competition - be that United or City the Crusaders or the Blues, Tiger Woods or Verstappen.
The delight in sport is its unpredictability. Take that away and it gets boring. It's a big part of the joy of supporting Fulham. You never know WTF you're going to get.
How long would my moral superiority last if Shahid Khan was able to spend some of his billions to elevate us into the CL? It'd evaporate in a nano-second, but it's never going to happen because it's a closed shop.
