2015/16 Premier League & General Football Discussion

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Inter lose to Fiorentina 4-1. :lol:

Dortmund draw 2-2 against Darmstadt. Aubameyang is the first player in Bundesliga history to score in the first 7 games of a season.
 
Liquid
MANAGER WATCH

9th May - Lee Clark (Blackpool, resigned) League One
12th May - Paul Cook (Chesterfield, moves to Portsmouth) League One
24th May - Sam Allerdyce (West Ham United, contract expiration) Premier League
25th May - Steve McClaren (Derby County, sacked) Championship
25th May - Nigel Clough (Sheffield United, sacked) League One
28th May - John Sheridan (Plymouth Argyle, sacked) League Two

5th June - Slaviša Jokanović (Watford, contract expiration) Premier League
11th June - Stuart Gray (Sheffield Wednesday, sacked) Championship
30th June - Nigel Pearson (Leicester City, sacked) Premier League

6th September - Dave Robertson (Peterborough United, sacked) League One
8th September - Paul Dickov (Doncaster Rovers, sacked) League One
12th September - Darren Kelly (Oldham Athletic, sacked) League One
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The 'statistics' experiment at Brentford hasn't worked out so far. Marinus Dijkhuizen becomes the first new manager of the season (appointed June 1st) to leave after opening the season DWLLDLWL. Lee Carsley is promoted to that most awful, most American of positions; "Head Coach"

Time to invoke 'the grass isn't always greener'. I really believe Brentford could have been in the Premier League this season had they not ballsed things up with Mark Warburton before last season was out while they were in the hunt for promotion. And look at them now, hovering above the Championship drop zone with just 8 points from 24.

28th September - Marinus Dijkhuizen (Brentford, sacked) Championship
 
I don't think Brentford had a strong enough squad to be promoted ahead of teams like Boro, Derby and Hull. It doesn't help that they lost Andre Gray.
 
Peasantslayer
I don't think Brentford have a strong enough squad to be promoted ahead of teams like Boro, Derby and Hull. It doesn't help that they lost Andre Gray.
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Not this season, no, but when it was announced mid-to-late last season (February) that Mark Warburton would be leaving at the end of that season, Brentford were in the play-off places and doing very, very well for a promoted side. It was only after the players knew Warburton was leaving that the form tapered off; 26pts from a possible 51pts. They dropped from 4th to 7th for the rest of the season and only snuck back into the play-offs on goal difference on the final day of the season.

They could have performed so much better. Although in fairness Middlesbrough were superb last season and totally deserved to beat them in the semis.
 
I imagine they would have made the play-offs again had he stayed, they battered some teams under Warburton. I seem to recall them having 40 odd shots in one game and they'd always have a high possession stat.
 
Jack Grealish has announced he will play for England. Gutted, but good luck to him, wouldn't want someone playing for the wrong national team.
 
Liquid
MANAGER WATCH

9th May - Lee Clark (Blackpool, resigned) League One
12th May - Paul Cook (Chesterfield, moves to Portsmouth) League One
24th May - Sam Allerdyce (West Ham United, contract expiration) Premier League
25th May - Steve McClaren (Derby County, sacked) Championship
25th May - Nigel Clough (Sheffield United, sacked) League One
28th May - John Sheridan (Plymouth Argyle, sacked) League Two

5th June - Slaviša Jokanović (Watford, contract expiration) Premier League
11th June - Stuart Gray (Sheffield Wednesday, sacked) Championship
30th June - Nigel Pearson (Leicester City, sacked) Premier League

6th September - Dave Robertson (Peterborough United, sacked) League One
8th September - Paul Dickov (Doncaster Rovers, sacked) League One
12th September - Darren Kelly (Oldham Athletic, sacked) League One
28th September - Marinus Dijkhuizen (Brentford, sacked) Championship
Click to expand...

September has been a busy month! One more this afternoon. Never been a fan of him. Crook.

28th September - Steve Evans (Rotherham United, resigned) Championship
 
A United fan sadly died whilst on his way to Old Trafford to watch the game on Saturday after being knocked over by a car, thoughts with his family....

Three league leadesr going into the weekends games lost 4-1, City lost 4-1 to Spurs, Barcelona lost 4-1 to Celta and Inter Milan lost 4-1 to Fiorentina...

Wolves has been put by for sale..
 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYAhcAqPwO4
This clip sums up why I'm optimistic about Spurs. The transformation so far has been insane, the right players are there and there is some serious attacking talent. I believe that Spurs will have to prioritise either Europa or the League to achieve anything this year due to lack of another Dier but right now, with an expensive stadium on its way, Spurs are pretty much perfect for what they can achieve.

Also, Dier should really be in the next England game, he deserves it.
 
@Luke Any thoughts on Jack Grealish choosing England over Ireland? Some comments on social media have been interesting.
 
Luke
Jack Grealish has announced he will play for England. Gutted, but good luck to him, wouldn't want someone playing for the wrong national team.
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This pretty much. It's upsetting to know he chose England when he could have been the poster boy of a generation of talent, but I wouldn't want him to be unhappy playing for us. If he identifies as English, let him be English.

Social Media comments have been predictable to be honest.
 
Fair enough. I don't know if frustrating is the right word but it's difficult to read people's comments saying "He has Irish heritage therefore he must play for us!" or "Well I am from England but my parents are Irish and I'd only ever play for Ireland!"

Christ. Come on, not every one sees these things the same way. If he's from England and his parents are English, it's almost certain that he'd choose England as his national team. Ryan Shawcross and Michael Owen both could have played for Wales (born in England but grew up, and in Owen's case still lives in, Wales) but the fact is, they didn't.

Ireland has been blessed in the past with being able to poach 'lesser' English talent but for once it's gone the other way. Just have to shrug your shoulders and get on with things. But with all the reminders I get from my friends about how there are loads of Irish people in the United States, why doesn't the FAI investigate pilfering from the MLS? It's a better league than people think it is and the US produces good players. Some of those must be eligible for Ireland.
 
Maybe, but I'd prefer if they invested in grassroots more. Rugby has a clear path from school to national team. Football's path involved going from school to an English club's academy. Because of this, there isn't much interest in the Irish premier league, because it's playing at about a League 2 standard.

If there was a framework which made it easy for clubs to scout schools and add players into their under 21 teams instead of losing them to English clubs their would be a lot more interest in the league instead of watching some unfit 34 year olds trundle about the pitch season after season.

This would increase interest in football in Ireland and increase the national team quality.

Basically, Irish football is a mess.
 
Welsh club football has the same problem. The best four Welsh teams (historically Wrexham, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, these days alongside Colwyn Bay and Merthyr) are even in the English system. Any good youth player signed to a Welsh team gets snapped up well before they're 16;

Michael Owen was on Mold Alexandra's books. Liverpool snapped him up.
Ryan Shawcross was on Buckley Town's books. Manchester United snapped him up.
Gary Speed was on Aston Park Rangers' books. Leeds United snapped him up.
Gareth Bale was on Cardiff CS's books. Southampton snapped him up.

Of course, that's part and parcel of the modern game but as you say, it's very difficult for these leagues to become competitive if their best players, or their best potential players, are taken away from them by clubs with budgets thousandfold better. How do you compete with such money right next door, or just over the water?

Although begrudgingly, I'd say the Irish Prem is better than the Welsh Prem all things considered. We only have one professional team and eleven semi-professional teams.
 
It doesn't make much sense for there to be a professional Welsh league when the biggest clubs in Wales play in English leagues.
 
Peasantslayer
It doesn't make much sense for there to be a professional Welsh league when the biggest clubs in Wales play in English leagues.
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Why doesn't it?

Whether the most reputable Welsh clubs play in the English system for historical reasons* or not is irrelevant to the fact that there are different and distinct league systems in England and Wales today. I'd love to see the Welsh league propser. I'd love for more money to be pumped into it, for it to retain its best youth players. I love Welsh football and want to see its grassroots maintained and improved. If more clubs turned professional and did better in Europe, that would be fantastic.

TNS are the only fully professional team in the Welsh Premier League. Why don't they just join the English leagues, considering they are actually an English team, from Oswestry in Shropshire? Well, they're on the gravy train of course. TNS fans like to brag that they are better than Wrexham but they'd never leave for the English leagues because they'd get spanked and have to start at the bottom. It would be foolish of them to give up on 8 titles in 11 years and 3 cups in the last 4 years.

But why is the Welsh League so guff in the first place? Well for a start, I am older than it. It wasn't founded until 1992. Quite simply, there's a lot of catching up to do.

*And in Wrexham's case being founded 24 years before football leagues were invented and 128 years before the Welsh League
 
Liquid
Of course, that's part and parcel of the modern game but as you say, it's very difficult for these leagues to become competitive if their best players, or their best potential players, are taken away from them by clubs with budgets thousandfold better. How do you compete with such money right next door, or just over the water
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And with the new deals for the Premier league it's only going to get worse. Every player who is somewhat of a talent will be snapped up, and now the lower rated teams have also more to spend.

Our league is one of those who suffers terribly because of this. But you know which squad will suffer even more? England. They will have a hard time finding suitable players in the top leagues.
 
Callum Wilson out for six months a cruciate ligament injury, gutted for him and he will be a massive miss for Bournemouth for whom he scored five of their nine league goals.
 
MUSC4EVER
Callum Wilson out for six months a cruciate ligament injury, gutted for him and he will be a massive miss for Bournemouth for whom he scored five of their nine league goals.
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Why things like this always happen with the smaller clubs?
 
Liquid
September has been a busy month
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Liquid
MANAGER WATCH

9th May - Lee Clark (Blackpool, resigned) League One
12th May - Paul Cook (Chesterfield, moves to Portsmouth) League One
24th May - Sam Allerdyce (West Ham United, contract expiration) Premier League
25th May - Steve McClaren (Derby County, sacked) Championship
25th May - Nigel Clough (Sheffield United, sacked) League One
28th May - John Sheridan (Plymouth Argyle, sacked) League Two

5th June - Slaviša Jokanović (Watford, contract expiration) Premier League
11th June - Stuart Gray (Sheffield Wednesday, sacked) Championship
30th June - Nigel Pearson (Leicester City, sacked) Premier League

6th September - Dave Robertson (Peterborough United, sacked) League One
8th September - Paul Dickov (Doncaster Rovers, sacked) League One
12th September - Darren Kelly (Oldham Athletic, sacked) League One
28th September - Marinus Dijkhuizen (Brentford, sacked) Championship
28th September - Steve Evans (Rotherham United, resigned) Championship
Click to expand...

30th September - Graham Alexander (Fleetwood Town, sacked) League One

Graham Alexander. One of few men in the 1,000 Club (837 in the league). But his first managerial job is over after 2 years and 10 months. Took Fleetwood out of League Two and into League One. Kept them up, comfortably, last season but a poor start to this season has seen him depart Highbury.

Six departures in September. Some teams are pulling their trigger fingers early, which might be the smart move. It gives the replacement time to assess the squad before the January window. A manager appointed in December has less time to know what needs to be done.
 
Newport County's manager Terry Butcher has also "left"...
 
Famine
Newport County's manager Terry Butcher has also "left"...
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Well spotted. I was too busy this evening watching the rugby and drinking. He was my pick for first sacking of the season but he's the seventh since the action kicked off in August and the sixteenth since the end of last season.

Added to the OP.

Interesting to note that Newport are in freefall after their moneybags Euromillions sugar daddy pulled the plug. The fans trust is a few thousand short of a deal to take over the team but their wage bill is far in excess of what they bring in. Sounds like the Newport County of old...
 
Games this weekend..

Saturday
Aston Villa v Stoke
Bournemouth v Watford
Chelsea v Southampton (5.30 Sky)
Crystal Palace v West Brom (12.45 BT)
Man City v Newcastle
Norwich v Leicester
Sunderland v West Ham

Sunday
Arsenal v Man United (4.00 Sky)
Everton v Liverpool (1.30 Sky)
Swansea v Tottenham

Sunday is where its at, not just those two big games but in Europe too with Atletico v Real Madrid (live on Sky, 7.25pm) Bayern Munich v Dortmund, AC Milan v Napoli and PSG v Marseille, there is an International break after this weekend..
 
Eva Carniero statement.

CQUNcV5WwAAlQY-.jpg
 
Liquid
Well spotted. I was too busy this evening watching the rugby and drinking. He was my pick for first sacking of the season but he's the seventh since the action kicked off in August and the sixteenth since the end of last season.

Added to the OP.

Interesting to note that Newport are in freefall after their moneybags Euromillions sugar daddy pulled the plug. The fans trust is a few thousand short of a deal to take over the team but their wage bill is far in excess of what they bring in. Sounds like the Newport County of old...
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Replaced by... John Sheridan!
 
Famine
Replaced by... John Sheridan!
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He did good jobs at Chesterfield and Plymouth. This one is a big ask though. You never know, he might be your manager one day but if Newport slip further down the totem pole it'd be difficult for Sheridan to climb back up as well.
 
Arsene Wenger threatened to walk out of his press conference this morning after he was rattled by some of the questions, the same journo asked him about Ospina and whether he should've strengthened in the Summer then Wenger just said if you keep aking these sort of questions then we have to stop this press conference..
 
MUSC4EVER
Arsene Wenger threatened to walk out of his press conference this morning after he was rattled by some of the questions, the same journo asked him about Ospina and whether he should've strengthened in the Summer then Wenger just said if you keep aking these sort of questions then we have to stop this press conference..
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It is literally the first thing on a journalists agenda when talking to Wenger is transfers. But he definitely needs to make the most out of January.
 
Right Sky Sports News have been showing it all day and I've just seen it again, there were a few questions which riled him and you could see him getting a bit angry, he was asked about Ospina after his dismal performance in midweek and he said he has got two World Class keepers (seriously :odd:) and he has no problem picking either one he was then asked if he was accountable and whether Mourinho was right when he said that Wenger is never under any pressure (Jose said that in his conference last week) and then Wenger said 'right, stop that story or we stop this press conference', he then lambasted the press for having no creativity..
 
A win for Rovers over Ipswich via a Jordan Rhodes double helps us a lot.

Oh and :lol: (not my screenshot)

12074523_10156154682080650_6003662354053910062_n.jpg
 
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