The 6th Place Trophy - The 2017/18 Premier League Thread

[Dolphin Ziggler]

First topic message reminder :

The fixtures have been released, players have been signed and summer is already a bit boring, so here's the Premier League 2017/18 season thread.

Opening fixtures:

Arsenal v Leicester City
Brighton & Hove Albion v Manchester City
Chelsea v Burnley
Crystal Palace v Huddersfield Town
Everton v Stoke City
Manchester United v West Ham United
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Swansea City
Watford v Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Bournemouth

[Guest]

Surprised a few, without doubt. Probably up there as the signing of the season to date. Unfortunately, he’s playing in a relatively average side, so his impact, although impressive, won’t actually amount to any real success, or progress for Liverpool. As for POTY, it’s nailed on KDB

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

So as I stated a few weeks ago, there's only one club in North London. Spurs play for fun rather than any realistic ambitions to ever win any major honours. If Harry Kane has any realistic dreams to become elite, he'll ditch Spurs and join Real Madrid. Kane and Ericsen are the two class players, the rest are mentally weak like Lloris and Alli.

As for Salah, flopped at Chelsea, but Liverpool don't have any hopes of landing silverware so without any pressure he can fill his boots.

[LionsV2]

I still see Tottenham in the top four and Arsenal outside it, strange how one game doesn't change a whole 18 months.

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

I still see Tottenham in the top four and Arsenal outside it, strange how one game doesn't change a whole 18 months.

18 months? Arsenal won a legitimate first tier trophy(FA Cup-your beloved Manchester United won two second rate trophes...) whereas Spurs came second and finished above us for the first time in many moons. Hardly worth releasing a dvd about it...

[LionsV2]

My beloved Manchester United?

One of the teams is currently in the top four and the knockout stages of the Champions League whilst the other seems to be making do with winning the FA cup, I know which team i'd rather be.

[Nathaniel Jacobs]

My beloved Manchester United?

One of the teams is currently in the top four and the knockout stages of the Champions League whilst the other seems to be making do with winning the FA cup, I know which team i'd rather be.

Arsenal have won a tier 1 trophy for 3 of the last 4 years. Whereas Spurs came second in the PL and whether they are in CL knock out stages, the one constant remains they aren't going to lifting the trophy.

[LionsV2]

You've got to be in it to win it, you stick to the FA Cup seems to be the level Arsenal aspire to be now.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Hahahahaha amazing. You beat them at home, remain a point behind them, but have supremacy?

[Duty281]

Can still get 5/2 on West Ham being relegated.

Worthy investment.

Good start, Moyesy!

[Ent]

Whilst moyes needs time there was a disturbing lack of effort on display for a managers first game.

Very easy win for Watford.

[Guest]

Arnautovic’s life threatening wrist injury was comical

[GSC]

John Percy reporting Pulis meeting the chairman and likely to be sacked today

[Guest]

Tony Pulis sacked by WBA. The best man to keep WBA up, would of been .....Tony Pulis. Owners been waiting for a reason to get rid, personally think that’s a pointless sacking. Derek McInnes heavily linked, but can only imagine they will chase Allardyce, which is basically like-for-like with Pulis. Puzzling.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Tony Pulis sacked by WBA. The best man to keep WBA up, would of been .....Tony Pulis. Owners been waiting for a reason to get rid, personally think that’s a pointless sacking. Derek McInnes heavily linked, but can only imagine they will chase Allardyce, which is basically like-for-like with Pulis. Puzzling.

They've won 2 games out of the last 21, and have three points since the end of August - how is Pulis the best man to keep them up?

[Guest]

Agree the stats don’t make good reading, made worse by including last seasons form, once they were on holiday. Just think it’s premature, given his record. They aren’t adrift, and only five points off ninth. The replacement will basically be a clone of what has been sacked.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

It's not particularly the points, it's the manner of his play. His team sets up with at least 9 players who are primarily defensive of mind. It isn't worth paying to watch

[Hero]

Personally think it's one of them where the grass ain't always greener, bring in someone who plays a bit more attractive football and enjoy getting tonked each week before several years in the Championship, then look back to the days of stability in the Premier League under Pulis.

[Guest]

I think it's been proven by plenty of managers that you can look half decent on a football field and still comfortably stay in the division.

Stoke were supposed to go down when he left there.

[Ent]

I think it's been proven by plenty of managers that you can look half decent on a football field and still comfortably stay in the division.

Stoke were supposed to go down when he left there.

Who has done so mid season?

Who said stoke would go down without him? He left in May by mutual consent and was replaced by another good manager.

He'd be getting the West Brom job in this situation if someone else was in charge....

[Guest]

Plenty of people predicted Stoke would've struggled without him.

Where did I pinpoint his time of leaving?

And Stoke fans weren't exactly dancing in the street at Hughes' appointment. Have you forgotten his time at QPR where he got everything wrong? Average manager.

[Ent]

Again who predicted stoke would go down without Pulis?

Who has changed a clubs style of play to more attractive mid season and kept them up? Going to be a short list that.

Different situation, Hughes had an entire transfer window and pre season to work with the stoke squad - whoever is taking over at wba has their work cut out.

Hughes is a good manager, had a good run with Wales, Blackburn, Fulham and Stoke.

[GSC]

Really depends on where you stand between viewing football as a business transaction or a hobby.

Is success required for you to enjoy it, or is it enough to overlook a sheer lack of entertainment. Pulis is modern football in a nutshell, staying in the money train has become a viable replacement for ambition.

[Ent]

What should the ambition be for a club of West Brom's stature.

The town has a population of about 70k (area 130k) and their transfer record is £15 million for Rondon (I believe). The top players earn that a year.

I'd say being in the premier league regularly is a fair ambition for them.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

How about actually trying to get out of your own half and not playing Gareth Barry as you most attacking midfielder when you play 5 at the back

[Guest]

Ent, there's plenty of Stoke forums out there if you're that intrigued by it.

Here's a snippet: He said: "It is not just me, it is the thoughts of 90% of Stoke fans. Security made me move on from the Britannia so I drove around.

"I parked on motorway bridges and people were beeping their support at me and taking photos.

"He is not a long-term appointment, look at his track record, but it looks as though he is going to be appointed anyway."

Again, where did I say anything about clubs changing styles and managers mid season?

I dismissed the idea that you can't be an unfashionable club and still play decent football and stay up. You're putting words into my mouth to suit your agenda.

Read a bit slower, lad.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

You pay to watch a sport. After years of living just to survive, it isn’t interesting. I’m still happy not to have Sam, and he’s nowhere near as bad as Pulis.

[GSC]

Pards for West Brom apparently

[GSC]

What should the ambition be for a club of West Brom's stature.

The town has a population of about 70k (area 130k) and their transfer record is £15 million for Rondon (I believe). The top players earn that a year.

I'd say being in the premier league regularly is a fair ambition for them.

Play some decent football, try to push for the last Europa League spot?

There are a lot of bad to mediocre PL sides

[Duty281]

Pards for West Brom apparently

And Van Gaal for Everton.

[compelling and rich]

Pards for West Brom apparently

And Van Gaal for Everton.

well their already playing god awful slow football so he would be a good fit

[Guest]

LVG is worth it just for his interviews. I'm in.

[compelling and rich]

he has a game plan and gets his team playing to that game plan. with the lack of pace everton have he's about as well suited as they can probably get out there at the minute. but its turgid to watch (everton fans will take anything if it keeps them up though)

[Born Slippy]

Everton without Niasse for a couple of games then - retrospective ban for diving.

[Guest]

Fun fact that means nothing:

3 of David Moyes 5 home managerial debuts have ended 0-0. That's all I have for ya.

[Guest]

Huddersfield 1-2 Man City

[GSC]

https://twitter.com/pasquierpeter/status/934459161181589504

Lukaku facing a 3 match ban for that Flair style low blow attempt

[GSC]

Seems pretty clear from that. Would miss Watford, Arsenal and City

[Guest]

Just the invitation Zlatan needed

[GSC]

Lukaku got away with that somehow.

[Fernando]

You seem surprised by a United player getting away with blatant offences

[GSC]

Yeah probably.

Not really sure what's to debate about that but of a panel of 3 former refs, at least one cleared him.

[Fernando]

Probably Howard Webb or Jeff Winter then

[GSC]

Sounds like Everton have hit the Allardyce panic button

[Afro]

They need to hit a button of some kind and stop sitting on their hands.

[GSC]

Allardyce wanting a 2 year deal but willing to compromise if it's attractive offer means show me the money

[Afro]

Pay over the odds for someone who can organise a defence for 6 months or carry on with the shambles we have at the moment, where international defenders stand still and watch the opposition run past them.

I know what I choose.

Allardyce wouldn't have been on my list 5 weeks ago, but watching our last two games, I'd take him now.

[GSC]

Don't think its the worst hire. Sam has more in his locker than Pulis imo which is just selling out for survival.

[Afro]

I think the fact it is being led by Sky and BBC Sport, combined with the fact the bookies have gone 1/5 looks like it is more than a possibility.

O'Neil went to 1/2 on Friday night, but the more reputable websites reported in response to the rumours/odds, rather than leading them.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

SAm will be fine to begin with. It’s when he’s got his own players in and then something goes wrong. He’s basically a massive wuss. He’s dislike Pulis in that’s he isn’t just automatically defence, but the second he feels there’s a problem he then reverts to type

[Afro]

24 hours on and Paolo Fonseca is the name being bandied about

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