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

[Ent]

First topic message reminder :

Good bit to go but like I said tremendous effort and pride in Thais second half. Doing the right things.

Be good to spoil the party. Next year we have to be the team with a season/party to spoil though.

[GSC]

Hammer blow for Swansea and West Brom. Southampton about 10 minutes away from safety if they can hold it.

[No name Bertie]

If Southampton hang on for a win, they will be effectively safe. I think Southampton would deserve it given they should have won at Everton and have been playing "reasonably well". It looks like Swansea's poor run of form is following them to their home performances in games they would be expected to win or at least not lose.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Mark Hughes will be a Premier League manager next year, the worst news possible.

[GSC]

All over.

West Brom relegated, Southampton all but guaranteed to be playing PL football next season.

Swansea have to beat Stoke and hope Hudderfield lose both their last 2 games.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Southampton are an imbalanced squad, but their expected points total this year (comparing expected goals to expected goals conceded each game) has them around mid table.

[Ent]

Mark Hughes will be a Premier League manager next ear, the worst news possible.

Never got the hate for Hughes, he is a decent premier league manager.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Mark Hughes will be a Premier League manager next ear, the worst news possible.

Never got the hate for Hughes, he is a decent premier league manager.

He’s a pretty meh manager, but he’s an aggressive pr*ck and arrogant swine too.

[No name Bertie]

So basically it is between Swansea and Huddersfield for the final relegation spot.  Huddersfield need one point from their last two games - away to Chelsea (unlikely), at home to Arsenal (possible).  While Swansea need to win at home to Stoke and will stay up on goal difference - if Huddersfield get beaten by Chelsea and Arsenal.

It's neck and neck, with Swansea marginal favourites for relegation.

Southampton are not mathematically safe - if they get beaten 0-6 by Man City and Swansea beat Stoke 4-0, then Swansea would go above Southampton on goal difference. This is very unlikely. Southampton are not only 9 goals ahead of Swansea on goal difference, they have also scored ten more goals than Swansea - so Swansea need a 10 goal shift in goal difference.

[GSC]

Swansea have to actually win a game to stay up, how are they marginal favorites.

[No name Bertie]

Swansea have to actually win a game to stay up, how are they marginal favorites.

Marginal favorites rather than strong favorites for relegation because they play Stoke at home and would be expected to win or draw the match. However Stoke have nothing to play for, so are unlikely to play with sufficient energy and intensity to prevent Swansea from winning. However, whatever - it will all be resolved by the end of the week.

[GSC]

Swansea haven't won any of their last 8 games and now play a Stoke team playing without any pressure or expectations. Don't really see how they aren't fairly strong favorites for the drop, especially when Huddersfield only have to manage to park the bus once and whatever Swansea do becomes irrelevant.

[No name Bertie]

Swansea haven't won any of their last 8 games and now play a Stoke team playing without any pressure or expectations. Don't really see how they aren't fairly strong favorites for the drop, especially when Huddersfield only have to manage to park the bus once and whatever Swansea do becomes irrelevant.

Swansea are either marginal favourites for relegation or fairly strong favourites for relegation.  So we agree that Swansea are favourites for relegation.  But it is conceivable for Huddersfield to be hammered by Chelsea (who need to win to remain in the hunt for the top four and qualification to the Champions League) and hammered by Arsenal (last ever game for Wenger - which might inspire Arsenal players to go for all out attack), and it is conceivable that Swansea win at home to Stoke.  So ultimately it can go either way - and we will know either tomorrow or Sunday.  

I tend not to bet on these things - it will be interesting to find out what the latest betting odds are for relegation:
Swansea about 1:3 on
Huddersfield about 5:2

So the average online betting odds from the various online betting companies agree with you in having Swansea as fairly strong favourites for relegation.

[Lowlandbrit]

• Darren Moore has said he enjoys coaching, determining the tactics, picking the team - but he is not so much interested in the other stuff that would come if he took up the managers position full time.

Sounds like they should think about going after some scouting type in a DoF role to me.

[GSC]

Huddersfield ahead at Chelsea, 30 minutes for Chelsea to turn it around and save Swansea

[GSC]

Theres 1, 1 more needed for it go to the last day

[GSC]

Huddersfield hold out, Swansea are relegated.

[GSC]

Spurs finish in the top 4, Liverpool will if they avoid defeat to Brighton

[No name Bertie]

So Carlos Carvalhal performed two "miracles". When he took over Swansea looked dead and buried and rooted to the bottom of the table. He first performed the "miracle" of getting them out of the relegation zone, into what looked like possible safety. But then he performed the "second miracle" of having them drop like a stone, just in time to get them relegated. Maybe I am being a little unfair. He certainly had a big impact to begin with, but then they fizzled out.

[Duty281]

Marvellous stuff Huddersfield, bloody marvellous.

Odds-on to go down and written off by the lazy and ignorant pundits.

[Guest]

And me, Duty. I gave them less than 20 points pre season.

I'll get em next year

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Yeah, how dare they predict a team with low budget to be relegated! They’re still the worst team I’ve seen this year, and I’ve seen us

[No name Bertie]

I reckon Huddersfield Town are the "Burton Albion" of the Premier League.   Punching far above their weight in terms of size of club, income and the amount they are able to spend.  I am not sure how sustainable they will be as a Premier League entity under their current circumstances.  If David Wagner goes, there stay in the Premier League might be shorter.  I can't expect David Wagner to stay there for many years - eventually he will conclude he has taken the club as far as they can go - and will leave to take up a position with a bigger club. There are probably a few clubs in the Premier League that are punching above their weight.

[Ent]

I think people predicted Huddersfield to go down because they were so workman like in the championship they managed to get promoted with a negative goal difference.

They've benefitted from (supposedly) stable premier league clubs lurching from crisis to crisis all season and fair play to them they've stayed up.

Highlights of last game at Upton Park on before tonight's game, martial with 2 goals. The second a cracker smoking Reid round eh outside, giving keeper the eyes and firing in at near post.

So disappointing what has happened to him and looks as if he is being sold (press conference mentions pogba and rashford staying).

Wouldn't mind getting Douglas Costa should he go to juventus.

[GSC]

Helps that below the top 6 the PL is as bad as it's ever been.

[Duty281]

Helps that below the top 6 the PL is as bad as it's ever been.

Getting as bad as La Liga.

[GSC]

All the money is just leading to a lot of mediocrity. That and the same group of 5 or so managers cycling around clubs

[Guest]

Newcastle 3-0 Chelsea

Lovely stuff

[gazzyD]

Good God the cup final next Saturday is gonna be the worst in a good long while

Chelsea are just meh and we're the dullest side in the history of football

[dummy_half]

I think people predicted Huddersfield to go down because they were so workman like in the championship they managed to get promoted with a negative goal difference.

They've benefitted from (supposedly) stable premier league clubs lurching from crisis to crisis all season and fair play to them they've stayed up.

...

They've also managed to nick points in games that they were expected to lose (Man U, Chelsea), and those 'extra' points have been the difference between being on the periphery of the relegation fight and right in the mire. I kind of agree with Bertie that there are still serious questions over their quality, but if they can hold on to Wagner and build some strength in depth on the basis of being now an 'established' EPL site, they should try to follow Burnley's model for development.

Oh, and yes it is probably fair to say that below the top 6 or so the PL is pretty weak this season. I think Man City's record in part demonstrates this (also that they are a very good side). 100 points in a 38 game season and over 100 goals, +79 goal difference is the sort of record that usually only happens in the one team leagues (Celtic in Scotland, Bayern in Germany)

[Duty281]

Wagner is a superb manager. Won't be too long before a bigger club acquires his services.

[Guest]

Big Sam leaving Everton

Marco Silva the obvious replacement

[GSC]

Kinda wonder whether it was worth Watford putting up such a fight. In hindsight, killed both clubs seasons.

[GSC]

Might just be me but Arsenal going for Arteta seems a ludicrous appointment.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Might just be me but Arsenal going for Arteta seems a ludicrous appointment.

Seems very much like someone who won't come in and rock the boat (ie. ask for a big budget for transfers, change the style of play massively etc)

Huge huge risk obviously with the lack of experience, but Kroenke has shown in the NFL he's not afraid to appoint a young coach if he believes in them

[GSC]

Kroenke is really only interested in his bottom line from his NFL dealings. And even then he appointed a coach that very much did challenge the status quo

This just strikes me as the cheap option with someone like Allegri demanding a massive investment to overhaul the squad.

[GSC]

Everton have passed on Emery apparently

[Marky]

Arteta is Arsenal's Moyes anyway. The manager after Arteta will be the big name.

[GSC]

Watford about to sue Everton over Silva.

Steve Walsh also getting the boot.

[GSC]

Big Sam pocketing another 6m for his 2 year deal having a year to run.

Expensive saga for Everton

[Guest]

David Moyes has left West Ham

[GSC]

Expect a summer of links to Ancelotti, LVG, Emery etc before they settle for Lee Johnson

[No name Bertie]

When David Moyes came out and said that he had been offered good jobs and turned them down while he was managing West Ham, I thought to myself what an odd thing to say - and wondered whether his employers would take a dim view of that comment.   I guess at that point David Moyes might have already known he was on the way out.  From the BBC: "Moyes' assistants Alan Irvine, Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinlay have also left with immediate effect."  At least with Stuart Pearce I thought Moyes had a good team.


David Sullivan: "We feel that it is right to move in a different direction. We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters within the next 10 days."

This suggests that they already have an agreement with someone else.

[Guest]

I'm sure Pearce will find work elsewhere. A "passionate cheerleader" type is always in demand somewhere in this country. Plus he's a psycho

Sullivan with his usual crap, there.

I think the last few months have worked wonders for Moyes' stock after his debacle at Sunderland. He'll probably bag another PL gig on the back of "saving" West Ham from the drop.

[No name Bertie]

I thought Moyes did well at Everton and West Ham. With Man United that was always going to be difficult following Ferguson, who left him with an aging team, although a Premier League winning team. I think he made some big mistakes right at the beginning of his Man United appointment and he did give the impression of someone overawed by it all. He didn't do well at Real Sociedad - although I don't know the full circumstances. Sunderland in hindsight looked like a very difficult job, but he probably made things worse by his apparent negative and gloomy attitude.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

He’s done a fine job but also not enough for me to really want more of him.

[GSC]

Expect a summer of links to Ancelotti, LVG, Emery etc before they settle for Lee Johnson

+ Benitez

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Jokanovic if Bruce does them at Wembley. 

Frak knows if not, probably Ranieri hahaha.

Emery and Fonseca weren’t popular cos their English isn’t perfect. So, we’re in that zone

[GSC]

Jokanovic would be a fun one, priced himself out of the Watford job after he won promotion last time.

[Duty281]

Benitez still 7/1 with 888Sport to be next West Ham manager, even though he has been cut to 6/4 or 5/2 with most of the other bookmakers.

[Guest]

Benitez isn’t leaving. WHU is a backwards step, has equally questionable ownership, and managing in a stadium with such a shocking atmosphere, is hardly appealing. £6m release clause to get Benitez too.

[Sponsored content]