The imaginatively titled Premier League 21/22 Thread

[weasel]

So Aston Villa sell their best player then sack the manager for performing worse with a worse team. This is football 2021

They pre spent that money though. AV did spend big in the summer, that squad is arguably stronger than last yr. 5 defeats on the spin….

As for Pool, dear god. WH are a big physical side, not in a fat Sam way, but they arent a 'hanky ball playing bunch of barca-esque midgets. So, ehhh Pool spend 90 mins hitting aimless crossed into the WH box. Cos Salah, Mane and Jota are obviously gonna out jump those WH CB's!?
Alison at fault for the first, piss poor keeping. His effort for the second was Poor, but WH came straight through the middle of Pool, what the Midfield and Matip where doing I dunno. Third one Mane just lets Zouma run. Three WH corners, 2 goals and one that smacked the bar. You would think Pool would have studied videos of WH pre game and worked out they liked set pieces so maybe…..marking them would be an idea!?

Take nothing away from WH, they did a job on Pool, and I don't mean that in a bad way. They are well drilled they know their jobs and they play well as a team. It's not pretty, but it isn't Fat Sam brutal GBH either. It IS effective. Fair ****s.

 

[weasel]

Where's @weasel when you need him?

Still swearing at Pool. They handed that game to WH. Missed 2 sitters and Alison handed you two goals, you won't win many games doing that. Especially against half decent sides. And WH are more than half decent.

 

[edd_jedi]

The same sensationalist nonsense in the news today:

The Spurs boss says he has "different reasons to be happy" following a solid display, despite Tottenham failing to register an effort on target for the second successive Premier League game.

Errrr, did you watch the game? Spurs had plenty of decent attempts, how a shot which hits the post is not counted is beyond me. Yesterday's performance was a world away from Nuno's games where we literally had no attempts on goal or barely even got the ball in the other half.

 

[weasel]

They take it literally, "shot on traget" in the area between the posts and under the bar. So hitting the woodwork, is off target, albeit bloody close.

 

[lejackal]

Naturally I'm delighted with our progress in the league but we still don't score enough to challenge for top 4 IMO. I can't say as I'm particularly looking forward to pool after the interlull either, but I'm less worried than I would have been at the start or September. Cue a 7-2 thrashing

 

[edd_jedi]

Yes the run up to Christmas will be interesting for Arsenal, obviously their unbeaten run sounds incredible but the only team they've beaten in the top half of the table is an out of form Spurs, the other wins have been against 15th-20th placed teams and they drew their two 'below mid table' games against Palace and Leicester.

Spurs have a similar run of 'should win' games coming up thankfully, and I still maintain that the only two bad results (not performances) we've had this season are Palace (10 men) and Arsenal (away.) Sadly we can't say losing to West Ham is a disgrace on their current form!

 

[edd_jedi]

They take it literally, "shot on traget" in the area between the posts and under the bar. So hitting the woodwork, is off target, albeit bloody close.

Yes of course, but it makes no sense, one of Everton's "shots on target" was a leisurely pass straight to Lloris. Yet apparently Spurs are in an attacking crisis Harry never scores in the first three months of the season anyway so it's business as usual!

 

[weasel]

Yes of course, but it makes no sense....

I agree. it is a bit daft. It like people who say "we had 10 shots on target, they only had 2, we should won 3/4/-0" and ignore the fact all their shots where from 40 yards and a 6 year old could have saved them. While the other team had two glorious open goal chances.


As for nice runs, I think Pool have one coming up too, after Arsenal ;-)
They have played, City, Chelsea, Utd, WH, Brighton, Leeds, Brentford (pre their bubble pop), Palace and Burnley. Granted the last 4 are games a CL standard side would hope/expect to win, and they have also had Norwich and Watford, but that's not an easy start to the season. Nice of Spurs, Newcastle and Villa to all sack their managers just before Pool turn up. Lol

On the other side of that coin, I think WH have had a quite a nice run of games, as have Utd, pre the Pool beating. It'll be interesting to see how all those sides get on.

 

[edd_jedi]

Eddie Howe confirmed Newcastle manager. I liked him at Bournemouth, but I don't know if he'll be able to attract the big players they apparently want. He also didn't do great in his last relegation battle.

 

[lejackal]

Eddie Howe confirmed Newcastle manager. I liked him at Bournemouth, but I don't know if he'll be able to attract the big players they apparently want. He also didn't do great in his last relegation battle.

It doesn't particularly scream ambition if I'm honest. You'd think they might have at least sounded out Zidane or Villa-boas(spelling)
The Geordies will love him though (compared to Bruce)

 

[Robstyley]

COYI!!! Watched it in the boozer with some young whippersnapper colleagues, one of whom is a Pool fan. Brilliant game. It was glorious, flying the Hammers. That free kick tho…! Got a sore head today, overdid the neck oil

 

[weasel]

Aye, not sure on Eddie Howe. He did well at Bournemouth but they did implode at the end. Newcastle will probably need a few managers to get them to the level they want to be at, and he is a decent enough 'stepping stone' manager, but I dunno if he is what they need ATM cos they are in a relegation battle and his record at that is poor.

 

[edd_jedi]

Gerard to Villa seems like a strange appointment too. No offence but the Scottish league is nowhere near the level of the PL, it's a two horse race and Celtic have been in crisis for a couple of years. Winning a few things in Scotland doesn't set you up to be a PL manager (eh Brendan!?)

 

[weasel]

Gerrard to villa confirmed.

Strange strange move, for both parties.

 

[edd_jedi]

I think Lampard to Norwich is an equally bad idea. This is a guy who was mid table with virtually the same squad that are currently top with an experienced manager. I'm all for ex players becoming managers, but they need to work their way up, not just go straight into the PL based on their playing career.

 

[theforceuk]

I'm jealous of all these clubs, they still have a better coach than Man Utd. I feel like I'm at a rave party in the 90's, I would take anything. lol

 

[weasel]

I think Lampard to Norwich is an equally bad idea. This is a guy who was mid table with virtually the same squad that are currently top with an experienced manager. I'm all for ex players becoming managers, but they need to work their way up, not just go straight into the PL based on their playing career.

Yup. And Frank's 1 year at Derby isn't close to being enough.

 

[weasel]

I'm jealous of all these clubs, they still have a better coach than Man Utd. I feel like I'm at a rave party in the 90's, I would take anything. lol

Steve Bruce is available

 

[theforceuk]

Joking aside I actually think Brendan Rodgers is a good option at the moment. Ok he's not my first choice, but I do think he could be a good fit at Utd. He gives youth a chance and develops them once they get in the team. He plays attacking football and he's good in the transfer market. I know some would say he bottles it, but I would argue he's pretty much over achieved at Leicester. They haven't made the top 4 because they don't have the depth of squad of any of the other contenders and that's why they run out of steam at the end of the season. He was a Gerrard slip away from winning the title at Liverpool and he's won the FA Cup with Leicester, not bad at all.

See how much the Glaziers have lowered the standards, even I'm settling for second best, shocking.

 

[weasel]

He's not a BAD manager, but **** me he is not great. He is a confidence merchant. Once the team rumble all he does is blow smoke up your ass and hope, he is done.

His time at Leicester is glass half full, they shouldn't be near the top 4 so coming 5th is "good", or glass half empty, they had a CL place all but sown up TWICE and ****ed it away TWICE. I have to say I am in the second category.

Regardless, is he really the calibre of manager the (self styled) "biggest club in the world" should be looking at!? A man with no major honours outside Scotland and who was sacked by their biggest rivals?

Utd could do worse, they could keep Ole for a start, but they could do a lot lot better.