2023/2024 English Premier League Thread

[Winsor_Pilates]

Best season in 20 years; really can't complain about anything Arsenal did.
City with their 115 advantages are just too inevitable.

Maybe this investigation will actually happen this summer and we'll get 2 titles with * beside them. Liverpool should get a couple too.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Also wanna add that pitch invasions remain cringe, you did nothing to contribute, stay in your seats.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Also wanna add that pitch invasions remain cringe, you did nothing to contribute, stay in your seats.

Should be a lifetime ban from the stadium for any pitch invader.

It's only a matter of time before someone with bad intentions sneaks in with them or a fan attacks a player from the other team. Something very bad will happen in one of these sooner or later.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Lifetime bans for sure, also maybe punish the clubs with a few matches without spectators (insert Man City have no fans joke here) so it hurts the wallet too.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by devo22

either way, congrats to Arsenal on a great season. Just falling short against this fraudulent abomination of a football club is nothing to be ashamed of.

Liverpool have been hot on their heels, fairly, for the better part of a decade.

[Locke]

Goodbye Jurgen. You were one of the best.

[Barnet Flame]

I liked the way Klopp teams played. I also had a lot of time for his passion for the game and after the game. Yes, some of it was misplaced, but these guys aren’t robots, their fierce competitions with microphones rammed in their faces when they feel at their lowest, highest, angriest ant jubilant.

You knew you’d always get entertainment from his teams and the man himself.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Barnet Flame

I liked the way Klopp teams played. I also had a lot of time for his passion for the game and after the game. Yes, some of it was misplaced, but these guys aren’t robots, their fierce competitions with microphones rammed in their faces when they feel at their lowest, highest, angriest ant jubilant.

You knew you’d always get entertainment from his teams and the man himself.

Exactly this. He cared.

He poured his soul into it. And yeah, thats not going to cover you in Glory every time and when you're emotional about things you might look like a fool on occasion.

But at the end of the day he fought constantly against stacked odds and occasionally won.

[Locke]

And now Arsenal fans can feel the unadulterated joy of losing the League to a group of pathetic cheaters by a couple of points.

Whatever. No matter what else, I think Arsenal fans should hold their heads up high and be intensely proud of their team for the fight they put up.

Two teams in Arsenal and Liverpool fought City and they did it as real Clubs and not Petro-State-backed shells.

Liverpool faltered this time, but Arsenal took them to the brink and there is honour in that.

[MegaErtz]

Originally Posted by MegaErtz

Prediction time. Here's what I put in last season's thread:

Winner: Manchester City (comfortably)

Top four: Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs

Golden Boot: Haaland

Relegated: Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Bournemouth

Surprise of the season: Newcastle challenge for top four

I was right about the winner, Golden Boot winner, and Newcastle "challenging" for the top four. Managed to pick three teams in my top four that finished 5th, 8th, and 12th (!). Additionally, all three of my relegation picks stayed up!

For this season:

Winner: Manchester City. They're head and shoulders above everyone else.

Golden Boot: Haaland, no prizes for picking him, I suppose

Top four: Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea

Surprise of the season: Aston Villa to finish sixth. Spurs to finish in the bottom half of the table if they sell Harry Kane, which looks very likely.

Breakout star of the season: Ian Maatsen. If he can get game time behind Ben Chilwell, he's going to impress a lot of people. He's already one of the best left-backs in England, and I think Chelsea might play him at left wing because you just can't leave such a talented player on the bench.

Relegation: Sheffield United and Luton look dead certain to go down. I don't see any turn of events that would lead to either one staying up. Sheffield United have lost their five best players from last season, and added nobody of note. Luton are just along for the ride and aren't going to try to stay up by spending big, which I can respect. I think Nottingham Forest's financial issues will catch up to them, and they'll be the third relegated team this season. The 18th spot in the table will come down to Forest and Wolves.

Ian Maatsen will start the Champions League final. Not bad for a guy who was fourth of fifth on Chelsea's left-back depth chart back in August.

[devo22]

Chelsea clearly trended into the right direction these past months, so naturally they have now parted ways with Poch.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1792979042569953751

[Senator Clay Davis]

One thing that hasn't changed under Boehly is the never ending chaos. Gotta be the most dysfunctional organization in world sport, by far.

[Slava]

Hahaha, that's hilarious. He brought them back from the dead and almost got European football for next year! I can't wait to see who is coming into that cesspool.

[d_phaneuf]

The advanced stats on xg and all that had them as playing much better than table was showing too

Roman was ruthless but he made the right decision most of the time, especially at the start

Boehly being an idiot is just the gift that keeps on giving

Who takes that job?

[d_phaneuf]

Poch already the favorite for bayern job

Wonder if man united make an inquiry...

[Matty81]

Hard to guess where they will go next, it's been such a tire fire at Chelsea - seems like everyone without a manager is going to have a huge tug of war over McKenna and then whoever loses out will gamble on some continental managers who have succeeded in weaker leagues than the prem which is always a massive gamble.

Poor Ipswich... they come up with a fairly weak squad on the strength of incredible mgmt in my opinion and before the season even starts likely lose that manager. Feels like they are going to be cannon fodder

[devo22]

it sucks for Ipswich, but realistically, I think he can only lose if he stays there. Getting them up is a rididulous achievement, they have no business being in the PL ... they'll surely go straight back down. I'd take McKenna back at United in a heartbeat if they gave him time to develop something there, but I think that kind of job will come too early for him. Brighton or Brentford (if Frank leaves) would be a very smart step for him.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Locke

Goodbye Jurgen. You were one of the best.

Sorry. Even by your standards this is a stupid statement.

One of the best what? Liverpool managers since the PL began? Sure. After that. No. He's not.


He's won ONE PL title. He's up there with Conte, Ranieri, Ancellotti ....

He's managed to finish behind all of van Gaal, Jose, Ole and Ten Haag. In other words he's finished below the shambles that is Manchester United in four of his nine seasons.
He has had about as much success in his last nine seasons as Chelsea FC. We don't hear Chelsea fans talking about how the last decade has been one of the "best".
He served up a parting gift to his struggling neighbours Everton by giving them something to sing about "You lost the league at Goodison Park, You lost..." But that loss is all City's fault. Easier to blame them.

Against a woeful injury plagued terrible United team he gifted them the joy of allowing them to ensure that he doesn't get to say goodbye on the final day of the season at the home of football and sparing us all the nauseating coverage we would have had to endure. Thank you Antony and that ne'er before seen right foot of yours.

So. Yes. Good motivator. Great football to watch. Horrible rude arrogant person with a stupid grin when all is good but whose mask slipped when things weren't going his way.

But the best? L O fricking L

Finally.

Originally Posted by Locke

Liverpool have been hot on their heels, fairly, for the better part of a decade.

The better part of a decade?
No they haven't. TWICE they finished second.
That's the same amount of times as United ffs.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Matty81

I don't know their squad as well as someone who follows them closely would but seems the Ineos crew coming in who think they're going to fix everything in a couple years have a rude awakening coming.

I don't get the sense of a quick fix mentality from Ineos at all.

I get the sense that Ratcliffe is getting his own people in place and it will be a calculated methodical rebuild with a three/four year plan. The place is a mess and needs tearing down and built up again. He's already hit the staff at Carrington about their standards, the standards and the cleanliness of the place and put an end to remote working.

I'm getting the sense, he'll spend money but he has standards. For the first time in a long time I'm getting the sense of some sort of organizational structure at the club.

As Keane often alludes to, the culture of the club isn't right. I'm hoping he's going to come down hard on that. United for too long has been a place of no accountability where you cash your cheque for doing nothing. The likes of Pogba, Sanchez, Martial and so many more.

Now, wait and see them re-sign Martial for five years.

[devo22]

According to the Times, Uniteds shortlist is Pochettino, Tuchel, McKenna and Frank.

Zero interest in Tuchel, but I'd be fine with the others. McKenna over Pochettino over Frank for me.