advertisement


All purpose football thread 2022/23 Season

Yes, I fear more of the same next season. There seem to be structural problems at Chelsea deep enough to reach the dressing room. We will need at least another season of repair work, repairs to relationships and trust, before we are a team again. Hope I’m wrong, but….
I'm cautiously optimistic as I think Chelsea have the nucleus of a very good young side.
Getting rid of all the dead wood during the summer is obviously a priority along with finding a striker that can find the back of the net on a regular basis.
Hopefully the owners will have reflected on some of the catastrophic decisions they have taken over the last few months and will allow Poch to get on with the job unencumbered.
 
I was delighted to see Everton survive, but commiserations to supporters of the relegated clubs - whoever you support, relegation is a horrible feeling. For those who have never suffered it, be grateful, but also avoid entitlement because it can happen.

As a Manchester City fan, the season goes on, with two huge games, and difficult games, to come. The psychological strength required to win tournaments is immense. We see from Arsenal's end of season collapse in form just how difficult it is to maintain momentum, and City now go into two finals on the back of a draw and a loss, though I grant that both games featured much changed lineups. I hope we can raise our game. I always want us to win every match, and to beat United, in fact I never, ever like United to win any match. It will be a tough one, but if the game is fairly refereed, we will be slight favourites, as we will be in the CL final.
 
I'm cautiously optimistic as I think Chelsea have the nucleus of a very good young side.
Getting rid of all the dead wood during the summer is obviously a priority along with finding a striker that can find the back of the net on a regular basis.
Hopefully the owners will have reflected on some of the catastrophic decisions they have taken over the last few months and will allow Poch to get on with the job unencumbered.
Yes, allowing Poch to get on with the job unencumbered will be key
 
I was delighted to see Everton survive, but commiserations to supporters of the relegated clubs - whoever you support, relegation is a horrible feeling. For those who have never suffered it, be grateful, but also avoid entitlement because it can happen.

As a Manchester City fan, the season goes on, with two huge games, and difficult games, to come. The psychological strength required to win tournaments is immense. We see from Arsenal's end of season collapse in form just how difficult it is to maintain momentum, and City now go into two finals on the back of a draw and a loss, though I grant that both games featured much changed lineups. I hope we can raise our game. I always want us to win every match, and to beat United, in fact I never, ever like United to win any match. It will be a tough one, but if the game is fairly refereed, we will be slight favourites, as we will be in the CL final.

Didn't you post something up-thread about praising teams that do well? :D

"Slight favourites"? City are overwhelming favourites for both cups. If you were playing Brentford in the FA Cup though I'd agree.
 
Some end-of-season stats. Howe has certainly done a good job. The Galacticos not so much.

Premier League points swings, from 21/22 to 22/23 seasons:

Newcastle +22
Man Utd +17
Villa +16
Arsenal +15
Brentford +13
Brighton +11
Palace -3
Everton -3
Man City - 4
Leeds -7
Wolves -10
Spurs -11
Southampton -15
West Ham -16
Leicester -18
Liverpool -25
Chelsea -30
 
Didn't you post something up-thread about praising teams that do well? :D

"Slight favourites"? City are overwhelming favourites for both cups. If you were playing Brentford in the FA Cup though I'd agree.

Given we have not won a CL, and that we were beaten by United once this season, I think overwhelming is far too strong.

I certainly did not intend my post to come across negatively about Arsenal, who would have been very worthy champions, but more how difficult it is to get things over the line. There are only two clubs I find it hard to praise!
 
Given we have not won a CL, and that we were beaten by United once this season, I think overwhelming is far too strong.

I certainly did not intend my post to come across negatively about Arsenal, who would have been very worthy champions, but more how difficult it is to get things over the line. There are only two clubs I find it hard to praise!

Having watched a few Inter games, it's clear they are nowhere near City (even the second string). They could sneak it on the counter of course or put on a defensive masterclass and then score from a set piece/penalty but the odds are stacked in City's favour (but I know winning the CL isn't important to you so I guess it's neither here nor there). As for the FA Cup, we won't even be able to field a full-strength team due to injuries (and we had a mare at the Etihad). Again, City are big favourites.
 
Yes, allowing Poch to get on with the job unencumbered will be key

He's already done a new boot deal for 2023/4

52937124156_01d4bccf20.jpg
 
Having watched a few Inter games, it's clear they are nowhere near City (even the second string). They could sneak it on the counter of course or put on a defensive masterclass and then score from a set piece/penalty but the odds are stacked in City's favour (but I know winning the CL isn't important to you so I guess it's neither here nor there). As for the FA Cup, we won't even be able to field a full-strength team due to injuries (and we had a mare at the Etihad). Again, City are big favourites.

I didn't realise you were a United fan, so that explains things somewhat.
I want to win every game. The CL is no different but if you gave me a list of priorities, the PL would come before it. That is true of most City fans I know, at least the older City fans.
Don't get me wrong, I think we are a better team than you but a game against United is always fraught with dubious decisions, hounding of referees (Fernandes especially) and linesmen who seem to lose sight of the rules. If the game is fairly officiated, I think we will win, but I am not confident about that. Currently, Grealish, Dias, Stones and Akanji are not in training - we might be in the same position.
 
Play-offs are a joke and always have been - the idea that you can finish so far off a promotion place and then get another crack at it is ludicrous.
Nothing more than a money spinner funded by the fans.

Have never understood this perspective. The play offs aren’t about justice and they never have been. If justice was the issue then you’d just offer more teams automatic promotion. Regardless of how far one team finishes ahead of another the issue is that none of the teams were good enough for automatic promotion and so all concerned get a second bite with a blank slate on the basis that there is rarely that much between them as points gaps suggest. Teams then have a chance to prove this and… often do. In that sense a form of justice is often served.

The problem with the EFL play offs is the two leg nonsense. The NL play offs offer one less game to second and third plus home advantage. It’s brutal but brilliant.

Looking at points gaps the ten point gap between Burnley and Sheffield was a very real one. The ten point gap between the latter and Luon much less so. If it were about justice then a tedious to watch Bromley and Woking ahead of the much better Southend constantly shafted by their owner would have been the nicer outcome but… it’s never about justice.
 
I didn't realise you were a United fan, so that explains things somewhat.
I want to win every game. The CL is no different but if you gave me a list of priorities, the PL would come before it. That is true of most City fans I know, at least the older City fans.
Don't get me wrong, I think we are a better team than you but a game against United is always fraught with dubious decisions, hounding of referees (Fernandes especially) and linesmen who seem to lose sight of the rules. If the game is fairly officiated, I think we will win, but I am not confident about that. Currently, Grealish, Dias, Stones and Akanji are not in training - we might be in the same position.
I think City have done quite well as far as refereeing decisions, I don’t think MUFC have any advantage here.

City should definitely win both ties but football is never that straight forward. I think not winning the UCL would be the bigger shock.
 
Agree.

Plus.

I think it’s easy to forget how, in the 80s, the football season half ended / ran out of steam in March/April . The whole point of the playoffs was that people even around 10th in the league in March still had a lot to play for - and so that kept the interest going.


and I say this as a Brighton fan - who has suffered immensely with playoff failures ! I still wouldn’t swap back to the old days of top 3 only for promotion.

Have never understood this perspective. The play offs aren’t about justice and they never have been. If justice was the issue then you’d just offer more teams automatic promotion. Regardless of how far one team finishes ahead of another the issue is that none of the teams were good enough for automatic promotion and so all concerned get a second bite with a blank slate on the basis that there is rarely that much between them as points gaps suggest. Teams then have a chance to prove this and… often do. In that sense a form of justice is often served.

The problem with the EFL play offs is the two leg nonsense. The NL play offs offer one less game to second and third plus home advantage. It’s brutal but brilliant.

Looking at points gaps the ten point gap between Burnley and Sheffield was a very real one. The ten point gap between the latter and Luon much less so. If it were about justice then a tedious to watch Bromley and Woking ahead of the much better Southend constantly shafted by their owner would have been the nicer outcome but… it’s never about justice.
 
Indeed. I get really bored of fans saying they don’t like the play offs. The number of dead rubbers prior to play offs has been reduced by a huge amount since 1989.

There is similar nonsense with penalty shoot outs. You know from minute one that you have a hundred and twenty minutes to win a game. If that doesn’t happen for whatever reason then it’s only fair and reasonable that the process to settle the matter involves greater jeopardy. It’s not designed to be just or fair but to produce an outcome. It’s a fairly basic concept that fans, managers and pundits still don’t grasp despite the fact that in the league teams level on points would next look at GD; then GS; then head to head results and finally good old alphabetical order. Teams such as mine or Yeovil should whinge like hell according to the logic which can’t stand penalties but the reality is you’ve had 46 games to sort yourself out and at the end of that how many other ways do you want to invent in the name of some imaginary fairness when it’s simply about having an outcome.
 


advertisement


Back
Top